SolidWorks® 2012

Assembly Modeling

Dassault Systèmes SolidWorks Corporation

175 Wyman Street
Waltham, Massachusetts 02451 USA
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Document Number: PMT1202-ENG

 Contents

Introduction:
About This Course . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2
Prerequisites . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2
Course Design Philosophy . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2
Using this Book . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2
About the Training Files . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3
Windows® 7 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3
Conventions Used in this Book . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4
Use of Color . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4
Graphics and Graphics Cards . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5
Color Schemes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5
Lesson 1:
Top-Down Assembly
Modeling
Top-Down Assembly Modeling . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8
Stages in the Process. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8
Building Virtual Parts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9
A Note of Caution. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9
Adding a New Part into an Assembly. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10
Results of Insert, Component, New Part. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10
Edit Component . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10
Virtual Parts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11
Appearance of Components While Editing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12
How Transparency Affects Selecting Geometry . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13
Building Parts in an Assembly . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14
Common Tools . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14

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Contents SolidWorks 2012

In-Context Features. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16
Working Outside the Assembly . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18
Propagating Changes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20
Saving Virtual Parts as External . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21
InPlace Mates. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21
External References . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22
Out of Context . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22
Putting a Part Back Into Context . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23
Breaking External References . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23
Breaking and Locking External References . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24
External Reference Report . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25
Removing External References . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27
Why Remove External References? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27
Editing the Features . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28
Using Parts with Broken References . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32
Exercise 1: Top-Down Assembly Modeling . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 35
Exercise 2: In-context Features. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 36
Lesson 2:
Assembly Features and
Smart Fasteners
Assembly Features and Smart Fasteners . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 38
Stages in the Process. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 38
Assembly Features . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 39
Hole Series . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 39
Time-Dependent Features. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 44
Hole Series with an Existing Hole . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 44
Smart Fasteners. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 46
Fastener Defaults . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 46
Smart Fasteners Settings. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 48
Hole Series Components. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 49
Changes to Existing Fasteners . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 49
Exercise 3: The Hole Wizard and Smart Fasteners . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 53
Exercise 4: Assembly Features . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 55
Exercise 5: Level Assembly . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 58
Lesson 3:
Advanced Mate Techniques
Advanced Mates . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 62
Key Topics . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 62
Mate Capabilities . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 62
Best Practices . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 62
Design Library . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 62
Mate References . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 62
Smart Components . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 62
Mates from Within the Assembly . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 64
Adding Mate References . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 68
Primary, Secondary, and Tertiary References . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 68

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SolidWorks 2012 Contents

Design Library Parts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 70

Capture Mate References . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 72
Smart Components . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 73
Create the Defining Assembly . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 74
Make Smart Component . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 75
Inserting the Smart Component . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 76
Inserting Smart Features . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 77
Using Multiple Features . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 79
Using Auto Size . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 81
Advanced and Mechanical Mate Types . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 85
Advanced Mate Types . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 85
Mechanical Mate Types . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 85
The Belt / Chain Assembly Feature . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 87
Rack Pinion Mate . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 90
Summary: Inserting and Mating Components . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 92
Inserting the First Component . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 92
Inserting Additional Components. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 92
Inserting and Mating Simultaneously . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 93
Mating Existing Components . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 93
Multiple Mate Mode . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 94
Using Copy with Mates . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 96
Copy with Mates vs. Patterns . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 96
Mate Options. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 98
Investigating the Mates . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 98
Exercise 6: Mates and Animation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 103
Exercise 7: Using Copy With Mates. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 109
Exercise 8: Smart Components 1 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 110
Exercise 9: Smart Components 2 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 112
Exercise 10: Gear Mates . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 114
Lesson 4:
Using Configurations with Assemblies
Using Configurations with Assemblies . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 118
Stages in the Process. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 118
Component Patterns . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 120
Creating Configurations Manually . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 122
Configuration Properties. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 122
Using Configure Component . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 123
Configuration Publisher . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 128
Using the PropertyManager . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 129
Information from an Assembly. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 130
Exercise 11: Component Patterning . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 133
Exercise 12: Using Modify Configurations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 134
Exercise 13: Assembly Configurations. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 137
Exercise 14: Using Configuration Publisher . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 141

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Contents SolidWorks 2012

Lesson 5:
Display States and Appearances
Display States . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 144
Stored Display States . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 144
Display States vs. Configurations. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 144
Display Pane . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 145
Display Pane Icons . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 145
Bulk Selection Tools . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 146
Adding Display States . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 150
Renaming Display States . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 150
Copying a Display State . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 150
Configurations and Display States . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 153
Linked Display States . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 154
Advanced Select . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 156
Envelopes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 158
Appearances, Materials and Scenes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 159
Appearances Menu . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 159
Using RealView Graphics . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 161
Changing Scenes. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 162
Adjusting Texture Maps . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 165
Materials . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 167
Exercise 15: Display States. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 169
Exercise 16: Display States, Appearances and Materials . . . . . . . . . 170
Lesson 6:
Assembly Editing
Assembly Editing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 174
Key Topics . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 174
Editing Activities . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 174
Design Changes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 174
Finding and Repairing Problems . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 175
Information From an Assembly . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 175
Converting Parts and Assemblies . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 178
Parts into Assemblies . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 178
Assemblies into Parts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 179
Parts into Parts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 179
Replacing Parts with Assemblies . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 179
Replacing and Modifying Components . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 180
Working in a Multi-user Environment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 180
Replacing a Single Instance . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 181
Troubleshooting an Assembly . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 183
Mate Errors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 183
Mated Entities . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 184
Over Defined Mates and Components . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 185
MateXpert . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 187
Replacing Components Using Save As . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 189

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SolidWorks 2012 Contents

Mirroring Components . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 190

Mirroring or Copying . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 191
Reloading Components. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 194
Hole Alignment. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 195
Controlling Dimensions in an Assembly . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 197
Global Variables . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 197
Assembly Equations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 197
Dimension Names in an Assembly . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 197
Adding Equations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 197
Equation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 199
Sensors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 201
Dimension . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 201
Exercise 17: Assembly Errors. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 205
Exercise 18: Sensors and Assembly Equations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 207
Exercise 19: Mirror Component . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 210
Lesson 7:
Layout-based Assembly Design
Layout-based Assembly Design . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 212
Key Topics . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 212
The Layout . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 212
Blocks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 213
Using Local Blocks. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 213
Creating a Block . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 213
Mechanical Motion with Blocks. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 215
Saving a Block . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 215
Inserting Blocks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 217
Editing Blocks. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 218
Exploding Blocks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 218
Creating a Part from a Block . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 219
Gear and Pulley Motion in Blocks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 222
Exercise 20: Stick Blocks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 225
Exercise 21: Inserting Blocks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 227
Exercise 22: Making Blocks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 229
Exercise 23: Belts and Traction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 231
Lesson 8:
Large Assemblies
Large Assemblies . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 234
Key Topics . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 234
Lightweight Components . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 235
Creating Lightweight Components. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 235
After the Assembly is Open . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 236
Indicators of Lightweight Status. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 236
Best Practice . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 236
Comparison of Component States . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 237

v
Contents SolidWorks 2012

Large Assembly Mode . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 237

Unloading Hidden Components . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 242
Scroll Selected Item into View . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 243
Using SpeedPak . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 244
Including Faces . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 244
Quick Include . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 244
Defeature. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 246
Using Configurations with Large Assemblies . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 249
Suppressing Components . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 249
Simplified Configurations. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 249
Advanced Open. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 250
Modifying the Structure of an Assembly . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 250
Dissolving a Sub-assembly. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 250
Creating a New Sub-assembly with Components. . . . . . . . . . . . 250
Promoting and Demoting Components. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 251
Using Folders . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 254
Sub-assembly Solving. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 254
Assembly Visualization . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 255
Large Design Review . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 257
Tips for Faster Assemblies . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 260
Mate Considerations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 263
Drawing Considerations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 264
Exercise 24: Large Assemblies with Display States and SpeedPak . 265
Exercise 25: Flexible Sub-assemblies. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 268
Exercise 26: Working with Sub-assemblies . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 271
Exercise 27: Simplified Configurations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 274

vi
Introduction

1
Introduction SolidWorks 2012

About This The goal of this course is to teach you how to utilize the assembly
Course modeling capabilities of SolidWorks mechanical design automation
software. Specifically:
I Top-down or in-context assembly modeling.
I Use standard, advanced and mechanical mate types.
I Create component patterns in assemblies.
I Create configurations of assemblies.
I Manage assemblies using SolidWorks Explorer.
I Find and fix errors in assemblies.
I Query assemblies and obtain information about them.
I Use layout-based design to create a sketched assembly that can be
converted to a true component assembly.
I Create variations of appearances with display states.
I Use display states, configurations and other techniques to make
working with large assemblies more efficient.
The tools for working with assemblies in the SolidWorks software are
quite robust and feature rich. During this course, we will cover many of
the commands and options in great detail. However, it is impractical to
cover every minute detail and still have the course be a reasonable
length. Therefore, the focus of this course is on the skills, tools, and
concepts central to successfully working with assemblies. You should
view the training course manual as a supplement to, not a replacement
for, the system documentation and on-line help. Once you have
developed a good foundation in the skills covered in this course, you
can refer to the on-line help for information on less frequently used
command options.
Prerequisites Students attending this course are expected to have the following:
I Mechanical design experience.
I Completed the course SolidWorks Essentials.
I Experience with the Windows™ operating system.
Course Length The recommended minimum length of this course is 2 days.
Course Design This course is designed around a process- or task-based approach to
Philosophy training. Rather than focus on individual features and functions, a
process-based training course emphasizes the processes and procedures
you follow to complete a particular task. By utilizing case studies to
illustrate these processes, you learn the necessary commands, options
and menus in the context of completing a design task.
Using this Book This training manual is intended to be used in a classroom environment
under the guidance of an experienced SolidWorks instructor. It is not
intended to be a self-paced tutorial. The examples and case studies are
designed to be demonstrated “live” by the instructor.

2
SolidWorks 2012 Introduction

Laboratory Laboratory exercises give you the opportunity to apply and practice the
Exercises material covered during the lecture/demonstration portion of the
course. They are designed to represent typical design and modeling
situations while being modest enough to be completed during class
time. You should note that many students work at different paces.
Therefore, we have included more lab exercises than you can
reasonably expect to complete during the course. This ensures that even
the fastest student will not run out of exercises.
A Note About The drawings and dimensions given in the lab exercises are not intended
Dimensions to reflect any particular drafting standard. In fact, sometimes dimensions
are given in a fashion that would never be considered acceptable in
industry. The reason for this is the labs are designed to encourage you to
apply the information covered in class and to employ and reinforce
certain techniques. As a result, the drawings and dimensions in the
exercises are done in a way that compliments this objective.
About the A complete set of the various files used throughout this course can be
Training Files downloaded from the SolidWorks website, www.solidworks.com.
Click on the link for Support, then Training, then Training Files, then
SolidWorks Training Files. Select the link for the desired file set.
There may be more than one version of each file set available.
Direct URL:
www.solidworks.com/trainingfilessolidworks
The files are supplied in signed, self-extracting executable packages.
The files are organized by lesson number. The Case Study folder
within each lesson contains the files your instructor uses while
presenting the lessons. The Exercises folder contains any files that are
required for doing the laboratory exercises.
Windows® 7 The screen shots in this manual were made using the SolidWorks
software running on Windows® 7. If you are not using Windows 7, or if
you have a different theme setting, you may notice slight differences in
the appearance of the menus and windows. These differences do not
affect the performance of the software.

3
Introduction SolidWorks 2012

Conventions Used This manual uses the following typographic conventions:

in this Book
Convention Meaning
Bold Sans Serif SolidWorks commands and options appear in
this style. For example, Features > Extruded
Cut means click the Extrude Cut icon on
the Features tab of the CommandManager.
Typewriter Feature names and file names appear in this
style. For example, Sketch1.
Double lines precede and follow sections of
17 Do this step the procedures. This provides separation
between the steps of the procedure and large
blocks of explanatory text. The steps
themselves are numbered in sans serif bold.

Use of Color The SolidWorks user interface makes extensive use of color to
highlight selected geometry and to provide you with visual feedback.
This greatly increases the intuitiveness and ease of use of the
SolidWorks software. To take maximum advantage of this, the training
manuals are printed in full color.
Also, in many cases, we have used
additional color in the illustrations to
communicate concepts, identify features,
and otherwise convey important
information. For example, we might
show the result of a filleting operation
with the fillets in a different color, even
though by default, the SolidWorks
software would not display the results in
that way.

4
SolidWorks 2012 Introduction

Graphics and The SolidWorks software sets a new

Graphics Cards standard with best-in-class graphics.
The combination of a highly reflective
material and the realism of
RealView Graphics is an effective
tool for evaluating the quality of
advanced part models and surfaces.
RealView Graphics is hardware
(graphics card) support of advanced
shading in real time. For example, if
you rotate a part, it retains its rendered
appearance throughout the rotation.

Color Schemes Out of the box, the SolidWorks software provides several predefined
color schemes that control, among other things, the colors used for
highlighted items, selected items, sketch relation symbols, and shaded
previews of features.
We have not used the same color scheme for every case study and
exercise because some colors are more visible and clear than others
when used with different colored parts.
In addition, we have changed the viewport background to plain white
so that the illustrations reproduce better on white paper.
As a result, because the color settings on your computer may be
different than the ones used by the authors of this book, the images you
see on your screen may not exactly match those in the book.

5
Introduction SolidWorks 2012

6
 Lesson 1
Top-Down Assembly
Modeling

Upon successful completion of this lesson, you will be able to:

I Build a virtual part in the context of an assembly by employing
Top-Down assembly modeling techniques.
I Create features in the assembly context by referencing geometry in
mating parts.
I Remove external references from a copied part.

7
Lesson 1 SolidWorks 2012
Top-Down Assembly Modeling

Top-Down This lesson begins with an

Assembly assembly called Machine_Vise.
Modeling Using geometry from the
existing Base1 part, the new
parts Jaw_Plate and
Sliding_Jaw will be created.
Relationships will be established
between the parts when the new
features are created.

Stages in the The major stages in the process are listed below:
Process
I Adding new parts into an assembly
When you create a new part in an assembly, you get a default name and
select a plane (or planar face). The name is used as the temporary part
name while the plane orients the Front reference plane of the new part.
I Building parts in an assembly
As the new part is created, the selected plane/face becomes the active
sketch and the part is in Edit Part mode. The part is created using
standard methods and references to other geometry in the assembly.
I Creating in-context features
When you reference geometry in other parts while creating a feature,
you are creating what is called an in-context feature. For example,
referencing the edge of a shaft when making its mating hole in another
part creates a relationship between the shaft and the hole. A change to
the diameter of the shaft would cause a corresponding change to the
diameter of the hole.

Note Alternatively, you can change the setting Do not create references
external to the model in Tools, Options, External References, and
the new feature or part will not be created with any external references.
Converted geometry is simply duplicated in this case, with no
constraint. No dimensions or relations to other components or assembly
geometry can be added.
I Breaking external references
In-context parts and features create many external references. To break
these references and keep the part intact, several techniques are used.

8
SolidWorks 2012 Lesson 1
Top-Down Assembly Modeling

Building Virtual Parts can be created and built from within the assembly. These parts
Parts can be inserted into the assembly as new parts and built using
converted edges, offset edges, and standard techniques. They are called
Virtual parts. The Jaw_Plate will be created in this manner.
Design Intent: The design intent of this part is listed below.
Jaw_Plate I It will always be flush with the matching
mounting flange face of Base1.
I It does not move.

A Note of Caution One of the things to consider before deciding to model a part in the
context of an assembly is where that part will be used. In-context
features and parts are best used for “one-of-a-kind” parts that will only
be used in the assembly where they are modeled. Parts that will be used
in more than one assembly should probably not be modeled in-context.
The reason for this is that external references are created by in-context
features.
If a virtual or in-context part is to be reused in other assemblies, it is
possible, with some work, to make a copy of the part and remove all of
the external references. The procedure for doing this will be discussed
later in this lesson. Again, the part can also be created by purposely
borrowing geometry but with no external references created, as noted
earlier.

1 Open an assembly file.

Open Machine_Vise from the
Lesson01\Case Study
folder.
It contains two components
that constitute the base of a
vise.

9
Lesson 1 SolidWorks 2012
Top-Down Assembly Modeling

Adding a New Part New parts can be added to an assembly as needed. These new parts can
into an Assembly be created in the context of the assembly, using the geometry and
locations of existing parts to build upon. They will appear in the
FeatureManager design tree as component parts, with a full listing of
their features. By default, these parts are Virtual Components, saved
in the assembly file. Click Tools, Options, System Options,
Assemblies and toggle Save new components to external files to
change this behavior.
Introducing: Insert, Component, New Part creates a new part and component in
Insert Component the assembly. The new part is named and then mated to a plane or
planar face of an existing part in the assembly.

Where to Find It I CommandManager: Assembly > Insert Components > New

Part
I Menu: Insert, Component, New Part

Results of Insert, When a new part is inserted into an assembly, several things happen:
Component, New I The new part is created.
Part
I The new part appears in the FeatureManager design tree as a
component of the assembly. The name is supplied by SolidWorks
and is within brackets [Part1^Assem1].
I The Front reference plane of the new part is made coincident with
the face or plane that you selected.
I You are switched into Edit Part mode.
I A new sketch is opened on the selected face.
I A new mate, named InPlace1, is added fully defining the
component.
I The part is internal to the assembly by default.
Default Template Since this command creates a new part document, you have the option
of specifying a template or allowing the system to use the default
template. This choice is determined by means of Tools, Options,
System Options, Default Templates.
Edit Component While you are in an assembly, you can switch between editing the
assembly — adding mate relations, inserting components, etc. — and
editing a specific part or component. Editing a part while in the context
of an assembly enables you to take advantage of geometry and
dimensions of other components while creating matching or related
features. Using geometry outside the part creates External References
and In-context Features.
Two commands, Edit Component and Edit Assembly, switch back
and forth between editing one component in an assembly and editing
the assembly itself. When you are in edit part mode, you have access to
all the commands and functionality from the part modeling portion of
SolidWorks. Plus, you have access to other geometry in the assembly.

10
SolidWorks 2012 Lesson 1
Top-Down Assembly Modeling

Where to Find It I CommandManager: Select the component to edit and click

Assembly > Edit Component
I Shortcut Menu: Right-click the component to edit and click Edit
Part or Edit Assembly

Note In an assembly, both parts and sub-assemblies are considered

components. When selecting a sub-assembly specifically, the right
mouse button menu will say Edit Component, not Edit Part. The two
terms will be used interchangeably here.
Indicators that you are in Edit Component mode include the status bar
which reads Editing Part, and the window banner that states Name of
Part -in- Name of Assembly.

2 Virtual parts.
Click Options , System Options, Assemblies and clear Save
new components to external files to create virtual parts.
3 Insert a new part.
Click New Part . A new cursor appears when the cursor is over
a plane or planar face.
4 Face selection.
Select the planar face of Base1.

Virtual Parts The names assigned to new parts include braces surrounding the
names. This indicates an virtual part and is done automatically for all
new parts created in-context to offer you the flexibility to easily discard
parts that you don’t want and not be concerned about naming as you
work.
I Renaming - Right-click the part and click Rename Part to set the
name of the part.
I Saving - Right-click the part and click Save Part (in External
File) to save the part to a true part file (*.sldprt) outside the
assembly. Saving the assembly will generate the same option.

11
Lesson 1 SolidWorks 2012
Top-Down Assembly Modeling

5 Inserted part.
Since the new part is empty, the only evidence of it
are the features in the tree. Automatically, you are
creating a new sketch in the new part. The sketch
plane is the plane or planar face you selected. The
color of the part’s FeatureManager design tree text
is changed to indicate that the part is being edited.
Right-click the part and click Rename Part.
Change the name to Jaw_Plate.
Note Parts created in-context, such as this one,
automatically receive a single mate named
Inplace1.

Appearance of When you edit a part in the context of the assembly, the color of the
Components While component you edit depends on a setting in Tools, Options, System
Editing Options, Colors. If set to Use specified colors when editing parts
in assemblies, the edited part will be the Assembly, Edit Part color
(royal blue by default). This color can be customized on the same tab.
The appearance of the other components depends on the assembly
transparency settings you choose.
Introducing: The transparency of components that are not being edited can be set to
Change Assembly one of three conditions:
Transparency
I Opaque assembly. All components become opaque gray, except
for the component you are editing, which becomes the Assembly,
Edit Part color.
I Maintain assembly transparency. All components maintain
whatever their current transparency is, except for the one you are
editing, which becomes the Assembly, Edit Part color.
I Force assembly transparency. All components become
transparent except the one you are editing, which becomes the
Assembly, Edit Part color.

