Save time
What do you do when you work on a large assembly, with multiple levels of sub-assemblies, and want to apply the most common material to all the parts? Opening each part file on its own and applying the material is extremely time-consuming. Instead of that follow this simple 3 step procedure: Open the main assembly Select all the part components Apply the same material to the whole selection Sounds simple, does it not? The problem is that even though SolidWorks is renowned for being the most intuitive CAD software available today, some workflows are not yet as straightforward as the users would like. Case in hand: Step 2 – creating a selection set of only the components that are “parts”, while filtering out the sub-assemblies. It is doable but it is…
Some people will be shocked by the title of this article. How can you say that SolidWorks can do direct modeling when every operation you perform on the model is documented in the feature tree? Let me start by saying that if the definition of direct modeling includes loosing track of the operations you perform on the affected geometry, then SolidWorks does not have direct modeling capabilities. But if you need to modify existing solid bodies, regardless of how they were created, then I can tell you that SolidWorks has the capabilities that you are looking for! This video present a very good example on how you can perform a complex change affecting a local area of an imported body using SolidWorks. The update is…
Watch this video to learn how to create one, two and even three mates at the same time in SolidWorks.
Alin’s SW2013 Pick of the Day – Fill a Baby Bottle Using The Intersect Tool
When designing a bottle for your newborn baby, one of the main parameters you need to control is the bottle’s volume. While apparently a simple task, calculating the volume of an open recipient has never been an easy task in SolidWorks. The new Intersect Tool introduce by SolidWorks 2013 is a game changer in this regard. Capping and filling a bottle is now a simple two step process… like in real life: Cap the bottle Fill the bottle. Later on this week, I will take on an even more complex challenge: how to determine the half full level for the same bottle. Until then, enjoy the video showing the bottle being filled to capacity. In order to appreciate the huge benefits of using the newest SolidWorks release,…
Alin’s SW2013 Pick of the Day – Conjuring a Solid Out of Thin Air with the Intersect Tool
People who have seen it in action say that the Intersect Tool is a Game Changer. Imagine you take existing surface bodies, solid bodies and even planes and throw them in a boiling pot. Let them intersect themselves for a while (about half a second), then pick and choose whatever pieces or combination of pieces you need. The result is spectacular: one or more solid bodies created very fast. Once you master this new command, you will find out that your feature tree becomes quite a bit shorter! Intersect can replace whole clusters of features like: Split, Combine Add, Combine Subtract, Combine Common, Trim, Copy Bodies, Delete Bodies, Cut with Surface or Replace Face. In this video, I am just playing with the Intersect Tool. Watch…
Alin’s SW2013 Pick of the Day – Varying Dimensions Patterns
This is one of the new enhancements in SolidWorks 2013 that has the potential to save you, the designer, anywhere between minutes to hours. I am not exaggerating! You can now automate your designs like never before! You will replace tens or even hundreds of features with one smart feature pattern just by varying sketch dimensions from the seed feature(s). Watch this video and let me know if you agree with me that this technique will save you time and money. Enjoy and do not hesitate to subscribe to the Javelin Channel for more tech tips like this one.
Just a little tip that can save you big time when working with your drawings.