I’ve spent the past year at Hawk Ridge Systems visiting customers around Southern California in my 2000 Volkswagen Beetle TDI. The ride is great, and so is the mileage. Unfortunately, I’ve noticed the car is experiencing power loss at low RPMs, something that 1.9-liter turbo diesel engine shouldn’t have an issue with.

After a bit of research, I came across a suggestion that power loss could be caused by years of soot build up clogging the intake manifold.

Removing an/or replacing the intake can unfortunately cost several hundred dollars and many hours of labor. So, although SOLIDWORKS is normally used as a design tool, I decided to model the intake, add some carbon build up, and compare these potential states of sickness with the computational fluid dynamics capabilities of SOLIDWORKS Flow Simulation to see if that would be worth the time and cost.

Modeling the Intake

First, I needed some geometry, so I started by looking up a few images so I could create the .SLDPRT file.

For accurate geometry, I could partially disassemble my engine and generate cloud point data with an Artec 3D scanner, but that would defeat the purpose here. Instead, I was able to model the inlet pipe in SOLIDWORKS with a single solid-body Loft feature, using multiple sketch profiles and the Centerline Parameters option.

After a few fillets and other features, the main shape was nearly complete. The last task was to add a Shell feature to hollow out the body, followed by some finishing touches like the mounting flanges and holes.

SOLIDWORKS Flow Simulation can analyze any solid geometry, even file types such as STEP or IGES, so this solid model is nearly ready for analysis right from the start. It’s simply a matter of clicking Tools > Add-Ins and checking the appropriate box on the left.

Since I only care about the airflow inside this manifold, an internal analysis is appropriate, which means that the only required geometry preparation is to seal up the openings at the inlet and cylinder ports, using either the Create Lids tool, or a few Extruded Boss features. These lids will allow SOLIDWORKS Flow Simulation to recognize the fluid volume for the simulation, and will also give me a place to click when defining the boundary conditions for my analysis.

I can verify I’m ready for my set up by using the SOLIDWORKS Flow Simulation Check Geometry tool, and clicking Show Fluid Volume:

To determine whether or not my intake is clogged, I’m going to first run a simulation assuming my car is clean, using some data (like manifold air pressure) that I’ve observed with my Scangauge II engine monitoring device.

Determining Input Conditions

The principle behind a turbocharged engine is that the turbo compressor can increase the density of the air going into the combustion chamber. The extra air molecules mean that more fuel can be injected as well, generating more power without more displacement.

If the carbon build up in the intake manifold is adding extra resistance, however, the turbo will need to use more of its pressure output to overcome those losses, and won’t be as effective at densifying the air, leading to power loss. The goal of my simulation then was to examine that density, or more specifically, the mass flow rate of air going into the engine.

Getting started with my simulation is a matter of clicking through the Project Wizard to set basic conditions of the study, such as the fluid (air) and the ambient conditions (by default, standard temperature and pressure at sea level, otherwise known as STP).

Part of the challenge in performing any simulation is determining which Boundary Conditions will best represent the real world. Should I try to define the velocity at the inlet? If so, which number would I type in? Thankfully, I have some information from Volkswagen’s engine specifications as well as real-time data from my Scangauge II engine monitoring tool.

The displacement of the engine is 1.9 liters, which means with some simple arithmetic, we can calculate the volume flow rate of air going through the engine for a given engine speed. At 2,200 RPM, this works out to 4,180 liters per minute, which I can type directly into the Outlet Volume Flow condition thanks to SOLIDWORKS Flow Simulation‘s customizable units.

At the inlet to the manifold, I can define a pressure condition to mimic the amount of boost being provided by the turbo compressor. By looking at my Scangauge II while driving, I’ve observed that this tops out around 33 psi given an air temperature of 80°F. I also know that the pressure sensor on the Volkswagen ALH engine is similar to that of a pilot-tube, meaning it’s measuring the total pressure (also known as stagnation pressure) which accounts for the velocity and density of the fluid. SOLIDWORKS Flow Simulation lets me directly input that type of condition as well. 

With these settings in place, and some Surface Goals applied to measure key results at the outlets, I’m able to run the analysis. Right from the solver window, I can observe that the simulation completes with an air mass flow rate of about 636 kg/hr. Likewise, I can see an air density of about 2.53 kg/m3, which is more than double the normal density of air at sea level! 

I can also use the visual results, like a Cut Plot, to examine other results such as velocity and the associated flow vectors, giving me confidence that my assumptions were correct. In this case, I can see a bit of swirl around the elbow bend as well as some dead zones in the back of the manifold. Interestingly, I can also see here that the airflow into each of the four engine cylinders is not particularly uniform – something that could perhaps be improved down the road. 

Using Design-Validation Capabilities Inside SOLIDWORKS

Engineers who are familiar with computer simulation tools are probably used to the idea of having to begin a new analysis every time a different design is created. Even after all the work we did in part 2 to make sure our simulation had realistic assumptions, repeating the setup clicks would be a poor use of our time. Luckily, thanks to the CAD integration of SOLIDWORKS Flow Simulation, that won’t be necessary.

The only extra work needed for comparing the dirty and clean intakes will be to create a new Configuration of my part file and add some features to represent the soot. SOLIDWORKS makes that process easy too. After clicking Add Configuration, I decided to make a Surface Offset feature on the inside faces of the intake, followed by a Thicken feature which will make it easy for me to change the amount of the soot buildup down the road by modifying a single dimension.

Now that the soot geometry is in place, I can go back to the Flow Simulation Analysis tab, and use the Clone command to copy my project (with all intended setup) to this new Configuration. All of my setup and boundary conditions are preserved, which means I can immediately click Run to solve this new analysis.

Once complete, I can examine all the same results as before- but my real interest is whether anything has changed compared to the clean design. This is a great chance to use the Compare Results functionality which can display the Goals and result plots of these simulations side-by-side.

When I examine the results, I can see that the velocity of the air has greatly increased in the intake with carbon build up due to the reduced cross sectional area of the manifold- something that should be an expected result for those of you familiar with the Venturi effect. What is perhaps less expected is that the density of the air, and the resulting mass flow rate into the engine, has only gone down by about 15 kilograms per hour- a change of only about 2.3 percent. This suggests that the amount of pressure being supplied by the turbo (33 psi) is still high enough to overcome the added back pressure from this carbon buildup and compress the air accordingly.

But what about at higher flow rates? Perhaps the soot buildup is actually more of a problem at the top end of the TDI motor’s RPM range. The ALH engine in the 2000 Beetle red-lines at around 5,000 RPM, and since that is the condition that drove our original Outlet Volume Flow assumption, testing this situation is an easy task. We can take advantage of the Clone command two more times (once each for the clean and dirty intakes), increasing that outlet flow rate value to 9500 L/min. I can then run these new projects simultaneously using the Batch Run functionality, and upon completion, revisit the compare tool.

Now that’s a difference! At 5,000 RPM adding the restriction from the carbon soot drops the mass flow rate of air by nearly 10 percent, which suggests that the turbo compressor simply can’t generate enough boost pressure to both compress the air and move it through the clogged intake at this rate.

Is this the source of my car troubles? Of course there’s only one way to know for sure, but most of the power loss I had been noticing was in the low-end of the RPM range, the reason I started my initial test at 2200 RPM in the first place. My simulations just proved that even if my intake really is clogged, it’s probably not the cause of the issue I had noticed while driving.

Based on this information, I did some more research and determined that another possible culprit could be sticky vanes in the turbocharger which prevent it from spinning up freely, an issue which can be remedied much more easily. Thanks to the insight I gained from SOLIDWORKS Flow Simulation, I avoided replacing my intake manifold, which saved me at least a few hundred bucks and a Saturday afternoon.

Of course, simulations like these could become even more valuable if I decided to develop a new aftermarket version of the intake. Detailed results like the Flow Trajectories plot lead me to believe that changing the manifold geometry might eliminate some of the dead zones in the intake and reduce the air density loss at high flow rates. I could even take advantage of the Parametric Study functionality to automatically run my simulation and adjust certain part dimensions until it finds the shape that has the least back pressure. I could then export that optimized design directly to a 3D printer for some final real-world bench testing, and maybe even a sale.

Visit our website to learn more about how 3D design and validation tools can help your engineering processes, or contact us at Hawk Ridge Systems today. Thanks for reading!

The post Diagnosing an Engine With SOLIDWORKS Flow Simulation appeared first on Hawk Ridge Systems.

While some Simulation settings are simply preferential, some can have a great impact on how your studies run and how your results are presented. The settings in this blog are mostly ones we’ve seen customers have success with over the years, with the rest coming from our years instructing our Simulation training course.

Upon turning on the Simulation add-in and looking at the options (Simulation menu > Options), a user sees two tabs: System Options that control settings across any study you create or open, and Default Options that are applied when a study is started (essentially a study template). The Defaults have more that we’ll want to change, so let’s start there.

Default Options become spread out to different menus and commands within the study once it’s created, so while these options are always accessible, it’s way easier to set them up ahead of time. On the first Defaults page, beyond just choosing your unit system, consider also the specific units you prefer, for example, defaulting into ksi instead of psi.

Next, Load/Fixture defaults need not be changed, but the arrow size is one option to consider when trying to call attention to loads that are larger or more important. The vertical load is much larger than the lateral load on the part below, so we used larger arrows to denote this (and also used the Sim System Option for Wireframe Load/Fixture symbols – more on that later).

Meshing Setting Suggestions

Now to the meshing options, which are important because every FEA simulation is only as good as the mesh that drives it. However, it’s often best for initial runs of a study to have a coarser mesh: more reasonable mesh (and the run) calculation times allow a user to build in study conditions gradually, making both troubleshooting and convergence easier. With that in mind, starting with Draft quality is advisable, but switch to High quality as you start to examine your results (read more on the differences between the mesh types). 

Simulation provides a few meshers, and without getting too far into the details, know that the Curvature-based mesher is generally agreed to be the most efficient and robust of the bunch. Outside of these settings, the other mesh options are preferential or can be left as is.