Note Use the slider to adjust the transparency level for Force assembly
transparency. When you move the slider to the right, the components
become more transparent.

Where to Find It I Menu Bar: Options ,System Options, Display/Selection,

Assembly transparency for in context edit
I CommandManager: Features > Assembly Transparency

12
SolidWorks 2012 Lesson 1
Top-Down Assembly Modeling

How Transparency Usually the cursor selects whichever geometry is in front. However, in
Affects Selecting an assembly with transparent components, the cursor selects geometry
Geometry on the opaque components first, even if transparent components are in
front.

Note For purposes of selection, transparent means more than 10 percent

transparent. Components with less than 10 percent transparency are
considered opaque.
There are some techniques you can use to control how you select
geometry:
I Click Assembly Transparency, and select Opaque. Now all
geometry is treated the same and the cursor selects whichever entity
is in front.
I Press Shift to select geometry on a transparent component when
there is an opaque component behind it.
I Press Tab to select the part you are editing through an opaque
component.
I Use Select Other to select faces that are obscured by other faces.

6 Opaque.
Click Assembly Transparency and set
the display to Opaque. Also, click Options
, System Options, Colors and click Use
specified colors when editing parts in
assemblies.

13
Lesson 1 SolidWorks 2012
Top-Down Assembly Modeling

Building Parts When building parts in context of the assembly, you can take advantage
in an Assembly of other parts that exist. You can copy geometry, offset from it, add
sketch relations to it, or simply measure to it. In this example, geometry
from Base1 creates Jaw_Plate.
Common Tools When you build parts in the context of the assembly, sketching is just
like it is in part mode with the added benefit that you can see and
reference the geometry of the surrounding parts. You will use Convert
Entities and Offset Entities as well as dimensions to geometry.

7 Convert Entities.
Select the same face selected for
the new part and click Convert
Entities . This will convert
all of the outer edges of the face
to new sketch segments in our
sketch. Each has an On Edge
relation.

8 Extrude boss.
Extrude a boss to a blind
thickness of 5mm.
9 Edit assembly.
Toggle off editing the
component. Right-click and
click Edit Assembly:
Machine_Vise.

10 Save the files.

Click Save . Click Save All in the Save Modified Documents
dialog box. The Save As dialog then states:
This assembly contains unsaved virtual components which
must be saved.
Click the option Save internally (inside the assembly) and click OK.

14
SolidWorks 2012 Lesson 1
Top-Down Assembly Modeling

11 New part.
Insert another new part using the
face of Base2 shown.

12 Convert edges.
Use Convert Edges on
the sketch face. Remove
some geometry and drag
open ends as shown.

13 Complete sketch.
Use offsets, lines, dimensions, and relations to complete the sketch.

15
Lesson 1 SolidWorks 2012
Top-Down Assembly Modeling

14 Extrusion.
Extrude the sketch 25mm as
shown.
15 Edit assembly.
Toggle off editing the component
by clicking Edit Assembly.

16 Rename part.
Right-click the part and click Rename Part. Change the name to
Sliding_Jaw.
17 Save the files.
Save the parts internally.

In-Context In-context Features create geometry in the active part by sketching

Features on, converting, offsetting or dimensioning to, geometry in other
component parts. The feature that is created is called an In-context
Feature, a feature with external references. In this example,
Sliding_Jaw will be edited to match the other end of the vise.

Note A Through All cut only affects the part being edited.

18 Hide component.
Hide Jaw_Plate.
We do this because we want to use the geometry of Base1 for a new
feature in Sliding_Jaw.

Note We can use the geometry of Jaw_Plate for the new feature in
Sliding_Jaw because it is the correct shape but this is not good
practice. It is better to reference the original component, Base1. It is
always best to reference the original component rather than another
component that uses the geometry of the original component.

16
SolidWorks 2012 Lesson 1
Top-Down Assembly Modeling

19 Edit component.
Right-click Sliding_Jaw and click Edit Part . Sketch on the outer
face of Sliding_Jaw and use Convert Entities on the opposite face of
Base1. Extrude 10mm as shown.

20 Offset Entities.
Start a sketch on the front face of
Sliding_Jaw (select the face through
the hole). Use an offset of 2mm from
the hole in Base2 and create a
Through All cut.
21 Edit assembly.
Toggle off editing the component by
clicking Edit Assembly.

Note Using a Through All cut does not cut Base1 because it applies only to
the part being edited.

17
Lesson 1 SolidWorks 2012
Top-Down Assembly Modeling

Working Outside Much of the construction required for a part can be done without the
the Assembly overhead of the assembly. Those features that do not require in-context
references can be completed within the framework of the part
document.

22 Open a part file.

Right-click Sliding_Jaw and click
Open Part . Add a 2mm fillet to
the edges shown.

23 Offset.
Offset 3mm from the edge of the
in-context circular cut and create
another cut 5mm deep as shown.

24 Sketch.
Create a sketch for a boss
feature from the existing
geometry including an offset of
4mm.

18
SolidWorks 2012 Lesson 1
Top-Down Assembly Modeling

25 Extrude.
Extrude the sketch Up To
Surface.

Note You can change the color of Sliding_Jaw or any other part to
distinguish it from the other parts.
26 Return to the assembly.
Save and close the part to return to
the assembly. Click Yes to rebuild
the assembly and show
Jaw_Plate.

27 Insert component.
Click Insert Components and insert Vise_Screw into the
assembly. Add a Concentric mate between the shaft and the hole in
Base2. Add a Coincident mate between the two faces shown.

Note You can combine top-down and bottom-up assembly modeling in this
manner. You do not have to create every component in-context once
you start creating one component in that manner.

19
Lesson 1 SolidWorks 2012
Top-Down Assembly Modeling

28 Instance.
Add an instance of Jaw_Plate to
the assembly and mate it to
Sliding_Jaw as shown.

Propagating Automatically propagating changes is one of the strongest qualities of

Changes the in-context feature. In the next portion of this lesson, we will explore
how a change to Base1 will affect other parts that reference its
geometry. Changes to Base1 will be transferred to Jaw_Plate and
Sliding_Jaw through propagation of changes.

29 Changes.
Double-click the Extrude1 feature of Base1 and change the indicated
dimension value from 70mm to 90mm. Do not rebuild the assembly
yet. Double-click the Extrude2 feature of Base1 and change the
indicated dimension value from 45mm to 65mm.

65

90

30 Rebuild.
Rebuild and notice that
Jaw_Plate and Sliding_Jaw
update to the new dimensions
of Base1.

20
SolidWorks 2012 Lesson 1
Top-Down Assembly Modeling

Saving Virtual In-context parts saved internally can be saved to external part files at
Parts as any time. Virtual parts do not have their own files, they are included in
External the assembly file.

Where to Find It I Shortcut Menu: Right-click one or more virtual parts and click
Save Part (in External File).

31 Save external.
Select all of the virtual
parts in the
FeatureManager design
tree. Right-click the virtual
parts and click Save Part
(in External File). Select
all of them and click Same
As Assembly for each
one.
Click OK.
32 Symbols.
Each part is now a true part file (*.sldprt), external to
the assembly. Note that the brackets ([]) have been
removed but the arrows (->) remain. The arrow
indicates that the part contains External References,
references to geometry outside the part itself.

InPlace Mates The InPlace mates created automatically for in-context parts are there
to prevent movement of the part. This is because the in-context part is
attached to geometry of parts in the assembly through external
references, references that cross between parts at the assembly level.
Changing the location of the part can cause changes to the geometry
that may not be desired. The effect of external references are explained
in the next section, External References on page 22. The preferred
method of removing them from parts is explained in Removing
External References on page 27.
Replacing InPlace InPlace mates can be removed using Delete, and the part can be re-
Mates mated using standard mate techniques, optionally leaving a degree of
freedom for movement. Generally this works best if the face selected
for the InPlace mate is perpendicular to the direction of motion.

21
Lesson 1 SolidWorks 2012
Top-Down Assembly Modeling

Deleting InPlace When you delete an InPlace mate, a warning message appears after the
Mates confirmation dialog:
The base sketch of the part located by the InPlace mate
contains references to other entities in the assembly. These
references may update in unexpected ways after this mate is
deleted, because the part will no longer be positioned relative
to the assembly. Would you like to remove these references
now? (No geometry will be deleted.)
If you click No, the InPlace mate is
removed and the relations remain,
including the externally referenced
ones.

If you click Yes, the InPlace mate is

removed and all externally referenced
relations are removed.
These options can be useful with
Removing External References on
page 27.

External External References create and maintain relations between parts at

References the assembly level. They are commonly sketch relations, but they can
also be created as sketch planes or other geometric features.
When they are working properly, external references are considered in-
context. When they cannot work properly they are considered out of
context and cannot update properly.
Out of Context Jaw_Plate was modeled in the context of the assembly. It is able to
work properly and change through propagation of changes only while
the assembly is open. We will display this behavior in this section.

22
SolidWorks 2012 Lesson 1
Top-Down Assembly Modeling

1 Save and close the files.

2 Open a part file.

Open Jaw_Plate. Because the
assembly is not open, Jaw_Plate is out
of context. Therefore, any changes to
Base1 are not able to propagate to
Jaw_Plate. Changes to Base1
propagate through the assembly to
Jaw_Plate. The assembly must be open for this to occur.
Look at the external reference symbols. You will see the notation “->?”
appended to the Boss-Extrude feature and its sketch. The ? indicates
that the external reference is out of context.

Putting a Part To put an out-of-context part back into context, open the externally
Back Into Context referenced document. There is an easy way to do this.
Introducing: Edit In Context automatically opens the document that is referenced
Edit In Context by an external reference. This is quite a time saver because you do not
have to query the feature to identify the referenced file, browse to
locate it, and then open it manually.

Where to Find It I Shortcut Menu: Right-click a feature with an external reference and
click Edit In Context

3 Edit In Context.
Right-click the Boss-Extrude feature and click Edit In Context. The
assembly is selected by the reference and opens. The references are
back in context as indicated by the -> symbol in the FeatureManager
design tree of the assembly.

Breaking The external references established by creating parts and features in-
External context remain with the part. Changes to the part will appear
References everywhere that the part is used; assemblies and drawings. By the same
token, changes to parts that it references will also cause it to change.
The flow of changes can be stopped temporarily or permanently using
the Lock/Unlock and Break options.
If you want to reuse the in-context part in another assembly, or use it as
the starting point for a similar design or apply motion, you should
remove the external references. By copying and editing the in-context
part, you can create a duplicate part that is not tied to the assembly.

23
Lesson 1 SolidWorks 2012
Top-Down Assembly Modeling

Breaking and When the List External References dialog is active, there are options
Locking External available to Lock All or Break All references. These options allow you
References to change the relationship between the in-context part and referenced
files.
Lock All The Lock All button locks or freezes the references until they are
unlocked at a later date using Unlock All. These changes are reversible
after OK is clicked. Until the references are unlocked, changes will not
propagate to the part.
When Lock All is selected, SolidWorks displays a message:
All external references of the model “Jaw_Plate” will be
locked. You will not be able to add any new external
references until you unlock the existing references.
The FeatureManager design tree lists the locked references with “->*”
symbols. Using Unlock All later will restore the original symbols.
Break All The Break All button breaks all references with the controlling files.
Clicking the button launches a message that indicates the change is not
reversible after OK is clicked.
When Break All is selected, SolidWorks displays a message:
All external references of the model “Jaw_Plate” will be
broken. You will not be able to activate these references
again.
The FeatureManager design tree lists the broken references with “->x”
symbols. Changes will no longer propagate to the part.

Tip You can hide the “->x” symbols. Click Tools, Options, System
Options, External References, and clear Show “x” in feature tree
for broken external references.
Once the references are broken, they can only be listed using the List
Broken References check box in the List External References
dialog.
Important! Break All does not remove the external references. It simply breaks
them, and once broken, they can never be fixed. Because Break All is
irreversible, you should use Lock All in almost all situations.
To learn how to remove external references, see Removing External
References starting on page 27.

24
SolidWorks 2012 Lesson 1
Top-Down Assembly Modeling

4 List External References.

One way to determine whether the feature or the sketch (or both) have
external references is to list them. Right-click Jaw_Plate in the
FeatureManager design tree and click List External Refs. The dialog
below appears.

External This dialog lists the following information:

Reference Report I Assembly — The assembly in which the external reference was
created.
I Feature — Each feature or sketch in the model that contains an
external reference.
I Data — What type of relation or selection was made to create the
external reference.
I Status — Whether the feature is in or out of context.
I Referenced Entity — The name of the selected edge, face, plane
or loop used to generate the external reference. The syntax also lists
the part in which the entity exists. Silhouette Edge of motor<1>
means that it is an edge in the first instance of the motor
component.
I Feature’s Component — The component in which the external
reference exists.
In this case, there are many external references

25
Lesson 1 SolidWorks 2012
Top-Down Assembly Modeling

5 Lock All.
Click Lock All and click OK. The Status changes to Locked for the
feature.

The locked external reference is indicated in the FeatureManager

design tree by ->*.
6 Unlock.
Click Unlock All to return to the normal setting and click OK.

Note Do not confuse the command List External References with File,
Find References. In a part document, the command File, Find
References only lists the name of externally referenced documents, if
they exist. It does not provide feature, data, status, entity, or component
information. For example, File, Find References would tell you this:
I The referenced part document for a part created using Base Part or
Mirror Part.
I The assembly document for any part with in-context references.
This includes a part created using Derive Component Part, or a
part that has a cavity or join feature, or a part that has been edited in
the context of an assembly to reference the geometry of other
components.

26
SolidWorks 2012 Lesson 1
Top-Down Assembly Modeling

Removing Options like Lock All are useful to interrupt the flow of changes to an
External in-context part, but the best way to stop the changes permanently is to
References use File, Save As with the Save As Copy option to copy the part and
remove the references.
Why Remove When parts are built in-context, like Sliding_Jaw, they contain
External references. If mates are removed or in-context parts are used in other
References? assemblies (out of context), unexpected changes could occur. Here are
some reasons why you might remove external references.
I Component Movement
The InPlace mate prevents movement and although it can be
removed, the features remain in-context.
I Re-use of Data
Component parts can generally be used in multiple assemblies. If a
part contains in-context references, they must be removed prior to
out of context use.
Procedure In this section, the external references will be removed from a copy of
the part so that it can be changed as a totally independent part, and
potentially used in another, unrelated assembly, without any effect on
the original assembly.

Tip Another way to prevent changes is to save the part file to another
format such as IGES or STEP. Opening that neutral file in SolidWorks
creates an imported solid without features that cannot be easily
changed.

1 Save a copy of the component.

Right-click Sliding_Jaw and click Open Part . Click File, Save
As. The message box tells you that Save As will replace the original
document with the new one in the assembly, while Save as copy will
not.
Note This dialog appears only when the referenced document (the assembly)
is open.
2 Save as copy.
Save a copy of the part as Free_Sliding_Jaw. Make sure to check the
Save as copy option. Click Save.

27
Lesson 1 SolidWorks 2012
Top-Down Assembly Modeling

3 Derived Features.
Save and close the current documents and open
Free_Sliding_Jaw. Look at the FeatureManager
design tree to check for external references. You will
see the notation “->?” appended to many of the
features and sketches, denoting an external reference
that is out of context.
In this case, the Save as copy has broken the update
capability of the part but the features remain in
referenced state.
To “free” this part, each of the flagged features and sketches must be
edited to remove the reference and have the ability to change
independently. Note that in some cases, only the sketch is derived, not
the feature itself. In these cases, both the sketch and the related feature
will display the marker.

Editing the It is all well and good that the external references are
Features not active through the copy. However, what happens
when we want to change the dimensions of the
features in the Free_Sliding_Jaw? For example,
there are no dimensions which define the size of the
base feature. How can we change the
Free_Sliding_Jaw?
All features that contain the “->?” symbol can be edited to change the
way in which the geometry is constrained. Although the relationships
have been broken, the geometry is still created using part references.
These references can be removed by editing sketches and features in
the part, which has the effect of changing the design intent of the
features.
Starting with the last feature first and working up the FeatureManager
design tree typically prevents rebuild errors because you fix the child
features before the parent features. The features will be worked in this
order:
I Cut-Extrude1
I Boss-Extrude2
I Boss-Extrude1

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SolidWorks 2012 Lesson 1
Top-Down Assembly Modeling

Strategies for Different features require different approaches. Here are some common
Features types:
I Sketch Relations - Remove external references in sketch relations
and dimensions by deleting them with Display/Delete Relations.
Replace them manually or use Fully Define Sketch.
I Derived Sketches - Break the link between a derived sketch and
its parent sketch by using Underive.
I Sketch Planes - Replace sketch planes referencing external
geometry using Edit Sketch Plane.
I Extrusions - Extruded features that use Up To Surface or Offset
From Surface are replaced with Blind using the same distance.
I Assembly Features - The nature of assembly features is that they
typically exist only in the assembly. One approach is to copy the
necessary geometry into the part then delete the assembly feature.
Another approach is to edit the assembly feature and select
Propagate feature to parts to add the feature to the part file for
each affected component.
Geometry From Geometry created by Convert Entities or Offset Entities base their
Offset and Convert location and orientation strictly on the edges being referenced. When
the Offset or On Edge relations are removed, the geometry does not
contain other relations such as tangency, horizontal, vertical or
collinear.

4 Sketches.
Sketches are often the primary source of external
references. If any sketch in a feature has an external
reference, that feature will receive the marker (->). Type
sk in the filter to view all the sketches in the part.

5 Edit sketch.
Edit Sketch3 from the Cut-Extrude1 feature. The sketch contains an
offset.
6 Delete the offset dimension.
A message appears:
Deleting the offset dimension will remove the offset relations
from the sketch geometry. Do you want to continue?
Click Yes.

29
Lesson 1 SolidWorks 2012
Top-Down Assembly Modeling

7 Dimension.
Add a dimension and a
concentric relation to fully
define the sketch.
Exit the sketch.
Note that the “->?” symbol no
longer appears for the sketch
in the FeatureManager design
tree.

Delete All and Another method for dealing with relations is to use Delete All followed
Fully Define Sketch by Fully Define Sketch. Delete All removes all relations in the sketch
and Fully Define Sketch adds back relations and dimensions that can
be inferred due to the position of the geometry relative to the origin.

8 Edit sketch.
Edit Sketch2 of Boss-Extrude2. Using Display/Delete Relations
delete all relations. Click Fully Define Sketch with Relations and
Dimensions checked and click OK.

30
SolidWorks 2012 Lesson 1
Top-Down Assembly Modeling

9 Edit dimensions.
Although the sketch is fully defined, there are some changes that can
simplify the dimension scheme. Delete, drag and change dimensions
and geometry to get the result shown. Exit the sketch.

10 Fully Define Sketch.

Edit Sketch1 of the
Boss-Extrude1 feature
and delete all the
relations. Add a
centerline from the
midpoint of the lower
line as shown. Right-
click Fully Define
Sketch and set the
options. Click OK.

31
Lesson 1 SolidWorks 2012
Top-Down Assembly Modeling

11 Under defined.
A message appears
to say that the
sketch is not fully
defined. This is due
to the fact that the
geometry is not
related or
dimensioned to the
sketch origin. Click
OK to dismiss the
message.

12 Fully define.
Click View, Origins.
Add a coincident
relation between the
sketch origin and the
midpoint of the line.
Exit the sketch.

13 Save and close the files.

The part is now free of external reference symbols.
Using Parts with After external references have been removed, the components can be
Broken used in other assemblies without concerns of unexpected updates.
References

32
SolidWorks 2012 Lesson 1
Top-Down Assembly Modeling

14 Open an assembly file.

Open Free_Machine_Vise from the
Lesson01\Case Study folder.
None of the components in this
assembly have any in-context
references.

15 Screw mate.
Click Mate and Mechanical Mates. Click Screw , and 0.5
Revolutions/mm. Select the cylindrical face of Free_Vise_Screw and
the internal cylindrical face of Free_Base using Select Other. Click
OK.

Drag Free_Vise_Screw to open or close the vise.

Note For more information on mates, see Mechanical Mate Types on

page 85.
16 Save and close the files.

33
Lesson 1 SolidWorks 2012
Top-Down Assembly Modeling

34
SolidWorks 2012 Exercise 1
Top-Down Assembly Modeling

Exercise 1: Create this part by using existing

Top-Down geometry in the assembly TOP DOWN
Assembly ASSY.
Modeling This lab uses the following skills:
I Top-Down Assembly Modeling on
page 7
I Building Virtual Parts on page 9
I Common Tools on page 14
I Saving Virtual Parts as External on
page 21
Units: mm

Design Intent The design intent for this part is as follows:

1. Cover Plate must relate to inner contour of Main Body.
2. Cover Plate must relate to OD on Ratchet.
3. Cover Plate must relate to OD on Wheel.

