Part and Assembly Modeling

with SolidWorks 2013

Huei-Huang Lee

Contents
Preface 1
Chapter 1 Sketching 2
1.1
1.2
1.3
1.4

Arm 3
Ratchet Wheel 17
Ratchet Stop 23
Cover Plate 28

Chapter 2 Part Modeling 36

2.1
2.2
2.3
2.4
2.5
2.6
2.7
2.8

Crank 37
Geneva Gear Index 43
Yoke 50
Support 56
Wheel 62
Transition Pipe 66
Threaded Shaft 75
Lifting Fork 80

Chapter 3 Assembly Modeling 86

3.1
3.2
3.3

Shaft Assembly 87
Universal Joint 97
Clamp 107

Index 119

Preface

Preface
Use of This Book
This workbook is an introductory tutorial to geometric modelings using SolidWorks 2013. It is not intended to be a
comprehensive guide to parts and assembly modelings. It is prepared mainly for those students who have no experience
in SolidWorks, but want to acquire some. I provide this workbook to the students in my classroom and require them
to complete the exercises in three weeks, to make them feel more comfortable working on advanced capabilities of
SolidWorks, such as Simulation, Motion, or Flow Simulation.

Companion Webpage
A webpage is maintained for this book:
http://myweb.ncku.edu.tw/~hhlee/Myweb_at_NCKU/SWG2013.html
The webpage contains links to the following resources: (a) videos that demonstrate the steps of each section in this
book, and (b) the finished SolidWorks files of each section.
The videos, hosted by YouTube, have a maximum resolution of 1280x720 (half HD). As for the finished files, if
everything works smoothly, you may not need them at all. Every model can be built from scratch by following the steps
in the book. I provide these files just in case you need them. For example, when you run into trouble and you don't
want to redo it from the beginning, you may find these files useful. Or you may happen to have trouble following the
steps in the book, you can then look up the details in these files.

Notations
Chapters and sections are numbered in a traditional way. Each section is further divided into subsections. For example,
the first subsection of the second section of Chapter 3 is denoted as "3.2-1." Text boxes in a subsection are ordered
with numbers, each of which is enclosed by a pair of square brackets (e.g., [4]). We refer to that text box as "3.2-1[4]."
When referring to a text box from the same subsection, we drop the subsection identifier. For example, we simply write
"[4]." Notations used in this book are summarized as follows (for more details, see page 4):
3.2-1
[1], [2], ...
SolidWorks
(Round-cornered text boxes)
(Sharp-cornered text boxes)

Numbers after a hyphen are subsection numbers.

Numbers with square brackets are text box numbers.
SolidWorks terms are boldfaced.
A round-cornered text box indicates some mouse or keyboard actions are needed.
A sharp-cornered text box is used for commentary only; no mouse or keyboard
actions are needed in that step.

Chapter 1 Sketching

Chapter 1
Sketching

Section 1.1 Arm

Section 1.1
Arm

1.1-1 About the Arm

[1] The arm is a part

of a clamping
assembly. In this
section, we'll create a
geometric model for
the arm.

[2] Details of the

arm.

1.375
2 R0.313
X
3 D0.25
R0.25

2.25

[3] Before creating a geometry

model, we must set up a global
coordinate system for the
model. Here, the XY-plane is
coincident with the back surface
of the part.

Unit: in.
Thickness: 0.125 in.

R0.5

Section 1.1 Arm

1.1-2 Create a New Part

[2] SolidWorks
user interface.

[1] Double-click to
Launch SolidWorks.

[4] Select File>New...

[5] Part is selected

by default.

[3] Move the mouse over the

SOLIDWORKS logo (at the upperleft corner) to reveal the PullDown Menus and click here to
pin it down (fix it).

[6] Click OK to
create a Part
document.

About the Text Boxes

1. Within each subsection (e.g., 1.1-2), text boxes are ordered with numbers, each of which is enclosed by a pair of
square brackets (e.g., [1]). When you read the contents in a subsection, please follow the order of the text boxes.
2. The text box numbers also serve as reference numbers when referred from other text boxes. In the same
subsection, we simply refer to a text box by its number (e.g., [1]). In other subsections, we refer to a text box by its
subsection identifier and the text box number (e.g., 1.1-2[1]).
3. A text box is either round-cornered (e.g., [1, 3, 4, 6]) or sharp-cornered (e.g., [2, 5]). A round-cornered box
indicates that mouse or keyboard actions are needed in that step. A sharp-cornered box is used for
commentary only: no mouse or keyboard actions are needed in that step.

SolidWorks Terms
In this book, terms used in SolidWorks are boldfaced (e.g., Pull-Down Menus in [3]).

Section 1.1 Arm

1.1-3 Set Up Units

[1] Select
Tools>Options...

[3] Select Units.

[7] The Options command is

also available by clicking here.

[2] Click Document

Properties tab.

[4] Select IPS

(inch, pound,
second).

[5] Select .123 (three

decimal places).

[6] Click OK.

[8] The units also

can be set up
from here.

Section 1.1 Arm

1.1-4 Draw a Circle

[1] In the Features Tree
(on the left side of the user
interface), right-click Front
and select Sketch.

[2] The Front plane

(XY-plane) is ready
for sketching.

[6] Right-click anywhere

in the Graphics Area
and select Smart
Dimension.

[3] Right-click anywhere in

the Graphics Area to
display a Context Menu,
and select Circle command.
[4] Click at the origin and drag outward
to create a circle. Press ESC to dismiss
the Circle command. Then, press ESC
again (or click anywhere in the
Graphics Area other than the circle)
to de-select the circle. Note that the
circle is blue-colored (see [5]).

[5] Color Codes of Sketch Entities

A sketch entity is blue-colored when it is not well-defined yet [4]. A well-defined
entity (i.e., fixed in the space) becomes black (see [7], next page). When overdefined, an entity becomes red.

Section 1.1 Arm

[7] Click the circle and move lowerrightward to create a diameter; type 0.25
(in) for the diameter. Note that the
circle now turns black. Use mouse
functions to zoom in/out [8] or pan the
sketch [9]. Drag the dimension to a
location like this. Finally, press ESC to
dismiss the Smart Dimension.

[8] Scrolling the

Mouse Wheel allows
you to zoom in/out the
sketch.

[9] Dragging the mouse

with Control-MiddleButton allows you to
pan the sketch.

[11] If you think the font

size of the dimension text
is too large, it can be
changed (see [12]).

[13] Click Font... and then

select a font size.

[12] To change the

font size of
dimension texts,
select Dimension
in the Document
Properties
(1.1-3[1, 2]).

[10] If you made a

mistake, you always can
Undo the mistake.

Section 1.1 Arm

SolidWorks Commands
There are literally hundreds of SolidWorks commands (tools). All commands can be found in the Pull-Down
Menus [14]. Nevertheless, the most intuitive way to issue a command is through a context-sensitive menu, or simply
called Context Menu [1, 3, 6]. To issue a command with a Context Menu, you right-click an object on either the
Features Tree [15] or the Graphics Area [16]. The commands available in a Context Menu depend on the
kind of object you're working on (that's why it is called a context-sensitive menu). In step [1], the object you were
working on is the Front plane; in steps [3, 6], the object you were working on is the Graphics Area.
After you accumulate some experiences, you may find that a more convenient way to issue a command is simply
clicking a command on a Toolbar (e.g., [10]). In this book, we roughly follow these rules to issue a command:
1. As novices, we issue a command through a Context Menu, because it is the most intuitive way.
2. If a command is not available with a Context Menu, we select it from the Pull-Down Menus, because
it is the most comprehensive way (i.e., all commands can be found there).
3. As we accumulate experiences, we begin to issue a command by clicking a button in a Toolbar, because
it is the most convenient way.

[14] Pull-Down
Menus.

[15] In SolidWorks, this is

called the FeatureManager
Design Tree. In this book, we
simply call it Features Tree.
As you create entities, they're
added to this tree structure.

[16] Graphics
Area.

Section 1.1 Arm

1.1-5 Draw Another Circle

[5] Select Smart

Dimension from the
Sketch Toolbar.

[2] Select Circle from the

Sketch Toolbar.

[1] Click Sketch. The

Sketch Toolbar shows up.
[4] Inference
Line.

[3] Move the cursor around the Xaxis until an Inference Line [4]
appears. Click to define the center
then click again to define an
arbitrary diameter.

[6] Click the two center points

one after another and then move
the mouse upward and click again
to create this horizontal
dimension; type 1.375 (in).

[7] In the Head-Up Toolbar [8],

click Zoom to Fit to fit the
sketch within the window.

[8] Head-Up Toolbar is at the

top of the Graphics Area.

Section 1.1 Arm

[16] Select Add

Relation from
the Context
Menu again.

[9] Press ESC to dismiss

Smart Dimension and
select Add Relation from
the Context Menu
(1.1-4[3, 6]).

[14] Click OK to
dismiss the Property
Box. The Features
Tree re-appears.

