Creating the Upper Housing

  1. Download, extract, and open the required sample file for this tutorial:
    1. Click here to download moldedproductdesignadvanced.zip to your Downloads folder.
      For more information on downloading and managing sample files, see Sample Files.
    2. Browse to the Downloads folder and extract moldedproductdesignadvanced.zip to a convenient location.
      For example, to organize your tutorial sample files, create a folder in your Documents folder named tutorial_files. Then extract into that folder to create a subfolder named molded_product_design_advanced that contains the SOLIDWORKS parts for the molded product design advanced tutorial.
    3. In the molded_product_design_advanced folder, open MouseBase.SLDPRT.
  2. Click File > Save As New and save the part locally in a new folder named Base.
  3. Close the part.
  4. Click New (Standard toolbar) and open a new part.
  5. Click Insert Part (Features tab) or Insert > Part.
  6. In the dialog box, select MouseBase.sldprt (in folder Base) and click Open.
  7. In the PropertyManager, under Transfer, select Solid bodies and Surface bodies, clear all other options, then click .

    If you are asked to change the unit of measure of the derived part, click Yes.

    You select Surface bodies because you need the inserted part to contain the part line quilt surface. The Insert Part command inserts a part as a feature composed of solid bodies. The command inserts only axes, planes, cosmetic threads, or surfaces if you select those items under Transfer in the Insert Part PropertyManager.

    To edit the entities transferred into an inserted part in the FeatureManager design tree, right-click the inserted part feature and select Edit Feature.

  8. Expand the Surface Bodies folder in the FeatureManager design tree, right-click Surface-Extrude1, and select Hide .
    This surface body is not necessary for this lesson.
  9. Click Cut With Surface (Features tab) or Insert > Cut > With Surface.
  10. In the PropertyManager:
    1. Select the surface shown for Selected surface for cut.
      Make sure the arrow in the graphics area points downward so you cut away the bottom of the master part. If not, click Flip Cut to reverse the arrow's direction.
    2. Click to cut away the buttons and the lower housing, while leaving the upper housing.
  11. Click File > Save to This PC.
  12. In the dialog box, save the part to the Base folder as UpperHousing.SLDPRT.