Part Design Use the following graphics with the design intent to determine the
shape and relationships within the part. The clearances are:
Cover Plate to Main Body = 0.20mm
Cover Plate to Ratchet = 0.10mm
Cover Plate to Wheel = 0.10mm

Wheel Ratchet

Saving the Save the Cover Plate as an external file using the same name.
Component

35
Exercise 2 SolidWorks 2012
In-context Features

Exercise 2: Add these in-context features

In-context using the information and
Features dimensions provided. This lab
reinforces the following skills:
I Edit Component on page 10
I In-Context Features on
page 16
Units: mm

Note The Pipe component is already properly positioned in the assembly.

However, there is no corresponding flange on Oil Pan. Your task is to
model the flange holes as in-context features.

Design Intent The design intent for this assembly and its part is as follows:
1. The flange on the Pipe creates the extruded shape of the
corresponding flange on Oil Pan. Use 3° of draft.
2. The fillet radius is 2mm.
3. The holes for the bolts and pipe pass through the flange and the
wall thickness on the Oil Pan.

Part Design Two component parts make up the Oil Pan Assy assembly. Use Edit
Part to add features to Oil Pan in context using geometry. The features
form the pipe connection.
Oil Pan Assy is found in the folder named InContextFeatures.

36
 Lesson 2
Assembly Features and
Smart Fasteners

Upon successful completion of this lesson, you will be able to:

I Add features in the assembly.
I Insert hardware using Smart Fasteners.

37
Lesson 2 SolidWorks 2012
Assembly Features and Smart Fasteners

Assembly This lesson starts with an

Jaw_Plate
Features and assembly similar to the
Smart one you created in the
previous lesson. Your task
Fasteners
is to add features and
hardware to attach the
Jaw_Plate components
to the other components in
the assembly.

Stages in the The major stages in the process are listed below:
Process
I Creating a new Hole Series assembly feature.
You add a hole that starts with a countersunk hole in Jaw_Plate and
finishes with a bottom tapped hole in Base1.
I Adding holes using an existing Hole Series feature.
You add through holes in Sliding_Jaw using the size and position of
the holes in Jaw_Plate as a guide.
I Adding hardware into the holes.
You add screws, washers, and nuts to the assembly using Smart
Fasteners. Smart Fasteners automatically determine the best fastener
based on the hole type and size.

38
SolidWorks 2012 Lesson 2
Assembly Features and Smart Fasteners

Assembly An assembly feature is a feature which exists only in the assembly.

Features Assembly features can be holes, cuts, fillets, chamfers, or weld beads.
An assembly cut feature is intended to cut selected components after
they are mated in the assembly. Assembly features often represent
post-assembly machining operations. They can also create section-type
views of an assembly by cutting away part or all of selected
components.
Some specifics about assembly features are:
I Assembly features typically exist only at the assembly level. There
are two exception to this. The Hole Series feature always
propagates to the part level and other assembly features can appear
in the part by clicking Propagate feature to parts in the
PropertyManager of the assembly feature.
I Visibility of assembly features can be controlled using
configurations.
I The sketch used by the assembly feature can be sketched on any
plane or face in the assembly.
I The sketches can contain multiple closed profiles.
I An assembly feature pattern can in turn be patterned.

Where to Find It I CommandManager: Assembly > Assembly Features

I Menu: Insert, Assembly Feature

Note This lesson uses Hole Series assembly features. For an example of
another type of assembly feature, see The Hole Wizard on page 175.
Hole Series The Hole Series is a special case of assembly feature that creates hole
features in the individual components of the assembly. A Hole Series
extends through each unsuppressed component in the assembly that
intersects the axis of the hole (the components do not have to touch).
Unlike other assembly features, the holes exist in the individual parts as
externally referenced features (in-context). If you edit a Hole Series
within the assembly, the individual parts are modified. Some specifics
about Hole Series holes are:
I Hole Series holes exist at the assembly level and part level (unlike
other assembly features).
I The sketch used by the Hole Series can be sketched on any plane
or face in the assembly.
I Hole Series uses a limited set of end conditions: Through All, Up
To Next, Up to Surface, and Offset from Surface are available.
I A Hole Series can not be created by using the standard
Hole Wizard.
I The resulting hole(s) can be edited using Edit Feature, but only at
the assembly level. This propagates changes to all of the parts in the
hole series.

39
Lesson 2 SolidWorks 2012
Assembly Features and Smart Fasteners

I An existing Hole Wizard hole may be used as the seed for a

Hole Series.
I Different hole sizes can be set for the first part, the last part, and all
parts that are cut between them.

First part

Middle parts

Last part

Hole Series Wizard The Hole Series wizard is made up of five tabs that define the location,
shape and behavior of the holes.
I Positions - Place points to locate hole centers.
I First Part - Define the parameters of the start hole.
I Middle Parts - Define the parameters of the hole between the
first and last parts.
I Last Part - Define the parameters of the end hole.
I Smart Fasteners - Insert Smart Fasteners into the hole series.
This tab is available only if you install and activate SolidWorks
Toolbox.

Where to Find It I CommandManager: Assembly > Assembly Features > Hole

Series
I Menu: Insert, Assembly Feature, Hole, Hole Series

1 Open an assembly file.

Open Machine_Vise
from the Lesson02\Case
Study folder. This is
similar to the assembly
you created in the
previous lesson.

40
SolidWorks 2012 Lesson 2
Assembly Features and Smart Fasteners

2 Hole series.
Select the face of Jaw_Plate<1> and click Hole
Series .

3 Hole position.
On the Hole Position tab, select Create
new hole.
Add sketch points for the center of both holes.
Add dimensions and a Symmetric relation
about a centerline to fully define the sketch.

4 First part.
Click the First Part tab and set:
I Hole Type: CounterSink
I Standard: Ansi Metric
I Screw Type: Flat Head Screw
I Hole Size: M5

5 Middle parts.
Click the Middle Parts tab and select Auto size based on start
hole. In this example, there are only first and last parts.

41
Lesson 2 SolidWorks 2012
Assembly Features and Smart Fasteners

6 Last part.
Click the Last Part tab and set:
I Hole Type: Straight Tap
I Screw Type: Bottoming Tapped Hole
I Hole Size: M5x0.8
I Blind Hole Depth: Tap Drill 10mm
Click OK to add the holes.

7 Section view.
Use a Section View to see the results.
Notice that the holes cut Jaw_Plate<1>
and Base1.
Turn off the section view.

42
SolidWorks 2012 Lesson 2
Assembly Features and Smart Fasteners

8 FeatureManager design tree.

The result of the Hole Series is a feature
in the assembly that adds hole features in
each of the parts.

9 Review the part.

Right-click Jaw_Plate<1> and click Open
Part . Notice that the holes appear in the
part. Also notice the CSK for M5 Flat Head
Machine Screw feature in the
FeatureManager design tree.
Save and close Jaw_Plate to return to the
assembly.

10 Review another component.

Rotate the assembly to review Jaw_Plate<2>,
the other instance of the component. Notice that
the holes exist in this instance, too, because the
holes exist in the part.

43
Lesson 2 SolidWorks 2012
Assembly Features and Smart Fasteners

Time-Dependent The Assembly Feature is one of several time dependent features.

Features These features update after the components in the assembly in
sequence.
Types of Time- Some time dependent features are:
Dependent Features
I Assembly features
I In-context features and parts
I Assembly-dependent reference geometry (planes or axes)
I Assembly-dependent sketch geometry
I Component patterns
Mates to Time- When you mate a component to a time-dependent feature, the
Dependent Features component can only be positioned after the time-dependent feature has
been updated.
Best Practice It is good practice to only mate to time-dependent features when that is
the only way you can achieve the design intent of the assembly. You
can edit the positions of the components with more flexibility when
time-dependent features are not involved because then the order in
which the mates are evaluated does not matter.
Parent/Child Components, like features in a part, have Parent/Child relationships.
Relationships The simplest bottom-up component will have only the mate group as a
child. Other components that are acted upon by assembly features will
have those features as children.
Find References Find References can extract the exact locations of component part and
assembly files. The listing provides a full path name for each reference
used. The Copy files... button can copy the files to another, common,
directory.
Reorder and You can reorder many features in the assembly FeatureManager design
Rollback tree. Items such as assembly planes, axes, sketches, and mates within
the mate group, can be reordered. Default reference planes, the
assembly origin and the default mate group cannot be reordered. You
can also reorder components thereby controlling the order in which
they appear in the Bill of Materials.
Rollback can move among time dependent features. Rolling back
before the mate group suppresses the mate group and all components
controlled by it.
Hole Series with The Hole Series is a useful tool to create holes using existing holes as
an Existing Hole a guide. The Use existing hole(s) option creates matching holes when
the hole in the First Part is already there.
In this lesson, there is already a set of holes in Jaw_Plate, created in
the first instance. Next, you add matching holes to Sliding_Jaw
without adding more holes to Jaw_Plate.

44
SolidWorks 2012 Lesson 2
Assembly Features and Smart Fasteners

11 Hole series.
Select the face of Sliding_Jaw as shown and
click Hole Series . You can use Select
Other or select the face through one of the
holes in Jaw_Plate<2>.

Face on Sliding_Jaw
(Jaw_Plate<2> hidden
for clarity)

12 Hole position.
On the Hole Position tab, select Use existing
hole(s). Select one of the countersunk faces in the
holes on Jaw_Plate<2> to select the existing
holes.

13 First and middle.

The First Part and Middle Parts steps are predefined based on the
existing hole.
14 Last part.
Click the Last Part tab and set:
I Hole Type: Hole
I Auto size based on start hole
I End Condition: Through All
Click OK to add the holes.

45
Lesson 2 SolidWorks 2012
Assembly Features and Smart Fasteners

15 Review the part.

Right-click Sliding_Jaw and click
Open Part . Notice that the
holes appear in the part. Also
notice the M5 Clearance Hole
feature in the FeatureManager
design tree.
Save and close Sliding_Jaw to
return to the assembly.

16 Save the file.

Save but do not close the assembly.

Smart Smart Fasteners automatically adds fasteners (for example, bolts and
Fasteners screws) to your assembly if there is a hole or pattern of holes that is
sized to accept standard hardware. Smart Fasteners uses the
SolidWorks Toolbox library of fasteners, which has a large variety of
ANSI Inch, Metric and other standard hardware. You can also add
custom designs to the Toolbox database for use with Smart Fasteners.
Fastener Defaults The length of a new fastener for a blind hole is the next shorter national
standard length. For a through hole, it is the next longer national
standard length. When holes are deeper than the longest fastener
length, the longest one is used.
Hole Wizard or Hole Series holes have the most intelligence, and are
fitted with matching bolts or screws. For other types of holes, you can
configure Smart Fasteners to add any type of bolt or screw as the
default. The fasteners are automatically mated to the holes with
Concentric and Coincident mates.
Introducing: Smart Smart Fasteners adds fasteners to available hole features in
Fasteners assemblies. The holes can be assembly or part features. You can add
fasteners to specific holes or patterns, faces or components (all the
holes in the selected face or component), or to all available holes.

Where to Find It I CommandManager: Assembly > Smart Fasteners

I Menu: Insert, Smart Fasteners

46
SolidWorks 2012 Lesson 2
Assembly Features and Smart Fasteners

17 Smart Fasteners.
Click Smart Fasteners .
18 Add.
Select the planar face of Jaw_Plate<1>
then click Add.
Smart Fasteners recognizes both holes on
the planar face as identical CSK for M5
Flat Head Machine Screw holes, and will
populate them at the same time.

19 Sizing.
The fastener appears in the Results list in the
PropertyManager and “previews” of the
fasteners appear in the holes. The label shows
the current size and can be used to change it.

20 Settings.
Click Auto size to hole diameter and use the
default settings for the remaining options.
Click OK.

21 Results.
Two screws are inserted into the holes. A
SmartFastener folder appears in the
FeatureManager design tree containing the two screws.

47
Lesson 2 SolidWorks 2012
Assembly Features and Smart Fasteners

Smart Fasteners The Hole Wizard/Toolbox settings determine variables including

Settings Default Fasteners and Automatic Fastener Changes. For holes
created with the Hole Wizard or as Hole Series, the fastener type is set
in the dialog by the Hole Standard, Type and Fastener. For holes
created in other ways, such as internal contours in a boss, extruded cuts
and revolved cuts, the physical size determines a reasonable fastener
diameter.

Where to Find It I Menu Bar: Click Options , System Options, Hole Wizard/
Toolbox and click Configure, Configure Smart Fasteners

48
SolidWorks 2012 Lesson 2
Assembly Features and Smart Fasteners

Hole Series The Series Components of a Hole Series allow you to change the
Components Fastener Type, and add Top and Bottom Stack components as you
create the fastener.
I Fastener
Right-click the Fastener and click Change fastener type to alter
the fastener or select Use default fastener to return to the default.
I Top Stack
Click Add to Top Stack to add washers under the head of the
fastener.
I Bottom Stack
Click Add to Bottom Stack to add washers and nuts at the end of
the fastener, below the last component of the hole series.

Note The previous use of Smart Fasteners did not include a top stack because
it is a countersunk hole or a bottom stack because it is a tapped hole.

Changes to After the fastener has been

Existing Fasteners added, it can be changed
in several ways.
I Hole Series feature -
Right-click the Hole
Series feature and
click Edit Feature. All
holes created with that
feature and in turn all
fasteners generated in
them are changed.
I Smart Fastener
feature - Right-click
the Smart Fastener
feature and click Edit Smart Fastener. All fasteners created with
that feature are changed.
I Individual Fastener feature - Right-click the fastener and click
Edit Toolbox component. That feature alone is changed.
Important! Do not edit the individual parameters of a Toolbox part using Edit
Sketch or Edit Feature. These functions do not update the Toolbox
database.

49
Lesson 2 SolidWorks 2012
Assembly Features and Smart Fasteners

Splitting the Hole Splitting the hole series is only

Series required where aligned holes are used
with Smart Fasteners. In this
situation, only one fastener might be
added where two or more belong. The
length of the fastener may cause it to
pass through several holes.
The solution is to split the hole series
to break one fastener into multiple
fasteners.
Click Edit Grouping.

Drag to split a series.

I Series 1, Series 2, and so on
Separate hole series that use this
fastener. For example, if you had two
hole patterns that both used a 1/4”-20
hex bolt, there would be two series listed
under that fastener. Expand a series to
show the hole feature(s).

Note: You may need to reverse the fasteners

after splitting a series. Right-click the series
and click Flip.

Smart Fasteners It is not uncommon to create a configuration or a display state of an

and Configurations assembly that has all the hardware suppressed or hidden. Smart
Fasteners facilitate this because the Smart Fasteners are grouped at the
bottom of the FeatureManager design tree. They can also be selected
using Select Toolbox.

50
SolidWorks 2012 Lesson 2
Assembly Features and Smart Fasteners

22 Insert Smart Fasteners.

Click Smart Fasteners .
23 Add.
Select the planar face of Jaw_Plate<2> then
click Add.
Smart Fasteners recognizes both holes on the
planar face as identical CSK for M5 Flat
Head Machine Screw holes, and will
populate them at the same time.

24 Bottom stack.
Click Add to Bottom Stack then select Plain
Washers - Regular (B18.22M) to add a
washer.
Click Add to Bottom Stack then select Hex
Nuts - Style 1 (B18.2.4.1M) to add a nut.
Click OK.
25 Results.
Two screws are inserted into the holes. Also, a
washer and a nut are added on the other side of
Sliding_Jaw. A SmartFastener folder
appears in the FeatureManager design tree
containing the new hardware.

26 Save and close the files.

51
Lesson 2 SolidWorks 2012
Assembly Features and Smart Fasteners

52
SolidWorks 2012 Exercise 3
The Hole Wizard and Smart Fasteners

Exercise 3: Use the Hole Wizard at the assembly level to

The Hole Wizard create Assembly Features and Hole Series.
and Smart Add the matching hardware using Smart
Fasteners.
Fasteners
This lab uses the following skills:
I Assembly Features on page 39
I Hole Series on page 39
I Smart Fasteners on page 46
Units: mm

Procedure Use the following procedure:

1 Open an assembly file.
Open TBassy from the Lesson02\Exercises\SmFastenerLab
folder.
2 Smart Fasteners.
Use Smart Fasteners to add hardware to the existing holes in
TBroundcover and TBrearcover.
M3 Pan Head Cross
with Plain Washers Narrow
Length 8mm

M3 Flat Head
Length 8mm

53
Exercise 3 SolidWorks 2012
The Hole Wizard and Smart Fasteners

3 Hole Series.
Use Holes Series and Smart Fasteners to add holes and hardware as
shown.
M3 CBore Hole
Pan Head Cross Screw
with Plain Washer Narrow
M3 Clearance Hole Length 8mm
Socket Head Cap Screw
with Plain Washer Narrow
Length 10mm M5 CBore Hole
Hex head Bolt
with Plain Washer Narrow
Length 25mm

Locations Use these locations for Hole Series holes.

4 Save and close the files.

54
SolidWorks 2012 Exercise 4
Assembly Features

Exercise 4: Create and edit assembly features to

Assembly modify this assembly. This lab uses the
Features following skills:
I Assembly Features on page 39

Hole Wizard The hole wizard can be used in the assembly as an assembly feature. It
Assembly Feature can exist only at the assembly level or at both the part and assembly
level.
1 Open an assembly file.
Open Assy Features from
the Lesson02\Exercises\
Assy Features folder
Hide Gear, Oil Pump
Driven.

2 Assembly feature.
Select a face of Cover and click
Hole Wizard .
Use these settings:
Counterbore, ANSI Metric, Pan
Cross Head, M3 and Through All.
For the Feature Scope, click
Auto-select.

55
Exercise 4 SolidWorks 2012
Assembly Features

3 Individual parts.
Open the component parts
Cover and Housing. As
expected, they do not have the
hole feature.

4 Edit feature scope.

Edit the hole wizard feature CBORE for M3 Pan Head Machine
Screw1. Click Propagate feature to parts and make sure that only
the components Cover and Housing are selected. Click OK. The hole
now exists at both the assembly and part level.

56
SolidWorks 2012 Exercise 4
Assembly Features

Sketched Cut A cut feature can be used as an assembly feature to create a cutaway
Assembly Feature view for use in a drawing.
5 Sketch and cut.
Create a sketch on the planar face of Shaft and sketch a rectangle that
extends beyond the geometry as shown. Click Assembly Feature
> Extruded Cut . Extend the cut through the entire assembly and
select only Cover in Feature Scope.

Optionally, create a drawing and

place an isometric view with the
assembly feature cut. Area Hatch/Fill
has been added in this example.

6 Save and close the files.

57
Exercise 5 SolidWorks 2012
Level Assembly

Exercise 5: Create this assembly using the Smart

Level Assembly information and dimensions Fasteners
provided. Add new parts top down
and bottom up. This lab reinforces TOP
the following skills: COVER

I Top-Down Assembly Modeling GLASS

on page 8 CYLINDER
I Hole Series on page 39
I Smart Fasteners on page 46 LEVEL
(supplied)
Units: mm

Design Intent The design intent for this assembly and its parts is as follows:
1. GLASS CYLINDER is placed within the cutout in LEVEL, tangent
to the bottom and centered.
2. TOP COVER fits with gaps of 0.10mm on each end (near the holes)
of LEVEL. Its top is flush with the front and back of LEVEL.
3. The countersink holes are added to LEVEL and TOP COVER.

Part Design Three component parts make up this new assembly. LEVEL is
provided; use Make Assembly from Part to create the new assembly
based on LEVEL. TOP COVER will be built in context. GLASS
CYLINDER can be built outside the assembly.

Fasteners are added after the parts.

58
SolidWorks 2012 Exercise 5
Level Assembly

TOP COVER is a plate with a

rounded sight hole centered on the
plate. The two countersunk holes
go through TOP COVER and
LEVEL.

GLASS CYLINDER is a simple cylinder

that can be created outside of the
assembly and dragged in.

59
Exercise 5 SolidWorks 2012
Level Assembly

60
 Lesson 3
Advanced Mate Techniques

Upon successful completion of this lesson, you will be able to:

I Utilize shortcuts for mating components.
I Apply a mate reference and use it for efficient assembly.
I Create and use Smart Components.
I Use various advanced mate types.

61
Lesson 3 SolidWorks 2012
Advanced Mate Techniques

Advanced Mating is one of the most important pieces of assembly modeling.

Mates SolidWorks has many advanced tools to make mating easier and faster.
Key Topics The following are some of the topics that will be covered in this lesson:
I Mating shortcuts
As the assembly is being put together, there are important time savers
for adding and mating components.
I Mate References
I Design Library
I Smart Components
The Mate tool creates all the types of mates
between components, removing some or all
of their degrees of freedom. To create the
two most common types of mates,
Concentric and Coincident, there are
shortcuts.

