SOLIDWORKS Tip

SOLIDWORKS Cosmetic Thread Display in Parts, Assemblies and Drawings

There are many options and settings to adjust the display of a SOLIDWORKS Cosmetic Thread in the various environments.  Here is a breakdown of the options available that may be useful if you find that your Cosmetic Thread is missing. Part Environment: When you add a…

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How to use the SOLIDWORKS Belt/Chain Assembly Feature to control a Chain

The Chain Component Pattern introduced in SOLIDWORKS 2015 is a powerful tool to pattern chain links around a path.  It also includes a Dynamic option to show the motion of the chain.  See Chris’s chain component pattern blog post with a demonstration video. However in…

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Selecting Faces with the SOLIDWORKS Select Other tool

The ‘Select Other’ is a common tool used in SOLIDWORKS, but some may not be aware of its functionality or the extra right-click option.  This command has been around for a long time and is one of many tools and techniques taught in SOLIDWORKS training courses…

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My SOLIDWORKS Drawing Pack and Go has an Extra File Reference!?

On rare occasions, you may see an extra referenced model when making a Drawing Pack and Go, even if the model is not in a drawing view.  While this won’t affect your assemblies or drawing files, it does copy the extra file with the Pack and…

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Hole Wizard Thread Data Not Found When Using Newly Created Hole

The ‘Hole Wizard Thread Data Not Found’ error message may appear when using a newly created Hole Wizard hole. This is usually the result of a mismatch between the Size in the Sizes Tab… …and the Full Size in the Thread Data tab, as shown below…

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Getting started with SOLIDWORKS Industrial Designer software [VIDEO Series 1 of 4]

Example Model created with SWID

When I first started using SOLIDWORKS Industrial Designer (SWID) I was thrilled to test out all of the exciting new functionality that I had heard about. Eager to begin, I started up the software on the Dassault Systèmes 3DExperience Platform and was greeted by a visually appealing, well thought…

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Creating SOLIDWORKS Custom Appearance Files [VIDEO]

SOLIDWORKS installs with a large library of appearance files that you can apply to your models, but you can also create a SOLIDWORKS Custom appearance file from any image you wish. Create a Custom Appearance File To create a new custom appearance file, you need to start…

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Using Tree Display to De-clutter the SOLIDWORKS Feature Manager

One pet peeve that I have with the SOLIDWORKS Feature Manager, is the need to scroll back in order to see long component names inside an assembly. The culprits behind this are Display and Configuration names of a component. I could expand the Feature Manager…

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Quick Measurements with the Status Bar (Enhanced in SOLIDWORKS 2015)

If you need quick measurements from your model, you don’t always have to launch the Measure tool.  Selecting edges or faces will give you simple values in the Status Bar at the bottom of your screen.  Depending on what you select, you can find some useful information….

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