10

[10] A Property Box

appears in place of the
Features Tree.

[11] In the Graphics

Area, click the two
circles one after the
other. Note that their
names appear here.

[20] Click OK to
dismiss the
Property Box.

[17] In the Graphics

Area, click the two
circles' centers.
[13] A relation
between the two
entities is added.

[19] A Horizontal
relation is added, in
addition to the
existing Distance
relation.
[18] Click
Horizontal to make
the two points align
horizontally.

[12] Click Equal to

make their sizes equal.

[15] De-select the

two circles (press
ESC or click
anywhere on the
Graphics Area).
Now, the two
circles have the
same radius. The
second circle is still
blue-colored,
meaning that it is
not well-defined
yet. We now
impose another
relation.
[21] Press ESC to de-select
the two points. Now, the
second circle becomes black
(fixed) too.

Section 1.1 Arm

1.1-6 Draw the Third Circle

[1] Follow a similar procedure in

1.1-5 to draw this circle. Note that
this circle and the first circle have
the same radius; the vertical
distance between the centers is 2.25
(in); and they align vertically [2].

1.1-7 Complete the Sketch

[1] Use Circle command to draw

three circles which are concentric
with the first three circles
respectively.

[2] The two circles

align vertically.

11

Section 1.1 Arm

[2] (Remember to press ESC twice.) Use

Add Relation command to make the
radii of the two upper circles equal. Note
that we've also moved the dimensions to a
more suitable arrangement.

[3] Select Line command from the

Context Menu. Before right-clicking
to pop-up the Context Menu, make
sure no command is active (if so, press
ESC to dismiss it) and no sketch entity is
selected (if so, press ESC to de-select it).

[4] Click this circle

near the upper
quarter-point...

[5] And click this circle near

the upper quarter-point. A
tangent line between the
two circles is drawn.
Double-click to end the line
drawing [6].

[6] The Line command can be

used to draw multiple line
segments. To end a session of line
drawing without dismiss the Line
command, simply double-click.

12

Section 1.1 Arm

[7] Follow steps [4, 5] to add

this tangent line.

[8] And also draw these two tangent lines.

Remember, to draw these tangent lines, you
click a circle NEAR quarter-points (rather than
AT quarter-points). For these two tangent
lines, the tangent points are not at quarterpoints. If you made any mistakes, you always
can Undo the mistakes (1.1-4[10]).

[9] Press ESC to dismiss

the Line command. Select
Trim Entities from the
Context Menu.

[11] Click these

segments to trim
them away [12].

[12]The sketch
after trimming.

[10] In the Property Box,

select Trim to closest.

13

Section 1.1 Arm

[14] Note that the radius

of this arc is automatically
adjusted to agree with the
relation [2].
[13] Use Smart
Dimension to specify
this radius (0.313 in)...

[16] All sketch

entities are fixed
(black-colored) now.
[18] Select this vertex.

[15] And specify

this radius (0.5 in).

[17] Press ESC to dismiss

Smart Dimension.
Select Sketch Fillet from
the Context Menu.

[20] Click OK to
accept the properties.

[21] A dimension is
automatically added.
This completes the
sketch.

[19] Type 0.25 (in) for

the fillet radius.

14

Section 1.1 Arm

[23] Line
command.

[27] Click Exit Sketch.

[24] Trim Entities

command.

[25] Sketch
Fillet command.

1.1-8 Generate 3D Model

[5] Click OK.

[1] While Sketch1 (the name of the

sketch just created) is highlighted, from
Pull-Down Menus, select
Insert>Boss/Base>Extrude....

[4] Type 0.125 (in)

for the extruding
Depth.
[2] The Extruded Boss/
Base command is also available
in the Features Toolbar [3].

[3] Features Toolbar.

[26] Add Relation

command.

[22] The commands used in this

subsection can also be found in the
Sketch Toolbar. [23-26]

15

Section 1.1 Arm

[6] The finished

3D model.

[7] From Pull-Down Menus, select

File>Save or, on the Toolbar, click Save
button. The Toolbar is on the top of the
user interface. Save this part document with
the file name Arm. The full name of the
document is Arm.SLDPRT.

1.1-9 Wrap Up

[1] Select File>Close from

the Pull-Down Menus to
close the part document. Or,
you may select Window menu
and click here.

[2] Select File>Exit from PullDown Menus to quit

SolidWorks.

16

Section 1.2 Ratchet Wheel

17

Section 1.2
Ratchet Wheel

1.2-1 About the Ratchet Wheel

[2] The ratchet stop is used to

control the rotational direction of
the ratchet wheel. The ratchet stop
will be created in the next section.

[1] A ratchet wheel rotates in a certain

direction controlled by a ratchet stop [2].
In this section, we'll create a 3D model for
this ratchet wheel.
Y

60

1.00

15

[3] Details of the

ratchet wheel.

D0.25

Unit: in.
Thickness: 0.25 in.

1.2-2 Start Up
[1] Launch SolidWorks and create a new part (1.1-2). Set up IPS unit system with 2 decimal places
for the length unit (1.1-3). Start a sketch on Front plane (1.1-4[1, 2]).

Section 1.2 Ratchet Wheel

18

1.2-3 Draw a Construction Circle

[3] Select Smart
Dimension.

[1] Select Circle from

the Sketch Toolbar.

[2] Draw a circle

centered at the
origin.
[5] Press ESC to dismiss
Smart Dimension.
Right-click the circle and
select Construction
Geometry to convert the
circle into a construction
circle.

[4] Specify the

diameter of the
circle (1.00 in).

[6] The circle become

centerlined. In SolidWorks,
Construction Geometry is
represented by centerlines.

[7] Construction Geometry

Frequently used Construction Geometries include construction lines and construction circles. A construction
line can be finite length or infinite length. A Construction Geometry is used for reference only, it is not a
geometric entity.

Section 1.2 Ratchet Wheel

19

1.2-4 Draw Construction Lines

[2] Draw a vertical line from
the origin to the upper quarter
point of the circle. Doubleclick anywhere to end the
drawing without dismiss the
Centerline command.

[1] Right-click anywhere in

the Graphics Area and
select Centerline to
create construction lines.

[3] Draw another

centerline from the
origin to the edge of
the circle.

[5] Click two

centerlines one after
the other to create an
angle dimension; type
15 (degrees).

[4] Select Smart

Dimension.

Section 1.2 Ratchet Wheel

1.2-5 Draw a Tooth

[5] Select Smart
Dimension.

[1] Select Line.

[2] Draw lines starting

here...

[6] Specify an angle of 60

degrees.
[3] Then here...
[4] Finally here.

20

Section 1.2 Ratchet Wheel

21

1.2-6 Duplicate the Tooth

[4] Click OK.

[1] From Pull-Down Menus, select

Tools>Sketch Tools>Circular
Pattern. And select the centerlined
circle (to define the pattern direction).

[2] Type 24 for Number of

Instances.

[3] Right-click this box and select

Clear Selections from the
Context Menu and then select the
two line segments (created in 1.2-5)
for Entities to Pattern.

[5] The Circular Sketch Pattern

command is also available by clicking
the arrow next to Linear Sketch
Pattern.

Section 1.2 Ratchet Wheel

1.2-7 Draw the Hole

[3] Select Smart
Dimension.

[5]Click Exit Sketch.

[1] Select Circle.

[2] Draw a circle

centered at the
origin.

1.2-8 Generate 3D Model

[1] Extrude the sketch
(1.1-8) 0.25 inches to
create this 3D model.

[2] Save the part with the

name Ratchet. Close the
file and exit SolidWorks.

[4] Specify a
diameter of
0.25 in.

22

Section 1.3 Ratchet Stop

Section 1.3
Ratchet Stop

1.3-1 About the Ratchet Stop

[1] The ratchet stop is used to
control the rotational direction of
the ratchet wheel [2]. In this
section, we'll create a 3D solid
model for the ratchet stop

[2] The ratchet

wheel has been
created in the last
section.

R0.56

[3] Details of
the ratchet
stop.

0.125

0.1

:4
pe
o
l
S

X
R0.34
Unit: in.
Thickness: 0.125 in.

0.57

R0.188

23

Section 1.3 Ratchet Stop

1.3-2 Start Up
[1] Launch SolidWorks and create a new part (1.1-2). Set up IPS unit system with 3 decimal places
for the length unit (1.1-3). Create a sketch on Front plane (1.1-4[1, 2]).

1.3-3 Draw the Sketch

[3] Select Smart
Dimension.

[1] Right-click the

Graphics Area and
select Centerpoint Arc.

[5] Press ESC to dismiss

Smart Dimension.
Select Tangent Arc from
the Context Menu.

[2] Create an arc like this.

Click the origin first, then
starting point, and finally
the ending point.

[4] Specify a radius of

0.188 in.

24

Section 1.3 Ratchet Stop

[7] Then define another end

point. Double-click to end the
drawing without dismiss
Tangent Arc command.

[6] Click this end point

of the existing arc...

[9] Then define another end.