Mate Capabilities Advanced mate features and mating shortcuts allow you to create
multiple mates dynamically as you add components to the assembly.
They can create mates of all types and are easy and fast. They can be
used from an open part document or from within the assembly.
Best Practices The Best Practices for Mates topic in the online help contains many
useful tips for adding assembly mates.
Design Library The Design Library is a storage area for commonly used parts,
features, and even assemblies. SolidWorks comes supplied with many
of these, but you can add your own as well.
Mate References A Mate Reference can be added to a part so that a mate can be used on
the fly when dragging and dropping a part from Windows Explorer or
the Design Library pane.
Smart Smart Components are pre-configured parts that bring with them
Components associated features and components upon insertion into an assembly.
We will create a Smart Component consisting of the base (Smart)
component, a secondary reference part, and a feature to be added to a
pre-existing part in the assembly.

62
SolidWorks 2012 Lesson 3
Advanced Mate Techniques

1 Open an assembly file.

Open Mates from the
Lesson03\Case
Study\Mates folder. This
assembly contains a single
component.
2 Open a part file.
Open RoundCoverPl from
the Lesson03\Case
Study\Mates folder.
Tile the windows so that both
documents can be seen.
3 Mate Concentric and Coincident.
Drag the circular edge of RoundCoverPl into the assembly and drop it
on the circular edge of ModifiedHousing.
The cursor appears as a “pin in hole” , indicating that Concentric
and Coincident mates will be created.
Do not release the mouse button yet.

Press the Tab key to rotate the plate, putting the lug at the
bottom. For other cursor types, see Feedback Pointers on
page 66.

Tip If the assembly is in lightweight mode, the Tab key will flip the
alignment instead of rotating the component. See Lightweight
Components on page 235 for more information.
4 Drop.
Drop the component to add it and its mates to the assembly.

63
Lesson 3 SolidWorks 2012
Advanced Mate Techniques

5 Results.
Along with inserting the
component, three mates
were added using this
method: two concentric
mates and one coincident.
Other Uses Mate shortcuts can also
mate a face to a face and a
vertex to a vertex. Both of
these techniques generates
a single mate.

Note In the general case (mate shortcut without a hole pattern) pressing Tab
alternates between the Anti-aligned and Aligned conditions.
6 Add second component.
Using the same method,
add another instance on the
other side.
7 Save and close the part
file.

Mates from Within The use of mates extends to components that are already resident in the
the Assembly assembly. By using the Alt key while dragging the mating entity of the
free component to its desired location, any mate type can be added.
Alternatively, you can add mates from within the Move Component
PropertyManager by clicking the SmartMates button. Here there
are two methods to apply a mate:
I Double-click and drag the mating entity of the free component to its
target mating entity and drop.
I Double-click the mating entity of the free component, then single-
click on the target mating entity.

64
SolidWorks 2012 Lesson 3
Advanced Mate Techniques

8 Insert Offset Shaft.

Click Insert Component and
insert Offset Shaft into the
assembly.
9 Mate shortcuts.
Select the cylindrical face of Offset
Shaft. This does two things:
I Identifies the component to be
mated.
I Identifies the mating entity (face).

10 Drag using Alt key.

While holding the Alt key, drag the
shaft to the mating face of
ModifiedHousing. When the drag
is initiated, two things happen.
I The component becomes
transparent.
I The cursor displays a mate icon

, indicating you are trying to add

a mate.

11 Drop.
A feedback cursor appears when the concentric mate is inferred. Drop
the part to preview the mate. Confirm with the Mate Pop-up toolbar,
which shows the concentric mate type highlighted.

65
Lesson 3 SolidWorks 2012
Advanced Mate Techniques

Note The same Mate Pop-up toolbar will appear if the cylindrical face of
Offset Shaft was dragged and dropped from an open document. The
Mate Pop-up toolbar will not appear when the mate consists of more
than one individual mate (such as “pin in hole”).
12 Results.
A single Concentric mate
is added between the two
cylindrical faces.

Feedback Pointers When you drag and drop, the pointer changes to indicate the type of
entities being mated.

I indicates circular edges are being mated. The edges do not

have to be complete circles. Concentric and Coincident mates are
added.
I indicates cylindrical faces are being mated. You can also mate
conical faces (provided their cone angles are equal), and axes. A
Concentric mate is added.

I indicates planes or planar faces are being mated. A Coincident

mate is added.
I indicates linear edges are being mated. You can also mate axes,
or an axis and a linear edge. A Coincident mate is added.
I indicates vertices are being mated. A Coincident mate is
added.

66
SolidWorks 2012 Lesson 3
Advanced Mate Techniques

13 Face selection.
Using selection filters, select the flat circular face of Offset Shaft as
indicated. Press the Alt key, drag it toward ModifiedHousing and drop
it when the coincident mate is inferred . Click OK to complete the
operation.

Note Choosing a circular edge would also work in this situation.

67
Lesson 3 SolidWorks 2012
Advanced Mate Techniques

Adding Mate So far we have used mate shortcuts with parts the are either already
References open or are already in the assembly. In both situations we have
manually identified the geometry we are mating to. But what about
dragging and dropping a part from Windows Explorer or the Design
Library? How will the system know to what edge, face, or vertex to
mate?
Mate References allow you to realize the benefits of mate shortcuts
without the requirement of having the part you want to mate open. By
identifying a face, edge or vertex in the part as the mate reference, you
can use mate shortcuts while dragging and dropping the part from
Windows Explorer or the Design Library.
Primary, When you insert a part with a mate reference, the software identifies
Secondary, and potential mate partners for the specified entity. If the primary entity is
Tertiary not valid for the entity your pointer is over, then the secondary entity is
References used. If neither the primary nor secondary entities are valid, then the
tertiary entity is used.
As you move the cursor in the assembly window, the pointer changes
and the preview snaps into place when a potential mate partner is
found.
Introducing: Mate Reference identifies a selected face, edge or vertex to be used for
Mate Reference mate shortcuts. Multiple mate references can be added to a part.
Where to Find It I CommandManager: Assembly (or Features) > Reference
Geometry > Mate Reference
I Menu: Insert, Reference Geometry, Mate Reference

14 Adding a Mate Reference.

Open Shaft and click Mate
Reference . Under Primary
Reference Entity select the
circular edge.
The Type sets the type of mate that
will be created when there is a
choice. Leave it at Default.
The Alignment sets the orientation of the mate created. Leave it at
Any.

68
SolidWorks 2012 Lesson 3
Advanced Mate Techniques

15 Secondary and
Tertiary.
Add Secondary and
Tertiary reference
entities to the Mate
Reference.
Add the Secondary
reference to a
cylindrical face and
choose the Concentric
mate type.
Secondary
Add the Tertiary
Tertiary
reference to a planar
face, and choose the
Coincident mate type.
Click OK.
16 Feature.
The MateReferences folder is added to
the FeatureManager design tree. Multiple
MateReference features can be listed in
the folder.
The part can now be added to an
assembly from Windows Explorer using
Smart Mates. However, let’s go a step
further.

69
Lesson 3 SolidWorks 2012
Advanced Mate Techniques

Design Library The Design Library pane accesses and stores commonly used library
Parts features, sheet metal forming tools and parts. Design Library parts can
be dropped into assemblies as components, or into parts as derived or
base parts.

17 View the Design Library.

On the Design Library tab of the Task Pane,
click Design Library, Parts, Hardware to
access the folder.
Tip You can navigate through the various folders just
as you would through Windows Explorer.

18 Add to library.
Drag the top level icon of the Shaft into the Design Library pane.
You can also drag it directly onto the hardware folder. After it is
dropped, the Add to Library dialog appears allowing you to name the
copy of the part.

70
SolidWorks 2012 Lesson 3
Advanced Mate Techniques

19 Name it Shaft_DL.
You can rename the library part or keep the same name by clicking OK.
Let’s call it Shaft_DL, and click OK.
Note Another option is to click the Add to Library icon and select the
part. It opens the same Add to Library dialog.
20 Result.
Shaft_DL is copied into the Hardware folder of
the Design Library.
Now, when you drag Shaft_DL into an assembly,
you can take advantage of the mate reference.
Close Shaft without saving the changes.

21 Drag and drop.

Rotate to the back of the assembly. Drag
Shaft_DL from the Design Library into the
assembly. It appears transparent.

While still holding the Shaft_DL part, move the cursor over the
circular edge of the hole in RoundCoverPl. The “pin in hole”
cursor appears. Drop the part.

71
Lesson 3 SolidWorks 2012
Advanced Mate Techniques

22 Configuration.
Because the part contains more than
one configuration, a list appears.
Choose S102B from the list, and
click OK. Dismiss the Insert
Components PropertyManager.

23 Completed.
Shaft_DL is added with two
mates, one concentric and one
coincident. It can still turn.

Capture Mate You can also use any existing mate on a component to define a Mate
References Reference for the component. When a component is edited in context
of the assembly, the Mate Reference dialog enables you to capture the
reference.
Note that capturing a reference is possible only while editing a part in
context of an assembly.

24 Edit a part.
Right-click Offset Shaft and click Edit Part .
25 Mate Reference.
Click Mate Reference .

72
SolidWorks 2012 Lesson 3
Advanced Mate Techniques

26 References to Capture.
Under References to
Capture, two mated
entities are listed, along
with their respective
mates.
27 Select.
Select either of the two
entities from the list. It
becomes the Primary
Reference Entity, with
its Type and Alignment
as well. If a second entity
is selected as well, it will
be the Secondary; a
third, the Tertiary. Click
OK.
28 Reference added.
Once saved, the Mate Reference in this component can be used for
future mates in this assembly or another. Return to editing the
assembly.
29 Save and close the files.

Smart Smart Components can associate

Components common components and features.
The insertion of a Smart Component
into an assembly enables easy
addition of related components and
features in one step. This Smart
Component can then be used in any
number of different assemblies and
always have its associated
components and features easily
inserted with it with no additional
steps.

73
Lesson 3 SolidWorks 2012
Advanced Mate Techniques

Create a Use of Smart Components is a two stage process. First the component
Smart Component to be made Smart must be assembled in a defining assembly with the
appropriate components and any in-context features. Next the Smart
Component is “detached” from this assembly, bringing with it any and
all information about the Smart Feature (or Component) references.
There is no residual external reference to the defining assembly or
other components.

Tip The defining assembly is similar to the base feature used when creating
a Library Feature. See the SolidWorks Essentials manual for more
information.
Create the The first step in creating a Smart Component is to establish a defining
Defining Assembly assembly. In this lesson, a mortise lock assembly demonstrates Smart
Components. Latch will be created from the beginning while the more
complex Lock will be partially built.
Creating the features associated with the Smart Component requires the
use of In-Context Features. See page 16 for more information.

1 Open assembly.
Open Box Assembly from the
Lesson03\Case Study\Smart
Components folder.

2 Smart Fasteners.
Add Smart Fasteners to the existing holes
in Latch. Two Flat Head Screw_AM
should be added.
For more information, see Smart
Fasteners on page 46.

Note For this example, use a screw from your current Toolbox Standard.

74
SolidWorks 2012 Lesson 3
Advanced Mate Techniques

Make Smart To create the Smart Component, the component, associated

Component components and features must be selected from the assembly using
Make Smart Component.

Where to Find It I Menu: Tools, Make Smart Component

3 Component selections.
Click Make Smart Component and select Latch
and the two Flat Head Screws as the related
Components.

4 Features.
Under Features, select the in-context
cut feature made in Cover for Latch.
The previously selected components
are automatically hidden but can be
shown by clicking Show
Components.
Click OK and create the smart feature.

5 Smart Component icon.

Latch is marked with a star indicating that it is a
Smart Component.
6 Save the file.
Save but do not close the assembly.

75
Lesson 3 SolidWorks 2012
Advanced Mate Techniques

Inserting the Smart Components can be inserted into an assembly using the same
Smart Component techniques as any other components. See Summary: Inserting and
Mating Components on page 92 for more information.

7 Open assembly.
Open Test from the Lesson03\Case
Study\Smart Components folder.

8 Insert Smart Component.

Insert and mate the Smart
Component Latch as shown using
distance, coincident and width mates.
To get this orientation, use the view
named 2.

76
SolidWorks 2012 Lesson 3
Advanced Mate Techniques

Inserting Smart After the Smart Component has been added to the assembly and mated,
Features the smart features and associated components can be added. This is
accomplished using the references and selections made in the original
assembly.

Where to Find It I Menu: Select the Smart Component and click Insert, Smart
Features
I Shortcut Menu: Right-click the Smart Component and click Insert
Smart Features
I Graphics Area: Click the Insert Smart Feature icon

9 Selections.
Click Insert Smart Feature in the graphics
area and select the face listed under References
as shown. Click Update feature and component
size/location when Smart Component moves/
changes.
Click OK.

Note All the clicked options under Features and Components are based on
the selections made when making the Smart Component and are
automatically selected. They can be cleared to prevent the addition of
that feature or component.

77
Lesson 3 SolidWorks 2012
Advanced Mate Techniques

10 Results.
The associated features and
components are added to the
assembly.
If the parts were exploded, you
would see the parts and the cut
feature applied to
Test.14X25.5.

11 FeatureManager design tree.

The FeatureManager design tree lists the Latch-1 folder that includes
Latch, a Features folder and toolbox parts.

78
SolidWorks 2012 Lesson 3
Advanced Mate Techniques

Using Multiple The previous example contained all the elements of a typical Smart
Features Component. The following example uses multiple features and
multiple components.

Note The in-context features required for the example have already been
created.

12 Smart Fasteners.
Return to Box Assembly and zoom
in on Lock. Add Smart Fasteners as
shown.

13 Make Smart Component.

Click Make Smart Component and select
Lock and the related Components as shown.
Select all three cut features in the 0.75x18x6
component as Features and click OK.

79
Lesson 3 SolidWorks 2012
Advanced Mate Techniques

14 Insert and mate.

Return to the Test assembly and insert the smart component. Mate it to
be centered on the face of Test.12X18 in both directions and flush
with the surface.

15 New Smart Feature.

Add the Lock Smart Feature using selections from the Test.12X18
component.

16 Save and close the files.

80
SolidWorks 2012 Lesson 3
Advanced Mate Techniques

Using Auto Size The Auto Size option within

Make Smart Component
can place and size a smart
component. By selecting a
cylindrical face as a mate
reference, the diameter is
read by the smart component
and is used as a trigger for
selecting an appropriate
configuration based on a
range of diameters.
Because it is based on
cylindrical references, only shaft-type parts can utilize this option.
In this example, an end cap for pipes demonstrates the option.

Note The focus is strictly on how the Auto Size option works. Although we
know that additional components and features can be created along
with the Smart Component, they are not used here for clarity.

1 Open an assembly file.

Open Smart_Base_Assembly
from the Lesson03\Case
Study\Autosize folder. The
assembly includes the
Smart_Drain_Pipe component.

Tip The cylinder represents a pipe that Smart_EC will cap. Note that the
“pipe” model is solid, because the cap is designed to fit the outer
diameter only.

81
Lesson 3 SolidWorks 2012
Advanced Mate Techniques

2 Open a part file.

Open Smart_EC. It is built using a
revolved feature with an inner diameter
dimension.

It also contains configurations that drive the

inner diameter. The sizes represent standard
pipes of 3/8”, 1/2”, 3/4” and 1” diameter.
Close the part.
3 Insert component.
Drag Smart_EC into the
Smart_Base_Assembly
assembly using the mate
reference as shown.

4 Make Smart Component.

Select the Smart_EC component and click Make
Smart Component . Click the Diameter
checkbox and select the inner face of the
component as shown.

This creates a mate reference that includes a

sensor to determine the diameter of the attachment
face.

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SolidWorks 2012 Lesson 3
Advanced Mate Techniques

Configurator Table The Configurator Table controls matching configurations and features
and parts used by the smart feature. The chart is filled in using
pulldowns for configurations and typing for numbers.
For example, a pipe diameter that falls between 0.8” and 0.9” selects
the 12 configuration of the Smart Component. This range is chosen
because a standard 1/2” pipe has an OD of 0.84”.

5 Configurator Table.
Click Configurator
Table and fill in the
chart as shown. The
ranges will capture
standard pipe OD’s.
Click OK twice.

Note If the smart component contained associated parts and features, like the
previous case study, additional columns would be added.

Features of the The FeatureManager design tree

Smart Component shows that the smart component
contains two new features: the Smart
Feature folder and a
SmartPartSensor-<1> mate
reference.
The new mate reference places the
component and supersedes the
original mate reference.

6 Save and close the files.

83
Lesson 3 SolidWorks 2012
Advanced Mate Techniques

7 Open an assembly file.

Open test.assembly from the
Lesson03\Case Study\Autosize
folder. The assembly includes several
“test pipe” components of different
standard sizes at various angles.
8 Insert component.
Drag Smart_EC from Windows
Explorer into the assembly and locate
it on the cylindrical face of the
test.pipe.A component as shown. The sensor reads the diameter of the
component (0.675”) and determines if there is a corresponding range in
the Configurator. The range 0.6” to 0.7” applies, so the configuration
38 (3/8”) is selected and used. Drop the component and use Flip Mate
Alignment if necessary.

9 Add components.
Add the remaining
components as shown using
the same Smart Component.

Note When you drag onto test.pipe.B, why does the Select Configuration
dialog appear? The option appears because two configurations
(Default and 12) have the same range values in the configurator.
10 Save and close the files.

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SolidWorks 2012 Lesson 3
Advanced Mate Techniques

Advanced and In addition to the standard mates, there are specialized Advanced
Mechanical Mates and Mechanical Mates for use under certain circumstances.
Mate Types
Advanced Mate These include Symmetric, Width, Path Mate, Linear/Linear Coupler
Types and Limit mates.
I A Symmetric Mate forces two similar entities to be symmetric
about a plane or planar face; it does not create mirrored
components.
I A Width Mate centers a tab within the width of a groove. The
groove can consist of 2 parallel or non-parallel planar faces, and the
tab may consist of a cylindrical face, or 2 parallel or non-parallel
planar faces.
I A Path Mate connects the vertex of a component to a path. The
component can be dragged along that path using settings for Path
Constraint, Pitch/Yaw Control and Roll Control.

Note The path can be a single edge or multiple edges using

the Selection Manager.
I A Linear/Linear Coupler mate defines relative
linear motion between 2 components. A ratio determines the
differences.

Note The selection defines both the component and the direction of linear
movement.
I A Limit Mate defines a range of motion for a Distance or
Angle mate, allowing some freedom of movement.
Mechanical Mate Mechanical Mates represent common mechanical joints. These
Types include Cam, Gear, Hinge, Rack Pinion, Screw and Universal Joint
mates.
I A Cam (or Cam-Follower) Mate is a type of tangent or
coincident mate. It enables you to mate a cylinder, plane, or point to
a series of tangent extruded surfaces, such as you would find on a
cam.
I A Hinge mate simulates a hinge using a concentric, coincident and
angle mate with limits.
I A Gear Mate defines a relationship between mechanically
connected gears or pulleys. It enables you to maintain the desired
ratio of rotational motion between components. Note that counter-
rotating gears are the default relationship, so for pulleys you must
check the Reverse direction check box (gears turn in opposite
directions, pulleys turn in the same direction).

85
Lesson 3 SolidWorks 2012
Advanced Mate Techniques

I A Rack Pinion Mate creates “traction”, enabling linear motion

of one component to create rotational motion in another, and vise-
versa.
I A Screw Mate creates a relationship between two cylindrical
faces designed to mimic the motion of threads.
I A Universal Joint Mate simulates the motion of a universal
joint using two components and a Joint Point.

1 Open an assembly file.

Open AdvMates from the
Lesson03\Case Study\AdvMates
folder. The assembly consists of
simple link, pulley and cam systems.
We will add a belt assembly feature to
control the pulley motion.
We will also add appropriate mates to
other components of the assembly to
get the desired motion.
2 Insert mate.
Click Mate and expand
Mechanical Mates.

3 Define a gear mate between

the pulleys.
Click Gear . Select the outer
circular edges of the pulley
components. The 350mm and
250mm diameters are taken
directly from the geometry
(either a circular edge, including
a reference pitch circle, or
cylinder face) and define the
ratio between them. These
values may be overridden
manually.
Since the default motion for this
mate type is counter-rotating
gears, pulleys and a belt require
you to Reverse the direction to
get the correct motion. DON’T
click OK yet.

