This overview lists typical machine design tasks and the SolidWorks
solutions that help you complete them.
Tasks |
Solutions |
Start with a bottom-up
or top-down design method. |
Bottom-up Design:
In bottom-up design, you design individual parts that you add to assemblies.
To create parts, start by creating a sketch with sketch tools, or
by importing
an existing sketch (for example, from an IGES or DXF/DWG
file).
You can also convert
a 2D sketch into a 3D model. The 2D sketch can be an imported
drawing, or it can be a sketch constructed in SolidWorks.
Top-down Design:
In top-down design, you use a layout inside an assembly to drive part
and assembly design.
Related Topics
Working with Assembles
Assembly
Layout Sketch
Layout-based
Assembly Design
Help, Moving
from 2D to 3D, Using Imported
2D CAD Data |
Create parts. |
Add shapes called features
to create parts.
Use ScanTo3D
to create surface or solid models from 3D mesh or point cloud scan data. |
Create weldments. |
Use Weldments
tools to create
weldments.
To learn more about weldments, click Help,
SolidWorks Tutorials, All SolidWorks
Tutorials and complete the Weldments
tutorial. |
Create sheet
metal
parts. |
Use Sheet
Metal tools to create sheet metal
parts. You can also use the Convert
to Sheet Metal command.
To learn more about sheet metal, click Help,
SolidWorks Tutorials, All SolidWorks
Tutorials and complete the Sheet
Metal tutorial. |
Add parts into a part document. |
Use the Insert,
Part tool to add parts into a multibody part document.
You can add parts multiple times into the same document. |
Create multiple versions of parts within a single document. |
Create different configurations
of a part in a single document. You can create configurations using any
of the following methods:
To learn more about creating configurations using design tables, click
Help, SolidWorks
Tutorials, All SolidWorks Tutorials and complete the Design
Tables tutorial. |
Determine the volume and weight of parts. |
Use the Mass
Properties tool to calculate a part's properties
such as density, mass, and volume. |
Determine the factor of safety to see how parts perform when forces
are applied to them. |
Use the SolidWorks SimulationXpress analysis wizard to determine the
factor of safety of parts. Click Tools,
SimulationXpress to start the
wizard.
To learn more about SolidWorks SimulationXpress, click Help,
SolidWorks Tutorials, All SolidWorks
Tutorials and complete the SolidWorks
SimulationXpress tutorial. |
Tasks
|
Solutions |
Drive a part or assembly design using a layout. |
In an assembly, create an assembly layout sketch
to make sure your components are positioned properly. |
Add parts to an assembly. |
Create
a new assembly from an existing part or assembly, then add
components to the assembly.
You can also create
a part in the context of an assembly so you can use the geometry
of other assembly components while designing the part. The new part is
saved within the assembly file as a virtual
component. You can also save the new part in a separate part
file so you can modify it independently from the assembly.
To learn more about assemblies, click Help,
SolidWorks Tutorials, All SolidWorks
Tutorials and complete the Lesson
2 - Assemblies tutorial. |
Manipulate component location, orientation, and display states. |
Use the Move
Component and Rotate tools
to move assembly components.
Use Display
States to set a separate display mode (Wireframe, Hidden Lines
Removed, etc.) for each component in an assembly. |
Control assembly movement and define the design intent.
For example, you can constrain a shaft to remain concentric to the cylinder
in which it moves. |
Use mate tools to add mate relations that control movement of parts:
Standard
mates set standard mate relations between components, such
as concentric, parallel, perpendicular, and so on.
Gear
mates control the rotation of one component with respect to
another component.
Lock
mates maintain the position and orientation between two components.
Rack
and pinion mates allow linear translation of one component
(the rack) to cause circular rotation in another component (the pinion),
and vice versa.
Limit
mates limit component movement to a specified range.
Width
mates center a tab within the width of a groove.
SmartMates
automatically add mates when you drag components into place.
Path
mates constrain a selected point on a component to a path.
Universal
joint mates drive the rotation of the output shaft of a universal
joint by the rotation of the input shaft about its axis.
Hinge
mates limit the movement between components to one rotational
degree of freedom.
To learn more about mates, click Help,
SolidWorks Tutorials, All SolidWorks
Tutorials and complete the Assembly
Mates tutorial. |
Create holes and add fasteners or components that require other components
and features. |
Create holes for fasteners with the Hole Wizard tool, then use Smart Fasteners to
automatically add standard fasteners into the holes.
You can access a customizable library of standard parts using the SolidWorks Toolbox add-in. Select a
standard and the type of part you want to insert, then drag the component
into the assembly. For details, see Toolbox
Help.
Click Tools, Add-Ins,
and select SolidWorks Toolbox
and SolidWorks Toolbox Browser
to activate this add-in.
To learn more about SolidWorks Toolbox, click Help,
SolidWorks Tutorials, All SolidWorks
Tutorials and complete the Toolbox
tutorial.
Create Smart
Components that require the addition of associated components
and features such as bolts and mounting holes. When you insert the Smart
Component into an assembly, you can choose whether or not to insert the
associated components and features.