Press ESC to dismiss the
Tangent Arc.

[8] Click another end

point of the first arc...

[10] From the Head-Up

Toolbar, select Hide/
Show Items>View
Sketch Relations to
show relations.

[12] Select View Sketch

Relations again to hide
relations.

[11] A Tangent
symbol appears next to
each tangent point.

25

Section 1.3 Ratchet Stop

26

[13] Select Line

command.

[15] Click the arrow head next

to Line command and select
Centerline.

[16] In the Property

Box, select Infinite
length.

[14] Draw this line.

[17] Click the origin and

then click any horizontal
point to create a
construction line of
infinite length.

Section 1.3 Ratchet Stop

[18] Select Smart

Dimension.

[19] Finish up the sketch by

specify the rest of the
dimensions. All entities
must be black-colored.

1.3-4 Generate 3D Model

[1] Extrude the sketch
(1.1-8) 0.125 inches to
create this 3D model.

[2] Save the part with the

name Stop. Close the file and
exit SolidWorks.

27

Section 1.4 Cover Plate

Section 1.4
Cover Plate

1.4-1 About the Cover Plate

2 D0.201

8 R0.15

0.25

2 R0.188

Y
0.376
0.312

0.312

1.25

2.00

[1] In this exercise,

we'll create a 3D
solid model for this
cover plate.

0.25

0.75

6 R0.06

0.562

Unit: in.
Thickness: 0.046 in.

1.50

1.4-2 Start Up
[1] Launch SolidWorks and create a new part (1.1-2). Set up IPS unit system with 3
decimal places for the length unit (1.1-3). Create a sketch on Front plane (1.1-4[1, 2]).

28

Section 1.4 Cover Plate

1.4-3 Draw the Sketch

[1] Draw two

circles; add an
Equal relation
for them; specify
the dimensions
(0.201, 2.0, 0.376).

[2] Draw two

concentric circles;
add an Equal
relation for them.
[3] Specify a
diameter of 0.376
inches.

[4] While Dimension is

still active, select
Leaders tab.

[5] Click Radius.

[6] The dimension

changes from
diameter to radius
(0.188 inches).

29

Section 1.4 Cover Plate

[7] Select Corner

Rectangle from the
Context Menu.

[9] Draw a rectangle and

specify the dimensions
(1.5, 0.25, 0.25, 0.562).

30

[8] The Corner

Rectangle is also available
in the Sketch Toolbar.

Section 1.4 Cover Plate

[10] Use Line command

to draw these 5 line
segments; specify the
dimensions (0.75, 1.25,
0.312, 0.312).

[12] After trimming.

[11] Use Trim Entities

command to trim these
three line segments.

31

Section 1.4 Cover Plate

[13] Use Sketch Fillet

command to draw these 6
fillets of radius 0.06 in.

[14] Use Sketch Fillet

command to draw these 4
fillets of radius 0.15 in.

32

Section 1.4 Cover Plate

[15] Select 3 Point Arc from the Context

Menu and draw an arc like this. Add two
Tangent relations.

[16] The 3 Point Arc

command is also
available in the Sketch
Toolbar.

[17] Repeat step [15] three

more times.

33

Section 1.4 Cover Plate

[18] Add an Equal relation

for these four arcs. Specify a
radius dimension of 0.15
inches.

[19] Trim away these

four segments.

34

Section 1.4 Cover Plate

[20] The finished

sketch.

1.4-4 Generate 3D Model

[1] Extrude the sketch

0.046 inches to create
this 3D model.

[2] Save the part with the file

name Cover. Close the file
and exit SolidWorks.

35

Chapter 2 Part Modeling

Chapter 2
Part Modeling

36

Section 2.1 Crank

Section 2.1
Crank

2.1-1 About the Crank

[1] In this exercise, we'll create a 3D solid model for a crank [2]. The crank model can be viewed as a series of three
two-step operations; each involves drawing a sketch on a plane and then extruding the sketch to generate a solid
body. The material of the body is either added to the existing body or cut from the existing body.

[2] Details of
the crank.

Y
2 D10
2 R10

75

Unit: mm.

R10

R22
D30
D20

65

8
20

37

Section 2.1 Crank

2.1-2 Start Up
[1] Launch SolidWorks and create a new part.

[3] Select None for Decimals (i.e.,

zero decimal places for the length unit).
Click OK.

[2] In the Options,

select MMGS as unit
system.

2.1-3 Draw a Sketch for the Base Body

[1] Create a
sketch on
Front plane.

[2] Draw 5 circles and four

tangent lines. Add an Equal
relation for the two smallest
circles; add an Equal
relation for the two medium
circles. Specify the
dimensions.

38

Section 2.1 Crank

[5] Use Sketch Fillet

command and select
these two lines to create
a fillet of radius of 10 mm.

[3] Add Vertical

relation between this
point and the origin.

[6] Trim away these

three segments.

[4] Add Horizontal

relation between this
point and the origin.
Now, all entities turn
black (fixed) now.

[7] Finished sketch.

39

Section 2.1 Crank

40

2.1-4 Extrude the Sketch to Create the Base Body

[1] Extrude the sketch 8

millimeters to create this
3D body.

2.1-5 Add Features to the Base Body

[2] From the Head-Up
Toolbar, select View
Orientation>Normal To.

[1] Right-click the front

face of the base body and
select Sketch from the
Context Menu.
[3] The model rotates
so that it lies on the
screen plane.

Section 2.1 Crank

[4] Draw a circle on

the plane like this and
specify a diameter of
30 mm.
[5] Extrude the
sketch 12 mm.

[6] From the Head-Up

Toolbar, select View
Orientation>Isometric.

[7] Right-click this face and

select Sketch from the
Context Menu.

[8] Draw a circle on the

plane and specify a
diameter of 20 mm.

41

Section 2.1 Crank

[11] Click OK.

[9] From the Pull-Down Menus, select

Insert>Cut>Extrude... or, from Features
Toolbar, select Extruded Cut.

[10] Select Through All

for End Condition.

[14] The Features

Tree.

[16] The base body.

[15] The reference
geometries.
[17] The boss.

[18] The hole.

[12] The finished
3D model.
[19] A part consists of reference geometries, base body,
and features on the base body. In this example, the
features added to the base body are the boss and the
hole. Note that it is equally good to treat the two small
holes as features on the base body.

[13] Save the part with the file

name Crank.

[20] Exit SolidWorks.

42

Section 2.2 Geneva Gear Index

Section 2.2
Geneva Gear Index

2.2-1 About the Geneva Gear Index

[1] In this exercise, we'll create a 3D solid model for a Geneva gear index [2].

5 0

.2

5 R0.63

[2] Details of the

Geneva gear index.

Unit: in.

1.5

29

D0.25
D0.5

D2.47
D1.25
0.25
0.44

43

Section 2.2 Geneva Gear Index

44

2.2-2 Start Up
[1] Launch SolidWorks and create a new part. Set up IPS unit system with 3 decimal places
for the length unit.

2.2-3 Draw a Sketch for 1/5 of the Gear Index

[1] Create a sketch on Front plane.

[3] Draw two lines,

each connects the
origin to an end
point of the arc.

[2] Use Centerpoint

Arc command to draw
an arc centered at the
origin and of a radius of
1.235 inches like this.

[6] Draw two circles

centered at the end
points of the centerlined
arc and of the same
radius of 0.1 inches.

[4] Specify an angle

dimension of 72
degrees for the
sector.

[5] Use Centerpoint Arc

command to draw another arc
centered at the origin and of a radius
of 0.625 inches. Convert the arc to a
Construction Geometry
(1.2-3[5]).

Section 2.2 Geneva Gear Index

45

[8] Draw a line connecting

the upper circle to the outer
arc. Add a Parallel relation
between the line and the line
next to it. Add a Tangent
relation between the line and
the connecting circle.

[9] Use Centerline command to

draw a centerline starting from the
origin. Specify the length (1.529
inches). Make the sector symmetric
about the centerline. To do this, select
Add Relation, click the centerline
and the two edge lines of the sector,
and select Symmetric in the
Property Box.

[7] Draw a line connecting the

lower circle to the outer arc.
Add a Horizontal relation on
the line. Add a Tangent
relation between the line and the
connecting circle.

Section 2.2 Geneva Gear Index

46

[10] Use Centerpoint

Arc command to draw an
arc centered at one end of
the centerline. Specify a
radius of 0.63 inches.

[11] Trim away unwanted

segments. This is the
finished sketch. If some
entities turn to blue color,
add relations to fix them
(see [12-14]).

[12] If some entities turn to

blue, try to fix them by adding
a Coincident relation for
this point...

[13] And this line. Add

another Coincident for
the other side of the sector.

[14] If steps [12, 13] don't fix all

the entities. Try to drag an
unfixed entity to see what
relations should be added.

Section 2.2 Geneva Gear Index

2.2-4 Extrude the Sketch

[1] Extrude the sketch
0.25 inches. This is a 1/5
of the gear index.