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The Belt / Chain The Belt/Chain Assembly Feature is a special type of assembly feature
Assembly Feature specifically designed to relate pulleys or sprockets.
Introducing: Belt/Chain Assembly Feature adds appropriate mates and relationships
Belt/Chain to achieve the desired rotational result, and gives the option to create a
new part from the feature. The Belt/Chain feature creates a sketch that
can be made into a solid using a sweep. Multiple pulleys or sprockets
can be included.
Where to Find It I CommandManager: Assembly > Assembly Features > Belt/
Chain
I Menu: Insert, Assembly Feature, Belt/Chain

4 Alternative.
The Gear Mate is a simple, convenient way to attain relative rotational
motion between two components. But in the case of pulleys and a belt,
or sprockets and a chain, in particular when an idler is involved (a gear
mate can be applied to two components only), there is another option.
Click Cancel in the Mate dialog.
5 Add Belt/Chain feature.
Click Belt/Chain . It may
be helpful to switch to Hidden
Lines Visible and the Right
orientation.
Axes, circular edges or
cylinder faces can be selected.
Select the two edges that form
the bottoms of the pulley v-
grooves, and the outer edge of
the idler wheel.
The diameter of each circle is
indicated, and can be modified
here if necessary. Use Flip
belt side on idler if necessary
to put the belt inside.
If necessary, we could specify an alternate Belt Location Plane for the
belt. In this case, the belt plane is correct.

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6 Other properties.
The Properties area offers
some belt definition choices. It
is unlikely we would find a
standard belt of length
2235.36mm. By making the belt
Driving, we can set a standard
length. Enter 2000mm
(2 meters). This keeps the two
pulleys almost aligned vertically
and tightens idler.
Also, the nominal length should
not be calculated by the
minimum provided by the v-
groove circumference, so we need to add some belt thickness. Set it to
15mm. The belt curve will be offset from all the pulleys by half the
thickness, or 7.5mm.
Engage belt is a toggle for suppressing and unsuppressing the mates.
Should there be a need to adjust the phase of the pulleys or gears, this
box could be cleared and the pulleys would move independently.
Create belt part would take the newly created assembly feature and
save it as a part file with name of your choice. We won’t create a part
from this belt. Click OK.
The pulleys now move according to the traction of the belt.
7 Add Coincident Mate to the pin-in-
slot relationship.
Next add a coincident mate between
the temporary axis of pulley <1> and
the Top plane of link <1>.

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SolidWorks 2012 Lesson 3
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8 Limit Mate.
Now we want to keep the pin
within the length of the slot.
Click on the Advanced Mates
tab, and click Distance .
Use the axis of pulley again,
and this time the Right plane
of the link. Set the base
dimension to 0mm, Maximum
Value to 50mm and Minimum
Value to - 50mm. Click OK
twice to apply and close the
mate dialog.
9 Move component.
Move pulley to verify the
motion of link.

10 Add a Cam Mate.

Insert another mate, and expand the Mechanical Mates tab. Click Cam
.
11 Select cam face.
For Mate Selections, select the thickness face of
cam.

Note This cam surface is one face, created with a fit spline.
In the case where the cam surface consists of several
separate but tangent faces, they all must be selected.

12 Select Cam Follower face.

The Cam Follower is the
thickness face of the yellow
roller.
It may be necessary to flip
the alignment of the mate.
Click OK twice.

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Lesson 3 SolidWorks 2012
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13 Complete motion.
Rotate the lower pulley. The upper pulley follows at the correct speed,
link follows the pin, and Follower moves with cam.

Tip For more on motion and animations, see the Creating Animations with
SolidWorks Step-By-Step manual.
14 Save and close the files.

Rack Pinion Mate As earlier indicated, the Rack Pinion Mate is for relating rotation and
translation. This can apply to a gear and rack relationship, or to any
conveyor operation, such as roller feed or a wheel rolling on a surface.

1 Open an assembly file.

Open Rack&Pinion from the
Lesson03\Case
Study\RackPinionMate
folder.
The assembly contains just
two parts, spur gear and
rack. The sketches containing
the tooth cut dimensions are shown.
2 Tangency.
The first thing needed is an appropriate tangent relationship between
spur gear and rack. Were this a simple wheel resting on a surface,
that would be easy. But with gear teeth, we must use the pitch circle.
3 Distance mate.
Add a 3” distance mate between
the center of the spur gear and the
highlighted pitch line of the rack.

Pitch Line

Note We can’t mate tangent to the pitch circle, but the next best thing will be
a Distance Mate from the center of spur gear to the pitch line of
rack. The Pitch Line is the construction line through the middle of the
tooth cut. The pitch diameter is 6 inches, so the distance to mate is 3
inches.

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SolidWorks 2012 Lesson 3
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Determine if the teeth are interfering. If they are, now is the time to
adjust either rack or spur gear so that they mesh. After applying the
Rack Pinion Mate, you will not be able to fix meshing without
suppressing the mate.
4 Rack Pinion Mate.
Under Mechanical Mates in the Mate dialog,
select Rack Pinion and Pinion pitch
diameter.
Rack - Select the long lower edge. Any linear
edge that runs in the direction of travel is
adequate.
Pinion - Select the pitch circle of spur gear. The
Pinion pitch diameter, 6 inches, is taken from the
geometry. Click OK twice.

5 Test.
Test the motion of the assembly. If necessary, edit the mate and select
Reverse to change the direction of motion.
6 Save and close the files.

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Lesson 3 SolidWorks 2012
Advanced Mate Techniques

Summary: There are several ways to insert components into an assembly. Mates
Inserting and can also be created in several different ways. Some mates can be
Mating created as you insert the component, others only after the component
has been added. For reference purposes, the tables on the following
Components
pages summarize the ways that each operation can be done.
Inserting the First The first component added to any assembly is automatically fixed.
Component Components dropped onto the Origin of the assembly in the graphics
area, whether they are the first one or not, are also fixed in space.

Method Description
Insert, Component, Drop the component at a free location or
Existing Part/ drop it at the Origin of the assembly.
Assembly
Drag and drop the file Drag the file from Windows Explorer into
from Windows the graphics window of the assembly, either
Explorer at a free location or at the Origin.
Drag and drop from Drag top level icon of the part’s
an open document FeatureManager design tree into the
graphics window of the assembly, either at a
free location or at the Origin.

Inserting Once there is at least one instance of a component in the assembly,

Additional additional ones can be added without looking outside the assembly.
Components
Method Description

Drag and drop from Select a component’s graphics or icon in the

within the graphics FeatureManager design tree, and hold down
window Ctrl and drag into the graphics area to create
another instance. This method also copies
the orientation of the component.
Copy and paste the Select a component’s icon in the
component from FeatureManager design tree and copy it to
FeatureManager the clipboard. Click in the graphics area and
design tree or paste it. The component will be pasted at
component graphics the assembly Origin although it will not be
into the graphics fixed.
window

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SolidWorks 2012 Lesson 3
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Inserting and Inserting and mating a component at the same time.

Mating
Simultaneously Method Description

Mate entity Drag a face, edge, or vertex of a component

from an open document onto the
appropriate face, edge or vertex in the
assembly.
Using a Mate Drag the top level component of an open
Reference document, or a component from Windows
Explorer or the Design Library, onto the
appropriate face, edge or vertex in the
assembly.

Mating Existing Mating components that have already been inserted into the assembly.
Components
Method Description

Mate Add mates between any pair of the

following objects: faces, edges, vertices,
axes, temporary axes, planes, origins,
sketch lines or points. Any type of mate can
be created.
Mate using Alt-drag Infers Concentric or Coincident mate
on the mating entity types only, but can be changed to other
of the free types before confirmation (except “pin in
component. hole”).
Use the SmartMates Infers Concentric or Coincident mate
tool from within types only, but can be changed to other
the Move types before confirmation (except “pin in
Component hole”).
PropertyManager.
Use Multiple mate Mates multiple components to a common
mode in the Mate reference in one operation, such as several
PropertyManager. gears or bushings to a single shaft.

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Multiple Mate The Multiple Mate Mode is useful when a series of mates will share a
Mode common selection. It enables you to make a single “common” selection
that is used in multiple mates.

1 Open an assembly file.

Open Multiple_Mates from the Lesson03\Case Study\Multiple
Mates folder. The assembly contains one fixed component and five
unmated components.

2 Select common face.

Click Mate . Select the inner circular face of Main Body as shown.
Click Multiple mate mode .

Note The Create multi-mate folder option groups the mates created into a
single folder. The Link dimensions option can only be used if the
mates are of the Distance or Angle type.

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SolidWorks 2012 Lesson 3
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3 Multiple mate selection.

Select the circular face of Plunger as shown. Click Flip Mate
Alignment on the pop-up toolbar if required while adding the mate.

Do not click OK on the Mate PropertyManager as yet.

4 Additional components.
Select additional components by clicking the circular faces shown.

5 Alignment.
Mate alignment can also be reversed after creation.
In the Mates dialog, select the mate to be reversed
and click the alignment controls Aligned or
Anti-aligned to reverse them. You can also use
View Mates.
Click OK.

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Lesson 3 SolidWorks 2012
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6 Completed.
Complete the mating by moving components
and adding mates.
7 Save and close the files.

Using Copy The Copy with Mates tool allows you

with Mates to copy multiple components to create
new instances with mates. The new
mates are based on the mates of the
seed components, modified to suit the
new conditions.

Copy with Mates Copy with Mates can be used where patterns will not give the proper
vs. Patterns results. Patterns are limited to Linear, Circular and Feature Driven
types and they do not generate mates. In this example. the components
of a spiral staircase will be copied, placing and rotating them as they
are added.

Where to Find It I CommandManager: Assembly > Insert Components > Copy

with Mates
I Menu: Insert, Component, Copy with Mates

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SolidWorks 2012 Lesson 3
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1 Open an assembly file.

Open Copy With Mates from the
Lesson03\Case Study\Using
Copy with Mates folder. The
assembly contains two components
(spacer and step) that will be copied
to two other positions on center pole.

2 Select components.
Click Copy with Mates and select spacer and
step. Four mates appear in the Mates group box,
Concentric11 and Concentric2, Coincident1
and Concentric3.

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Lesson 3 SolidWorks 2012
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Mate Options There are several options available with each mate; it can be used with
a replacement selection, it can be ignored or it can be repeated.
I Select a replacement entity (face, plane, edge etc.) and use Flip
Mate Alignment , if necessary, to get the proper direction.
I Click the mate icon ( Coincident1 for example) to ignore the
mate. It will not be used in the placement of the copy.
I Click the Repeat option to use the same selections as the original
mate with the copy.
Investigating the The mates listed in the dialog are those required to copy and mate the
Mates selected components. Let’s investigate the mates further with View
Mates before choosing the proper Mate Options.
Mates That Will Not Both spacer and step remain mated to the center pole component.
Change These mates will use Repeat.

The Concentric11 mate is

between the outer face of the
center pole and the inner face of
the spacer.

The Concentric2 mate is between

the outer face of the center pole
and the inner face of the step.

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SolidWorks 2012 Lesson 3
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Mates That Will The spacer component will be stacked on the previous step
Change component. A hole in the spacer component will line up with a hole in
the previous step component. These mates will require a replacement
selection.

The Coincident1 mate is between

the upper face of the center pole
flange and the bottom face of
spacer.

The Concentric3 mate is between

a bolt hole of the center pole
flange and a bolt hole of spacer.

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Lesson 3 SolidWorks 2012
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3 First replacement entity.

Click Repeat for the Concentric11 and
Concentric2 mates.
Click in the Concentric3 field and select the
circular face (hole) of the step as indicated.

4 Additional face.
Click in the Coincident1 field and
select the upper planar face of the
step as indicated.

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SolidWorks 2012 Lesson 3
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5 Repeat.
Click OK then add another
copy of the same
components rotating the set
counterclockwise.

Tip Select the next hole face counterclockwise from the hole
marked with the notch.

6 Additional copies.
Create a total of three copies,
rotating one bolt hole
counterclockwise with each
additional copy.
7 End command.
Click OK twice to complete
the mating and exit the
PropertyManager.

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Lesson 3 SolidWorks 2012
Advanced Mate Techniques

8 Mates.
Expand the Mates folder. Groups of
mates are created for each instance of
each component.
9 Save and close the files.

102
SolidWorks 2012 Exercise 6
Mates and Animation

Exercise 6: Create this assembly using the

Mates and component parts provided,
Animation using the Mate References,
standard mates and mate
shortcuts. When it is
completed, drag a component
to show the animation.
This lab uses the following
skills:
I Mate References on
page 62
I Mate Capabilities on
page 62

Design Intent The components used in this assembly are shown exploded below:
CLAMP_PLUNGER CLAMP_ARM_L CLAMP_ARM_R

nut

CLAMP_LINK

flange bolt
long
flange bolt short Baseplate

Procedure: Create a new assembly using the Assembly_IN template.

1 First component.
Insert Baseplate from the
Lesson03\Exercises\MateRef
folder. Fix the component by
dropping it onto the Origin.
Note Use whatever method of mating is
most efficient for the remaining
components. All components have
mate references as indicated.

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Exercise 6 SolidWorks 2012
Mates and Animation

2 Flange bolt short.

Insert and mate flange bolt short to
Baseplate. Create a concentric mate.
Because of the mate reference, you
can drag and drop the bolt from
Windows Explorer into the hole
using the mate shortcut.

The Mate Reference (cylindrical face) for the

component is shown at the right.

3 CLAMP_ARM_L.
Add CLAMP_ARM_L so that it is
mated to flange bolt short with
concentric and coincident mates.
It also has to be mated to the lever
boss feature on Baseplate.

The Mate Reference (cylindrical face)

for the component is shown at the
right.
Mate CLAMP_ARM_L to Baseplate
with a coincident mate.

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SolidWorks 2012 Exercise 6
Mates and Animation

4 CLAMP_ARM_R.
Add CLAMP_ARM_R into the
assembly and mate it to Baseplate,
flange bolt short, and
CLAMP_ARM_L.
The two clamp arms should move
together.

The Mate Reference (cylindrical face)

for the component is shown at the right.

5 Nut.
Add and mate one nut to the
assembly. It needs concentric and
coincident mates. Eventually, three
instances of nut will be used in the
assembly.

The Mate Reference

(circular edge) for the
component is shown at the
right.

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Exercise 6 SolidWorks 2012
Mates and Animation

6 CLAMP_LINK.
Add CLAMP_LINK to the
assembly. This component will be
used twice.
Mate CLAMP_LINK to
CLAMP_ARM_L with a concentric
and a coincident mate.
Note The CLAMP_LINK is shown
highlighted for visibility.

The Mate Reference (cylindrical face)

for the component is shown at the right.

7 Flange bolt long.

Flange bolt long is similar to
flange bolt short with a longer
shaft. Two of these are used in the
assembly. Insert it and mate it as
shown.

The Mate Reference (cylindrical face)

for the component is shown at the right.

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SolidWorks 2012 Exercise 6
Mates and Animation

8 Another CLAMP_LINK and

nut.
Add a second instance of
CLAMP_LINK and nut to the
assembly and mate them. Do not
worry about adding a mate between
the two instances of
CLAMP_LINK so that they move
together. This will be taken care of
when they are bolted to
CLAMP_PLUNGER in the next
step.

9 Complete the assembly.

Complete the assembly by
adding CLAMP_PLUNGER
through the hole in
Baseplate.
Add a second instance of
flange bolt long and another
nut as shown.

The Mate Reference (cylindrical

face) for the component is shown
at the right.

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Exercise 6 SolidWorks 2012
Mates and Animation

10 Dynamic collision detection.

Click Move Component
and turn on Collision
Detection. Move the linkage
through its range of motion.
You should detect interference
between CLAMP_LINK and
Baseplate.
11 Save and close the files.

108
SolidWorks 2012 Exercise 7
Using Copy With Mates

Exercise 7: Add components to this assembly using

Using Copy Copy with Mates.
With Mates This lab uses the following skills:
I Using Copy with Mates on page 96

Procedure: Open Copy With Mates from the Lesson03\Exercises\Copy with

Mates folder. Copy and orient Gasket and Housing to the open ports
on Mixer as shown.

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Exercise 8 SolidWorks 2012
Smart Components 1

Exercise 8: Create a new Smart Component and insert it into an assembly.

Smart
Components 1

This lab reinforces the following skills:

I Create a Smart Component on page 74
I Inserting the Smart Component on page 76
Procedure Use the following procedure:
1 Open an assembly file.
Open Source from the Lesson03\Exercises\
Smart_Component_lab folder.
This assembly contains the features and
components that will create the Smart
Component. In-context cuts have already been
made in Mount.

2 Fasteners.
Add Smart Fasteners to
the Smart_Knob and
Strike components as
shown.

Note Change the fasteners on Smart_Knob to Pan Head Cross screws

(Machine Screws) during creation.

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SolidWorks 2012 Exercise 8
Smart Components 1

3 Make Smart Component.

Select Smart_Knob as the Smart Component, all fasteners, Strike
and Long Handle as included Components, and all the cuts in
Mount as the included Features to complete the Smart Component.
4 Insert Smart Component.
Open the assembly
Place_Smart_Component and
insert Smart_Knob using the mate
reference. Locate the component
using distance mates from planes as
shown.

5 Make smart.
Add Smart_Knob using
selections on Mount.
6 Save and close the files.

111
Exercise 9 SolidWorks 2012
Smart Components 2

Exercise 9: Create a new Smart Component and insert it into an assembly.

Smart
Components 2

This lab reinforces the following skills:

I Create a Smart Component on page 74
I Inserting the Smart Component on page 76
Procedure Use the following procedure:
1 Open an assembly file.
Open defining_assembly from the
Lesson03\Exercises\SmartComp
folder.
This assembly contains the features and
components that will be part of the
Smart Component.
2 Make the d_connector Smart.
Select the hex_nuts and screws as included components, and all
cutouts in smetal_part as the included features.
3 Configurator.
Use the Configurator Table to ensure that the cutout configuration will
match the d_connector configuration. 6mm screws and hex nuts are
adequate for all configurations.
4 Save and close the files.

5 Open an assembly file.

Open computer from the Lesson03\Exercises\SmartComp
folder. This assembly contains part of a computer chassis and some
internal components. It may be helpful to hide mother board.

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SolidWorks 2012 Exercise 9
Smart Components 2

6 Add d_connector to the assembly.

Take advantage of the existing Mate Reference to
mate the connector to the sheet metal face as
indicated.

Move or mate the connector as necessary to

position it on the face.
7 Activate the Smart Feature.
Right-click d_connector and click Insert Smart
Features.
Select the hidden (outside) face of the computer
chassis as the placement reference. Click OK.
8 Finished.
The connector is inserted with the accompanying fasteners, and the
cutouts are added to the chassis.

9 Save and close the files.

113
Exercise 10 SolidWorks 2012
Gear Mates

Exercise 10: Create the desired motion in the gears using

Gear Mates Gear Mates. This lab reinforces the
following skills:
I Advanced and Mechanical Mate
Types on page 85

Tip In the gear part files, the sketch that defines the teeth has been shown.
You will need to locate the Pitch Circle of each gear to attain the
correct ratio automatically. Otherwise, if you use the bore or another
circle or cylindrical face, you will need to manually override the ratio.
The pitch circles from meshing gears are tangent to each other.

Procedure Use the following procedure:

1 Open an assembly file.
Open gears from the Lesson03\Exercises\Gears folder.
The components are already constrained to allow rotation only.
2 Mate the planetary Spur Gears to
the central Spur Gear.
The central drive gear should be Gear
Mated to each of the three smaller
gears (the correct Ratio is 2 : 1).

Tip The Gear Mate operation does not account for meshing of gear teeth,
and does not detect interference. To maintain the correct appearance of
meshing gears, be sure the teeth do not interfere before adding the
mates.

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SolidWorks 2012 Exercise 10
Gear Mates

3 Gear Mate.
Mate Internal Spur Gear to one of the
small planetary gears.
(The correct Ratio is 4 : 1.)
Be aware of direction; since one gear is
nested inside the other, the rotation is
reversed.

Important! If all the planetary gears are mated to the central drive gear, it is not
necessary to mate more than one of the planetary gears to the large
Internal Spur Gear. Doing so is redundant, and may even cause the
assembly to go over defined.
4 Finished.
Now when the drive gear is rotated, the internal gear turns at half the
speed and in the opposite direction.
5 Save and close the files.

115
Exercise 10 SolidWorks 2012
Gear Mates

116
 Lesson 4
Using Configurations with
Assemblies

Upon successful completion of this lesson, you will be able to:

I Pattern components.
I Create a configuration of an assembly.
I Use configure component to automate the creation of
configurations.
I Create a custom PropertyManager for a part.

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Lesson 4 SolidWorks 2012
Using Configurations with Assemblies

Using Configurations at the assembly

Configurations level create variations of the
with assembly within the same
assembly document.
Assemblies

Stages in the The major stages in the process are listed below:
Process
I Component Patterns
Create instances of components based on linear, circular, or part-level
features/holes.
I Manual Configurations
Review existing configurations and modify the properties.
I Configuration Publisher
Create a PropertyManager for a part to facilitate easier configuration
selection when inserting the part into an assembly.
Procedure Starting with an existing assembly, we create multiple configurations to
represent several options in the design of the support leg of a gas grill.
We utilize existing part and sub-assembly configurations.