On the Results page, Simulation offers a few engines to choose from here as well, this time dictating how we solve the study. Again, a deep dive into the solver differences is a blog in its own right, but in our experience, setting this to Automatic and letting SOLIDWORKS choose it has worked well. Another setting to consider is the Results folder, just making sure that studies aren’t solved over a network connection: if you don’t have SOLIDWORKS PDM, either copy networked files to a local drive or use a User-defined local directory. Finally, using a subfolder for organization – like one labeled “results” – is usually desirable.

We don’t suggest changing anything on the first page of Plot options, save for turning on “Show maximum value annotation” which gives the flag call-out as shown above. The next Color Chart page we like to set up as shown below, turning off scientific notation formatting and specifying one and two decimal places for stress and FOS plots, respectively. Also, many FEA stress plots out there will use an additional above-yield plot color, which is commonly seen as gray but which we like to turn to a hot pink.

Lastly, a couple minor changes to the default plots to think about, at least for Static results: consider removing the strain result in Plot3 (a plot we rarely look at) and switching the stress and displacement order of Plot1 and Plot2 (as a best practice, interrogate your displacement results before stress).

System Options Preferences

Now we’ll shift to System Options, and while it shouldn’t be necessary for most users to change any option on the first page, for performance reasons, these highlighted areas might be beneficial:

Load/Fixture symbol quality: if you see graphical lag (like when rotating a complex assembly’s result plot) try changing this to Wireframe. Load all Simulation studies when opening a model: studies load on-demand when this is disabled.
Outside of these, the only other System Option we look to turn on is the checkbox in the Messages/Errors/Warnings category. SOLIDWORKS 2017 added the ability to auto-dismiss solver messages after a duration of your liking, as many pop-ups have decisions that experienced users know they will want to choose anyway (such as everyone’s favorite message below … )

After setting these options, be sure to shutdown SOLIDWORKS to ensure they are stored in your registry. Copy Settings Wizard is great for managing and restoring SOLIDWORKS settings, but unfortunately doesn’t touch these Simulation settings. Browse to the registry key HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\srac\cosmos/works to copy/reset them (S-024254), of course making back-ups and taking caution with any registry edits you perform.

There you have it! Hopefully this introduced to you to some options that will save you some time going forward so you can focus on getting your results. Visit our site to learn more about what SOLIDWORKS can do for you, or contact us at Hawk Ridge Systems today! Thanks for reading!

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In order to effectively set up complex studies, it is important to understand the variety of meshing options that are available in SOLIDWORKS Simulation.

General solid bodies are automatically meshed using solid tetrahedral elements, which are a great fit in a variety of cases. For geometries that happen to be constant wall thickness, there is another option that can be beneficial: shell mesh.

Shell Mesh Uses

Shell mesh can and should typically be used for a variety of geometries such as: sheet metal, PCBs, tubing/piping, formed or thermoform materials, and fiberglass/composites.

It’s quite common that we receive reports of users struggling with excessive simulation run times only to find out that they should really be using shell mesh! Solid tetrahedrals can produce an excessive number of elements on geometry that is wide/long and thin. Shell mesh avoids this issue by using 2D triangle elements, while the shell thickness is stored as a separate assigned parameter.

This greatly speeds up run time and has an added benefit of being able to quickly modify the wall thickness and re-run the study if desired.

Note: SOLIDWORKS Simulation allows mixing and matching solid, shell and beam mesh (another mesh type for long slender structural members) within a single study, so it doesn’t have to be all one or the other.

Shell Mesh Workflows

There are three workflows for creating shell mesh in SOLIDWORKS Simulation:

1. If the part is modeled with SOLIDWORKS Sheet Metal features, good news! The conversion to shell mesh type is automatic upon creation of the study. In this case, the thickness is also automatically assigned from the sheet metal thickness properties and is not editable from within the study.

TIP: If you are dealing with imported geometry or a sheet metal style part modeled with traditional SOLIDWORKS features, it’s worth trying the Insert Bends command from the Sheet Metal tools to convert it into what SOLIDWORKS considers a Sheet Metal part. In many cases, this will automatically produce the flat pattern of the part and enable simulation to extract the appropriate shell mesh.

2. If the part contains any Surface Bodies, those will be automatically treated as shells within the simulation study. Since surfaces lack any thickness, the shell definition will need to be edited and the desired thickness assigned.

This means it is possible to purpose-build your CAD model for shell mesh by modeling with surfaces or converting surfaces from faces of existing solid models. This is still the preferred workflow for many users.

3. If the part contains regular Solid Bodies, the conversion process can be accomplished manually from within the simulation study.

If the wall thickness of the part is not already known, then be sure to take a moment to measure it.
Then simply right click on the part/body icon from the simulation tree and launch the command “Define Shell By Selected Faces.”

This requires selecting a continuous set of faces from either the outside or inside of the part.
TIP: A shortcut on any parts with fillets or other bends is to right click a face of the model and use the option to “Select Tangency.”

Enter the appropriate wall thickness and expand the Offset tab. I almost always use the option “Full preview” so I can see what is going on with the Shell offset. There are multiple options for Offset: midplane, top, bottom and ratio.

My intent here is to simply adjust the offset until the preview faces are coincident with the model. This is also a good opportunity to make sure that you have inputted the correct wall thickness.

Once these settings are adjusted click the check mark and your shell is created! When working with shell mesh, I prefer to regenerate the mesh frequently so I can visualize the mesh that is being created.

Potential Downfall

One downside of the method “Define Shell by Selected Faces” is that you will be continuing to look at the 3D solid model on the screen, while the simulation is running off of a shell mesh definition that you only see during the mesh display.

This can cause a problem – it’s very important to remember which set of faces you chose for the shell definition when it comes time to apply any loads, fixtures, contacts or mesh controls.

If you happen to make a selection from the wrong side, you should receive an error prompt such as the one below telling you to “Select entity on shell.”

If you find yourself in this situation, simply choose from the opposite face for your selection and you should be good to go!

You can also expand the part icon and click on the shell definition from the simulation tree to highlight the faces that were selected for the shell definition if you need a reminder.

It might sound like there are a lot of considerations to using this method and it’s true that it takes some time to get used to, but it is by far my preferred method for defining shells. I really appreciate that it doesn’t require modifying the part model and creating extra surfaces, but still gives me the benefits of shell mesh.

For particularly complex models where you may need to mix and match many shell definitions, you should also check out the Shell Manager, which allows color coding and grouping of complex shell definitions.

Visit our site to learn more about what SOLIDWORKS Simulation can do for you, or contact us at Hawk Ridge Systems today! Thanks for reading!

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Getting started with SOLIDWORKS can be a challenge, especially for new users coming from 2D CAD programs. We’ll cover the basics of the SOLIDWORKS user interface, giving you the tools and understanding that you’ll need in order to be prepared for your first design, tutorial or training class.

When SOLIDWORKS initially starts, you’ll be presented with the Welcome screen. This new dialog for SOLIDWORKS 2018 provides several tools for getting started, including buttons to begin a new part/assembly/drawing, browse for an existing document, open a recent document, or access recent folder or SOLIDWORKS resources.

To get started, click the Part button. This will open a new part document, and the rest of the user interface will be revealed.

Welcome screen for SOLIDWORKS 2018

If you do not see the welcome screen, or are using an earlier version of SOLIDWORKS, click the New button on the standard toolbar at the top-left corner of the screen to open the New SOLIDWORKS Document dialog. From here, click the Part option and select OK. If the dialog that appears does not look like the one shown below, click the Novice button at the bottom-left of the dialog.

Starting a new part document (SOLIDWORKS 2017 and earlier)

Once the new part document has been opened, the interface will look like the figure shown below. There are six unique areas of the user interface which every new user should be familiar with, and we have labeled them in the image for convenience.

SOLIDWORKS user interface

Standard Toolbar

The Standard Toolbar contains basic commands including New Document, Open Document and Save Document. Additionally, at the right end of this toolbar, a gear icon is available which will open a System Options dialog, where a variety of settings can be changed. Hovering the cursor over the SOLIDWORKS icon will reveal several drop down menus that contain all available commands, including a Help drop down menu where tutorials may be accessed.

Remember, hovering the cursor over any icon in SOLIDWORKS will display a tool-tip explaining the command or tool!

CommandManager

The CommandManager is a context-sensitive toolbar that provides different sets of commands based on the tab that is selected directly below it (Features, Sketch, etc.). This is the primary area where users begin commands to create sketches, add/remove material, or evaluate models, among many others. In many cases, SOLIDWORKS will automatically switch to the appropriate CommandManager tab when changing modes, however, it may be necessary to manually switch between tabs by clicking on them.

Not all available tabs are shown under the CommandManager by default. If working in Sheet Metal or Weldments, for example, right click an existing tab and select the desired tab from the list. This will add the tab permanently.

Additionally, not all commands are available in the CommandManager tabs by default. To customize your CommandManager with extra commands, consider taking a look at this CommandManager tutorial. Otherwise, all commands can be accessed through the file drop down windows. To reveal these drop down windows, hover the cursor over the SOLIDWORKS badge at the top-left of the screen. In these menus, you will find all the commands and options available in SOLIDWORKS. These menus can also be made permanently visible by clicking the pushpin icon just to the right of the Help drop down.

Finally, it is possible to search for commands, provided you know the name of the command. At the top-right of the interface exists a search bar, which by default allows the SOLIDWORKS help file to be searched. Click the down arrow on the right of the search bar and select Commands to enable command search. Search results can be clicked to execute the command, or the eyeball icon can be selected to automatically show the command’s location in the user interface. Additionally, commands can be dragged and dropped directly onto the CommandManager from the results list.

Searching for commands

FeatureManager Design Tree

The FeatureManager Design Tree is a chronological hierarchy of all the sketches and features that have been created or applied to the model, appearing just after the Origin. This section of the interface is exceptionally important, as it is where many editing operations originate. Here, you will also find three default planes, which act as the base geometry for (at a minimum) your first feature.

This area of the user interface will temporarily change to a PropertyManager when creating a new feature or during various other operations. This is the default behavior of SOLIDWORKS, and the FeatureManager Design Tree will return once the feature has been completed.

The tabs at the top of the Design Tree are used to navigate to other interfaces that use the same space; if another interface is accidentally shown, simply click the first tab to return to the Design Tree. If the interface is completely hidden, be on the lookout for a small tab on the left side of the screen. Click this small tab to return the Design Tree to view.

