Tips & Tricks

SOME USEFUL TIPS WHILE WORKING WITH SOLIDWORKS
1. Try using the 3 default planes as max as possible.
2. Select the proper plane to begin your sketch.
3. Use mouse right click option to select the commands in ease manner, like select from the drop down menu or from recent commands.
4. Always use a fully defined sketch.
5. Make a customized toolbar to use the feature and other options.
6. Use mouse buttons for zoom in/out, rotating and panning the models.
7. Click off the things in the “View” like temporary axes, sketch relations, etc.
8. Keep level of details on lower side and mate animation speed set to fast in Tools>Option>System Option> Performance.
9. Keep Image quality in Tools>Option>Document properties on lower side.
10. Don’t change the default settings for line types, colors, etc.
11. Use design table/ Configurations in parts & assembly.
12. Use equations/ link values to work quicker.
13. Make default templates for metric/ inches settings for part, drawing & assembly.
14. During applying mates in assembly, select the edge, press “Alt” button and drag the part to respective face to get the concentric and coincident mate in one go.
15. Press “Alt” while reordering parts in the main/top level assembly to avoid them being added to the any sub assembly.
16. Use faces, axes, default planes for mating in assembly.
17. Use design library to create parts/features to be used repeatedly.
18. While making and default plane or axis try using default planes as reference.
19. Turn off the SW Thumbnails
20. To show “Cosmetric Thread”, choose Tools>Option>document Properties>Detailing>Shaded cosmetic thread
21. Drag a box around items to select.
22. RMB selection options:   Select loops, chains, tangency, partial loops, open loops, Select Midpoint,etc.
23. Don’t rename files from Windows Explorer unless it is a document with no references (part not used in an assembly, assembly not used in another assembly or a drawing), or you know in advance how you’re going to solve the problem which you’re about to create.
24. Use menu File, Save As when the assembly is open to attach renamed file to existing assembly.
25. Use SolidWorks Explorer to copy or rename files and maintain references
26. File naming conventions
* Avoid names like “bracket”, “cover”, “base”, etc.
*SolidWorks can only have one part with a given name open at a time
* The second part with the same name as another open part will use the first opened part
* It is best practice to use sequential part numbers in such a way that you can guarantee that there will not be any duplicate file names.

SHORTCUT KEYS
1.    F = Zoom to Fit
2.    Ctrl+Shift+Z  = Previous View
3.    Ctrl+1 = Front View
4.    Ctrl+2 = Back View
5.    Ctrl +3 =Left View
6.    Ctrl +4 = Right Vie w
7.    Ctrl +5 = Top View
8.    Ctrl +6 = Bottom View
9.    Ctrl +7 = Isometric View
10.    Ctrl +8 = Normal To View
11.    Ctrl +B  = Rebuild
12.    Ctrl-TAB =  Cycles through open SW documents, Also works in other Windows applications.
13.    Alt+TAB =  Cycles through open applications.
14.    Arrow = rotate 15 degrees (settable in Tools, Options)
15.    Shift+Arrow = rotate 90 degrees
16.    Ctrl+Arrow = pan
17.    Alt+Arrow = spin around screen center
18.    Move dims / Copy dims: Move = Shift-drag, Copy = Ctrl-drag


OTHER THINGS TO BE TAKEN CARE OFF
1. Defragmentation and disk cleanup once in 15 days
2. Remove Temporary Files from:
C:\temp, C:\\temp, \Local Settings\temp, swxXXX folders, Swxauto folder (SW Auto Recovery Files).
3. Remove Temporary Internet Files from \Local Settings\Temporary internet Files.

General Windows Tricks

How to Take a Screenshot
1)   Press the “Print Screen” button. The button is located on the right top corner of the keyboard.

 

2)   Open Microsoft Paint. To do this, click Start > All Programs > Accessories > Paint. Click inside the white part of the screen. Alternatively you can open a new word file.
 

3)   Go to the Edit menu and click Paste or you can press and hold “Ctrl” and press V
4)   Click File > Save As. In the box that pops up, change the “Save As Type” to PNG or JPG. Type in a filename for your image. Choose a place to save, like the Desktop and click on save.
5)   If you are using a word file, then continue pasting in the next page if you want to take more than one screen shot and save in same file. And finally save your file.

Source: http://gupta9665.wordpress.com/tips-tricks/  with some additional.

Create Hole Wizard with Polygon Sketch at Flange Model

How have you been getting accustomed to using Solidworks? I hope so. In this paper I want to show you about the Hole Wizard command. You can create these types of Hole Wizard holes:

•  Counterbore
•  Countersink
•  Hole
•  Straight Tap
•  Tapered Tap
•  Legacy

For placement Hole Wizard, this time I use help command of Polygon Sketch. Where you first create a sketch of a polygon, then the corner points of this polygon you just put the lock position. Also look at the hole cosmetric thread to be created by adding setting the Tools, Options, Document Properties, Detailing, shaded cosmetic threaded.

I will create a simple example of the Hole Wizard command on an image Flange. There are three cosmetic threaded holes in the image above.

Here are the steps:

1. Creating Revolved Sketch
Featured on the toolbar, select Revolved Boss and select the Front Plane. Sketch toolbar is now active. Create a profile sketch of a line to form a flange. Determine the dimensions like the example image below. Also add "Centerline" horizontally on the "Origin" as the "Axis of Revolution". Click OK.

2. Revolved Boss
To end the command create a profile sketch above click Exit Sketch. In the dialog box under Revolve Parameters will automatically make the "Centerline" as the "Axis of Revolution". Finish by clicking OK.

3. Polygon Sketch
Next is to create a sketch polygons as lines of dots at the same time help the "Hole Wizard" that we will create later. In the "Sketch toolbar"  select "Sketch" and select "a planar face". On the Sketch toolbar select Polygon. Change "View Orientation" on the Right or press (Ctrl + 4).

In the dialog box, type "Number of Side" at number 3 or can also click the down arrow button until the numbers changed from 6 to 3. Select the "circumscribed circle". Then place the cursor on the origin, left click and drag the cursor over approximately close to the line outside the flange and left click again.

Back to the dialog box, click "For construction" under the parameter "Option". Finish by clicking OK.

4. Smart Dimension and Fully Define Sketch
Then the set of "Pitch Circle Diameter (PCD)" on 100mm by selecting the "Smart Dimension" in "Sketch" toolbar. This command to its diameter to be "fully define sketch". Click OK.

Next in order triangles are also to be "fully define sketch", click the triangle base is horizontal and then a small dialog box will appear to the right of the cursor, click the "Make Horizontal". Finish by clicking OK.

5. Hole Wizard
Before concluding this flange model image by making "Hole Wizard", set the first appearance of thread holes into "cosmetic threaded". Select Tools, Options, Document Properties, Detailing, shaded cosmetic threaded.
 

Next on the "Feature toolbar"  select "Hole Wizard". Dialog box will appear. There are two tabs, namely Type and Positions.
 

On the Type tab;

• Under Type, select Straight Tap Hole, Standard: Ansi Metric, and Type: bottoming Tapped Hole.
• Under Hole Specifications select  Hole Size: M10X1.5.
• Under End Condition select Through All .
• Under Options select Cosmetic thread.

On the tab Positions, click 3D Sketch then click the sketch ends of the triangles as the "Hole Wizard". Finish by clicking OK.

Good to here how to draw the following flange adds "Hole Wizard" using the help of my finished sketch polygons show the sequence. Good try!