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SolidWorks 2012 Lesson 4
Using Configurations with Assemblies

Components and The Plank component used in this lesson has two
Sub-assemblies configurations. Each configuration assigns a
different material to the part.

The Side_Table_Shelf_&_Burners
sub-assembly has left and right hand configurations
representing the position of the burners. The Left
configuration is shown.

1 Open an assembly file.

Open Support_Frame from the
Lesson04\Case Study folder.
There is one instance of the
Plank component. This instance
uses the Wood configuration.

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Lesson 4 SolidWorks 2012
Using Configurations with Assemblies

Component Component Patterns create instances of components based on an

Patterns assembly-level pattern or existing part-level patterns.
Linear and Circular component patterns are defined using
geometry in the assembly, similar to their counterparts in part models.
Feature Driven component patterns are defined using existing
pattern and hole features selected from component parts in the
assembly.

Component Pattern Based on Part-level Feature or Hole

Linear None

Circular None

Feature Driven Sketch Driven

Table Driven

Curve Driven
Fill

Hole Series

Hole Wizard

Where to Find It I CommandManager: Assembly > Linear Component Pattern

> Feature Driven Component Pattern
I Menu: Insert, Component Pattern, Feature Driven

Note Instances of the patterned components are added into pattern folders
such as DerivedLPattern1.

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SolidWorks 2012 Lesson 4
Using Configurations with Assemblies

2 Component Pattern.
Click Feature Driven Component Pattern
and select Plank. Click in the Driving Feature
field, and select the pattern feature LPattern1
from Support_Leg <1> in the flyout
FeatureManager design tree or from a face of the
geometry.

Note Select Seed Position allows you to choose a different position for the
seed component. By default, it starts from its mated location.
3 Components.
The components generated by the pattern are stored
beneath the DerivedPattern1 feature. They are
created without mates; they are tied to the pattern
positions.

Note The components can be broken from the pattern by right-clicking the
pattern feature and clicking Dissolve Pattern. The components are
added into the FeatureManager design tree without any mates. To
create a “pattern” of fully defined component instances, see Using
Copy with Mates on page 96.

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Lesson 4 SolidWorks 2012
Using Configurations with Assemblies

Creating The most direct way to create a configuration is manually. See the
Configurations Essentials manual for more information.
Manually There are several reasons to create configurations manually, where no
suppression or numeric changes are required. In these cases, just
creating the configuration name is enough.
I Exploded Views - Each exploded view needs its own configuration.
I Alternate Position Views - Each alternate position view needs its
own configuration. They are overlaid in the drawing view.
I Component Positioning - To create views that show the range of
motion or multiple positions of a component. Move component can
be set to store positions in configurations.

Where to Find It I ConfigurationManager: Right-click the top-level icon and click

Add Configuration
I Shortcut Menu: Right-click the component and click Add
Configuration
When you add a new configuration in this way, the settings of the
active configuration are copied. Configurations can also be created by
copying and pasting them in the ConfigurationManager.
Configuration Some of the assembly Configuration Properties options are the same
Properties as those for a part, but the Advanced Options differ.
I Suppress new features and mates means that if mates or
assembly features are added to the assembly while another
configuration is active, the new mates or assembly features will be
suppressed in this configuration.
I Suppress new components means that if components are added
to the assembly while another configuration is active, the
components will be suppressed in this configuration.
I Hide new components means that if components are added to the
assembly while another configuration is active, the components
will be hidden in this configuration. This information is stored in
the display state.

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SolidWorks 2012 Lesson 4
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4 Configuration properties.
Click the ConfigurationManager. Right-click the
Default configuration and click Properties.
In the Advanced Options group, click Suppress
new features and mates and Suppress new
components. Click OK.
5 Rename configuration.
Rename the Default configuration to
Planks_Wood.

Tip By making these settings in this existing configuration, new

configurations use these settings.

Using Use Configure Component on a component, assembly feature or mate

Configure to automate the process of creating configurations. The tabular
Component interface allows you to create new configurations and set options for
the selection.

Configure component
Entity
options

Top-level Part Component Current state: Suppress with

checkbox and Configuration
drop down list
Top-level Sub-assembly Current state: Suppress with
Component checkbox and Configuration
drop down list

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Lesson 4 SolidWorks 2012
Using Configurations with Assemblies

Configure component
Entity
options

Assembly feature in the Current state: Suppress with

FeatureManager design tree checkbox
Assembly feature dimension Current value with number
in the graphics area box
Mate in the FeatureManager Current state: Suppress with
design tree checkbox
Mate dimension in the Current value with number
graphics area box

Note Select multiple entities to configure more than one entity at a time.

Where to Find It I Shortcut Menu: Right-click an item and click Configure

Component or Configure Feature

6 Configure component.
Right-click Plank<1> and click
Configure component. Type
Planks_Plastic over the
<Creates a new configuration>
text. Select the Plastic
configuration for the part in the
new assembly configuration. Click OK.
7 Resulting configurations.
The new configurations each use a different configuration of Plank.

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SolidWorks 2012 Lesson 4
Using Configurations with Assemblies

8 Add new configuration.

Right-click Plank<1> and click
Configure component. Type
Single_Tray over the <Creates a
new configuration> text. Click
Suppress for the newest
configuration. Click OK.
9 Manual suppress.
Make the Single_Tray configuration active. Right-click the
DerivedPattern1 feature and click Suppress .
10 Mate component.
Insert side_table_shelf and mate it to the assembly as shown using
coincident and concentric mates. The component contains a mate
reference. For more information, see Adding Mate References on
page 68.

Mate Reference

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Lesson 4 SolidWorks 2012
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11 Mates by configuration.
Due to the settings used in the Configuration Properties (step 4 on
page 123), side_table_shelf and its mates are automatically suppessed
in all configurations except the currently active one (Single_Tray).

12 Add new configuration.

Right-click side_table_shelf and
click Configure component.
Type LH_Burners over the
<Creates a new configuration>
text. Click Suppress for the
newest configuration. Click OK.

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SolidWorks 2012 Lesson 4
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13 Insert sub-assembly.
Activate the LH_Burners configuration.
Insert side_table_shelf_&_burners with
the Left configuration. Mate it similar to
side_table_shelf from step 10 on page
125. This sub-assembly has several sub-
assemblies nested within it.

14 Add new configuration.

Right-click the
side_table_shelf_&_burners
sub-assembly in the FeatureManager
design tree and click Configure
component. Type RH_Burners over
the <Creates a new configuration> text. Select the Right configuration
of the sub-assembly for the newest configuration of the main assembly.
Click OK.

Note You right-click the sub-assembly in the FeatureManager design tree to

ensure that you are configuring the sub-assembly and not one of its
components.
15 Activate configuration.
Activate the RH_Burners
configuration to see the new
arrangement of the burners.
16 Save the files.
Save but do not close the assembly.

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Lesson 4 SolidWorks 2012
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Configuration The Configuration Publisher tool creates a custom dialog with

Publisher parameters for components that are inserted into assemblies. If
configurations exist in the component, then the parameters are taken
from the configuration data in the part. If configurations do not exist in
the component, they can be created using specified criteria as you insert
the component into an assembly.
When using Configuration Publisher with existing configurations,
only configured features and dimensions are used. Other features and
dimensions are not available.

Where to Find It I Shortcut Menu: Right-click the top level component in the
FeatureManager design tree and click Configuration Publisher

Tip This lesson exhibits a fairly simple use of this functionality. It is most
useful for a component with many configured features and dimensions.
For example, it could greatly simplify inserting an air filter with many
length, width, and material combinations into an assembly.

17 Open a part file.

Open Wheel.
There are six configurations
in this part. There are three
diameters and two different
representations of a hubcap.

with hubcap without hubcap

18 Set parameters.
Right-click the top level
component in the
FeatureManager design tree and
click Configuration Publisher.
Drag the controls from the left
onto the Edit tab in the order shown.
Only two controls are available because these are the only configured
features or dimensions.
19 Names.
Type the labels shown into the
Name box for each control.

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20 Preview.
A preview of the PropertyManager appears on
the SW Preview tab. Return to the Edit tab,
click Apply, then click Close.

21 Location.
The PropertyManager feature is stored in the
ConfigurationManager. You can right-click the
icon and click Edit Feature to edit it.
22 Save and close the files.

Using the The PropertyManager appears each time the component is inserted into
PropertyManager an assembly. You can use the controls to insert the component by its
parameters or by a specific configuration name. As you change
selections in the PropertyManager, the preview of the component
changes in the graphics area.

23 Insert component.
Click Insert Components and add the Wheel component to the
assembly.
24 Configure component.
The Configure Component
PropertyManager appears. Under
Parameters, select 200 for Diameter and
select the Hubcap check box. Click OK.
25 Copy component.
Hold down Ctrl and drag the wheel into the
graphics area to create another instance.
Choose the same size for this instance.

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26 Mate.
Hold down Alt and drag the circular
edge of Wheel to the circular edge
of Support_Leg to add concentric
and coincident mates. Watch for the
pointer to indicate the proper
mate relationships.
Repeat for the other Wheel.

27 Configure
components.
Hold down Ctrl and
select both Wheel
components.
Right-click and click Configure component to configure both wheels
at the same time. Clear the Suppress check boxes for all
configurations of both wheels. Click OK.
28 Test configurations.
Activate each configuration in turn. Make sure the wheels appear in all
configurations and that the proper plank or side table configurations
appear.
29 Save the files.
Save but do not close the assembly.

Information from Information can be extracted from an assembly to determine some of

an Assembly its parameters such as size, depth and references.
Introducing: For statistics on the quantities of certain types of part components and
AssemblyXpert sub-assemblies, AssemblyXpert can be used. It can also diagnose
errors.
The report lists information about the:
I Number of components
I Type of components
I Components status
I Structure of the assembly
I Rebuild time for the total assembly

Where to Find It I CommandManager: Evaluate > AssemblyXpert

I Menu: Tools, AssemblyXpert

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SolidWorks 2012 Lesson 4
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30 AssemblyXpert.
Activate the
RH_Burners
configuration. Click
AssemblyXpert to
see information about
this configuration of
Support_Frame.
Click OK.

What is the The Maximum Depth is the 1.

Maximum Depth? number of levels of sub-
assemblies within the
assembly starting with the top
level assembly.

2.

3.

4.

31 Save and close the files.

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Lesson 4 SolidWorks 2012
Using Configurations with Assemblies

Summary of When configuring components, the two things you typically set are the
Methods to Control Suppression State and the Component Configuration. There are
Component several ways to accomplish these tasks, and often the best way is
Configuration and strictly a matter of convenience.
State

Note Options with tooltips that include Unsuppress will work to Resolve a
component at the assembly level as well as unsuppress at the part level.
Here is a summary of the different methods available:

Suppression State Component Configuration

Configure Component (Using Configure Component on page 123)

Component Properties

Suppress , Unsuppress , No equivalent.

Unsuppress with Dependents

Edit, Suppress, [select option] No equivalent.

Edit, Unsuppress, [select
option]
Edit, Unsuppress with
Dependents, [select option]
[This Configuration, All
Configurations, or Specified
Configurations]

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SolidWorks 2012 Exercise 11
Component Patterning

Exercise 11: Complete this assembly using

Component the information and
Patterning dimensions provided. Add new
feature and component
patterns. This lab reinforces the
following skills:
I Component Patterns on
page 120

Procedure Use the following procedure:

1 Open an assembly file.
Open PatternAssy from
the Lesson04\Exercises\
ComponentPattern
folder. This assembly
contains Keypad, oriented
as shown.

2 Component patterns.
Create Feature Driven
Component Patterns for the
two components.
3 Save and close the files.

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Exercise 12 SolidWorks 2012
Using Modify Configurations

Exercise 12: Using the assembly

Using Modify provided, create assembly
Configurations configurations. This lab
reinforces the following
skills:
I Using Configure
Component on page 123
I Creating Configurations
Manually on page 122

Procedure Use the following procedure:

1 Open an assembly file.
Open ASSY CONFIGS from the
Lesson04\Exercises\ASSY
CONFIGS folder. The assembly
represents components of a trailer
hitch. This configuration contains
all the components that can be used.

2 Configuration Settings.
Create configurations according to the table below. The four names
INST-1, INST-2, and so forth, in the left column are configuration
names. The top row lists the components in the assembly. Suppress or
unsuppress components according to the table.

*SUB
DRAW SMALL CHAIN U
BALL L-BRACKET FACE
BAR STRAP HANGER BOLT
PLATE
INST-1 R R R S S R R
INST-2 R R R R S R S
INST-3 R R S S R R S
INST-4 R R S R S R S

Note S = Suppressed, R = Resolved, * = Sub-assembly

Tip Remember that you can select multiple components before using
Configure component to modify several parameters at one time.

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SolidWorks 2012 Exercise 12
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3 Configurations.
The configurations should look like those shown below.

INST-1 INST-2

INST-3 INST-4

4 New component.
Add rust cover to the
assembly. It is added to all
configurations of the
assembly.

5 Spherical mating.
Add a Concentric mate
between the spherical
faces of rust cover and
ball. Also, add a
Parallel mate to prevent
to rust cover from
rotating.

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Exercise 12 SolidWorks 2012
Using Modify Configurations

6 Exploded views.
Optionally, create exploded
views for each of the new
configurations.

7 Save and close the files.

136
SolidWorks 2012 Exercise 13
Assembly Configurations

Exercise 13: Create configurations of a

Assembly assembly.
Configurations This lab reinforces the following
skills:
I Using Configure
Component on page 123
I Creating Configurations
Manually on page 122

Procedure Use the following procedure:

Open assembly The Hand Truck assembly is a hand truck that contains two instances
of a sub-assembly and individual component parts.
1 Open an assembly file.
Open Hand Truck from the Lesson04\Exercises\Hand Truck
folder.
2 Configure mate.
Double-click the Handle_Overlap mate. Right-click the 2" dimension
in the graphics area and click Configure dimension.
3 Add configurations.
Add configurations named Setting.02,
Setting.04, Setting.06, Setting.08,
Setting.10 with dimensions of 2", 4",
6", 8" and 10" respectively.

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Exercise 13 SolidWorks 2012
Assembly Configurations

4 Check configurations.
Activate each configuration to see the handle
move as the dimension changes. The
configuration Setting.10 is shown.
5 Manual configuration.
Activate the Setting.06 configuration. Right-
click in the ConfigurationManager and click
Add Configuration. Type Standard for the
name of the new configuration.

6 Configure
components.
Use Configure
component to suppress
both Tire.Pneumatic
components in the
Standard configuration.
7 Check configuration.
The Standard configuration appears as shown.

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SolidWorks 2012 Exercise 13
Assembly Configurations

8 Add components.
Add two instances of
Tire.Plastic to the
assembly. Mate them
to Axle and
Axle.Cap.

9 Suppress.
Suppress the components
Mounting_Plate<1>, Caster.Assembly<1>
and <2> and Hex Nut_AI<1> and <2> for the
active configuration Standard.

Sub-assembly Configurations of sub-assemblies can be used in the top level assembly

Configurations by setting them in the Properties of the sub-assembly.
10 Sub-assembly configuration.
Use Configure component to select the
Simple configuration for the sub-assemblies
Leg.Support<1> and <2> for the Standard
configuration.

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Exercise 13 SolidWorks 2012
Assembly Configurations

Configuring Mates Suppress mates by configuration to mate an existing component in a

different way.
11 New configuration.
Make the Setting.06 configuration active and add a new configuration
named Flatbed.
12 Suppress mates.
Suppress the mates Concentric1,
Coincident9 and Handle_Overlap for
the Flatbed configuration.
Add new mates to connect Handle as
shown.

13 Review configurations.
Activate each of the configurations to make sure they all display the
assembly properly. Review the FeatureManager design tree to ensure
there are no mate errors.
14 Save and close the files.

140
SolidWorks 2012 Exercise 14
Using Configuration Publisher

Exercise 14: Add to this assembly using Configuration

Using Publisher and a Mate Reference.
Configuration This lab reinforces the following skills:
Publisher I Adding Mate References on page 68
I Configuration Publisher on page 128

Component Open the part Configuration_Publisher from the

Lesson04\Exercises\ Configuration_Publisher folder.
Use this part to create a AcrossFlats@Sketch2
PropertyManager feature. $State@12 Point
Use the dialogs at right as a
guide.

CylinderDepth@Cylinder

Add a Mate Reference to the

bottom edge of the part.

Assembly Open Create_Configurations from the Lesson04\Exercises\

Configuration_Publisher folder.
Add instances of the part to assembly 0.53125
using the mate reference and 0.65625
PropertyManager in the arrangement 0.78125
shown.
Save and close the files.
Std. 12

Std. 6

Deep 12

Deep 6

141
Exercise 14 SolidWorks 2012
Using Configuration Publisher

142
 Lesson 5
Display States and
Appearances

Upon successful completion of this lesson, you will be able to:

I Understand methods to select components.
I Create new display states.
I Change appearances of parts and components.
I Change the scene.
I Edit the material.

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Lesson 5 SolidWorks 2012
Display States and Appearances

Display States Display States are the visual settings

counterparts to configurations. Display
States set the visibility, color, texture,
display mode and transparency of
components at the assembly level. A
display state is often associated with a
specific configuration.
You can create assembly display states
by changing the visual properties in the
assembly or by specifying the display
state of each component. Each instance of a component can use a
different display state.
They are also instrumental in working with large assemblies (see Large
Assemblies on page 234).
Stored Display The display states are stored separately
States from the configurations under the
ConfigurationManager tab, but there is a
relationship between them. See Linked
Display States on page 154 for more
information. Every configuration has at
least one display state.

Display States vs. Both assembly configurations and display states contribute to the
Configurations assembly in different ways. Display states capture changes in the
appearance of components. Configurations create alternate versions of
assemblies by suppression, positioning and differences in mate values.
The typical uses of configurations and display states are shown below:

Configurations Display States

I Suppress/Resolve I Hide/Show components

components I Appearances (textures and
I Part configurations colors)
I Part material properties I Display mode (HLR, Shaded)
I Component positioning I Transparency

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SolidWorks 2012 Lesson 5
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Display Pane The settings can be controlled

and visualized through the
Display Pane of the
FeatureManager design tree.
Clicking on the icon in the row
with the component name brings
up a menu to change it. It can
change a component at any level
of the assembly.

The column options include:

Option Icon Description

Hide and Show A toggle that can be set to Hide or
Show a component.
Display Mode The display mode sets the display of
the individual component to
Wireframe , Hidden Lines Visible
, Hidden Lines Removed ,
Shaded With Edges , Shaded
or Default Display (of the
assembly).
Appearances Sets the color and appearance using
Appearances.
Transparency Turns component transparency on or
off.

Tip Setting these visibility options can be done through the Display Pane or
by right-clicking a component. Regardless of how the setting is created,
it is shown in the Display Pane.
Display Pane The icons used in the display pane are used as both Component
Icons a visual display of the current state and as a method Color
of changing the setting. Most are recognizable
icons, but Colors, Textures and RV Colors are not.
Part
These options use one or two triangles to represent,
Color
for example, the Part Color (lower) and the
Component Color (upper) or override.

Tip If there is only a single (lower) triangle, the part color is used as the
assembly color.

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Lesson 5 SolidWorks 2012
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Selecting Display One way to select options for a component in the Display Pane is to
Pane Options click the icon you want to change in the row of the component you
want to change.
Another way is to right-click on the
component row in the Display Pane. This
method shows all the options available for
that component in one menu.

1 Open an assembly file.

Open Light in the Lesson05\Case
Study\Display States folder. The
assembly has one configuration with a
linked default display state. The
display state uses the default settings.

Bulk Selection There are many Selection Tools available to make component
Tools selection in the assembly easier. Many of the tools use bulk selection
techniques that are especially valuable in large assemblies.
After the selection is made, use Hide, Show, Suppress or any other
component tool.
The results of these selections can be used for many purposes, but those
that are stored by the Display State include:
I Hide/Show
I Display Mode
I Appearance or RV Appearance
I Transparency

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SolidWorks 2012 Lesson 5
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Method/Where to Find It Description

Direct Selection Left mouse click selection optionally using CTRL+click
Click Select menu or and SHIFT+click.
Tools, Component Selection.

Drag Select Drag select left to right to

Click Select menu or select everything through the
Tools, Component Selection. depth that is within, but not
crossing, the window boundary.

Drag select right to left to

select everything through the
depth that is within, and
crossing, the window boundary.

Select Hidden Selects all hidden components. They are highlighted in the
Click Select menu or FeatureManager design tree.
Tools, Component Selection.
Select Suppressed Selects all suppressed components. They are highlighted in
Click Select menu or the FeatureManager design tree.
Tools, Component Selection.
Volume Select Drag select a rectangle and use drag handles to shape it into
Click Select menu or a selection volume.
Tools, Component Selection.