2.2-5 Complete the Full Model

[1] Highlight the newly created body in

Features Tree and, from PullDown Menus, select
Insert>Pattern/Mirror>Circular
Pattern.

[2] The Circular Pattern

command is also available in
the Features Toolbar.

[7] Click OK.

[4] Select the edge shown in
[5] for Pattern Axis.

[6] Type 5 for Number of

Instances.

[3] The body is pre-selected

for Features to Pattern.
[5] This edge is used
as Pattern Axis.

47

Section 2.2 Geneva Gear Index

[8] Right-click this face and select

Sketch from the Context Menu.
Draw a circle centered at the origin
with a diameter of 0.5 inches.
Extrude the sketch 0.19 inches.

[9] Click to highlight this face

and, from Pull-Down
Menus, select
Insert>Features>Hole>
Wizard...

[12] Select the

center of the face.

[13] Click OK.

[10] Select Hole for

Hole Type and set
up other settings as
shown.

[11] Select
Positions tab.

48

Section 2.2 Geneva Gear Index

[14] The finished

3D model.

[15] The Hole Wizard

command is also available in
Features Toolbar.

[16] Save the part with the file name Geneva. Close
the file and exit SolidWorks.

49

Section 2.3 Yoke

Section 2.3
Yoke

2.3-1 About the Yoke

[1] The yoke is a part
of a universal joint. In
this exercise, we'll
create a 3D solid
model for the yoke.

[2] Details of the

yoke.

D1.20
Y

Unit: in.

3.55

R1.00

Z
1.50

D0.75
2 0.75

R1.00

50

Section 2.3 Yoke

2.3-2 Start Up
[1] Launch SolidWorks and create a new part. Set up IPS unit system with 3 decimal places for the length unit.

2.3-3 Create a Base Body

[1] Create a sketch on Front plane.

[2] Draw a sketch like this. If

there are any blue entities (not
well-defined), see [3, 4].

[4] Another way is to drag an

unfixed entity to see what
relations should be added.

[3] If there are any blue entities,

select Hide/Show
Items>View Sketch
Relations to view all relations.
Add relations to fix the entities.

51

Section 2.3 Yoke

[6] Select Mid Plane so

that the sketch extrudes
both sides.

[5] Extrude the

sketch 2 inches.

2.3-4 Create Rounds and Holes

[1] From Pull-Down Menus, select
Insert>Features>Fillet/
Round... and set up the properties
like this (also see [2-5]).
[2] Select this face as
Face Set 1.
[3] Select this face as
Center Face Set.
[5] This is a Full
Round.

[4] Select this face as

Face Set 2.

52

Section 2.3 Yoke

[9] Click Hole

Wizard.

[6] The Fillet command is also

available on the Features
Toolbar. Click it.

[7] Create another

Full Round.

[10] Set up the

properties like this.

[8] Select this face.

[12] Click OK.

[11] Select Positions tab and click

the arc-center of the selected face
[8]. To locate the arc-center, move
your mouse over the arc, the center
will show up.

53

Section 2.3 Yoke

2.3-5 Create a Plane

[3] Click OK.

[1] Highlight Top and,

from Pull-Down
Menus, select
Insert>Reference
Geometry>Plane...

[2] Type 3.55 (in) for

Offset distance.

[4] A new plane is created by

offsetting Top plane 3.55
inches upward.

[5] The Reference

Geometry is also available
on the Features Toolbar.

2.3-6 Create the Shaft

[1] Right-click the newly
created plane and select
Sketch from the
Context Menu.

[2] Draw a circle centered

at the origin and with a
diameter of 1.2 inches.

54

Section 2.3 Yoke

55

[7] Click OK.

[4] Click Reverse

Direction.

[3] From the Features Toolbar,

select Extruded Boss/Base and
select Up To Surface for End
Condition.
[5] Select the top face
of the existing body
(see [6]).

[8] Turn off View

Planes.

[10] Save the part with the file name Yoke. Close the
file and exit SolidWorks.

[6] Face<1>.

[9] The finished 3D

model.

Section 2.4 Support

56

Section 2.4
Support

2.4-1 About the Support

[2] Details of the

support.

0.125
0.375

0.375

0.375
1.250

0.219

0.250

0.750

R0.313
Unit: in.

2 R0.100
0.250

:4
pe
Slo

1.250

R0.156

6 D0.25

X
0.375

1.250
0.625

0.875

[1] The support is a

part of the clamping
assembly mentioned
in 1.1. In this
exercise, we'll create
a 3D solid model for
the support.

2.500

0.125

1.000

R0.100

Section 2.4 Support

2.4-2 Start Up
[1] Launch SolidWorks and create a new part. Set up IPS unit system and with 3 decimal places for the
length unit.

2.4-3 Create Vertical Plate

[1] Create a sketch on Front plane.

[2] Draw a sketch like

this. Make sure all
entities are fixed. If
not, see [3].

[3] If there are any blue-colored

entities, add missing Relations.
Remember, one way to detect
missing Relations is to drag an
unfixed entity.

57

Section 2.4 Support

[4] Draw two circles

like this. Make sure all
entities are fixed.

[5] Trim away

unwanted segments.

[6] Use Sketch Fillet

command to draw two
fillets of the same radius of
0.1 inches. The two fillets
may need to create
separately.

58

Section 2.4 Support

[7] Extrude the sketch

0.125 inches.

[2] Select Reference

Geometry>Plane from the
Features Toolbar.

2.4-4 Create Horizontal Plate

[6] Click OK.

[1] Highlight Top.

[3] Type 0.875 (in) for

Offset distance.

[5] The new plane.

[4] Click Flip.

59

Section 2.4 Support

[7] While the new plane is

still highlighted, click
Sketch in the Sketch
Toolbar (see [8]).
[8] Click Sketch in the
Sketch Toolbar.
[10] Remember, one way to detect
missing Relations is to drag an
unfixed entity. You may need to add
a Coincident relation here.

[9] Draw a sketch like

this. Make sure all
entities are fixed.

[12] Turn off View

Planes.

[11] Extrude
(upward) 0.125
inches.

60

Section 2.4 Support

2.4-5 Create Fillet

[1] In the
Features
Toolbar, click
Fillet.

[5] Click OK.

[2] Select
Constant
radius.

[4] Select this

edge.

[6] Save the part with the file name Support.

Close the file and exit SolidWorks.

[3] Select the

edge shown in
[4].

61

Section 2.5 Wheel

62

Section 2.5
Wheel

2.5-1 About the Wheel

[1] So far, we exclusively used Extrude command to create 3D solids. In this section, we introduce another
command to create 3D solids: Revolve, which takes a sketch as the profile and revolves about an axis to create a 3D
solid body. We'll create a 3D solid model for a wheel [2]. The wheel is axisymmetric. An axisymmetric body always
can be created by drawing a profile then revolving about its axis to generate the 3D solid body.

Y
Y

45

[2] Details of the

wheel.

Unit: in.

D1.00
D1.50
D3.50
D4.00

0.25
0.50
0.75

Section 2.5 Wheel

2.5-2 Start Up
[1] Launch SolidWorks and create a new part. Set up IPS unit system with 2 decimal places for the length unit.

2.5-3 Create a Sketch for the Profile

[1] Create a sketch on Front plane.

[3] Click Infinite

length in the
properties box.
[5] Draw a sketch like
this. Make sure all
entities are fixed.

[4] Draw a vertical

centerline of infinite
length passing through
the origin. This
centerline will be used
as the axis of symmetry.

[2] Draw a horizontal

centerline of infinite
length [3] passing
through the origin. This
centerline will be used
as the axis of revolution.

63

Section 2.5 Wheel

[8] Click OK.

[6] Select
Tools>Sketch
Tools>Mirror from
Pull-Down Menus
and select all entities
(you may use BoxSelect) for Entities
to mirror.

[9] The finished sketch.

[7] Select the vertical
centerline for Mirror
about.

[10] The Mirror

command is also available
in the Sketch Toolbar.

64

Section 2.5 Wheel

65

2.5-4 Revolve the Sketch

[1] While the sketch is
highlighted, select
Insert>Boss/
Base>Revolve...

[2] The Revolve

command is also available
in the Features
Toolbar.

[3] Select the

horizontal centerline.
[5] The finished 3D
model.
[4] Click OK.

[6] Save the part with the file name Wheel. Close
the file and exit SolidWorks.

Section 2.6 Transition Pipe

Section 2.6
Transition Pipe

2.6-1 About the Transition Pipe

[1] In this section, we introduce another command to create 3D solids: Sweep, which takes a sketch as the path
and another sketch as the profile; the profile then "sweeps" along the path to create a 3D solid body. In this
exercise, we'll create a 3D solid model for a transition pipe, which is used to connect two pipe segments.

R1/16"

2 D3.50

[2] Details of the

transition pipe.

2 D2.50
8 D0.25
R3.50

Unit: in.
D1.00
R2.50

2 0.25
X

R1/8"

66

Section 2.6 Transition Pipe

2.6-2 Start Up
[1] Launch SolidWorks and create a new part. Set up IPS unit system with 2 decimal places for the length unit.