Heads Up View Toolbar

This transparent toolbar at the top of the graphics area provides a number of controls for manipulating the colors and appearances of your designs as well as your perspective of them. You may also here this toolbar referred to as the Heads Up Display Toolbar. Commonly used functions here include fitting the model to the screen, changing view orientation, changing the display style (shaded with edges, wireframe, etc.) and applying colors/appearances to designs. Remember, hovering the cursor over any of these commands will display a tool tip explaining it!

Task Pane

The Task Pane contains several tabs that all serve different purposes. Depending on other applications you may have installed in addition to SOLIDWORKS, you may have a greater or lesser number of tabs than are shown here. While the Task Pane has a number of great tools within it, they are not required for basic use of SOLIDWORKS, and will not be covered here.

Graphics Area

This is the main area of the screen where models and drawings are viewed, controlled, and selected. Controlling model orientation/zoom and learning to properly select entities are critical to effectively designing with SOLIDWORKS, and are two of the first aspects that new users should become comfortable with. To follow along with this section, use the open command to open an existing SOLIDWORKS model.

Left click an entity in the graphics area to select it. Alternatively, left click and drag the cursor to create a selection window. Right click on an entity to display a shortcut menu and a context menu, which contain a variety of commands applicable to the selected entity. The context menu is the smaller menu that appears with only icons; the shortcut menu is the larger menu that contains both icons and text.

To rotate a model, click down on the center mouse wheel (or center mouse button if you do not have a wheel) and drag the cursor. This will rotate the view freely in space, but does not change the coordinates of any geometry. If rotation is activated while hovering the cursor over existing geometry, that point will be fixed in space during rotation. To pan the view, hold the Ctrl key and follow the same steps.

Scroll the center mouse wheel to adjust the level of zoom in the model. By default, scrolling forward will zoom out, while scrolling backward will zoom in. This behavior can be reversed by changing the settings available in the View category of the System Options. Alternatively, if you do not have a center mouse wheel, hold the shift key and click and drag the center mouse button to zoom. This method also works with a center mouse wheel. For the best zoom performance, it is important to remember that when using the mouse wheel to zoom, the model will be zoomed in/out with respect to where the cursor is on the screen.

User Interface Basics Tutorial

After looking at the key elements of the user interface to get you acquainted with SOLIDWORKS, you can get off to a running start with your first model. Visit our website to learn more about SOLIDWORKS CAD, or contact us at Hawk Ridge Systems today. Thanks for reading!

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Sketches in SOLIDWORKS are like the foundation of a skyscraper – without them, you couldn’t build one! Well-developed sketches are one of the major keys to creating intelligent and flexible models, and we want to introduce you to several sketching tools/techniques and provide you with the understanding you need to start creating your own.

Getting Started

A sketch is almost always the first step in designing a new part. To begin, create a new part and select your desired template. Once the user interface is visible, click the Sketch tab of the CommandManager and select the Sketch icon on the left-hand side.

Remember: You can search for commands in SOLIDWORKS if you do not know where they are. Click the down arrow next to the search bar at the top right of the screen, choose Commands, and then type in the name of the command you’d like to use.

Beginning a Sketch in SOLIDWORKS

Note: Be sure to select the Sketch icon and not the arrow beneath it – clicking the arrow will provide an option to create a 3D sketch, which we are not using here.

Because this is the first sketch in the new part, the system automatically displays the three default planes in the model, which act as the primary sketching surfaces in the model. Once the first sketch has been created, subsequent sketches will not automatically show these planes, although they can still be used.

Additionally, any planar or flat faces of existing geometry can be used as sketching surfaces. To proceed, select one of the planes in the graphics area:

Default Planes Showing after Starting First Sketch

Beginning Sketch Mode

Once a plane has been selected, the view orientation will automatically rotate normal to the plane, and you will be entered into sketch mode. It is important to understand when sketch mode is active, as many other SOLIDWORKS commands will be unavailable in this mode. Likewise, many commands can be executed only when in sketch mode.

Note: Dimensions are one important exception to this rule, as they can be added both within and outside of sketch mode. However, dimensions created outside of sketch mode will not constrain the sketch, and can become very confusing. For this reason, it is important for new users to be certain that sketch mode is active when creating dimensions.

There are several indicators that sketch mode is active. First, you will notice that the Sketch icon we just used has now been replaced with an Exit Sketch icon. Additionally, you will find that the origin, originally blue in color, is now red. Finally, in the top right corner of the graphics area, you will see two icons that allow you to save the sketch (blue sketch icon) or cancel any changes (red X icon) and exit the sketch.

Indicators of Active Sketch Mode

Using the Line Command

At this point, we are ready to begin sketching. On the left-hand side of the Sketch tab of the command manager, you will find several sketching tools that will allow you to construct a variety of basic shapes, including lines, circles and rectangles, among many others. For new users, the Line command is the most basic sketch entity. Click the Line command to begin sketching.

Selecting the Line Command

It is important to make use of the origin, especially in your first sketch, in order to fully define the sketch. Left-click the origin and release to place the first point of the line on it. In doing this, you are creating a Coincident sketch relation between the beginning of the line and the origin, effectively locking it in place.

As you drag the cursor away from the origin, you will see a preview of the line. As you approach a horizontal or vertical orientation, you will notice the line snap into place, and a yellow symbol will appear. The yellow symbols are very important, as they represent sketch relations that will automatically be added as you create the sketch entities; that is, if the line is created with the horizontal symbol present, that line will be locked in the horizontal orientation from that point forward (although the length may still be adjusted). These relations can be modified after the sketch has been created, and any that are not captured automatically can always be added.

Showing Automatic Horizontal Sketch Relation

Note: The number that appears next to the endpoint of the line represents the length of the line, but does not act as a constraint. The length of the line can still be modified until it is constrained, either by additional sketch relations or dimensions.

When you are satisfied with the length of the line, left click and release to place the endpoint. As you move the cursor away from the end point once again, you will find a second line is shown, and is automatically attached to the endpoint of the previous line. (Should you want to end this chain of lines, right-click and choose end chain. Alternatively, the Escape key can be used, although this will end the Line command.) Drag the cursor down and to the right, and when you are satisfied with the position and length, left-click once again.

From here, move the cursor back to the left, ensuring that the third line is horizontal. In addition, be on the lookout for a blue, vertical, and dashed reference line that leads back to the origin. These lines do not automatically add sketch relations, but are a great visual aid for lining up geometry for easier use. The similar yellow lines pictured below are known as inference lines, and will add automatic sketch relations. Once you see these indicators, left-click to place the third line:

Sketch Geometry and Sketch Visual Feedback

Defining the Sketch

Finally, return the cursor to the origin and left-click to complete the polygon. At this point, the sketch should turn shaded (if using the default options), and we can begin fully defining the sketch. Click the green check mark in the PropertyManager for the Line command or press the Escape key to exit the tool.

Completed Sketch Geometry, Partially Defined

The green symbols shown in Figure 7 represent the sketch relations we captured during the sketching process, but many others are also available. To reveal these symbols, left-click on a line segment. Additionally, the blue colors of the lines indicate that these segments are not fully defined, meaning they are still free to move. It is best practice to fully define sketches (with a few exceptions), although it is possible to create features from sketches that are under defined.

To test the freedom of a sketch, you may click and drag any blue sketch entity or endpoint to see what type of movement is available. This can often help you understand what is required to finish defining a sketch. Remember, if you mess something up, the Undo command is available in the standard toolbar!

Fully defining a sketch typically requires a combination of both sketch relations and dimensions. To add a sketch relation, click the desired entity, and in the PropertyManager on the left of the interface, you will see the available relations. In many cases, you will need to select two or more sketch entities to create a relation; hold the control key while making selections to select multiple entities at once. Should you need to delete a sketch relation, click the sketch entity associated with it, right click the green relation symbol, and choose delete from the shortcut menu. Additionally, the Display/Delete Relations command can be used as well.

Adding Relations to Sketch Entities

Using Smart Dimension

No further sketch relations are needed in this design, but in order to size it properly and fully define it, dimensions must be added. To add dimensions, select the Smart Dimension command from the CommandManager, just next to the Sketch icon. Be sure you are still active in the sketch while using this command!

Smart Dimension Command

Once the command is active, begin selecting entities to dimension. These can be line segments, endpoints, arc, or any other sketch entity type. Most dimensions require only one or two selections. In this example, we will capture the height of the design by dimensioning the vertical line. Click the vertical line. Once selected, a preview for the dimension will appear – this allows you to continue selecting entities if a different dimension is desired. Since the vertical dimension is what we need, click to place the preview. A dialog will appear, allowing you to input the dimension value. Type in a suitable value and click the green check mark to complete the dimension:

Applying a Smart Dimension and Associated Modify Dialog

Once the dimension has been completed, the Smart Dimension tool remains active. Click the lower horizontal line and place the preview, inputting a suitable value to capture the overall width of the sketch.

Finally, an angular dimension is required to constrain the angled line. This dimension requires two selections; select both the lower horizontal line and the angled line, ignoring the first preview that appears after the first selection. Place the resulting preview, input a suitable angular value, and confirm the dimension. Due to the intelligence of the Smart Dimension command, different dimension types do not require the use of separate commands!

Note: In many cases, multiple previews will be available when creating a dimension. When this is the case, different values will be shown depending on the location of the cursor on the screen. Be sure to select the preview that is appropriate for the constraint you are trying to apply.

At this point, the sketch should be fully defined, shown by the all-black color of the sketch. If it isn’t, drag any remaining blue sketch entities to determine the available movement, and use that information to apply additional sketch relations or dimensions as needed. If a dimension needs to be edited, simply double-click the value to bring up the modify dialog, input the new value and confirm.

Fully Defined Sketch

Creating the First Feature

At this point, we’re ready to create our first feature! Click the blue sketch icon in the confirmation corner (top right of the graphics area) to save the sketch and exit sketch mode. Then, click the Features tab of the CommandManager. Choose the Extruded Boss/Base icon, and using the default values, click the green checkmark. Congratulations! You’ve officially created your first SOLIDWORKS part.