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Lesson 5 SolidWorks 2012
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Method/Where to Find It Description

Select Mated To Selects all the components that
Click Select menu or are connected to that component
Tools, Component Selection. by a mate.

Select Internal Components Selects all components inside of

Click Select menu or other components. They are
Tools, Component Selection. highlighted in the
FeatureManager design tree.

Select Toolbox Selects all components created though the SolidWorks

Click Select menu or Toolbox add-in.
Tools, Component Selection.
Advanced Select Selects components using names, properties or envelopes.
Click Select menu or For more information, see Advanced Select on page 156.
Tools, Component Selection.
Invert Selection Reverses the selection list from those selected to those that
Right-click Invert Selection. were not.

Isolate Select the component(s) you wish to show, and the

Right-click component(s) and remaining components are hidden in a new display state
select Isolate. saved with the button.

Isolate can be used with other selection options such as

Select Hidden, Select Suppressed and Select Mated To.

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SolidWorks 2012 Lesson 5
Display States and Appearances

Method/Where to Find It Description

Select Sub Assembly Allows you to graphically select a sub-assembly from a
Right-click the graphics of any component of the sub-assembly.
component of a sub-assembly
and Select Sub Assembly.

Assembly > Show Hidden Temporarily shows all hidden components for selection.
Components Select components to show and click Exit Show-Hidden.

Filter with FeatureManager Components can be filtered by name in the

Top of FeatureManager design FeatureManager design tree. By default, the filtered
tree. components only appear in the graphics window.
I Click Filter Graphics View (arrow menu) to filter the
FeatureManager design tree and the graphics view.
I Click Filter Hidden/Suppressed Components to
show hidden and suppressed components.

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Lesson 5 SolidWorks 2012
Display States and Appearances

Method/Where to Find It Description

Tags Filter the FeatureManager design
Use Show/Hide the Tags tree for Tag names.
Dialog to assign tags to
components.
Show/Hide the Tags Dialog is
in the lower right corner of the
SolidWorks window.

Adding Display Display States can be added at any time in the ConfigurationManager.
States A default numbered name like Display State-4 is created. The new
display state is a copy of the current one.

Where to Find It I ConfigurationManager: Right-click and click Add Display State

I Display Pane: Right-click and click Add Display State
Renaming Display Display States are created with default names, but can be renamed
States descriptively. The name must be unique within the assembly.

Where to Find It I ConfigurationManager: Right-click a display state and click

Properties
I Display Pane: Right-click and click Rename Display State
Copying a Display When a new display state is added, it copies the active one, similar to
State configurations. To create a new display state based on the non-active
one, select the display state and right-click Copy. Use Ctrl+V or Edit,
Paste to paste it.
Procedure Using the assembly, we will create several display states. This
procedure will primarily use hide and show, although color,
transparency and component display could be used in the same way.

2 New display state.

Right-click in the ConfigurationManager and click Add Display State.
Rename Display State-2 to External_Only.
3 Select hidden.
Click Select and Select
Internal Components. Four
components are selected:
I Battery AA<1> and <2>
I Miniature Bulb<1>
I Reflector<1>
Click Hide/Show Components .

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SolidWorks 2012 Lesson 5
Display States and Appearances

4 New display state.

Activate Display State-1. Add new display states Body and Head.
Display State The Display States toolbar is a pulldown
Toolbar menu that shows the active display state and
allows for another to be selected through a
pulldown menu.
5 Switch display states.
Select the Body display state from the Display States toolbar or
double-click it to activate it.
6 Sub-assembly selection.
Right-click a component of
Head_Sub in the graphics area and
click Select Sub-Assembly. Hide
these components. Drag-select right
to left and hide these additional
components.

7 Invert selection.
Activate the display state Head.
Click Head_Sub in the
FeatureManager design tree.
Right-click the sub-assembly
and click Invert Selection. Hide
the selected components.

8 Copy and paste.

Click the Body display state and click Edit, Copy. Click in the
ConfigurationManager and click Edit, Paste. Rename the new display
state Body_HLR and activate it.

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Lesson 5 SolidWorks 2012
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9 Set to HLR.
Set Holder, Clip and Switch to Hidden
Lines Removed.

10 Test display states.

Activate each of the display states to test them. Display State-1 and
External_Only appear the same but the internal parts are hidden in
External_Only.

Tip Right-click in the Display Pane to add, activate or rename display

states. Activating display states from the Display Pane allows you to
see the changes to the components in the Display Pane.
11 Save the file.
Save but do not close the assembly.

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SolidWorks 2012 Lesson 5
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Configurations Configurations and display states work together to support variations in

and Display States an assembly. This section explores some of the combinations that can
be used.
Opening by Assemblies can be opened directly to a saved
Configuration/ configuration and display state using Display States
Display State (linked) on the Open dialog.

Tip One way that Display States speed up the opening of assemblies is to
make use of the Do not load hidden components check box on the
Open dialog. When this is clicked, any hidden components are not
loaded as the assembly is opened, speeding up the process.

12 Review assembly.
Activate Display State-1.
13 New configuration.
Create a new configuration named Rotate. The configuration
automatically generates a display state that is a copy of the one that was
active at creation (Display State-1).
14 Suppress.
Return to the FeatureManager design
tree and type clip in the filter. The filter
shows only features with those
characters.
Suppress the Clip_Gap mate and clear
the filter by clicking the “x”.
Move Clip by dragging as shown.

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Lesson 5 SolidWorks 2012
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Linked Display Although display states and configuration listings are separate, by
States default they are connected by using Link Display States to
Configurations.
I Click Link Display States to Configurations
New display states are added to the active configuration. They
appear only when that configuration is selected.
I Clear Link Display States to Configurations
New display states are added and are available to all configurations.

Note Clearing Link Display States to Configurations at any time makes all
display states available for all configurations. Clicking it returns to the
default condition. By default there is a display state linked to each
configuration.

Where to Find It I ConfigurationManager: Link Display States to Configurations

15 Unlinked display states.

Make sure the Rotate configuration is active and clear Link Display
States to Configurations. This makes all display states available with
any configuration. Change to Body_HLR and Body.

Body_HLR Body

16 Save and close the files.

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SolidWorks 2012 Lesson 5
Display States and Appearances

Overrides for Sub- Overrides allow you to reverse the changes that are made to sub-
assembly assembly components from the top level assembly.
Components
Overrides that may have been applied to a sub-assembly (full color)
return to the default settings (faded color) of the sub-assembly when
Clear Override or Clear All Top Level Overrides are used.

Right-click in the Display Pane on the sub-

assembly line to access component and
override options.

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Lesson 5 SolidWorks 2012
Display States and Appearances

Advanced The Advanced Select option allows you to select components based
Select on combinations of one or two categories, conditions and values.

Category 1 Category 2 Conditions Value

Part Mass -- SW None =, not =, <, <=, >, >= Numeric

Special
Part Volume -- SW None =, not =, <, <=, >, >= Numeric
Special
Envelope Select -- None is inside, is crossing, is Select envelope part
SW Special outside name from pulldown.
For more information,
see Introducing:
Envelopes starting on
page 158.
Part is Interior None is yes, is no None
Detail -- SW
Special
Configuration None is (exactly), is not, Text
Name -- SW contains
Special
Document Name -- None is (exactly), is not, Text
SW Special contains
Custom Property Description, =, not =, <, <=, >, >=, Text
PartNo, Number, is (exactly), is not,
Revison etc. contains, is yes, is no
Contents from the
Properties.txt
file.
Component Status None =, not = Resolved, lightweight,
suppressed, needs
rebuild, has errors, has
warnings, has failed
mates, has mates -
under defined, has
mates - fully defined,
has mates - over
defined, fixed

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SolidWorks 2012 Lesson 5
Display States and Appearances

Category 1 Category 2 Conditions Value

In-context Has broken external is yes, None

Relations references, has is no
locked external
references
Driven by =
in-context relations
to, has driving
in-context relations,
has mate to part
Display None =, not = Wireframe, HLV, HLR,
shaded, shaded with
edges, default display,
hide, show, transparent
File Status Read only, write is yes, is no None
access, needs save,
out of date
User with write =
access
File Type None =, not = ToolBox Part, fastener,
sheetmetal part,
weldment, weld bead,
imported geometry,
mold part

Combining In addition, multiple searches can used by combining the lines with the
Searches selection of And/Or.
I Using And between searches means that both statements must be
true for the selection to work.
I Using Or between searches means that either statement can be true
for the selection to work.
Saving Searches Searches can be saved and used again on different assemblies.

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Lesson 5 SolidWorks 2012
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Envelopes Zones can be defined in an assembly using special parts called

Envelopes. Components in the assembly can be compared with the
envelopes to see if they are inside, crossing or outside the envelope
volume.
Introducing: The envelope part appears in the color
Envelopes blue and is transparent. If you use an
existing part file as an envelope, the model
should be a solid volume.
Envelope selection is based on
interference between the functional
assembly components and the envelope
component. Insert Envelope is used to
create or insert a component part for use as
an envelope component. The icon for the envelope appears in both the
FeatureManager design tree and the ConfigurationManager.

I Advanced Select can use an envelope and is accessed through the

Select menu. See Advanced Select on page 156 for more
information.
I Select Using Envelope is accessed by
right-clicking the Envelope icon in the
ConfigurationManager. It selects
components based on their spatial
location in reference to the envelope.

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SolidWorks 2012 Lesson 5
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I Show/Hide Using
Envelope is accessed by
right-clicking the
Envelope icon in the
ConfigurationManager.
It hides or shows
components based on
their spatial location in
reference to the
envelope.

Where to Find It I Menu: Insert, Envelope, New or From File

Appearances, Appearances and Materials set the color, image (texture) and
Materials and optionally mechanical properties of a component. Appearances offer
Scenes many visual options but only Materials can add mechanical properties.
Scenes change the background.
There are several methods that change appearances.

Mechanical
Method Color/Image Mapping
Properties
Appearances Yes Yes No
(menu)
Appearances Yes Yes No
(Drag and drop)
Edit Material Yes No Yes

Appearances The Appearance menu allows you to apply a color or textural

Menu display to a component, face, feature, body or part. The change of
appearance can also be configured.

Where to Find It I Shortcut Menu: Right-click a face, feature, body, part, or

component, click Appearances , and click the item to edit
I Task Pane: Appearances/Scenes tab, drag an appearance onto
a component or a scene into the graphics area

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Application of When an appearance is dropped on a

Appearance face of a part or assembly, the
selection dialog appears to select a
face, feature, body, part or Face Body Component
component. Feature Part

Tip If the appearance is Alt+dragged and dropped, the Appearances

PropertyManager appears. This allows you to make changes to the
Color/Image and texture Mapping.
Assembly Level At the assembly level, the appearance of the component will override
Appearances the color of the part. If no component appearance is assigned, the part
appearance is used.
The Display Pane lists the component color over the part color . The
Display Pane can also set the component or part color.

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Part Level Changes to the appearance of a face, feature, or body are visible only at
Appearances the part level.
At the part level, the
changes affect face,
feature or body depending
on the face selected. The
hierarchy is shown top to
bottom in the list.
In this example, the
Housing Part color is
grey but is overridden by
the Feature color
(yellow) and the Face
color (red).

Note The Body color can be used when there is a multi-body part.
Using RealView Using RealView Graphics toggles advanced shading in real time
Graphics with supported graphics cards. It is hardware based and dynamic,
where PhotoView 360 is software based and static.

1 Open an assembly file.

Open Appearances from the Lesson05\Case Study\Appearances
folder. Make the configuration RH_Burners active.

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Changing Scenes A Scene changes the background,

including the lighting, of the part or
assembly.

Where to Find It I Heads-up View Toolbar: Apply Scene

I Task Pane: Appearances/Scenes tab, drag a scene into the
graphics area

2 Scene.
Expand the Scenes folder, then the Basic Scenes folder. Drag the
Backdrop - Grey With Overhead Light scene into the graphics
area.
3 Choose appearance.
Expand the Appearances folder, then the Plastic and EDM folders.

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4 Add appearance.
Drag the spark erosion plastic blue appearance onto
side_table_shelf_for_burner as shown. Select the Part option.
The part is changed as well as all of the pattern instances.

Note If the Component option was used, only the component

appearance would be changed. Using the Part option affects
configurations, and using the Component option affects the display
states.

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5 Display pane.
Expand the Display Pane. The
appearance has been applied at the part
level to a part inside a sub-assembly.

6 Metals.
Drag the following Metal appearances onto the faces using the Part
option.
Chrome,
Brushed
Chromium

Copper,
Brushed
Copper

Steel,
Polished
Steel
Steel,
Wrought
Steel

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Adjusting Texture A textured appearance can be modified by using the mapping controls
Maps to adjust the way the texture is aligned to the face of the part. This
method is also useful when a selection of configurations or display
states is needed.

Tip The appearance must be Alt+dragged and dropped to access the

mapping options.

7 Configuration.
Make Planks_Wood the active configuration.
8 Add appearance.
Alt+drag the appearance organic, wood, rosewood, satin finished
rosewood onto the Plank1 component.

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9 Apply at part level.

Click Apply at part document level. This applies
the appearance to all instances of this component.

Under Display States (linked), click This

display state.

10 Mapping.
Click the Mapping tab and use these settings:
I Mapping Style = Planar mapping
I Axis direction = ZX
I Rotation = 3 degrees
I Mapping Size = Big mapping size
Click OK.

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11 Display pane.
Expand the Display Pane. The appearance
has been applied to multiple components.
Additional display states with different
appearances can be added using the same
procedure.

Materials Adding Materials changes the appearance of the part as well as adding
mechanical properties and a crosshatch pattern. Materials are required
for simulation applications.
Each material includes the following data:
I Properties - The mechanical properties of the material.
I Appearance - The color and texture of the material.
I CrossHatch - The crosshatch pattern for sections of the material.
I Custom - Custom properties (text) specific to the material.
I Application Data - Notes (text) that are relevant to the material.
I Favorites - A list of often used materials that appear on the Edit
Material or Material pulldown menu. Materials can be added or deleted
from the list.

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Where to Find It I Shortcut Menu: Right-click the component and click Material, Edit
Material
I Menu: Select a component and click Edit, Appearance, Material

Tip Editing the Material of a part or assembly applies a color and texture to
it. It will not override the appearance that is applied to the component.

Note You can add your own materials to the Custom Materials folder.

12 Select components.
Select the following components:
I Support_Leg<1> and <2>
I Brace_Cross_Bar<1>
I Brace_Corner<1> and <2>
13 Material.
Right-click and click Material, Edit Material. Expand SolidWorks
Materials and Steel. Select Galvanized Steel, click Apply and
Close.

14 Save and close the files.

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Display States

Exercise 15: Complete this assembly by creating display

Display States states.
This lab uses the following skills:
I Adding Display States on page 150
I Copying a Display State on page 150
I Renaming Display States on page 150
Units: millimeters
1 Open an assembly file.
Open DT&PC from the Lesson05\Exercises\Display States 1
folder.
2 Create display states.
Create the following assembly display states. Make sure the display
states are visible in all configurations.

HLR Trans

HLR-No Hardware Open

Highlighted

3 Save and close the files.

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Display States, Appearances and Materials

Exercise 16: Complete this assembly by creating new

Display States, display states and adding appearances and
Appearances materials.
and Materials This lab uses the following skills:
I Adding Display States on page 150
I Appearances, Materials and Scenes on
page 159.
I Materials on page 167
Units: millimeters
Procedure Open the assembly Display States 2. Add the materials and display
states using the information listed.

Materials Add the following materials to these components:

(Steel) AISI 304 (Aluminum) 1060 Alloy

(Copper Alloys) Brass (Steel) Alloy Steel(SS)

Display States Add the following display states using these names and changes:

PIN_FRONT NO_HARDWARE

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PIN_REAR HLR

COLORS *TEXTURES

Note *For the TEXTURES display state, apply the following appearances to
the components listed:

Component Appearance
Gear, Oil Pump Driven brushed brass
Housing and Cover brushed aluminum

All hardware carbon steel

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Display States, Appearances and Materials

172
 Lesson 6
Assembly Editing

Upon successful completion of this lesson, you will be able to:

I Find and fix errors in the assembly.
I Gather information about the assembly.
I Create features that represent post-assembly machining operations.
I Replace and modify components in an assembly.
I Mirror components in an assembly.

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Assembly Like part editing, assembly editing has specific tools to aid in repairing
Editing errors and problems. Some tools are common to both parts and
assemblies and were covered in basic course SolidWorks Essentials.
They are not repeated here.
Key Topics Some of the key topics in this lesson are shown in the following list.
Each of these topics corresponds to a section in the lesson.
I Assembly Features
An assembly feature is a feature which exists only in the assembly. This
includes cuts, holes, fillets, chamfers, etc. Assembly features often
represent post-assembly machining operations.
I Replacing and Modifying Components
When an assembly is open, there are a number of techniques you can
use to replace or modify components. These include File, Save As,
Replace Components and Reload.
I Troubleshooting an Assembly
Mates are treated as features in the FeatureManager design tree and are
edited using Edit Feature. Mates can have several problems. Chief
among them are missing references (faces, edges, planes) and over
defined status.
Over defined components in an assembly are the 3D analogy of an over
defined sketch. Using the same notation, the plus sign (+), they indicate
that the component or mate has conflicting mates applied to it.
I Information From an Assembly
If you are unsure where all the components used in your assembly
reside, Find References will locate them and provide an option for
copying them.
I Controlling Dimensions in an Assembly
To capture design intent, dimensions can be controlled using in-context
features, global variables, or equations.
I Mirroring Components
Many assemblies have some degree of left-right symmetry.
Components and sub-assemblies can be mirrored to reverse their
orientation. This can also generate “opposite hand” parts.
Editing Activities Assembly editing covers a wide range of operations from repairing
errors to extracting information and making design changes. This
section will discuss how to perform each of these operations.
Design Changes Making design changes to an assembly can range from changing the
value of a distance mate to replacing one component with another. You
can modify the dimensions of individual components, model in-context
features, or you can create assembly features to represent post-
assembly machining operations.

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Finding and Finding and repairing problems in an assembly is a key skill in

Repairing SolidWorks. Problems can occur in mates, assembly features or in the
Problems component parts and sub-assemblies referenced by the assembly.
Common problems, such as an over defined component, can trigger
many more error messages and cause the assembly to stop solving the
mates. Several common errors and their solutions are presented here.
Information From Nondestructive testing of an assembly can yield many important
an Assembly insights as to how the assembly, and the components that comprise it,
were created. It is also important to find potential problems such as
interferences.

1 Open an assembly file.

Open Edit_Assembly from the Lesson06\Case Study\Editing
folder.

The Hole Wizard You can add any Hole Wizard hole as an assembly feature that extends
through more than one component.

Where to Find It I CommandManager: Assembly > Assembly Features > Hole

Wizard
I Menu: Insert, Assembly Feature, Hole, Wizard

Tip We are not creating a Hole Series as we did in Lesson 2: Assembly

Features and Smart Fasteners. Using the Hole Wizard at the assembly
level creates holes that exist only in the assembly.

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2 Hole Wizard.
Select the face indicated below and click Hole
Wizard .

Set the Hole Specification as follows:

I Tap
I Standard: Ansi Metric
I Type: Bottoming Tapped Hole
I Size: M6x1.0
I End Condition: Blind 15mm

Introducing: Feature The Feature Scope controls which components are acted upon by the
Scope assembly feature. You can set the feature scope before or after you
create the assembly feature.
If you do not specify the feature scope at creation of the assembly
feature, SolidWorks selects appropriate components in the assembly
based on their position relative to the placement point(s).

3 Feature Scope.
Expand the Feature Scope area of the dialog. The
choices include All components and Selected
components, with the option for Auto-select.
The default settings, Selected components and
Auto-select, are acceptable for now.

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4 Locate hole centers.

Click on the Positions tab of the dialog. Create sketch points as
shown. Click OK.

Note In this example, bracket and table are selected by the feature scope.
5 Resulting holes.
Two holes are added. A single feature appears as the last feature in the
FeatureManager design tree as a Tapped Hole feature.

6 Components.
Open bracket and table. The holes do not
appear.
Close both parts.

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Assembly Feature Changes to the assembly feature can fall into two categories: changes
Changes to the feature itself (its sketch or end conditions, for example) and
changes to the Feature Scope. It can be modified to be an in-context
feature that exists in both parts like a hole series feature.

Where to Find It I Shortcut Menu: Right-click the assembly feature and click Edit
Feature

7 Edit the Feature Scope.

Edit the hole feature. In the Feature Scope area of the dialog, click
Propagate feature to parts. Click OK.
The parts now share the hole feature.