2.6-3 Create a Sketch for the Path

[2] Draw a sketch like this. This

sketch will be used as a sweeping
path. Note that, each end point
aligns with the origin either vertically
or horizontally.

[1] Create a sketch on Front plane.

[3] Click Exit Sketch in

the Sketch Toolbar.

2.6-4 Create a Sketch for the Profile

[1] Right-click Top plane
and select Sketch to create
a second sketch.
[3] Draw two concentric circles like this.
This sketch will be used as a sweeping
profile. Note that the dimension 3.00
can be replaced by a Pierce relation
between the center of the circles and the
path created in [2].

[2] In the Standard Views

Toolbar, click Normal To.

67

Section 2.6 Transition Pipe

[4] Click Exit Sketch in the

Sketch Toolbar.

[2] The Sweep command

is also available in the
Features Toolbar.

2.6-5 Create the Curved Pipe

[1] While the Profile

sketch is highlighted,
select Insert>Boss/
Base>Sweep...

[5] In the Graphics Area, click "+"

sign to expand the Features Tree;
the "+" sign becomes "-" sign.

[6] Select the Path sketch.

[7] Click OK.

[3]The profile sketch is

pre-selected.

[8]The curved pipe. Note that the

curved pipe also can be created by
Revolving the Profile 90 degrees
with an axis coincident with the Z-axis.

[4] Click to activate

Path box.

68

Section 2.6 Transition Pipe

69

2.6-6 Create the Lower End Plate

[2] And select Sketch to

create a sketch for the
lower end plate.

[3] In the Standard

Views Toolbar, click
Normal To.

[1] Right-click the bottom

face of the curved pipe.

[4] Draw a sketch like this. The

sketch consists of 7 circles,
including a construction circle of
diameter 2.5 inches and four
circles of diameter 0.25 inches.

Section 2.6 Transition Pipe

[8] Click OK.

[5] In the Features

Toolbar, click
Extruded Boss/Base.

[7] Click Reverse

Direction.

[6] Type 0.25 (in) for

Depth.

[9] The lower end

plate.

2.6-7 Create a Mirroring Plane

[1] Next, we want to create the upper end plate by using
Mirror command. The mirroring plane will be created
by rotating the Top plane 45 degrees about an axis
coincident with the Z-axis. First, we create the axis.

[2] From Features Toolbar,

select Reference
Geometry>Axis.

70

Section 2.6 Transition Pipe

71

[5] The Top and Right

planes appear here.

[6] Click OK.

[3] Select Two Planes. The

axis will be the intersection of
two planes.

[4] From Features

Tree, select Top
and Right planes.

[7] The created

axis.

[13] Click
OK.
[9] From Features
Tree, select Top
plane for First
Reference.

[11] Click At
Angle.

[12] Type 45
(degrees) for
Angle.

[10] From Features

Tree, select the newly
created axis for Second
Reference.

[8] From the Features

Toolbar, select Reference
Geometry>Plane.

Section 2.6 Transition Pipe

[14] The
mirroring plane.

2.6-8 Create the Upper End Plate

[2] In Features Toolbar,

click Mirror.

[4] Click OK.

[1] Highlight the newly

created plane.

[3] From Features

Tree, select the lower
end plate.

72

Section 2.6 Transition Pipe

73

[5] From Head-Up Toolbar,

select Hide/Show
Items>View Planes to turn
off the planes display.

[6] The upper end plate.

2.6-9 Create Fillets and Rounds

[3] Edge <1>.

[5] Click OK.

[1, 6] From Features

Toolbar, click Fillet.

[2] Type 0.125 (in) for

Radius and select two
edges in [3, 4].

[4] Edge <2>.

Section 2.6 Transition Pipe

[8] Edge <1>.

[10] Click
OK.
[7] Type 0.0625 (in) for
Radius and select two
edges in [8, 9].

[9] Edge <2>.

[11] The finished

model.

[12] From Head-Up

Toolbar, select Display
Style>Shaded to remove
the edge display.

[13] Shaded model

without edge display.
[14] Save the part with the file name Pipe.
Close the file and exit SolidWorks.

74

Section 2.7 Threaded Shaft

75

Section 2.7
Threaded Shaft
2.7-1 About the Threaded Shaft

[2] The threaded shaft

is a part of a clamping
assembly.

[1] The threaded shaft is a part of the clamping mechanism

mentioned in Sections 1.1 and 2.4 [2]. In this exercise, we
will create a 3D solid model for the threaded shaft.

[3] Major
diameter
d = .375 in.

Unit: in

[4] Pitch
p = 1/16 in.

Y
D0.625
D0.266

.375-16UNC

[5] Thread form:

Unified National
Coarse.

D0.250

0.438

3.750

0.875
Pitch p

p 8

[6] Details of the

threads.

H 8

H 4

60

Major diameter d

p
= 0.015625 in
4
p
= 0.0078125 in
8

Slo
pe:

p 4

5H
2 = 0.307342 in
8

Minor diameter d1

d1 = d

60

H = ( 3 2)p = 0.0541266 in

pe:
Slo

d = 0.375 in
p = 0.0625 in

Section 2.7 Threaded Shaft

2.7-2 Start Up
[1] Launch SolidWorks and create a new part. Set up IPS unit system with 3 decimal places for the length unit.

2.7-3 Create a Shaft Base

[1] On the Front

plane, draw a
sketch like this.

[3] Use this line as the Axis of

Revolution.

[2] Revolve the sketch 360

degrees to create the shaft
base. Use the bottom line of
the sketch as Axis of
Revolution [3].

[4] The shaft base.

76

Section 2.7 Threaded Shaft

77

2.7-4 Create Threads

[1] On the Front plane, draw a single line

of length 3.75 inches like this. Remember
to click Exit Sketch. This sketch will be
used as the sweeping Path.

[2] On the Front plane,

draw a sketch of trapezoid
like this. Remember to
click Exit Sketch. This
sketch will be used as the
sweeping Profile.

[3] With the Profile

(Sketch3) highlighted,
from Features Toolbar,
click Swept Cut.

[4] Select the Path (Sketch2) and set

up other parameters like this. Note
that the number of turns (60) is
calculated by 3.75/0.0625, where 0.0625
(in) is the thread pitch. Click OK.

Section 2.7 Threaded Shaft

[6] Select this

face...

[9] Click Exit

Sketch.

[5] The threads.

[7] And click

Sketch.

[8] In the Sketch Toolbar, click

Convert Entities. This command
converts the selected entities (here, the
boundaries) into line entities. This
completes the sketch.

[10] In the Features

Toolbar, click
Extruded Cut.

[12] Click OK.

[11] Select
Through All.

78

Section 2.7 Threaded Shaft

79

2.7-5 Create a Hole

[1] On the Front plane, draw a circle like
this. Remember to click Exit Sketch.

[2] With the sketch

highlighted, from the
Features Toolbar,
select Extruded Cut
and set up the
parameters like this.

[3] The finished

model.

[4] Save the part with the file name Shaft.

Close the file and exit SolidWorks.

Section 2.8 Lifting Fork

80

Section 2.8
Lifting Fork

2.8-1 About the Lifting Fork

[1] The lifting fork is used in an LCD (liquid crystal display) manufacturing factory to handle glass panels. In this
section, we will create a 3D solid model for the lifting fork.
The cross sections of the prongs (fingers) are not uniform along the length [2, 3, 4]. The Extrude command or
Sweep command can not be used to created the prongs. This exercise introduces a new command to create 3D
solids: Loft, which takes a series of profiles and creates a 3D solid that fits through these profiles.

[2] At the root, the

cross section is
160x60 (mm).
[4] At the midway,
the cross section is
130x20 (mm).

160

[3] At the tip, the

cross section is
100x10 (mm).

200
X

240

Unit: mm

Section 2.8 Lifting Fork

2.8-2 Start Up
[1] Launch SolidWorks and create a new part. Set up MMGS unit system with zero decimal places for the
length unit.

2.8-3 Create a Transversal Beam

[1] On the Front plane,

draw a sketch like this.

[2] Extrude the

sketch 200 mm to
create the transversal
beam.

[3] The transversal

beam.

81

Section 2.8 Lifting Fork

2.8-4 Create Two Planes

[1] Highlight this
face...

[2] And select

Reference
Geometry>Plane.

[5] Click OK.

[6] Two planes [7, 8]

are created.

[3] Type 1200 (mm).

[7] Plane1.

[4] Select 2 for

Number of
planes to
create.

[8] Plane2.

82

Section 2.8 Lifting Fork

2.8-5 Sketch Three Profiles

[3] Right-click this plane

and select Sketch.
[1] Right-click this face
and select Sketch.

[5] Right-click this plane

and select Sketch.

[2] Create a rectangle of 160 mm x 60 mm

like this. Remember to click Exit Sketch.

