-
Is it a Toolbox Part?
If you use PDMWorks Workgroup and SolidWorks Toolbox, you may have run into this issue. If you setup your PDMWorks Vault to NOT check in Toolbox parts, SolidWorks can recognize Toolbox parts in one of two ways. You can identify a directory which will direct PDMWorks to classify all files within that directory as Toolbox…
-
SolidWorks Tip: Connectors Anyone??
Here is a quick little video tip on connectors which can be found in Boundary Surfaces, Sweeps, and Lofts. Most users that utilize these features often are aware of the connector options available which can help you shape the surface (in particular the UV flow). This tip shows how to utilize a single surface edge…
-
SolidWorks Tip: Context Toolbar in Sketches
SolidWorks 2008 brought about many changes in the user interface. One of the additions to the UI that has spurred some comments from users (both positive and negative) has been the Context Toolbar. The Context Toolbar appears when you right click OR left click on certain entities within the software. (The right click options consists…
-
SolidWorks Tip: Adding a Mate in 2008!
Here is a great little tip-off for those of you using SolidWorks 2008. With previous versions of SolidWorks, you may constantly find yourself venturing from the graphics area towards the Assembly Toolbar or CommandManager everytime you wanted to add a mate to a component in your assembly. The Edit/Add Mates command is available in the…
-
A GREAT Enhancement Request
It’s not often that I post references to enhancement requests directly, but I have to make an exception with this one. Fellow Blogger Lenny Kikstra has a Blog Post describing what I think would be an excellent enhancement request for a future release of SolidWorks. In case you missed my first link, you can check…
-
SolidWorks Tip: Normal to Cylinder?
Here is a little gem of a tip that I just discovered. (Even after 10 years use I still find little things like this from time to time.) Select a cylindrical surface in a model. Invoke the “Normal to” command and the view will instantly be normal to the axis of that cylinder! This can…
-
SolidWorks 2008: FilletXpert
With vacations over with and some due dates met, I’m finally getting some time now to post more reviews of the new features in SolidWorks 2008. One of the requested subjects from my earlier post looking for feature review ideas was FilletXpert. FilletXpert is not itself new in SolidWorks 2008, but there has been some…
-
SolidWorks 2008: Configurations
Enhancements to Configurations don’t often get much press when it comes to new releases, so I thought I would highlight two new features of SolidWorks 2008 in the area of Configuration functionality. I’ll include a brief description of both, but as they say, seeing is believing, so I have included a link to a video…
-
SolidWorks 2008: Inserting and Mirroring Parts
One of the REALLY handy new items in SolidWorks 2008 is the added options to the Insert Part/Insert Mirror Part commands. Here is the quick synopsis of what has been added: When you use the Insert-> Part command, you now have the added ability to transfer unabsorbed sketches, absorbed sketches, custom properties, and coordinate systems…
-
SolidWorks 2008: The New UI
Unless you have been living under a rock or haven’t been keeping up with the latest SolidWorks News, you have probably heard that with SolidWorks 2008 comes a new User Interface. I choose my words carefully here because it is not a COMPLETE overhaul, but there has been some significant change nonetheless. Lets talk about…
-
SolidWorks Tip: Unabsorb Sketches
Here is a little jewel of a feature inside of SolidWorks……the ability to use the rollback bar to unabsorb sketches from features. This has been one of those features that I have found is not as well known amongst SolidWorks users as one would think. I’ve talked to many users who have discovered this feature…
-
SolidWorks Tip: Sketch Slot
Comments left on Blogs can definitely drive content. Here is one example. A comment left by Tyler last week on one of my other Blog postings got me thinking a bit. Tyler’s question dealt with creating an “oval” or “slot” shape that consists of two arcs and two lines that are tangent to each arc. …
-
Importing and Repairing Models in SolidWorks
My Importing and Repairing Models in SolidWorks presentation from SolidWorks World 2007 is now available for download for anyone interested. If you didn’t get a chance to catch it, it highlights the features in SolidWorks commonly used to repair models that do not import as a solid body. It also includes three case studies which…
-
New Boundary Surface Video
Mark Biasotti has posted a really nice Boundary Surface Video Tutorial. If you use surfacing at all, I highly recommend you check it out. With Mark’s permission, I have made the model available for download here. In the tutorial, Mark shows how powerful adding connectors can be within the Boundary Surface feature itself. This is…