8 Save the file.

Converting Parts There are several methods that convert parts into assemblies or
and Assemblies assemblies into parts. These methods offer techniques to accomplish
many unique design tasks.
Parts into Using a part to create an assembly can offer a simpler method of
Assemblies modeling that avoids mates and inserting parts. It is useful for industrial
design.
Split Part Use Split Part to break a single
solid body part into a multi body
part and optionally an assembly.

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Assemblies into There are performance advantages associated with using a part in place
Parts of an assembly. For example, if it is known that a particular sub-
assembly is not going to change, it could be replaced with a part in a
larger assembly. Weldments appear in a BOM as a single part but may
be created with multiple parts.
Joined Components Multiple part components in an
assembly can be joined into a single
part using Join. This results in a
part that references an assembly and
multiple parts.
Save As Part Save As can combine an assembly into a part. Options include
selection of only outside faces/components or all. Saving as a part
creates a part that references an assembly and multiple parts.
Parts into Parts Another approach to creating weldments or FEM models is to use multi
bodies to turn multiple parts into a single one.
Multibodies Use Insert Part, Move/Copy Bodies and
Combine to turn multiple solid bodies into a
single body part. Using insert part and combine
results in a part that references multiple parts.

Replacing Parts Component parts can be replaced with assemblies using Replace
with Assemblies Component (see Replacing a Single Instance on page 181). The same
procedure can be used in reverse to replace an assembly with a part, or
to replace an assembly with another assembly.

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Replacing and Components can be replaced in an open assembly using either of the
Modifying following techniques, Save As, Reload or Replace Components.
Components
Technique Description
Save As If you are editing a part in the context of an
assembly, or if you have a part and the assembly
open at the same time, using Save As to rename
the part will cause the new version to replace the
original in the assembly. If there are multiple
instances of that component, they will all be
replaced. The system will issue a warning
message alerting you that this will happen. If you
do not want to replace the component, click the
Save as copy option on the Save As dialog.
See Replacing Components Using Save As on
page 189 for an example.
Reload and The Reload and Replace Components options
Replace refresh or replace all instances or selected
Components instances of a selected component with a last-
saved or read-only version or a different
component entirely. Reload will preserve all mate
information. When you replace a component in an
assembly, the system will try to preserve the
mates. If the names of the entities referenced by
the mate remain the same, the mates will be
preserved when the component is reloaded or
replaced.

Working in a Multi- For other people to make changes to components that are in an
user Environment assembly you are working on, they must have write access to those
components. That means you must have read-only access.
When an assembly is opened, the latest saved version of its components
is displayed. Once the assembly is open and you make changes to its
components, you are asked whether you want to rebuild the assembly
whenever you switch back to the assembly window. This lets you keep
your display of the assembly up-to-date.
However, if other people make changes to the parts in your assembly,
those changes are not displayed automatically. This is an important
consideration when working in a multi-user environment.

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If you have read-only files in your assembly, the command Check

Read-only Files checks if files have been made available for write
access or have changed on disk since the last reload. A message
appears if the files did not change, and the Reload dialog box appears
if any files changed.
For more on multi-user environments and collaborative file sharing, see
the SolidWorks File Management training manual.
Introducing: Replace Components removes a component or an instance of a
Replace component in the assembly and replace it with another component.
Components

Where to Find It I Menu: File, Replace

I Shortcut Menu: Right-click the component and click Replace
Components
Using Replace In the Replace Components dialog, the selected component appears
Components under Replace these Component(s); others may be added as well.
Use the All instances check box if required. Browse for a file to
substitute a different component for the original in the With this one
field. Replace Components will affect selected or all instances of that
component in the active assembly.
If you want to replace a component with a modified version of that
same component, follow these rules for best results:
I Make a copy of the component, either in Windows Explorer, or by
using File, Save As and, if necessary, the Save as copy option.
I Make the desired modifications to the part.
For best results in preserving the mates, the replacement component
should be similar in topology and shape to the one being replaced. If
the names of the entities referenced by the mate remain the same, the
mates will be preserved when the component is replaced.

Caution: Any changes to an unsaved file are lost when it is reloaded.

Replacing a Single To replace just one instance of a component, Replace Components
Instance must be used. The Save As method will replace all instances.

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Hidden Options SolidWorks limits the length

of long pull-downs by
showing only a limited set of
options.
The Replace Components
option is one of these hidden
options. Right-clicking a
component will not display
this option unless the pull-
down is expanded by clicking
the double chevron symbol.
To force options to appear by
default, click Customize
Menu and click the
appropriate checkbox in the
left column.

9 Replace component.
Right-click Pin from the
FeatureManager design
tree and click Replace
Components. The
selected instance is listed
in the Replace these
component(s) field. Clear
the All instances box and
click Re-attach mates.

10 Browse.
Click Browse, select the part T_Pin, and select Open.
Click OK. The Mated Entities dialog appears.

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Troubleshooting Although the component instance is replaced, there are mate errors.
an Assembly The problem is that the internal ID’s of the geometry are different.
Mate Errors Mate errors for all components appear within the mate folder of the
assembly and the mate folder of each component.
Errors can occur due to several different conditions. When the
FeatureManager design tree is expanded, you can see the differences in
the display of the mates. In this case, the mates have Missing
References. Several types of mate errors are described below.

Condition Description Solution

Missing The mate cannot find one or both of its references. This These problems are
Reference could mean that the referenced component has been usually repaired by
suppressed, deleted or changed enough that the mate selecting a replace-
cannot be solved. This is similar to a dangling dimension ment reference.
in a sketch.
Over The mates have both the error marker and the plus sign Delete or edit the
Defined (+) prefix, meaning they are both over defining and mate that caused
unsatisfied. Example error message could read: the problem. The
Coincident74: Planar faces are not parallel. best practice is to
Angle is 90deg. take care of over
The over defined mates relate directly to an over defined defined mates when
component which is also marked with the plus sign. they occur, not
later.
Warning A Warning is applied to mates that are satisfied but are Delete or edit the
over defining the assembly. The error message reads: over defining mate.
Distance1: Warning: This mate is over defining
the assembly. Consider deleting some of the over
defining mates.
Suppressed Suppressed mates are not really errors, but they can cause Unsuppress the
problems if they are forgotten. When a mate is mate.
suppressed, it appears grayed out in the FeatureManager
design tree and it is not solved.

Automatic Repairs When changes are being made to a mate, other mates can be affected. A
common issue is that the alignment must be flipped to prevent further
errors. In these cases, SolidWorks may reverse the alignment
automatically and open a message dialog:
The alignment of the following mates was reversed to
prevent mate errors:

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Mated Entities The Mated Entities tool replaces any reference in a mate. It includes a
preview to show the replacement faces and a pop-up dialog to isolate
components or delete mates. It also has a filter that shows only
dangling mates that need repair. It is used with Replace Components
and Re-attach Mates.

Tip The references used in a mate can be highlighted in the graphics

window with a single-click on the mate. For mates that contain
dimensions (distance and angle), double-clicking the mate displays the
dimension so it can be edited.

Where to Find It I Shortcut Menu: Right-click a mate or the mate group and click
Replace Mate Entities
I Replace PropertyManager: Select Re-attach Mates

Note As you would expect, Edit Feature edits the references of a mate. The
same interface used with Insert, Mate is used for editing. On the mates
with errors, one of the references is listed as **Invalid**. Once the
mate is repaired, you can also change the mate type. For example, a
mate between planar faces could be changed from Coincident to
Parallel, Perpendicular, Distance or Angle.

11 Mated entities.
The Mated Entities dialog appears to assist in re-attaching the failed
mates. Expand the mates and select the replacement faces for each one.
As they are replaced, a green check mark appears. Click OK.

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The completed replacement has no mate

errors and functions similar to the original
part.
More information regarding mate and
component errors is discussed in the
following section.

Over Defined Finding the cause of an over defined assembly is not always easy
Mates and because there can be two or more conflicting mates. All the over
Components defined mates will appear with error markers and the (+) prefix, which
will help in narrowing down the choices. When mates conflict, one
approach is to suppress the over defining mates one at a time, until the
assembly is no longer over defined. This can help you identify the
cause of the conflict. Once you have done this, you can either delete the
offending mates, or redefine them using different references.
Geometry is Underlying errors in the accuracy of the geometric models can also be a
Important cause of over defined mates. For example, consider what would happen
if you mated the sides of a simple box to the three default reference
planes in an assembly. Three coincident mates should fully define the
component. However, if the sides of the box do not meet at 90° angles,
even if they were off by only a fraction of a degree, the assembly will
be over defined. Unless you check the accuracy of the underlying
geometry, you will have a difficult time solving the problem.
Finding an Over Finding the mate that is the cause of an over defined assembly can be
Defining Mate difficult in a large assembly with many mates. One way is to look at the
components listed in the mate. Another choice is to use View Mates
and Dependencies and look at the FeatureManager design tree from
the perspective of the mates rather than the features.
Best Practice Fix errors as they occur.

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12 Add mate.
To demonstrate what happens when a
mate over defines the assembly, add a
Distance mate of 10mm between the
faces of the components, as shown.

13 Forcing the mate to solve.

When you add the Distance mate, a message appears:
The selected mate could not be successfully added. Would you
like to force this mate to solve? (Other mates will be broken,
and will be shown with red errors).
Add the mate by clicking OK in the Mate dialog and Yes in the
warning message.
14 Error flags.
In Mates, again we see all the mates that are
conflicted as a result of the new mate.
Mates which are not satisfied are highlighted
with a red (X) error flag.
Mates which are satisfied, but which over
define the assembly, are highlighted with a
yellow exclamation point warning
flag.
Components in the assembly are now also over defined. These are
prefixed with the plus (+) symbol.
For more information, see Mate Errors on page 183.

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MateXpert MateXpert is a tool that enables you to identify mating problems in an

assembly. You can examine the details of mates that are not satisfied,
and identify groups of mates which over define the assembly.

Where to Find It I Menu: Tools, MateXpert

I Shortcut Menu: Right-click the assembly, mate group, or any mate
in the mate group, and click MateXpert

Tip In general, when diagnosing mate problems, it is best to start at the

bottom of the mate group and try these operations on the lowest flagged
mate first, then work your way up as necessary.

15 Analyze the Mates folder.

Right-click the Mates folder
and click MateXpert. The
MateXpert PropertyManager
appears.
Under Analyze Problem,
click Diagnose.
16 Results.
The set of over defined
mates is listed. Mates that
are not satisfied are shown in
bold.
17 More information.
Under Not Satisfied Mates,
click on the concentric mate;
the message indicates that
the cylinders are not
concentric.
Further, the entities
referenced by the mate are
highlighted in the graphics
area.
Click OK to close the MateXpert.

Note The graphics clearly show what forcing the mate to solve did to the
assembly. Clamp and T_Pin no longer line up.

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Introducing: View Use View Mates to display a pop-up dialog with mates for a
Mates component, sort out error mates and display graphic tags of each one.
The graphic tags include interactive menu buttons to repair the mates.

Where to Find It I Shortcut Menu: Right-click a component and click View Mates

18 View mate errors.

Right-click scale and click View Mates. The other components
become transparent. Click the Scale_End mate in the pop-up dialog
and review the tag that appears.

Mate Error Tags The tags attached to the mates are State
designed to provide information and Type
editing capabilities. Name

Suppress
Edit
Flip Dimension
Flip Mate Alignment

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19 Suppress.
Click the Suppress button on the Scale_End mate. The mates return
to solving and the errors are removed.
20 Delete mate.
Type scale in the FeatureManager
design tree to filter as shown. Right-
click the Scale_End mate and click
Delete. Leave the assembly open.

Replacing The Save As option was mentioned earlier in this lesson as a method of
Components replacing components in the assembly. This method enables you to
Using Save As create a replacement part that is a modified version of an existing part.

1 Open a part file.

Open head from the Lesson06\Case Study\Editing. You will use
this part to create a similar part under a different name.
2 Add fillets. R5
Add the 3mm radii fillets then the 5mm radii
fillets to all the similar edges as shown. R3
3 Save As.
Click File, Save As. A message appears
warning you that the head part is being
referenced by other open documents and that
using Save As will replace these references with
the new name.
4 Save anyway.
Click OK to the message and save the modified
part as revised_head. Do not use Save as copy.

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5 Replacement completed.
Return to the assembly level. The modified part, revised_head has
replaced head without causing mate errors.

Note If we had checked Save as copy on the Save As dialog box, the
replacement would not have occurred.

Mirroring Many assemblies have some degree of left-right symmetry.

Components Components and sub-assemblies can be mirrored to reverse their
orientation. This can also generate “opposite hand” parts.
When you mirror components in an assembly, they fall into two
categories:
I Those parts whose orientation in the assembly is mirrored and
whose geometry is also mirrored – they have right and left-hand
versions.
I Those parts whose orientation in the assembly is mirrored but
whose geometry is not – hardware, for example.
Introducing: Mirror Mirror Components enables you to generate an “opposite hand”
Components component or sub-assembly at the assembly level. Options allow for
simply reversing or mirroring components.

Where to Find It I CommandManager: Assembly > Linear Component Pattern

> Mirror Components
I Menu: Insert, Mirror Components

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Default Templates Mirroring an assembly has the potential to create a lot of new files –
one for the assembly, and one for every mirrored (not copied)
component. It is recommended that you set Tools, Options, System
Options, Default Templates to always use the templates specified in
the search path. Otherwise, you will be prompted to select a template
for every new file – and that could get tedious.

6 Selections.
Click Mirror Components . The
PropertyManager is a wizard that contains several
sequential pages.
Click Right Plane of the assembly as the Mirror
plane.
Select pillar, T_Pin and clamp under
Components to Mirror.

Click Next .

Mirroring or This dialog box enables you to specify which components are mirrored
Copying and which are copied. The geometry of a mirrored component changes
to create a truly mirrored component. Starting with a right-hand version
of a part, this yields a left-hand version. The geometry of a copied
component is unchanged, only the orientation changes.

7 Set orientation.
Select clamp, then click Create opposite hand
version.
Select pillar and T_Pin and observe the preview
in the graphics area. If it were necessary, you
could click or to reorient a copied
component.
Tip You can right-click components in the Orient
Components list, and access additional selection
options. These options are shortcuts for selecting
multiple components based on specific criteria.
Click Next .

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8 Filenames.
Enter the name for the mirrored component. Use
the suffix -Mirror.
Click Place files in one folder, then click
Choose..., and select the directory in which to
save the mirrored components. Browse to the
current case study folder and create a new folder
named Mirrorclamp.
Click OK.

9 Review.
The mirrored and copied components appear as shown.

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10 Changes to a part.
Right-click bracket and click Open Part . Create a rectangular cut
similar to the one shown below. Do not save.

11 Close without saving.

Close the part. A message appears:
Note: Because this document is open in another window, any
changes made since the last save will still appear there, even
though you are not saving them in bracket.sldprt. You can
keep the changes in the assembly, or discard them to revert
to the last-saved version of bracket.sldprt.
Do you want to keep or discard changes in the assembly?
Click Keep.
Click Yes to update the assembly.
Even though the changes were not saved, the bracket shows the
changes.

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Reloading The Reload dialog allows selection of specific components to reload or

Components switch from read/write to read-only access or vice-versa.
Introducing: The functionality of Reload includes:
Reload
I Discard changes on selected components or an entire assembly and
reopen from its last saved state.
I Manage changes in read/write access. Note that changing read/
write access does not always require the file to be reloaded. If
another user has saved changes to a file after you last loaded the
file, the file must be reloaded to gain write access. Reloading a file
or changing its read/write access reloads or changes read/write
access for all instances of that file.
I Update the assembly to reflect any changes other people have made
to the components.

Where to Find It I Shortcut Menu: Right-click a component and click Reload. This
allows you to reload only the selected component.
I Menu: File, Reload. This allows you to reload any or all
components in the assembly.

12 Reload.
Right-click bracket and click Reload. The dialog indicates the file to
reload. In the case of an assembly, the top-level file is displayed by
default. It is implied that all reference files (components) will be
reloaded as well. Click OK.

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13 Reloaded.
The original part is reloaded to the assembly.

14 Save and close the files.

Hole Alignment The Hole Alignment tool checks assembly holes for misalignment
based on a Hole Center Deviation value.

Where to Find It I CommandManager: Evaluate > Hole Alignment

I Menu: Tools, Hole Alignment

1 Open an assembly file.

Open Hole_Alignment from the
Lesson06\Case Study\Hole Alignment
folder.

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2 Calculate.
Click Hole Alignment and leave the Hole
center deviation at the default 10mm. Click
Calculate.

3 Results.
In the Results box, there are
four entries because there are
four almost concentric holes.
Expand the first Maximum
Deviation folder for the first
entry. It includes the two holes
that are compared and the
deviation between the centers.

4 Zoom.
Change to a Front view. Right-click the red entry and select Zoom to
selection for a closer look at the deviation. Click OK.

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Controlling An important part of capturing design intent is making sure that the
Dimensions in objects you build are the right size and are positioned correctly in the
an Assembly assembly. Dimensions can be controlled three ways in an assembly:
I In-context features
I Global variables
I Equations
Each of these techniques has advantages and disadvantages. We have
already explored in-context features. We will now look at global
variables and equations.
Global Variables You can create global variables to use in equations and to force two or
more dimensions to have the same value. Global variables appear in
quotes in equations. For example, D1@[email protected] =
“Length” uses the variable named Length.
Assembly Algebraic equations control dimensions inside an assembly. The
Equations equation dialog boxes and options are the same in an assembly as in a
part. Some examples of good uses of assembly equations are:
I Controlling dimensions of assembly features
I Controlling mate values such as angle or distance mates
I Controlling the suppression state of components
Dimension Names There is some difference between dimension names at the part level
in an Assembly and at the assembly level. The assembly level adds another piece of
information: the name of the part in which the dimension resides.
I Name within the part: D1@Sketch5
I Name within the assembly: D1@[email protected]
Adding Equations Assembly equations can use dimensions from assembly features or
mates, parts, or global variables. To add equations in an assembly, you
must search through parts, then the features within that part to find the
dimension you want. As always, it is good practice to change the
default names into something meaningful.

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5 Review dimensions.
Open the part Rect and edit
Sketch13 of the Ø6.0 (6)
Diameter Hole1 feature.
Notice the dimension values
31 and 32 are not equal.

6 Global variable.
Double-click the 31mm dimension.
In the Modify dialog box, type =”Centers” then
click the icon to create a global variable.

7 Link value.
Double-click the 32mm dimension.
In the Modify dialog box, type = then
select the variable, Centers, from the
list.
The dimensions are now equal
and driven by the value of the
global variable.
Exit the sketch.

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Equation The equation relates the radius of the bolt circle in Rect to the linked
values in Circ. Changes in the linked value dimensions will drive
changes in the radius.
Radius Linked values

The equation is:

R = 2 × L2
R = Radius dimension in Rect.
L = Linked values in Circ.

8 Add equation.
Return to the assembly. Click Tools, Equations.
On the Equations, Global Variables, and Dimensions dialog box,
click Add equation under Equations - Components.
9 Add dimension.
Double-click the Ø6.0
(6) Diameter Hole1
feature of the Circ part
and click the radial
dimension.

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10 Function.
Click Functions, sqr().
The cursor sits between
the parentheses.

11 Complete the
equation.
Click or type 2 *.
Double-click the Ø6.0
(6) Diameter Hole1
feature of the Rect part
and click on either
linked dimension.
Click or type ^ 2 to complete the equation and click OK.
The Evaluates to column states that the value is 43.841mm.
Click OK on the Equations, Global Variables, and Dimensions
dialog box.
12 Rebuild.
Rebuild the assembly to apply the changes. The holes change position.
13 Check.
Click Hole Alignment again to make sure there is no misalignment.

Note The Equations-> folder has an external reference marker due to the
dimensions from different parts in the same equation.
14 Save and close the files.

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Sensors Sensors monitor specific properties of a part or assembly. When the

values change and fall outside the specified parameters, an Alert can be
triggered. The sensor types include: Simulation Data, Mass Properties,
Dimension, Measurement, Interference Detection, and Proximity.

Where to Find It I CommandManager: Evaluate > Sensor

I Shortcut Menu: Right-click the Sensors folder and click Add
Sensor or Notifications

Procedure In this example, a sensor monitors the gap between the HD_Washer
and the HD_Arm components. If the gap becomes less than 0.5mm,
the alert will be triggered.
1 Open an assembly file.
Open Sensors from the
Lesson06\Case Study\Sensors
folder.

Dimension When using a Dimension sensor type, a

reference dimension is used as the basis
for the sensor.
Examine this reference dimension. It has
been placed between the planar faces of
HD_Washer and HD_Arm to monitor
the gap.

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2 Add sensor.
Right-click the Sensors folder and click Add
Sensor. Click Sensor Type: Dimension and
select the dimension. Click Alert and is less than
0.5.
Click OK.
The sensor is added to the Sensors folder.

3 Notifications.
Right-click the Sensors folder and click
Notifications. