SOLIDWORKS Multibody
A general rule to follow is that one part generally should represent a single part number for your bill of materials. SOLIDWORKS multibody parts are not meant to replace the use of assemblies. For example, in part files, we lack the ability to use some…
The Scale feature (found by selecting the Insert menu, Features, then pick Scale) can be used to change the scale of all features within a single part. When used, this tool appears as an extra feature in the Feature Tree. However, this feature is limited to use…
So you’ve got a multibody part, such as a weldment or other non-welded design (doesn’t even need to use Weldment tools) in SOLIDWORKS, and it’s time to detail each body as it would appear before being welded or assembled. With assemblies, common practice is to…
It is very common to create multi-body parts with an accompanying exploded view. However, there may be occasions where an exploded view needs to be removed, and the result of that removal leaves an unexpected exploded body in your part. The part below has a…
The SOLIDWORKS 2019 Interference Detection tool can be used directly on a multibody part. This is very useful to check weldment parts (or multibody sheet metal parts) for any potential interferences that need to be reviewed. Previous versions required other solutions such as combine or inserting into…
One of the main evaluation tools in an assembly is Interference Detection. This command shows any possible interference between components so that we can modify the parts and prevent issues in manufacturing. Designing multibody parts is very similar to working with an assembly; and the…
When working in a multibody part you sometimes have overlapping regions and you need to remove the common volume from one of the bodies. In this example I inserted a derived part as a separate body. Notice the interfering areas where we want a groove…
In the past articles, we demonstrated the use of the new Intersect Tool for quickly filling an existing cavity with a solid body in order to calculate its volume. That works fine at the part level, but how can you achieve the same thing in an assembly? How can you “fill” the cavity or cavities created between all components of the assembly with material in order to calculate the volume of the “void”? Watch this video and learn how to combine Boolean operations at the assembly level with multibody workflows at the part level:
If you’ve ever made a weldment in SOLIDWORKS , then you know how easy it is to create a multibody part without really having to think about it all too much. I mean, SOLIDWORKS automatically recognizes the cut lengths for structural members and makes a cut list…