Sketch Relations

Why you should avoid SOLIDWORKS In-Context Relations when not needed

what are solidworks external references

SOLIDWORKS In-context relations and editing is a powerful tool. Driving features from one component allows features in other components to update automatically. Yet with great power comes great responsibility (apologies for the movie reference).  In some cases you may accidentally add an external reference that…

Read More...

How to Automatically Add SOLIDWORKS Tangent Relations from Lines to Arcs & Circles

Attaching a line to an arc or circle can be automatically snapped with a SOLIDWORKS tangent relation if you hover over the tangent location for a bit. Starting the line from an arc or circle may not add the tangent relation automatically.  However you can hover over…

Read More...

Suppressing SOLIDWORKS Sketch Relations

Greetings, fellow SOLIDWORKS user! A neat trick that not many users are aware of is the ability to suppress a sketch relation. While this may not seem like the type of thing that needs to be done very often, it’s very useful when it is…

Read More...

SOLIDWORKS Mate Best Practice #2: Don’t Mate Your Relations

SOLIDWORKS Mate Best Practice

Welcome back, fellow SOLIDWORKS users for another installment of our SOLIDWORKS Mate Best Practice series. Last time, we looked at Rule #1: Mate before you relate. After the video, I suggested such a terrifying possibility: That a hole in a plate with a sketch relation…

Read More...

SOLIDWORKS Mate Best Practice #1: Mate Before You Relate

SOLIDWORKS Mate Best Practice

Greetings, fellow SOLIDWORKS users! Welcome to my new blog series on the best practices of mating…in SOLIDWORKS of course! Over the next few days, I’ll bring you five videos on SOLIDWORKS Mate Best Practices and how to avoid problems associating with poorly applied mates. Or,…

Read More...