To learn more about Smart Components, click Help,
SolidWorks Tutorials, All SolidWorks
Tutorials and complete the Smart
Components tutorial. |
Add supplier-certified models. |
Use the 3D
ContentCentralSM
web site to save design time by accessing supplier-certified CAD models
that you can download and add to an assembly. |
Build efficient, modular assemblies using sub-assemblies. |
See Working
with Sub-assemblies for tips and links to related topics. |
Create simulations of machine movement. |
To display machine movement:
To check how components interact while you are
creating an assembly, use the Physical Dynamics
option in Collision Detection. When you drag or rotate a component, it
applies a force to any components it touches, and you view the motion
of assembly components.
To record and play back a simulation of movement,
use Motion
Studies.
You can
Create animations of models, such as a rotating
or exploding model with the Assembly
Motion level of Motion Studies.
Add
more physics and realism to your animation with either the Physical
Simulation or SolidWorks
Motion (available in SolidWorks premium).
You can add Simulation
Elements that
move components, such as springs, motors, and gravity, to control and
automate motion.
To learn more about motion studies, click Help,
SolidWorks Tutorial, All SolidWorks Tutorials
and complete the Assembly Motion tutorial. |
Troubleshoot problems you have when moving assembly components, such
as components that collide. |
Use the Interference
detection tool to check a file for components that interfere
with each other. A
list gives you the names of the components that interfere and the interference
volume. The area of interference highlights in the graphics area.
Use the Collision
Detection option when you move or rotate components to detect
if multiple components collide.
Use Clearance
Verification to check the minimum distance between selected
components.
If a problem with mates is causing problems with the assembly motion,
use MateXpert
to identify mate problems. |
Maximize performance of large assemblies. |
Use lightweight
components, which loads only a subset of a model's data in
memory. The remaining model data is loaded on an as-needed basis. You
can also open sub-assemblies as lightweight components.
Use large
assembly mode to maximize system option settings for large
assemblies.
Use SpeedPak
to create a simplified representation of an assembly without losing references.
SpeedPak can significantly improve performance when you work in large
and complex assemblies and related drawings.
Simplify
assemblies and vary the assembly design
with component
configurations. |
Tasks |
Solutions |
Make drawings from a part or assembly. |
Use the Make
Drawing from Part/Assembly tool on the Standard
toolbar to assist you in creating a drawing.
To learn more about drawings, click Help,
SolidWorks Tutorials, All SolidWorks
Tutorials and complete the Lesson
3 - Drawings and Advanced Drawings
tutorials. |
Add views. |
SolidWorks offers tools to create various drawing views:
Add detail
views, section
views, broken
views, and broken
out sections to a drawing.
Use Alternate
Position Views to superimpose one drawing view precisely on
another. Alternate position views are often used to show the range of
motion of an assembly. |
Add dimensions and annotations from part and assembly documents. |
Use Insert
Model Items to insert dimensions marked for drawings and annotations
already in model documents.
Use 3D
annotations to create annotation views in the model. You can
use these views in a drawing. The annotation views are converted into
2D drawing views; the annotations you inserted in the model appear in
the drawing.
Use DimXpert
to apply dimensions in drawings so that manufacturing features (patterns,
slots, pockets, etc.) are fully-defined. |
Add annotations and balloons to views. |
Add Center
Marks , Centerlines
, Geometric Tolerance Symbols
, Notes ,
Surface
Finish Symbols , and other annotations.
Specify in Options
, Document Properties,
Drafting
Standard for center marks, centerlines, balloons, and dimensions
to be inserted automatically on view creation.
Use the AutoBalloon tool
to automatically insert balloons in a drawing. |
Add a bill of materials and other tables. |
Use the Bill
of Materials tool to add a bill of materials to a drawing.
You can create
bills of materials in assembly files. After you save the assembly,
you can insert the BOM into a referenced drawing.
You can also add hole
tables, revision
tables, and weldment
cut lists. |
Tasks |
Solutions |
Manage product data and control revisions. |
Use one of the following product data management (PDM) add-ins:
Click
Tools, Add-Ins,
and select SolidWorks Workgroup PDM
to activate this add-in.
To learn more about SolidWorks Workgroup
PDM, click Help, SolidWorks
Tutorials, All SolidWorks Tutorials
and complete the SolidWorks Workgroup
PDM tutorial.
Click Tools,
Add-Ins, and select SolidWorks
Enterprise PDM to activate this add-in.
To learn more about SolidWorks Enterprise
PDM, when you are logged in to a local file vault, click Help,
SolidWorks Enterprise PDM Help. |
Get the newest version of a document.
Replace a component in an assembly document.
Store documents in a common place.
Copy a document to use it in a new design.
Change the location where parts and sub-assemblies
of an assembly are stored.
|
Reload the document
to get the latest version.
Use the Replace Components tool to replace components in order to update
the assembly.
Use the Save
tool to save the assembly
document and all referenced component documents.
Use the Save As command to
create a copy of a document with a different name that you can use in
other designs.
Edit
part location to save parts or sub-assemblies of an assembly
to a new location or file name.
|
Send part, assembly, and drawing documents to others for review. |
Publish a SolidWorks
eDrawings file from SolidWorks, then send it to others who
can use the free SolidWorks eDrawings Viewer to view the file.
To learn more about eDrawings, click Help,
SolidWorks Tutorials, All SolidWorks
Tutorials and complete the SolidWorks
eDrawings tutorial. |