Completed Extruded Boss/Base Feature

Note: If you are presented with a yellow dialog box asking you to select a plane on which to create the feature cross-section when creating the Extruded Boss/Base, don’t panic! Simply select the sketch you created from the graphics area, and it will be used for the feature.

Finally, if you ever accidentally exit your sketch while it’s still in progress, or if you’d like to make some changes to it after it’s complete, you can get back to it by using the Edit Sketch command. Every sketch and feature created in SOLIDWORKS is stored in the FeatureManager design tree on the left of the screen. If the sketch has not been used in a feature, it should be easy to see in the tree. Simply right click the sketch, and choose the first icon in the context menu that appears (the upper menu that shows only symbols):

Editing a Standalone Sketch

If, however, you’ve already created a feature from the sketch, the sketch will be nested under the feature and may not be immediately visible. When this is the case, click the arrow next to the feature to expand it and reveal the sketch. From here, the same steps can be followed. Alternatively, right click the feature using the sketch, and click the Edit Sketch icon from the context menu (now in the second position):

Editing a Nested Sketch

Sketching Basics Tutorial

In this article, we covered the basics of sketching in SOLIDWORKS to get you up to speed and ready to create your first SOLIDWORKS feature. Visit our website to learn more about SOLIDWORKS CAD, or contact us at Hawk Ridge Systems today. Thanks for reading!

The post Sketching Basics in SOLIDWORKS appeared first on Hawk Ridge Systems.

While sketches may be the foundation of a well-designed SOLIDWORKS model, features are like the bricks and mortar. Whether you’re trying to add or remove material from your part, hollow it out, or round off the corners, there’s likely a feature (or combination thereof) that can get the job done. We will introduce you to some of the most basic and widely-used features in SOLIDWORKS, exploring their various properties and applications so you can get a head start on your next project.

In this example, we’ll be modeling the cowbell seen below. This design requires the use of Extruded Boss, Extruded Cut, Revolved Boss, Fillet and Shell commands, which represent a few of the most common SOLIDWORKS features. While there are several combinations of features that could produce the same design, this method will give us an opportunity to explore several commands at once.

Finished Cowbell Design

Before we begin, it’s worth noting that there are two categories of features in SOLIDWORKS – sketched features and applied features. Sketched features require the use of a sketch in order to be created, and include features such as Extruded Boss/Cut, Revolved Boss/Cut and many others. Applied features do not require a sketch, and are applied directly to existing geometry. Shell and Fillet features fall into this category. If you do not know whether a feature is sketched or applied, don’t worry – attempting to create any sketched feature will prompt you for a sketch selection before allowing you to continue.

Additionally, when getting familiar with features, you’ll likely notice that many have similar names, such as Extruded Boss and Extruded Cut. The “Extruded” portion of the feature name indicates how the feature will be created (by extruding the sketch in a straight line from the sketch plane) while the second portion of the feature name indicates whether material will be added (Boss) or removed (Cut). The setup and available properties for both of these commands are nearly identical, with the only difference being whether material is added or removed.

Remember, you can search for commands by setting the search bar in the upper right of the user interface to Commands and typing in the desired command/feature.

Extruded Boss Feature

The Extruded Boss is the most basic of all SOLIDWORKS features, and extrudes a sketch along a straight line path to add material. As a sketched feature, it requires a sketch before use. The sketch below was created on the Top Plane with a Center Rectangle, centered on the origin, and fully defined with the dimensions shown. Create this sketch before continuing:

Center Rectangle Sketch for Boss Extrude

Once the sketch has been created, exit the sketch and select the Features tab of the CommandManager. Then, click the Extruded Boss/Base command. If a yellow dialog box appears in the PropertyManager asking you to create a new sketch, don’t worry – simply click on the sketch in the graphics area to use it for the feature.

The PropertyManager for the Extruded Boss allows you to control starting location, extrude depth and draft for the feature, among several other parameters:

Extruded Boss/Base PropertyManager

If any of these options do not appear in your PropertyManager, make sure that the group boxes are expanded by clicking the down-arrow at the far right of the category name.
The From group box at the top of the PropertyManager allows you to select where the feature will begin adding material. This is typically kept at the default Sketch Plane option, meaning material will start being added at the sketch location. Other options in this category include starting from a specified surface/face/plane, a specified vertex, or simply at an offset distance from the original sketch. Keep this selection at the default Sketch Plane option.

The Direction 1 group box controls the depth and direction of the Extruded Boss, and includes a variety of what are known as end conditions. The default end condition is Blind, and provides an input box for feature depth. Other end conditions allow for a feature to extrude all the way through the geometric limits of the model (Through All), to extrude up to a specific surface, vertex, or body, or to extrude equally in opposite directions (Mid Plane). Many of these end conditions are available in other features as well.

Additionally, the Reverse Direction button can be toggled to flip the direction of the feature, and the Draft On/Off button will apply draft to the feature, making the profile smaller as it continues along the extrude path. Finally, the blue box allows for the selection of a direction reference (usually a sketched line or a model edge) to change the default direction of the extrude.

Ensure that the end condition for the feature is set to Blind, and input a depth of 100mm. Additionally, use the Draft On/Off button to toggle draft, and input a value of 5 degrees. This will narrow the profile along the path of the extrusion. Leave all other properties at the default setting. Your PropertyManager should look similar to Figure 3. Once finished, click the green check mark to complete the feature:

Extruded Boss Feature

Fillet Features

Fillets are classified as applied features, and as such do not require a sketch to be used. Fillets serve to round off edges and/or corners by adding or removing material, depending on whether the edge is internal or external. It should be noted that fillets of different sizes must be created as separate features. Typically, it is best practice to create the largest fillets first, and follow with smaller fillets.

To achieve the rounded shape for the cowbell, we’ll add two sets of fillets. Click the Fillet command in the Features tab of the CommandManager. Once the PropertyManager appears, you can begin selecting edges and/or faces to specify where the fillets should be added. Selecting an edge will add a fillet to that edge only (and all edges tangent to the selected edge, by default). Selecting a face will add a fillet to every edge of the selected face. If you make a mistake during selection, simply click the incorrect edge/face a second time to deselect it.

Before beginning, ensure that you are in Manual mode by clicking Manual at the top of the PropertyManager. For more information on using the FilletXpert mode, please see this video. You’ll also want to make sure that you’re creating a Constant Size Fillet by clicking the first icon in the Fillet Type group box if it’s not already selected.

Begin by selecting all four long edges, one on each corner of the part. Once the edges have been selected, a yellow preview will appear indicating what the fillets will look like. In the Fillet Parameters group box, be on the lookout for an input box to set the fillet size. Adjusting this value will update the preview, allowing you to investigate different options before confirming. Set the fillet size to 10mm, and click the green check mark to complete the feature. Your PropertyManager and part should look similar to those shown below:

Fillet PropertyManager and Cowbell Design After First Fillet

To create the second fillet, repeat the process above to start a new Fillet command. This time, however, select the entire top face of the part to automatically select all the edges of the face. Additionally, set the fillet size to 5mm before confirming. If completed correctly, your model should look as shown below:

Cowbell Design After Second Fillet

If you ever make a mistake or need to edit a feature for any reason, simply locate it in the FeatureManager Design Tree, right click it, and use the first icon in the top portion of menu that appears (known as the context menu). This will take you back to the PropertyManager you initially used to define the feature, and any adjustments can be made as needed.

Shell Feature

For the cowbell to function properly, the inside needs to be hollowed out and the bottom must be open. While this can technically be done with a well-crafted Extruded Cut, it’s much simpler in many cases to take advantage of the Shell command, which is another applied feature. The Shell command allows you to define a wall thickness and automatically hollow the part, while allowing faces to be removed as needed. If no faces are specified to be removed during a Shell feature, the part will be hollow, but this can only be seen by creating a cross section of the part.

Access the Features tab of the CommandManager and activate the Shell command. The PropertyManager for the Shell is very simple – the first input box allows the wall thickness to be specified. Set this value to 2.5mm. The blue selection box allows specified faces to be removed from the model. In this case, since we want the bottom of the bell to be open, click in this selection window and then select the bottom face of the part.

The remaining options in the PropertyManager are useful for creating a Shell with different thicknesses in different areas of the part, but will not be used here. Finally, confirm the command and evaluate the results. The PropertyManager and resulting part after creating the Shell feature are shown below:

Shell PropertyManager and Resulting Part

Revolved Boss Feature

Our next design feature will be a loop for the top of the bell. It’s important that this feature be created after the Shell feature to ensure that the handle is not hollowed out. It will be created through the use of a Revolved Boss feature, which adds material by revolving a sketch around an axis. Remember, once geometry has been created in your model, any flat face can be used as a sketching surface. In this case, begin a sketch on the top face of the bell and create the sketch shown below. The rectangular portion was constructed from a Center Rectangle with the dimensions shown, and a horizontal relation between the center point and the origin:

Sketch for Revolved Boss Feature

It is also very important to include the vertical construction line from the origin, as it will serve as the axis that the feature is revolved around. To create a construction line, use the dropdown arrow next to the line command in the CommandManager and choose the Centerline tool. The direction (up or down from the origin) and length are not important. Construction geometry can be used for a number of different operations, but is not factored into the profile of a feature.

It should also be noted that sketch dimensions are not restricted to the sketch itself; it is very common to apply a dimension between a sketch entity and a model edge, for example.

Once the sketch has been completed, exit the sketch and activate the Revolved Boss command from the Features tab of the CommandManager. The PropertyManager that appears has many similar elements to the Extruded Boss, with a couple key differences:

Revolved Boss PropertyManager

The first input box allows for the selection of an axis to revolve the sketch around to create the feature. This selection is most commonly a sketched line segment, but other selections such as linear model edges can be used here as well. In this example, we’ll use the vertical centerline that was previously sketched. If there is only one construction line in your design, it will automatically be selected as the axis of revolution; if not, click the sketched centerline to use it as the axis of revolution.

It is important to note that the first selection made in this PropertyManager is the axis of revolution, and not the profile to be revolved. This means that if the Revolved Boss command is initiated without the sketch preselected, selecting a portion of the sketch graphically will use that sketch segment as the axis of revolution, and the resulting preview may not reflect the feature you’re trying to create.

