SOLIDWORKS 2012
Partners in Making: Rachael’s Journey to Crafting Her Wedding Shoes
Rachael, a talented SOLIDWORKS Product Definition Team engineer, recently embarked on an extraordinary project: creating custom shoes for her wedding, and she got some help from resident SOLIDWORKS makers Chin-Loo and Sal Lama.
... ContinuedSolidWorks Drawing Tip: Convert View to Sketch
I’ve been asked a couple of times if there was an easy way to tweak, change, or ‘fudge’ a drawing view. Some people want to change a line style, some may want to change a thickness, and some may just
... ContinuedSolidWorks Modeling Methodology: Part 3
In my previous articles we started with the different items we need to consider before we start building our model such as the Manufacturing, Features, Assemblies and Drawings. For the second article we explored the first few features of our
... ContinuedSolidWorks Modeling Methodology – Part 2
In my previous article we talked about all of the items we need to consider; Manufacturing, Features, Assemblies and Drawings. For our part that we are going to design we had some knowledge of the Manufacturing and Features of the
... ContinuedSolidWorks Tech Tip: Symmetry Fixtures on Shell Elements
If you have ever used symmetry on a surface body or solid body on which shell elements are defined, you would have had to use a special technique using an advanced fixture. The Symmetry Fixture would not work, as it
... ContinuedSolidWorks Modeling Methodology: Before You Start Your Design
When we were taught SolidWorks it was in one of two ways–we were either self taught or we took a class through a local SolidWorks reseller, or maybe at a local college. In either case, when we learned SolidWorks we
... ContinuedUsing SolidWorks Sub-Weldments
Something that has been confusing to students in my Weldments training classes is the proper way to create Sub-Weldments so that they retain all the work you have done creating properties for the cut-list items. As of SolidWorks 2012 this
... ContinuedFree SolidWorks Certification for Subscription Service Customers
Are you looking for a way to test your skills in SolidWorks or maybe you are in the hunt for a new job and want to make yourself more marketable, then trying one of the SolidWorks Certification Exams is a
... ContinuedAllowing SolidWorks to Perform
For the 4th year in a row Adrian Fanjoy and I have done one of our favorite SolidWorks World presentations, “Allowing SolidWorks to Perform”. The presentation was well received and we thought it would be a good idea to share
... ContinuedSolidWorks Dismissed Warning and Error Messages
One call that we get on a regular basis on the support line is a question of “I used to get this warning message when I did…. and now thing are not happening the way they did before–why?” More often
... ContinuedSnapshots of PhotoView 360: Appearances
Read the entire series: (Part One: The Basics, Part Two: Appearances)
Appearances are usually one of the first properties added to produce a rendered image. They can add a color, texture, or illumination settings to an assembly, component, face, feature, body, or part. Applying appearances works in a hierarchy; assembly appearances will always override component appearances, and component appearances will override face appearances, and it continues down the list.
TIP: Adding appearances does NOT add mechanical properties.
When dragging and dropping appearances onto a part from the task pane, pressing ALT while dragging and dropping will enable the property manager for that appearance. This gives you the option of choosing your settings without having to edit the appearance to enable the property manager of that appearance.
Creating Drawings for SolidWorks Multi-body Parts
When you have a multi-body part in SolidWorks the question that comes into play at some point is how do I make a drawing for each of the different bodies “parts”. The answer to this is like many items in
... ContinuedSolidWorks Materials: Manage & Customize
You can add materials you often use to your favorite list for faster access.
... ContinuedSolidWorks Enterprise Licensing Made Simple
You’ve anticipated installing a newer version of SolidWorks Enterprise PDM for the last month. You’ve let everyone know of the impending update. You’ve downloaded the latest service pack from www.SolidWorks.com. You’ve made backups of your SQL databases. You’ve ensured the
... ContinuedCustomizing SolidWorks Flyout Toolbars
The other day while watching a video on some of the new SolidWorks 2013 features, I noticed that one of the Flyout Toolbars for Annotations had a command for Cosmetic Threads that I did not have in my Flyouts, so
... Continued