[4] Create a rectangle of 130 mm x 20 mm

like this. Remember to click Exit Sketch.

[6] Create a rectangle of 100 mm x 10 mm

like this. Remember to click Exit Sketch.

83

Section 2.8 Lifting Fork

2.8-6 Create a Finger

[1] From Features Toolbar,
select Lofted Boss/Base.
[3] Click OK.

[2] From Features Tree, select

the three sketches (in the order
shown) as Profiles. Note that
the order is significant.

[4] The created

finger.

2.8-7 Create the Other Fingers

[1] In the Features

Tree, highlight the
finger.

[2] From the Features Toolbar,

click Linear Pattern.

84

Section 2.8 Lifting Fork

[6] Click OK.

[3] Select an edge for Pattern
Direction (see [4], click
Reverse Direction if necessary)
and set up other parameters like
this.
[4] Edge<1>.

[5] Make sure

Geometry
pattern is deselected.
[7] Finished model.

[8] Save the part with the file name Fork.

Close the file and exit SolidWorks.

85

Chapter 3 Assembly Modeling

Chapter 3
Assembly Modeling

86

Section 3.1 Shaft Assembly

Section 3.1
Shaft Assembly

3.1-1 Introduction

[2] The shaft assembly is a

sub-assembly of the
clamping mechanism.

[1] In this exercise, we'll create a shaft assembly [2, 3].

The assembly consists of three parts: the Shaft [4]
created in Section 2.7, a Handle [5], and a Hinge
[6]. We use a coordinate system for the assembly
which is coincident with that of the part Shaft.

0.3
75
Y

[6] Hinge.
[4] Shaft.

Unit: in

0.1
875
D0
.75
.25
D0
3.0

00

63
5.0

6
.26

D0

[5] Handle.

[3] Details of the

assembly.
0.2

19
Z

87

Section 3.1 Shaft Assembly

3.1-2 Open Shaft

[1] Launch SolidWorks. Click

Open and select the document
Shaft, which was saved in
Section 2.7.

3.1-3 Create Handle

[1] Click New and create a

new part. Set up IPS unit
system with 3 decimal places for
the length unit.
[2] On the Front plane, draw
a sketch containing a circle
centered at the origin.
[3] Extrude the sketch 3
inches, using the sketching
plane as Mid Plane.

[4] Save the part with the

file name Handle.

88

Section 3.1 Shaft Assembly

3.1-4 Create Hinge

[1] Click New and create a new part.

Set up IPS unit system with 3 decimal
places for the length unit.

[3] Extrude the sketch 0.375

inches, using the sketching
plane as Mid Plane.

[5] Extrude the sketch 0.75

inches, using the sketching
plane as Mid Plane.

[2] On the Front plane, draw

a sketch containing a circle
centered at the origin.

[4] On the Front plane, draw a

sketch containing a circle of
diameter 0.25 inches like this.

89

Section 3.1 Shaft Assembly

90

[7] In the Features

Toolbar, click
Extruded Cut.

[6] On the Right

plane, draw a sketch
containing a circle
centered at the origin.

[8] Select Through All

(for Direction 1 only).

[9] The finished

part.

[10] Save the part with the

file name Hinge.

Section 3.1 Shaft Assembly

3.1-5 Create a New Assembly

[1] If you pull down the Window
menu, you would see that three
Part documents are opened in
the computer memory. We now
create an assembly consisting of
these three Parts.

[3] Select
Assembly.

[4] Click OK.

[7] In the
Property Box,
select Shaft.
[5] In the
Head-Up
Toolbar, turn
on View
Origins.

[6] This is the origin of the

new assembly. We now
insert the Shaft so that the
part's coordinate system
aligns with the assembly's
coordinate system.

[2] Click New.

91

Section 3.1 Shaft Assembly

[8] Click the origin. Now the

Shaft is inserted and its
coordinate system aligns with
the assembly's coordinate
system.

3.1-6 Insert the Other Components

[1] In the Assembly
Toolbar, click Insert
Components.

[3] And click anywhere in

the Graphics Area to
temporally park the part.

[2] Select Handle.

92

Section 3.1 Shaft Assembly

93

[4] Repeat steps [1-3]

to insert the Hinge.

3.1-7 Assemble Handle

[1] In the Assembly
Toolbar, click Mate.
[4] The selected two
faces appear here.

[2] Select the cylindrical

face of the Handle.

[6] Click Add/Finish

Mate. Note that the
Property Box is not
dismissed.

[5] A Concentric
mate is automatically
selected.

[3] Select the cylindrical

face of the Shaft's hole.

Section 3.1 Shaft Assembly

[7] The Handle is assembled into the

hole of the Shaft. However, the
Handle is not well positioned yet (you
may move it using your mouse); an
additional Mate is needed. One way is
to align the Front plane of the Handle
with the Front plane of the assembly.

[8] In the Features Tree (which

is in the Graphics Area; expand
the tree if necessary), select Front
plane of the assembly.

[9] Select Front plane

of the Handle. Expand
the tree if necessary.

[10] A Coincident
mate is automatically
selected.

[11] Click Add/

Finish Mate.

[12] This completes

the assembly of the
Handle.

94

Section 3.1 Shaft Assembly

95

3.1-8 Assemble Hinge

[2] Select the
cylindrical face
of the Hinge's
hole.

[1] While the Mate

Property Box is still
active (if not, simply click
Mate command again, see
3.1-7[1]), select a cylindrical
face of the Shaft.
[3] Click Add/
Finish Mate.

[4] The two cylindrical faces

become Concentric. However,
the Hinge is not fixed yet. Use
your mouse to slide the Hinge
along the Shaft's axial direction.
[5] Select the
circular face at the
end of the hole.

[6] And select this

circular face.
[7] Click Add/
Finish Mate.

[8] Hinge is not fixed yet; it can

rotate about the Shaft's axial
direction. We need one more
Mate.

Section 3.1 Shaft Assembly

[9] Select the Front

plane of the assembly.
[11] Click Add/
Finish Mate.
[12] Click OK to
dismiss the Mate
command.

[10] Select the Front

plane of the Hinge.
Expand the tree if
necessary.

[13] The finished

assembly. Note that
we've turned off the
View Origins from the
Head-Up Toolbar.

[14] Save the assembly with the

file name ShaftAssembly. The
full name of the document is
ShaftAssembly.SLDASM.
Exit SolidWorks.

96

Section 3.2 Universal Joint

Section 3.2
Universal Joint

3.2-1 Introduction
[1] In this exercise, we'll create a universal joint [2]. The assembly consists of four kinds of parts [3-6], of which the
Yoke [3] was created in Section 2.3.

[5] 4 x Bushing.
OD0.75, ID0.50,
L0.60.

[2] The
universal
joint.

[3] 2 x Yoke
(created in
Section 2.3).

[6] 4 x Pin.
D0.50, L1.35.

Unit: in.

[4] Swivel.
OD1.00, ID0.50,
L2.15.

97

Section 3.2 Universal Joint

3.2-2 Open Yoke

[1] Launch SolidWorks. Open

the part document Yoke, which
was saved in Section 2.3.

2.1

3.2-3 Create Swivel

[1] Click New and create a

new part. Set up IPS unit
system with 3 decimal places for
the length unit.

[2] Create a 3D model like this.

Use any coordinate system as
you like. Save the part with the
file name Swivel.

0.5
1.0

98

Section 3.2 Universal Joint

3.2-4 Create Bushing

0.6

[1] Click New and create a

new part. Set up IPS unit
system with 3 decimal places for
the length unit.

[2] Create a 3D model like this.

Use any coordinate system as you
like. Save the part with the file
name Bushing.

0.5

0.75

1.3
5

3.2-5 Create Pin

[1] Click New and create a

new part. Set up IPS unit
system with 3 decimal places for
the length unit.

[2] Create a 3D model like this.

Use any coordinate system as you
like. Save the part with the file
name Pin.
0.5

99

Section 3.2 Universal Joint 100

3.2-6 Create a New Assembly

[1] If you pull down the Window
menu, you will see that four Part
documents are opened in the
computer memory. We now create
an assembly which consists of these
four Parts.

[3] Select
Assembly.

[4] Click OK.

[7] In the
Property Box,
select Swivel.
[5] In the
Head-Up
Toolbar, turn
on View
Origins.

[6] This is the origin of the

new assembly. We want to
insert the Swivel so that
the part's coordinate system
aligns with the assembly's
coordinate system.

[2] Click New.

Section 3.2 Universal Joint 101

[8] Click the origin. Now the

Swivel is inserted and fixed
in the space. It's okay if your
origin is not at the center of
the Swivel.

3.2-7 Insert Bushings and Pins

[2] Select Bushing

and click anywhere in
the Graphics Area
to park the part.
Repeat steps [1, 2]
three more times.

[4] Select Pin and click anywhere in

the Graphics Area to park the part.
Repeat steps [3, 4] three more times.

[1, 3] In the Assembly

Toolbar, click Insert
Components.

