SOLIDWORKS Assembly
If you use SOLIDWORKS Composer in tandem with SOLIDWORKS Mechanical Design to generate the models, chances are that you have had difficulty updating the Composer file after an update in a sub-assembly. In this article, we will explore a way to set up your Composer document so that you can update sub-assemblies within the Main assembly of your file. In this example, we will be working with the table design seen below. The table is made up of two sub-assemblies with a Linear pattern applied to the “Leg Assembly.” We will import the top level assembly (“Desk Assembly”) into SOLIDWORKS Composer. Getting Started After importing the Desk Assembly into Composer, we will save the file as a Composer product (.smgXml). Note: If you save as *.smg or you receive an *.smg from someone else, then save the *.smg as *.smgXml. This operation “shatters” the *.smg file into its child files:…
Assembling components in SOLIDWORKS? There are multiple ways to mate components together. Some methods are faster, while other methods are slower but more intelligent (such as the Mate manager). SOLIDWORKS SmartMates are one of the faster methods, where you can avoid the repetitive mouse travel between the graphics view and the Mate Property Manager just to create a single mate. Rather, SmartMates can be created while keeping your mouse pointer in the graphics view at all times! To initiate a SmartMate: hold down the Alt key (usually located next to the Space bar) while dragging the vertex, edge, or face of one component onto the appropriate vertex, edge, or face of another. SOLIDWORKS will then offer you some kind of alignment preview and, if you choose to accept it, mate will be automatically created! If, rather than releasing the mouse button, you keep dragging onto different faces or edges, then…
The recommended SOLIDWORKS PDM Toolbox Integration is to add a Windows registry option to automatically force caching of the latest version of SOLIDWORKS Toolbox references on open when Toolbox is managed in SOLIDWORKS PDM. This override ensures that the latest version of a Toolbox reference is cached to avoid Toolbox having to create missing sizes in some cases when an earlier version already cached. WARNING: Be very careful when making modifications to the registry as this may cause serious instability on your system. As such, you will need full administrative permissions on your computer to be able to edit them. Note that Javelin is not responsible for any changes that you make to your system, the following is just a guide. To enable/disable the registry override: Add a DWORD key named ‘GetLatestToolboxVer‘ under: HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\SolidWorks\Applications\PDMWorks Enterprise\ConisioCAD\SolidWorks Value: 1 = Enabled, 0 (or missing) = Disabled Note that when registry value is enabled, it will force latest…
When working in SOLIDWORKS Composer, there might be a situation were the information that is being expressed in the Bill of Materials (BOM) come from both the part & assembly level. In the article ‘How to create an Assembly Level BOM‘, we learned how to get BOM items at the assembly level. Lets take that one step further by creating a specialized BOM in SOLIDWORKS Composer that uses both parts & assembly actors, and see the nuances in making it work. Where to Start In the example below, we see a SOLIDWORKS Composer file is made of different actors. We have the top-level assembly made up of sub-assemblies & parts as well as assembly groups & dummy actors. A view focusing on the grilling features of this barbecue set has been created. We want to create a simplified BOM that shows the main component groups (sub-assemblies) & a few add-on…
In SOLIDWORKS 2019, you can group SOLIDWORKS Assembly mates by status and separate fasteners into folders. You can group the mates by their status, such as Solved mates, mates with Errors, Over defined mates, Suppressed mates, Suppressed mates that reference missing components, and Inactive (fixed) components (mates that reference fixed components). Group mates and separate fasteners: In the FeatureManager design tree of an assembly, right-click Mates and click Group Mates. Click By Status to sort mates by status. If you have fasteners, the option to separate fastener will be active. Click Separate Fasteners to show fasteners in separate folders. This option separates mates that reference a Toolbox component into a Fasteners folder. If you edit a mate to include a Toolbox component, the mate moves to the Fasteners folder after you save the changes. In front of each mate folder, the number of mates contained in each folder is displayed. This number includes the number of mates and the fastener…
Some useful pattern features in Parts are now available in Assemblies with SOLIDWORKS 2019. This provides greater control when positioning your components while still using patterns to save on rebuild time. Linear Pattern – Up to Reference Assembly linear patterns can take advantage of the Up to Reference option. This allows automatic calculation of equally spaced parts up to a location, or specify spacing and reference to determine the number of instances. Circular Pattern – Second Direction Generating a Component Circular Pattern now includes the option for a second direction. Here you can specify different angles and instances in each direction.
Everyone wants improved performance when working with their assemblies. If this is causing a significant hindrance to your productivity, let us help with our Large Assembly Productivity Service and we will solve any assembly issues you may be having! What some may not realize is that the bulk of the lag may come down to a couple “simple” components. Imported geometry from a 3rd party source is a common problem. While it looks like a simplified model without a long list of features, all of the fine details with a high Image Quality setting can wreak havoc on generating the graphics in assemblies. SOLIDWORKS 2019 now provides a pop-up warning as you insert a complex part so you can take action before things get out of control. In the example below, I’ve inserted an imported model of a Chiller. No features in the model, just a single part file with several dumb bodies. …
Starting in SOLIDWORKS 2019 you don’t need to save your assemblies as parts in order to insert a bounding box for them. The assembly bounding box can be created directly in the assembly level using the same calculations that were used previously in the part level. Creating a bounding box directly from your assembly will save lots of time in getting the footprint of your products. You are also able to modify your assembly in real-time and analyze how that affects the overall size of the final product. Creating a SOLIDWORKS Assembly Bounding Box To insert a new bounding box in the top-level assembly, click on Insert > Reference Geometry > Bounding Box. Every assembly can contain ONLY one top level bounding box. As soon as the bounding box is created, it will appear in the Feature Manager Design Tree. From here you can click on the bounding box and…