What Technique Do I Use?

SOLIDWORKS recommends using these techniques as follows:

Design Team Recommended Technique

Single designer

When a single designer works on a model, use the multibody technique because all the references for the bodies are contained within a single part file with no need to derive or reference additional files.

Multibody Technique

Multiple designers

For large design groups where work needs to be divided among multiple designers, the best solution is to use the base part or split part technique.

The lead designer or project manager is responsible for:
  • Splitting out parts so that different designers can work on individual parts.
  • Bringing the individual parts back into the master part or an assembly.

Base Part Technique. The entire solid, and surfaces if you choose, are brought into the derived parts. The author of the master part must inform the designers of the derived parts about what references they must use.

Split Part Technique. The author of the master part: Controls segmentation of the master part into individual parts. Controls the references that the designers of the individual parts see. The designers of the derived parts do not need to worry about what references they use.
SOLIDWORKS strongly recommends these techniques instead of an in-context assembly for these reasons:
  • Performance.

    With an in-context assembly, it would take 10 times longer or more to rebuild because every change made in every part requires a complete rebuild of every part, whether it has a change at the part level or not.

  • Design Intent and Best Practice for Design.

    The three techniques follow a clearly-established master part methodology in which the master part captures the design intent of the shape and propagates this intent to its injection molded components. These techniques work well because they use a one-way driven process where the master part always drives the derived parts.