Section 3.2 Universal Joint 102

3.2-8 Assemble Bushings and Pins

[1] In the Assembly
Toolbar, click Mate.

[2] Create 8 Concentric

Mates, so that each
Bushing and each Pin aligns
with its respective hole. Use
your mouse to drag the parts
to appropriate positions.

[3] While the Mate command is

still active, click an outer face of
the Swivel.

[4] and click the

inner face of the
corresponding
Bushing.

[5] The Coincident mate is

automatically selected. Click OK (this
has the same effects as clicking Add/
Finish Mate). Repeat [3, 4] for other 3
Swivel/Bushing pairs. Finally, click
OK to dismiss Mate command.

Section 3.2 Universal Joint 103

3.2-9 Assemble Yokes

[1] Click Insert
Components.

[3] Click Mate.

[2] Select Yoke and click

anywhere in the Graphics
Area to park the part. Repeat
steps [1, 2] one more times.

[4] Select any

cylindrical face.

[5] And select the cylindrical

face of a hole of a Yoke. Click
OK. A Concentric mate is
imposed.

Section 3.2 Universal Joint 104

[6] Drag the Yoke to an

appropriate position.

[8] And select the

cylindrical face of a
hole of another
Yoke. Click OK.
A Concentric
mate is imposed.
[7] While the Mate command is
still active, click another
cylindrical face.

[14] Click
this box to
activate it.

[13] The selected two

faces appear hear.

[12] Click this face

and the symmetric
face on the other side.

[16] The
selected two
faces appear
hear. Click
OK.

[15] Click this face

and the symmetric
face on the other side.

[11] Select
Width.
[10] Click
Advanced Mates.
[9] Drag the
lower Yoke to
an appropriate
position.

Section 3.2 Universal Joint 105

[17] Now, the middle plane of

Yoke's two selected faces is
coincident with the middle
plane of Bushings' two
selected faces.

[21] And click this

face. Click OK.

[18] Repeat the

foregoing procedure
for the lower Yoke.

[20] Click this

face.

[24] Note that the

Swivel is fixed (3.2-6[8]).
The Yokes can be move
relative to the Swivel.
Now, we want to release
the Swivel and fix the
upper Yoke instead.

[19] Click Standard

Mates.

[23] Repeat the

foregoing procedure
for 3 other pins.
Finally, click OK to
dismiss Mate
command.
[22] Now, a
Pin's outer
face aligns with
a Yoke's outer
face.

Section 3.2 Universal Joint 106

3.2-10 Fix Upper Yoke

[1] An (f ) before the Swivel indicates that the Swivel is
fixed. Right-click the Swivel and select Float from the
Context Menu. The (f ) sign turns to (-) sign, indicating
that it is not fixed any more. Using your mouse, you can
move every part of the assembly. Let's fix the upper Yoke.
To do that, you could simply right-click Yoke<1> and
select Fix from the Context Menu. Another way is to
create three Coincident Mates [2-4].

[2] Click Mate.

[3] Click Front plane

of the assembly.

[5] Now, the upper Yoke

is fixed in the space.

[4] Click Front plane of the

upper Yoke (Yoke<1>). And
click OK. Repeat [3, 4] for
Right plane and Top plane.
Click OK to dismiss Mate
command.

[7] Save the

assembly with the
file name Joint.
Exit SolidWorks.
[6] Use your
mouse to move
the lower Yoke.

Section 3.3 Clamp 107

Section 3.3
Clamp

3.3-1 Introduction
[1] In this section, we'll create a clamping mechanism mentioned in Sections 1.1, 2.4, 2.7, and 3.1. The assembly
consists of 8 kinds of components [2-9], of which the Arm [2] was created in Section 1.1, the Support [3] was
created in Section 2.4, and the ShaftAssembly [4] was created in Sections 2.7 and 3.1. Details of other
components are shown in [10-15].

[4] ShaftAssembly
(see details in Sections 2.7
and 3.1).

[5] Grip (see details in

[10]).

[9] HingeB (see details

in [14, 15]).

[6] PinA (see details

in [11]).
[2] Arm (see details
in Section 1.1).

[3] Support (see details in

Section 2.4).

[7] PinB (see

details in [12]).

[8] PinC (see details in [13]).

Section 3.3 Clamp 108

[11] Details of PinA.

[10] Details of Grip.

0.375

D0.312
D0.312

0.75

0.375

D0.25

0.375
1.375

0.75

Thickness: 0.25

Unit: in.

[12] Details of PinB.

D0.25

[13] Details of PinC.

D0.312

D0.25

D0.312

0.75

0.375

1.125

1.125

[14] HingeB. The

internal threads are
neglected here.

[15] Details of HingeB.

D0.75
D0.375

0.75
1.0

D0.25

Section 3.3 Clamp 109

3.3-2 Create Grip

[1] Launch SolidWorks. Click

New to create a new part. Set
up IPS unit system with 3 decimal
places for the length unit.

[2] Create a 3D model like this. The

details are shown in 3.3-1[10]. Use any
coordinate system as you like. Save
the part with the file name Grip.

3.3-3 Create PinA

[1] Click New to create a new

part. Set up IPS unit system with 3
decimal places for the length unit.

[2] Create a 3D model like this. The

details are shown in 3.3-1[11]. Use any
coordinate system as you like. Save
the part with the file name PinA.

3.3-4 Create PinB

[1] Click New to create a new

part. Set up IPS unit system with 3
decimal places for the length unit.
[2] Create a 3D model like this. The
details are shown in 3.3-1[12]. Use any
coordinate system as you like. Save
the part with the file name PinB.

Section 3.3 Clamp 110

3.3-5 Create PinC

[1] Click New to create a new

part. Set up IPS unit system with 3
decimal places for the length unit.
[2] Create a 3D model like this.
The details are shown in
3.3-1[13]. Use any coordinate
system as you like. Save the
part with the file name PinC.

3.3-6 Create HingeB

[1] Click New to create a new

part. Set up IPS unit system with 3
decimal places for the length unit.

[2] Create a 3D model like

this. The details are shown in
3.3-1[14, 15]. Use any
coordinate system as you like.
Save the part with the file name
HingeB.

Section 3.3 Clamp 111

3.3-7 Create a New Assembly and Insert a Support

[2] Select
Assembly.

[1] Click New.

[4] In the
Head-Up
Toolbar, turn
on View
Origins.

[3] Click OK.

[5] The assembly's origin.

[7] Click the origin. Now

the Support is inserted
and fixed in the space. It's
okay if your origin is
different from here.

[6] Click Browse and

open the part
Support, which was
saved in Section 2.4.

Section 3.3 Clamp 112

3.3-8 Mirror the Support

[2] For Mirror
plane, select the
Front plane of the
assembly (see [3])

[6] Click
Next.

[3] Front
plane of the
assembly.

[1] In Assembly Toolbar, pull-down

Linear Component Pattern and
select Mirror Components.

[5] The
Support.

[4] For Components to

Mirror, select Support from
Features Tree (see [5]).

[8] Click
Next.

[9] It says that the geometry of the

mirrored Support is different from the
original one. By default, a new file with the
name MirrorSupport (in the same
folder as Support) will be created.
[10] Click OK.
If a warning
appears, click
Cancel.

[7] Click Create

opposite hand
version.

Section 3.3 Clamp 113

3.3-9 Unfix the Supports

[2] Right-click Support and
select Float from the
Context Menu. The (f ) sign
turns to (-), indicating that
Support is not fixed now.

[1] In the Features Tree,

an (f ) sign before Support
indicates that it is fixed.

3.3-10 Assemble Two PinBs

[3] Using your mouse, drag the

original Support so that the
original and the mirrored
Supports separate from each
other like this.

[3] Hold the Control key

and click-and-drag PinB.
Another PinB is duplicated.
[4] Click Mate.
[1] In the Assembly
Toolbar, click Insert
Components.

[2] Select PinB and park

anywhere in the Graphics
Area.

Section 3.3 Clamp 114

[5] Apply a Concentric

Mate and two Coincident
Mates to assemble this
PinB (see next step).

[7] Apply a Concentric Mate

and a Width Mate (Advanced
Mates) to assemble this PinB
(see next step).
[6] The spacing
between two
Supports is 0.75
inches.

[8] Both PinBs

are assembled. Click
OK to dismiss
Mate command.
[9] Right-click Support and
select Fix from the Context
Menu. The (-) sign turns to (f ),
indicating that the Support is
fixed in the space.

Section 3.3 Clamp 115

3.3-11 Assemble PinC

[2] Apply a
Concentric Mate
and a Width Mate
(Advanced Mates)
to assemble PinC.
Dismiss Mate
command.

[1] In the Assembly Toolbar,

click Insert Components,
select PinC and park anywhere
in the Graphics Area.

3.3-12 Assemble Arms

[1] In the Assembly
Toolbar, click Insert
Components, browse
and open Arm, which
was saved in Section 1.1,
and park anywhere in the
Graphics Area.