The easiest way to avoid this potentially confusing behavior is to ensure that the sketch is preselected prior to starting the command by clicking the sketch in the FeatureManager. Alternatively, if you do not preselect the sketch, make sure to select the axis of revolution when selecting the sketch graphically. If you find yourself with an improper preview, simply right click the Axis of Revolution selection box and delete the selection. Then, select the appropriate axis. One possible improper selection is described below, followed by the appropriate selection:

Improper Axis of Revolution (Top); Proper Axis of Revolution (Bottom)

Even with the correct axis of revolution, you’ll find that by default the feature completes a full rotation all the way through the model. To avoid adding material to the inside of the model, set the Direction 1 Angle to 180 degrees. If necessary, use the Reverse Direction button to ensure that the material is added to the top of the design rather than the bottom. Leave all other options at the default values.

One more important aspect to note is the presence of the Merge Result option. This important option is selected by default, and ensures that the feature will be combined with existing geometry, rather than being created as a separate body. Outside of advanced techniques, this option should be left on, and will only appear for features that add material.

The completed Revolved Boss feature is shown below:

Completed Revolved Boss Feature

Extruded Cut Feature

The final feature for this design will be a circular cut, extending through the entire model at the center for the attachment of a handle and the clapper for the bell. Use the default Top Plane to sketch a circle centered on the origin with a 7.5mm diameter dimension. Remember, since this is not the first sketch of the design, the default planes will not appear when starting a new sketch, and cannot be selected graphically. Instead, you will have to manually create the sketch by right-clicking the Top Plane in the FeatureManager and clicking the Sketch command in the context menu.

Alternatively, the FeatureManager flyout window can be used. When prompted for a plane/face selection after using the Sketch command from the CommandManager, click the small arrow at the top left of the graphics area (followed by the part name). This will show the FeatureManager inside the graphics area, where the Top Plane may be selected.

This technique is also very useful when you need to see the FeatureManager and a PropertyManager at the same time:

Leveraging the Flyout FeatureManager

The completed sketch for the circular Extruded Cut is shown below:

Circular Sketch for Extruded Cut

Remember, even though it appears that the circle is being sketched on the top of the design, this is only a matter of perspective. Rotating the view will reveal that the sketch actually exists near the bottom of the part. Even when looking from an isometric perspective, sketches are locked to orientation of the plane on which they were created. Sometimes, it will be necessary to rotate the view while sketching to capture the appropriate sketch relations or dimensions.

Once completed, exit the sketch and activate the Extruded Cut command from the Features tab of the CommandManager. You may need to rotate the view to see the preview properly. Ensure that the direction of the cut is set to go upward by using the Reverse Direction button if necessary, and then change the end condition of the feature from Blind to Through All. This will ensure that even if the design changes size in the future, the cut will always continue all the way through the model. Leave all other options at default, and confirm the command.

The completed model is shown below:

Completed Cowbell Design

Remember, should you ever need to make changes to your design, features can be edited at any time by right-clicking them in the FeatureManager and using the Edit Feature command in the context menu. Typically, features are edited when depth or end conditions need to be adjusted; if the actual shape (or profile) of a feature needs to be changed, you will likely need to edit the underlying sketch instead. Additionally, thinking ahead when editing features near the top of the Design Tree is very important, as these changes can have downstream effects that may break other features.

SOLIDWORKS Features Tutorial

Don’t forget, the built-in tutorials in SOLIDWORKS can be of great assistance for getting familiar with new tools and techniques, and the online Help File is an excellent learning resource. Visit our website to learn more about SOLIDWORKS CAD, or contact us at Hawk Ridge Systems today. Thanks for reading!

The post Features Basics in SOLIDWORKS appeared first on Hawk Ridge Systems.

Analysis software is constantly changing.

Our product managers stay current on market trends, developments in the field and new features that are added to engineering simulation tools – and they came together to share that knowledge with you!

Learn from our experts as they share experiences, their favorite new capabilities and tips for improving your workflow.

Watch the video below to learn about:

• Topology optimization in FEA
• Advances in CFD
• New analysis technologies
• And more!

Check Out the Simulation Discussion

Have questions? Please contact us and we will point you in the right direction. Or you can get started with a free trial of SOLIDWORKS Simulation. Thanks for reading!

The post Explore the Latest in Engineering Analysis Tools appeared first on Hawk Ridge Systems.

There are a number of great enhancements for eDrawings 2019. We want to cover new features in eDrawings standard (the free viewer) as well as graphical performance enhancements, the new ability to view SOLIDWORKS configurations on native files, and an all-new web HTML export in eDrawings Professional.

eDrawings Professional is an enhanced version of the free viewer that is available for purchase or bundled with SOLIDWORKS Professional and higher CAD packages. In the past, eDrawings Professional included a number of useful exclusive features – including the ability to measure, section and mark up your documents.

Features Comparison of eDrawings Releases

For 2019, all previously existing features of eDrawings Professional have been pushed down to the free viewer! This means every license of eDrawings has the ability to measure, section and mark up, among other things. See the tables below for a detailed breakdown:

It is also worth noting that this enhancement pertains to the desktop version of eDrawings, mobile versions still retain their feature segmentation between versions.

Graphics Performance Enhancements

The other major enhancement to eDrawings 2019 worth discussing is the graphics performance enhancements. Realizing these benefits will require a decent graphics card and enabling the “Graphics Boost” option within eDrawings, shown below:

On the hardware I tested the performance of rotating, panning and zooming in eDrawings 2019, and it is several times faster than 2018. Words don’t do it justice, so see for yourself on the video below:

As a reminder, you can download eDrawings viewer for free and open your SOLIDWORKS native CAD files, as well as a wide range of other CAD and neutral files.

Check out the video below to learn more about the new ability to view SOLIDWORKS configurations on native files, as well as an all-new web HTML export in eDrawings Professional:

eDrawings Configurations

In order for eDrawings 2019 to view configurations on SOLIDWORKS native files, it requires placing “Display Data Marks” on each configuration you want accessible. This is done from within SOLIDWORKS by right clicking the appropriate configurations. Enabling these Data Marks will increase the SOLIDWORKS file size and the time it takes to save, as additional graphics data is stored for each configuration. After saving the SOLIDWORKS file with the Display Data Marks, those configurations will be accessible when opening the file in eDrawings.

Exporting HTML Files

2019 also brings an all-new web HTML export option to eDrawings Professional. eDrawings has long had the ability to export ActiveX based HTML files, but these required special plugins which limited browser compatibility. The new web HTML export works on any web browser or mobile device I’ve tested, and displays great performance and nearly the full feature set of the eDrawings viewer.

I’d encourage you to check out the video where we walk through many of the options of the new web HTML export, or you can try these samples yourself at the links below:

[Small Assembly Example] or [Large Assembly Example]

This new web HTML export can only be accomplished from within eDrawings Professional 2019. I expect in the future we will see other new features like this included as the functionality of eDrawings Professional is expanded.

Visit our website to learn more about SOLIDWORKS CAD, or contact us at Hawk Ridge Systems today. Thanks for reading!

The post What’s New in eDrawings 2019 appeared first on Hawk Ridge Systems.

They say all good things must come to an end, and unfortunately that applies to SOLIDWORKS home use licenses (HULs).

What Is a Home Use License?

For those that are unfamiliar with a home use license, it is a standalone license that enables customers with SOLIDWORKS network licenses (SNLs) to install and run SOLIDWORKS on machines that aren’t connected to the standard SolidNetWork license server. In other words, HULs allowed access to run and install a standalone license of SOLIDWORKS on machines outside of a company network. This type of licensing was available to customers who were on subscription and allowed HUL licenses for each SNL license.

Policy Change

Due to improved technologies and additional licensing offerings, SOLIDWORKS has decided to phase out home use licenses.

HULs were created to address usage outside of a company network when network technology was immature (20 years ago) and technology like VPNs and mobile workstations weren’t widely available. Moving forward, users with activated HULs will still be able to use their SOLIDWORKS license until they deactivate or transfer it. New activations will not be possible.

New Home Use Options

Here are some suggested options for license usage outside of a company network:

• Connect to a company network using Virtual Private Network (VPN)
• Borrow a SolidNetWork license (SNL). Not sure how? Check out our tutorial on borrowing SolidNetWork licenses.
• Convert a SNL to standalone
• Purchase an additional standalone license (perpetual or term) and leverage online licensing if needed

If you have any questions or need help exploring alternatives, contact us and our technical support team will be happy to help! Thanks for reading!

The post SOLIDWORKS Home Use Licenses Are Going Away: What You Need to Know appeared first on Hawk Ridge Systems.

One of the great features in SOLIDWORKS Electrical is the presence of customizable libraries. These classifications are a great way of organizing your library components and are helpful when searching for the desired symbol of manufacturer part. The libraries are accessible through the six managers present in the Libraries tab of the Command Manager – Symbols, 2D Footprint, Title Blocks, Macros, Cable and Manufacturer Parts. The library components are usually grouped under pre-defined classifications available in their respective managers.

There used to be no option to customize the categories or to create new ones. Therefore, when creating a new symbol or manufacturer part, they had to be associated to the generic classifications that came with the software. This worked out in most cases, however, in instances where the components couldn’t be adequately categorized by these predefined classifications, the user would have to define them under the miscellaneous category, which at times felt like an unsatisfactory workaround.

Using the Classifications Manager Tool

In the last couple years, SOLIDWORKS released a new tool called the Classifications Manager, which allows users to create and manage custom classifications for all the available managers. It can be accessed via the Library tab of the Command Manager or from within the individual managers.

In the Classifications Manager window, use the drop-down to select the manager to modify and the New Class button to generate a custom class. It should be noted that a custom class for Components will appear in the Symbols Manager, 2D Footprints Manager and Manufacturer Parts Manager, and therefore there isn’t an individual category for the three of them. To create a top-level classification, make sure that the Manager name at the top of the tree is selected before clicking the New Class button. Selecting an existing class before clicking the New class button allows you to create a subclass. As such there are user-defined classes and system classes, both of which can be identified by their respective folder icons.

Once a custom user class has been created, it can be moved to a different master class by simply dragging and dropping. It should be noted that system classes cannot be modified or moved to a different master class. In the properties of the new class or sub-class, one can define the description as well as assign the default Root for this class. This was previously done in the Components Classification tool which has now been eliminated.

Additionally, you can assign a default 3D part, connection label and a 2D footprint symbol for all the components in this class. Once a User Data file has been assigned (choose one of the available items from the drop down or create new ones through Project -> Configurations -> User Data), you can map the different Manufacturer Data fields to the desired variables, which can later be called out in Reports if necessary.

The Classification Manager allows users to create custom classes and subclasses for all the available managers. This is extremely useful in the event that a library component cannot be adequately categorized by the default classifications and avoids the issue of grouping them under the Miscellaneous category, which was the preferred method in older versions of SOLIDWORKS.

Have questions about SOLIDWORKS Electrical? Please contact us and we will point you in the right direction, or if you need pricing or upgrade options, get SOLIDWORKS Electrical pricing today. Thanks for reading!

The post Organize Your Library in SOLIDWORKS Electrical appeared first on Hawk Ridge Systems.

If you ask a group of mechanical engineers what the important factors are in the products they design, you’re likely to find a majority that bring up the behavior of fluids. From the drag coefficient of a car to the pressure drop in a hydraulic manifold, designers in nearly every industry are looking for the next breakthrough in performance. So, it’s no surprise that CFD (computational fluid dynamics) software has become an important tool to aid in the design process ever since the first code was developed at Los Alamos National lab in 1957.

Users of SOLIDWORKS are likely familiar with the CFD capabilities that can be activated right from their design environment via SOLIDWORKS Flow Simulation, which has long been the most efficient way for these users to check such concerns. For many design projects, especially those involving heat transfer (such as electronic devices or heat exchangers), this process will continue to be the best for years to come. But, like all CFD programs based on the Navier-Stokes equations, there are some inherent limits to SOLIDWORKS Flow Simulation that prevent it from analyzing certain situations.

These limits are the barrier that a new CFD approach, called the Lattice-Boltzmann method, is meant to break through. This technique uses a particle-based approach that can calculate highly dynamic flows with detailed visualization of turbulence, even in non-continuous fluids such as near-vacuum environments or hypersonic airflow.

SIMULIA XFlow Overview

This technology is the foundation for a new CFD product called SIMULIA XFlow. Running on the Windows (or Linux) desktop environment, with optional connections to Dassault Systemes’ 3DEXPERIENCE Platform, XFlow can import a variety of solid CAD files and start calculating advanced fluid effects without traditional meshing. The Lattice-Boltzmann method combined with other advanced technologies such as liquid surface tension and free body motion allow XFlow to simulate everything from a boat riding the waves, to oil sloshing in a gearbox, to an aircraft executing flight maneuvers, and much more.

Even common design challenges can benefit from this technology. Veteran SOLIDWORKS users may recognize this classic ball valve example, showing how SOLIDWORKS Flow Simulation can predict internal pressure drop and flow rates. For assemblies that move, like this valve, the traditional approach is to batch run the simulation in multiple positions with the Parametric Study capability. SIMULIA XFlow, however, can take this example to the next level by dynamically simulating the valve opening or closing, and directly visualizing the turbulent eddies in the water as this happens:

While it’s not integrated inside SOLIDWORKS 3D CAD, XFlow does sport some of the same user-friendly benefits such as a modern GUI with both setup and results viewing, and automatic recognition of the fluid space and boundary layer. Performing an analysis can be as easy as importing a .STEP file, applying some boundary conditions, and hitting Run.

For more examples of how 3D design and validation tools can help your engineering processes, contact us at Hawk Ridge Systems and be sure to get SIMULIA pricing today!

The post Introducing SIMULIA XFlow appeared first on Hawk Ridge Systems.

The library of SOLIDWORKS tutorials is extensive and has something for everyone. Whether you are a beginner just learning SOLIDWORKS 3D CAD or an advanced user with twenty years of experience, you’re never done learning and can always hone in on your skills.

Tutorials are included with every seat of SOLIDWORKS and can be taken in conjunction with classes like our Hawk Ridge Systems training courses. Pairing the self-paced learning of SOLIDWORKS tutorials with instructor-led learning gives you the best of both worlds.

Accessing SOLIDWORKS Tutorials

To begin a tutorial, open up SOLIDWORKS and click the Learn tab in the Welcome dialogue box. As you will see, there are other helpful resources available to you on this page as well.

Once you’ve selected Tutorials, you’ll see a number of topics listed. Here’s a quick overview of some of the things you’ll find inside:

Getting Started

• Introduction to SOLIDWORKS
• AutoCAD to SOLIDWORKS
• Parts, Assemblies & Drawings

Basic Techniques

• Fillets, Patterns, Sheet Metal, Surfaces, Importing & Exporting, Design Tables and more!

Advanced Techniques

• Equations, Multibody Parts, Assembly Visualization, 3D Sketching, Advanced Drawings and more!

Productivity Tools

• Mouse Gestures, SOLIDWORKS Utilities, Smart Components, FeatureWorks, SOLIDWORKS API and other cool stuff you should check out!

Design Evaluation

• Animation (who doesn’t love that?), SOLIDWORKS Costing, DimXpert, TolAnalyst and more great tools!

CSWP/CSWA Preparation

• This is an awesome way to up your game and get ready for these SOLIDWORKS certifications.

What’s New Examples

• An excellent way to familiarize yourself with the newest version of SOLIDWORKS. I highly recommend going through these with each software release so that you stay up-to-date and improve your efficiency.

All Tutorials

• For those that like to be overwhelmed with a lot of information.

SOLIDWORKS Simulation Tutorials

• There are over 60 Simulation tutorials broken down by SOLIDWORKS Premium, Simulation Professional and Simulation Premium. If this isn’t enough to keep you busy, you may have too much time on your hands.

Each of the tutorials will walk you through your selected topic, and gives you an estimated time to completion.

A Look Inside the Tutorials

Let’s dive a little deeper and take a look at one of my favorites, 3D Sketching with Planes. Perhaps you’ve taken the Advanced Part Modeling class where we review 3D sketching with multiple exercises, but you are looking for a little refresher. Or maybe you’re thinking about taking the class but need a glance at the topic before class starts. Either way, this is a great tutorial to get yourself going.

3D Sketching is located in the Advanced Techniques section and takes about 45 minutes to complete. It may take a little longer if you are new to SOLIDWORKS, but it’s great to learn something new in a relatively short amount of time.

In this tutorial, you’ll create a model using a single 3D sketch and multiple 3D sketch planes. It will walk you through step by step and show you where to find the tools required to complete the tasks.

At the end of the tutorial, you’ll learn some new things and have a model you can be proud of, because you created it!

What Are You Waiting For?

I don’t know about you, but I learn so much more by doing. That’s the reason I am so passionate about the hands-on training that comes from these tutorials and our Hawk Ridge Systems training courses. Don’t be afraid to try something new and contact us if you have any questions. Check out our course catalog to find the right class for you!

The post How to Sharpen Your Skills With SOLIDWORKS Tutorials appeared first on Hawk Ridge Systems.

Anyone can use SOLIDWORKS but it’s different to know SOLIDWORKS.

If you’ve ever wanted to learn the ins and outs of SOLIDWORKS and be able to truly prove your skills to your team, manager and customers, you should consider taking SOLIDWORKS certifications.

Top SOLIDWORKS Certifications

While there are numerous certifications available that you can explore in the SOLIDWORKS certification catalog, we will highlight the most popular.

Certified SOLIDWORKS Associate (CSWA)

• Stand out from the crowd in today’s competitive job market.

Certified SOLIDWORKS Professional (CSWP)

• Prove that you have what it takes to pass this advanced skills exam.

Certified SOLIDWORKS Professional Advanced

• Focuses on weldments, sheet metal, surfacing, drawing tools and mold tools.

Certified SOLIDWORKS Expert (CSWE)

• Demonstrate your ability to utilize advanced functions and features to solve complex modeling challenges.

Why SOLIDWORKS Certifications?

Let’s say you have been using SOLIDWORKS for years. You’re self taught by the best of them, but you know you could be more efficient. A new position has opened up at your company, but it requires a greater level of design knowledge. How do you prove you’re the right fit for the job?

Or maybe your team has a mixed level of skills, but you aren’t certain where everyone is at. How do you get your team up and running more skillfully and know where everyone’s skill levels are at? Certifications!

A bonus of the CSWA, CSWP, and CSWP Advanced exams is that they can be included with your SOLIDWORKS subscription. That’s right, at no additional cost to you! Learn more about the subscription services certification offers from SOLIDWORKS.

How to Prepare for SOLIDWORKS Certifications

Once you have decided it’s time to upgrade yourself or your team to one of these certifications, it can be tricky to know where to start. No worries, we’ve got you!

All of the certifications exams I’ve mentioned here, with the exception of the CSWE, have corresponding practice exams. Don’t miss out on these, they are incredibly helpful. I might even dare to suggest you try them out now … before you’ve practiced or even gone through training. See what you know, expose to yourself what you don’t know. This will help you determine where to focus as you prepare.

Training Overview

Once you see where there are gaps in your knowledge, take at look at our course catalog. Our core SOLIDWORKS training courses are the best way to learn what you need to know for these exams.

The Essentials class is at the base of all of your preparation as it spends a lot of time and practical application on design intent. Design intent is key to your everyday use of SOLIDWORKS, but also these certification exams.

Want to take the CSWP? After Essentials, we recommend Assembly Modeling, Advanced Part Modeling and the Drawings classes to really amp up your knowledge. Check out our SOLIDWORKS training page to see our recommended training/certification learning path for the CSWA, CSWP, CSWP Advanced and CSWE certifications.

Once you’ve taken the prescribed classes, don’t forget to practice! These exams not only test your skills, but also your efficiency.

Prove to yourself and others that you know SOLIDWORKS. Imagine being able to tell your customers that your whole team is certified SOLIDWORKS Professionals … or even Experts, because they are! And you have the certifications to prove it.

If other certifications have piqued your interest, contact us and we can recommend the best path to help you reach your goals! Otherwise, feel free to browse our course catalog to find the right class for you!

The post Why You Should Take One of These 4 SOLIDWORKS Certifications appeared first on Hawk Ridge Systems.

If you’re wanting to learn SOLIDWORKS and you’re wondering which method is right for you, let me provide some detail into your options and the pros and cons associated with each.

There are three main ways to obtain SOLIDWORKS knowledge:

• You can take classes through a school (technical or community college, university)
• You can take the self-taught approach (YouTube, forums, practice)
• Or you can take certified training courses (through a VAR like Hawk Ridge Systems)

I will review the positive and negatives of each, as well as a broad overview of the type of person that most closely fits the method.

Higher Education Classes

The benefits of taking classes through a school is that it will give you an ample amount of time to invest in the SOLIDWORKS learning process. You’ll likely be taught something, then given assignments and tests to let it all sink in over time. You’ll also be given grades and notes that track your progress. That time investment can potentially be counted as a negative, however, if you’re in a rush. It’s also likely the most expensive option.

The benefit of college courses is that if you’re fresh out of high school, you need to learn a lot more than just CAD. You will need to gain insight into best work practices, drafting standards, materials, machining and production processes. Schools usually won’t let you take only CAD classes, they’ll make sure you’re getting a broad spectrum of knowledge in the field.

There are quick two-year programs through community or technical colleges that are relatively inexpensive, and geared toward making you a competent and useful member of society in your field as quickly as possible. With skill, intelligence and a good work ethic, a person can certainly move up from this position.

The Self-Taught Approach

The benefit of being self-taught is that it’s cheap. This method also has the potential of being either the fastest method of learning or the slowest method. It’s a high-risk, high-reward strategy. Everything is on you. Your success or failure will be entirely your responsibility. The potentially dangerous part of this, even if you become a SOLIDWORKS deity, is that you might not get much or any best work practices or manufacturing processes. It’s more likely that a self-taught person wouldn’t have the wide breadth of perspective and options supplied by either a teacher, professor or certified trainer.

You’ll need access to SOLIDWORKS if you’re going to want to get any practice, and that might not be easy or cheap. There are a lot of low-quality teaching videos and articles out there but there are some diamonds out there as well, you’ll have to search through the rubble to find that those gems.

This method is best for those who are extremely driven from their own internal spirit and have access to SOLIDWORKS and other methods of learning about the industry, maybe family or friends.

Certified Training Courses

This is a pitch to some degree, as I work for Hawk Ridge Systems primarily as a certified trainer in many fields – but I’m trying to be as honest and sincere as possible.

Training is a wonderful middle ground option between self-taught and school. If you’re already working in the industry, you don’t have to miss a lot of work to learn applicable SOLIDWORKS knowledge. If you’ve just left a job or have been graduated for a while and are looking for a quick, strong, legitimate refresher, this is for you.

The benefits of this method of learning are:

• It’s not as expensive as school
• You can complete training a lot faster than schooling
• You have access to experienced, certified SOLIDWORKS trainers that know the software inside and out
• Organized classes allow you take only the courses you want/need
• You can take training online or in person

All of our trainers are certified and capable of helping you prepare for your SOLIDWORKS certifications, which are extremely helpful when it comes to applying for jobs that require SOLIDWORKS knowledge.

A potential downside of this method is that a lot of information is presented in a short amount of time. We don’t grade you or measure your progress, so you have to be intentional about your training. Training also costs more than the self-taught method and you don’t receive college credits. When it comes to flexibility, it is of course less flexible than self-taught but more flexible than school.

Training with Hawk Ridge Systems

If you’re interested in Hawk Ridge Systems training, check out our course catalog to find the right class for you! Contact us if you have any questions, and I hope to see you in one of my training classes.

The post Which Type of SOLIDWORKS Training Is Right for You? appeared first on Hawk Ridge Systems.

So, you just purchased SOLIDWORKS and you’ve got a job to do. Where do you start? SOLIDWORKS has a lot of useful resources to help with a variety of tasks. Take advantage of the following resources to help you get up and running in no time.

Registering Your License

One of the first things required when using SOLIDWORKS for the first time is activating your license. When you first open SOLIDWORKS after installing it, you will be prompted to activate your product(s). The activation process is shown below but is essentially done through two options: “automatically over the internet” (the quickest and easiest method) or “manually via email.” Once you have activated your licenses, you’re ready to use your SOLIDWORKS product(s).

Check Out the Customer Portal

The Customer Portal provides access to several SOLIDWORKS tools conveniently located in one place for customers with an active subscription. These tools include access to the latest releases of SOLIDWORKS, the Knowledge Base (where you can search for known bugs and common questions), Enhancement Requests, and access to your software license and subscription service information. This is also where you can create your SOLIDWORKS ID. Register for your Customer Portal account if you haven’t already (the process is shown below).

Note: If you find yourself locked out of the Customer Portal home screen, follow the instructions in our blog about registering your SOLIDWORKS customer portal account.

Explore MySOLIDWORKS

Now that you have created your SOLIDWORKS ID account, you can utilize it to access other SOLIDWORKS resources such as MySolidworks. MySolidworks is your gateway to information, content, and resources related to SOLIDWORKS. Through it, you can access the SOLIDWORKS Forums where users all over the world engage in different design topics, online training resources to help take your skills to the next level or even learn the basics, and a library full of free CAD models.

Use Built-In Tutorials

SOLIDWORKS includes a wide range of tutorials covering various topics which are yet another great first step in learning the tools of the software. These tutorials are available in the SOLIDWORKS resource tab in the task manager (under Welcome to SOLIDWORKS), or under the Help menu (Help > SOLIDWORKS Tutorials). They cover a wide range of skills ranging from beginner topics all the way to advanced topics. For a more in-depth explanation of these tutorials, check out our blog on SOLIDWORKS Tutorials.

Utilize Our Resources

Hawk Ridge Systems provides additional resources to support our customers, including live technical support, a blog and YouTube channel that provide an extensive library of technical documents and wide range of topics, and our SOLIDWORKS training teaches you the skills you need to become a proficient user.

This should provide enough information for you to get a jump start with SOLIDWORKS. Check out these resources to help you design inside of SOLIDWORKS like a pro:

• User Interface Basics
• Sketching Basics
• Features Basics

For more information or if you have any questions, contact us at Hawk Ridge Systems today. Thanks for reading!

The post Easy Steps to Getting Started With SOLIDWORKS appeared first on Hawk Ridge Systems.

Markforged composite printers are able to inlay continuous strands of fiber within the plastic matrix of 3D printed parts using Continuous Filament Fabrication (CFF). Depending on which fiber type is being used, this can greatly alter the mechanical properties of 3D printed parts that are created by Markforged machines. Certain Markforged printers are capable of inlaying Carbon Fiber, Fiberglass, High Strength High Temperature (HSHT) Fiberglass and Kevlar.

An example of how Markforged printers are able to place continuous strands of fiber into a part. 

Even experienced Markforged users can run into challenges when determining which fiber is appropriate for their application. We’ll take a look at the properties of each continuous fiber type, as well as reviewing a few case studies that show the benefits of all fibers.

Fiber Properties

Before inlaying a Markforged part with continuous strands of fiber, it is important to understand the general mechanical properties of the available fibers. To do that, here is a flexural modulus graph that compares Markforged materials to other manufacturing methods.

As shown in the above chart, the Markforged thermoplastic Onyx is already stronger than most commonly used 3D printing materials. However, when continuous strands of fiber are placed in an Onyx part, the strength of said part can increase dramatically. Let’s briefly go over some of the benefits for each fiber type.

• Carbon Fiber: As the stiffest of each fiber type, Carbon Fiber is able to withstand a significant amount of stress. In fact, parts that are inlaid with Carbon Fiber can be stronger than an identical part that was manufactured out of 6061 Aluminum. This is the fiber to use if you need the strongest part possible.
• Fiberglass: Despite being the lightest of the fiber types, Fiberglass is still able to add significant strength to Markforged parts. It also is the cheapest fiber type. In terms of applications, this fiber will be ideal for parts that do not need the stiffness of Carbon Fiber but do need strength in addition to Onyx.
• High Strength High Temperature (HSHT) Fiberglass: HSHT Fiberglass is an ideal fiber for environments that require both high strength and high-temperature resistance. The heat deflection temperature of this fiber is similar to that of Onyx, which sits at 145C. The combination of strength and higher heat deflection make it one of the more unique fiber types.
• Kevlar: Lastly, Kevlar completes our list as a fiber type has great impact and abrasion resistance properties. Among the four fiber types, it is most able to bend back to its original shape after deforming. Kevlar is great to include in parts that will take a lot of abuse, including those that are subject to repeated load-bearing conditions.

To learn more about the properties of Continuous Filament Fabrication and the fibers that can be placed inside Markforged parts, feel free to visit the Markforged Composites Information Page.

Example Use Cases

Now that we have a general idea of what each fiber type can do, let’s delve into some customer case studies. Each case study will highlight a customer’s application that used CFF to enhance their in-house manufacturing capabilities.

For our first case study, we’ll take a look at Hugard Inc., who used a Markforged printer to 3D print custom grippers that hold CNC parts after they are processed. Hugard Inc. elected to utilize Carbon Fiber for their part, due to the strength needed when handling their components.

Click on this preview to download the Hugard Inc. case study. Content courtesy of Markforged.

In our second case study, we’ll look at a softjaw that was printed to hold a custom metal component. The geometry of said softjaw made it expensive and time-consuming to produce via CNC. This application uses Fiberglass to give it the strength needed to hold components in place, while also being much cheaper and faster to produce when compared to traditional manufacturing methods.

Click on this preview to download the softjaw case study. Content courtesy of Markforged.

The third case study we’ll look at focuses on Humanetics, who used an Onyx and HSHT Fiberglass mold to replace their traditional silicone process. The HSHT fiberglass gave these molds the temperature resistance and stiffness needed to withstand their target temperature. The Onyx base is also able to be printed with precision tolerances.

Click on this preview to download the Humanetics case study. Content courtesy of Markforged.

Lastly, our Kevlar centric case study will look at combat robots that were printed by CFF. In the world of battle bots, weight is almost as important as the ability to survive extreme conditions. Markforged was able to print a Kevlar filled robot that was not only light but also able to withstand repeated impacts and loads.

Click on this preview to download the combat robotics case study. Content courtesy of Markforged.

For more information or to get pricing on Markforged printers, be sure to contact us at Hawk Ridge Systems today. Thanks for reading!

The post How to Select the Correct Fiber for Your Markforged Application appeared first on Hawk Ridge Systems.

It’s that time of year again. A new SOLIDWORKS release is just around the corner.

But you don’t have to wait until the actual SP0 release in October to take the new features for a test drive before it deploys. You can try out the new features and enhancements now and help the SOLIDWORKS research and development team improve the full release.

What’s In It For You?

You have an opportunity to work with the R&D team to drive the development of the products in a meaningful direction for your application. You can interact with other passionate users from around the globe and even get your name on the leaderboard (as my peer Daniel Lyon did) by submitting “issues” for points and a shot at a $500 prize.

SOLIDWORKS Beta 2020 gives you a great chance to try out new features that you would otherwise have to wait until October to explore.

Getting Started in SOLIDWORKS Beta

It’s easier than ever to get started with the online option, no install required.

Head over to the SOLIDWORKS beta website and log in. Next, choose to test SOLIDWORKS 2020 in an online browser-based environment by selecting “test online” or choose to “download” and install a local version. I was up and running in SOLIDWORKS in less than two minutes using the online option.

Don’t forget to check out the “What’s New” document located under the Help drop down menu.

I’m always excited about the next release and have been impressed over the years with SOLIDWORKS’ ability to deliver customer-driven enhancements and improve the product development process. This year, the focus is to improve performance, streamline workflows and connect to the cloud-based design-to-manufacturing ecosystems. Get a sneak peek at SOLIDWORKS 2020 now by signing up for the beta program!

If you have any questions, contact us and we will help point you in the right direction. Enjoy testing!

The post Try SOLIDWORKS Beta 2020 Now appeared first on Hawk Ridge Systems.

SOLIDWORKS 2019 introduces a brand new dedicated Removed Section command for the effortless creation of sliced Section views with proper alignment. In previous versions of SOLIDWORKS, creating a Removed Section required the creation of a traditional section and several additional steps, including enabling various PropertyManager options, breaking alignment and realigning with appropriate views.  We’ll cover the basics of this new enhancement so you can get back to documenting your designs.

Removed Section Command

The Removed Section command is only available when the drawing environment is active. It can be found inside the View Layout tab in the CommandManager between Section View and Detail View (assuming you have not customized this tab).

Below, a drawing view of a modern wrench part has been created.

After beginning a Removed Section, the PropertyManager requires two edge references to calculate the view. In the picture below, the outer edges of the middle section have been selected, resulting in a cutting line displayed on the screen. The cutting line may be dragged along the length of the edges allowing for a variety of angles to be considered, as seen below. Once the cutting line has been placed, a sliced section view preview will be shown, with the alignment defaulting to the cutting line. With the new Removed Section command, this process is significantly faster than previous workarounds.

Using Manual Cutting Line Placement

If more precision is required, the Manual Cutting Line Placement option can be enabled. This allows the placement of two points along the length of the two selected edges to define the angle of the cutting line. Additionally, horizontal and/or vertical relations can always be added to the cutting line after view creation.

Just like any other view, Removed Sections provide the ability to break alignment, should you need to move the view to another area or show it in a different orientation. In the picture below, the removed section views have been aligned horizontally.

Something to take into consideration is that when a Removed Section is added, the resulting cutting line does not contain any annotation information, and as such, it can be difficult to determine where the Removed Section is from if its alignment has been broken and the view repositioned. To prevent possible confusion, you may consider adding a Note annotation to the created Removed Section.

With Removed Section, creating a properly sliced and aligned Section view has never been easier. Simply select two opposing edges in a drawing view, place the cutting line at the desired angle, and create the view. If you have any tips or tricks on Removed Section or Section views, let us know in the comments!

For more information on SOLIDWORKS or if you have any questions, contact us at Hawk Ridge Systems today. Thanks for reading!

The post Removed Section Views in SOLIDWORKS Drawings appeared first on Hawk Ridge Systems.

Whether you are new to SOLIDWORKS Composer or you have been using it for years, sometimes it’s that one little missing trick that will help take your technical publications to the next level. We cherry-picked three of our favorite tricks in SOLIDWORKS Composer, hopefully at least one of them will be what you’re missing.

Curvature Detection (ALT key)

Curvature Detection allows you to translate or rotate 3D objects along any straight or circular model edge.

This function is enabled by holding down the ALT key on your keyboard while using any move command, such as Translate or Rotate.

Translate and Rotate are located under the Move section of the Transform Tab.

With the ALT key held down, mouse over any model edge and it will light up. Select it and the object you are moving will translate parallel to that edge. If you are using the rotate command, the object will rotate along the edge’s center.

In SOLIDWORKS Composer, you are typically bound by the Local or World axis, however, a simple press of a button opens up the entire model for translation options. This is a simple trick, but a very powerful one.

Copy Translation

Copy Translation will allow you to copy the movement from any 3D object to another. This simple command is a lifesaver and hands down our favorite SOLIDWORKS Composer trick.

Copy Transformation is located under the Align section of the Transform Tab.

All you need to do is select something you want to move, then select something that has already moved and the first selection will copy the transition from the second selection.

Copy Transformation works with any part that has moved away from its neutral position, regardless of how or how long ago it was moved. This allows you to move things around worry-free since at any given time, you can go back and use those movements to transition something you might have missed in a previous step.

Detail View

The Detail View will make zoomed-in vector images of specific parts or areas of the model. This allows a single image to show fine detail without having to zoom the entire window, saving valuable space in the image.

The Detail View is located in the Technical Illustration Workshop under the Publishing section.

To make a Detail View, first click the box next to the Detail View option. Once activated, the View Capture Circle can be relocated and resized in order to capture a specific area of the model. If parts are selected within the Circle, they will be isolated once the Detail View is captured. Detail Views are vectors and can capture colored regions and/or shadows.

Utilizing just these three tricks you can take a typical illustration to the next level. Simple tricks like holding down the ALT key to detect model edges for translation, using the Copy Transformation to repurpose any previous model movement, and utilizing the vector-based detail view to precisely define hidden details is the difference between a typical assembly instruction and a clear and easy-to-follow assembly guide.

Want visuals on these tricks? Check out the demonstration video below!

3 Tips for SOLIDWORKS Composer

For more information or if you have questions regarding SOLIDWORKS Composer, feel free to contact us at Hawk Ridge Systems today. Thanks for reading!

The post 3 Tips to Improve Your SOLIDWORKS Composer Skills appeared first on Hawk Ridge Systems.

Accurate inspection documentation is critical for manufacturing, but historically it has never been something that is quick and easy to create. As technology progresses, we are getting closer to automating this process. Here are three professional tricks for SOLIDWORKS Inspection that will allow you to utilize existing data and get you one step closer to automation.

Using Custom Properties

Automating entries into the first article inspection (FAI) report with SOLIDWORKS Inspection Custom Properties.

When using the add-in for SOLIDWORKS Inspection, any available model/drawing custom properties may be used to automatically populate the resulting FAI report. Begin by clicking on New Inspection Project from the SOLIDWORKS Inspection tab and selecting a template. The next section allows you to specify which properties are pulled from the SOLIDWORKS file into Inspection. When a property is selected, the Linked Custom Property window pops up. Select the custom property you want to associate with the inspection property, and the two will be linked together.

The next section will let you define which type of dimensions to include in the report.

The last section is for defining the unit of measure and tolerances.

This is a semi-automated way of capturing the intelligent information from your SOLIDWORKS document to start the Inspection project, opposed to entering all information manually. From here, click Export to SOLIDWORKS Inspection Project, located in the SOLIDWORKS Inspection tab. This will export the Inspection project so it can then be opened in the standalone Inspection software.

Translate Text Automatically

Modifying OCR (optical character recognition) fonts in order to automatically translate text.

The standalone (Inspection for PDF) software uses OCR to intelligently scan text and compare it to a list of known fonts, automatically identifying the text. Modifying the OCR font can greatly improve text identification quality in most situations.

If you find yourself in the situation where OCR isn’t accurately identifying the text, it may be the result of using the wrong reference font. To adjust the font, go to Home>Options>Project Options>OCR. There are two font dictionaries – the upper font settings are for identifying dimensions while the lower settings are for notes.

The easiest way to define fonts is by looking at specific characters, I tend to default to the number “1.” If it has a prominent foot at the base, I will use “Standard Font.” If there is no foot or a slight foot, I will default to “NX1.” Making this adjustment will typically get the desired recognition results.

Pulling Custom Data

Modifying the FAI Report template in order to pull custom data.

The Inspection Template Editor can be accessed by going to File>Template Editor. Once activated, a dialog will appear to select an existing template. When starting a new template, it’s easiest to modify an existing one.

Let’s say I wanted to add my custom properties to form 3. When using the Template Editor, all Microsoft Excel functions are available. It is critical that all changes are made using the Template Editor and not directly in Microsoft Excel, or the changes will not be recorded into the template.

The Template Editor uses what are called Tokens. Tokens tell the selected cell to pull certain data from a specified property in the Inspection document. Anything added directly in Inspection or pulled from SOLIDWORKS will be available to plug into the template. To add a Token, select the cell you would like to place it then select the Token in the Template Editor window and click insert. Once all required Tokens have been entered into the template, save and close the template editor.

Any newly-created templates must be added to the Excel export template list in order to use them. To add a template to the list, select Excel from the Publish section of the Home tab and then click the green plus sign and select the new template.

Click the Export button (with the green check mark) and the full inspection report will be published in a fully editable Excel format. Any added Tokens will pull the linked data and added to the inspection report.

Utilizing these three pro tips will bring you one step closer to FAI automation, saving you precious time and helping you avoid potentially costly human error.

Overview of SOLIDWORKS Inspection Tips

For more information on SOLIDWORKS Inspection or if you have any questions, feel free to contact us at Hawk Ridge Systems today. Thanks for reading!

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