[2] Apply a Concentric

Mate and a Coincident
Mate to assemble the Arm.
Dismiss Mate command.
[3] Hold the Control
key and click-and-drag
Arm. Another Arm
is duplicated.

[4] Repeat step [2] for the

new Arm. Note that the
spacing between two Arms is
0.375 inches.

[6] Create a
Concentric Mate
so that the two
Arms align with
each other. Dismiss
Mate command.

[5] Note that each

Arm can rotate
about the PinC.

Section 3.3 Clamp 116

3.3-13 Assemble PinA

[2] Apply a Concentric
Mate and a Width
Mate (Advanced
Mates) to assemble
PinA. Dismiss Mate
command.

[1] In the Assembly Toolbar,

click Insert Components,
select PinA and park anywhere
in the Graphics Area.
[3] Click to switch
to Standard
Mates.

3.3-14 Assemble Grip

[1] In the Assembly Toolbar,
click Insert Components,
select Grip and park anywhere
in the Graphics Area.

[6] And apply a

Parallel mate.
Dismiss the Mate
command.

[4] Select the top face (or

bottom face) of the Grip
and the assembly's Top
plane (or any horizontal
face, such as [5]).

[5] You may select

this horizontal face.

[2] Apply a Concentric Mate and a

Width Mate (Advanced Mates)
to assemble Grip. Note that the
Grip can rotate about PinA.

Section 3.3 Clamp 117

[7] Drag the Grip to

make sure that it keeps in
a horizontal position.

3.3-15 Assemble HingeB

[1] In the Assembly Toolbar,
click Insert Components,
select HingeB and park
anywhere in the Graphics
Area.
[2] Apply a Concentric
Mate and a Width Mate
(Advanced Mates) to
assemble HingeB. Dismiss
Mate command.

Section 3.3 Clamp 118

3.3-16 Assemble ShaftAssembly

[3] And apply a Concentric

Mate between the hole of
HingeB and a cylindrical
surface of Shaft. Dismiss
Mate command.
[2] Apply a
Concentric Mate
between this
cylindrical surface and
the hole in Arm.

[1] In the Assembly

Toolbar, click Insert
Components, browse and
open ShaftAssembly,
which was saved in Section 3.1,
and park anywhere in the
Graphics Area.

3.3-17 Test the Clamping Mechanism

[1] Drag any component to see

how the mechanism works.
Note that the Grip keeps
horizontal.

[2] Save the assembly with

the file name Clamp. Exit
SolidWorks.

Index

Index
Add Relation, 10, 15, 45
Ass/Finish Mate, 93, 94
Advanced Mates, 104, 114
Angle dimension, 19, 44
Arm, 3, 16, 107, 115
Arm.SLDPRT, 16
Assembly, 91, 100
Assembly Modeling, 86
Assembly Toolbar, 92, 93
At Angle, 71
Axis of Revolution, 76
Axisymmetric, 62
Base Body, 38, 42
Boss, 42
Boundaries, 78
Box-Select, 64
Browse, 111
Bushing, 97, 99
Centerline, 19, 45
Centerpoint Arc, 24, 44
Circle, 6, 11
Circular Pattern, 47
Circular Sketch Pattern, 21
Clamp, 107, 118
Clamping assembly, 3, 56, 75
Clamping mechanism, 87, 107, 118
Clear Selections, 21
Coincident, 94, 102
Color Codes, 6
Components to Mirror, 112
Concentric, 93, 95
Constant radius, 61
Construction Geometry, 18, 44
Context Menu, 6, 8
Control, 113, 115
Control-Middle-Button, 7
Convert Entities, 78

Coordinate system, 87, 91

Crank, 37
Create opposite hand version, 112
Depth, 70
Direction 1, 90
Display Style>Shaded, 74
Distance, 10
Document Properties, 5, 7
End Condition, 42, 55
Entities to mirror, 64
Entities to Pattern, 21
Equal, 10
ESC, 6, 10, 12
Exit Sketch, 15, 67, 77
Extrude, 22, 27, 41
Extruded Boss/Base, 15
Extruded Cut, 42, 78
Extruding Depth, 15
FeatureManager Design Tree, 8
Features, 40
Features to Pattern, 47
Features Toolbar, 15
Features Tree, 6, 8, 42
File>Close, 16
File>Exit, 16
File>New, 4
File>Save, 16
Fillet, 53, 73
Fillet radius, 14
Finger, 84
First Reference, 71
Fix, 114
Fixed, 106
Flip, 59
Float, 106, 113
Font, 7
Font size, 7

119

Index

Fork, 85
Front, 6
Full Round, 52
Geneva, 49
Geneva Gear Index, 43
Geometry pattern, 85
Global coordinate system, 3
Graphics Area, 6, 8
Grip, 107, 108, 109, 116
Handle, 87, 88
Head-Up Toolbar, 9, 25
Hide/Show Items>View Planes, 73
Hide/Show Items>View Sketch Relations, 25, 51
Hinge, 87, 89
HingeB, 107, 108, 110, 117
Hole, 42, 48
Hole Type, 48
Hole Wizard, 49, 53
Horizontal, 10, 39, 45
Horizontal dimension, 9
Inference Line, 9
Innite length, 18, 26
Insert Components, 92, 101
Insert>Boss/Base>Extrude, 15
Insert>Boss/Base>Revolve, 65
Insert>Boss/Base>Sweep, 68
Insert>Cut>Extrude, 42
Insert>Features>Fillet/Round, 52
Insert>Features>Hole>Wizard, 48
Insert>Pattern/Mirror>Circular Pattern, 47
Insert>Reference Geometry>Plane, 54
IPS, 5, 17
Joint, 106
LCD, 80
Line, 12, 15
Linear Component Pattern, 112
Linear Pattern, 84
Linear Sketch Pattern, 21
Liquid crystal display, 80
Loft, 80
Lofted Boss/Base, 84
Major diameter, 75
Mate, 93, 102
Mid Plane, 52
Mirror, 64, 72, 112
Mirror about, 64
Mirror Components, 112
Mirror plane, 112

Mirroring plane, 72
MirrorSupport, 112
MMGS, 38
Mouse functions, 7
Mouse Wheel, 7
New, 88
Next, 112
Normal To, 67, 69
Number of Instances, 21, 47
Number of planes to create, 82
Offset distance, 54, 59
Options, 5
Over-dened, 6
Pan, 7
Parallel, 45
Parallel mate, 116
Park the part, 92
Part, 4, 42
Part documents, 91
Part Modeling, 36
Path, 66
Pattern Axis, 47
Pattern Direction, 85
Pierce, 67
Pin, 97, 99
Pin down, 4
PinA, 107, 108, 109, 116
PinB, 107, 108, 109, 113
PinC, 107, 108, 110, 115
Pipe, 73
Pitch, 75
Positions, 48, 53
Prole, 62, 66, 84
Property Box, 10
Pull-Down Menus, 4
Radius, 14, 73
Ratchet, 22
Ratchet stop, 17, 23
Ratchet Wheel, 17, 23
Reference geometries, 42, 54
Reference Geometry>Axis, 70
Reference Geometry>Plane, 59, 71, 82
Reverse Direction, 55, 70, 85
Revolve, 62, 65, 76
Right, 71
Round-cornered box, 4
Save, 16
Second Reference, 71

120

Index

Shaft, 79, 87, 88

Shaft Assembly, 87
ShaftAssembly, 96, 107, 118
ShaftAssembly.SLDASM, 96
Sharp-cornered box, 4
Sketch, 6
Sketch Fillet, 14, 15, 39
Sketch Toolbar, 9, 15
Sketching, 2
Smart Dimension, 6, 9
SolidWorks, 4
SolidWorks Terms, 4
Standard Mates, 105, 116
Standard Views Toolbar, 67, 69
Stop, 27
Sub-assembly, 87
Support, 56, 61, 107, 111, 113
Sweep, 66, 68
Sweeping Path, 77
Sweeping Prole, 77
Swept Cut, 77
Swivel, 97, 98
Symmetric, 45
Tangent, 25, 45
Tangent Arc, 24
Tangent line, 12, 13
Text Boxes, 4
Thread form, 75
Through All, 42, 78
Toolbar, 8, 16
Tools>Options, 5
Tools>Sketch Tools>Circular Pattern, 21
Tools>Sketch Tools>Mirror, 64
Top, 54
Transition Pipe, 66
Trim Entities, 13, 15
Trim to closest, 13
Two Planes, 71
Undo, 7, 13
Unxed entity, 46, 51
Unied National Coarse, 75
Units, 5
Universal Joint, 50, 97
Up To Surface, 55
User interface, 4
Vertical, 39
View Orientation>Isometric, 41
View Orientation>Normal To, 40

View Origins, 91, 96, 100

View Planes, 55, 60
Well-dened, 6
Wheel, 62, 65
Width, 104
Width Mate, 114, 115
Window, 16, 91
Yoke, 50, 55, 97, 98, 103, 106
Zoom in/out, 7
Zoom to Fit, 9

121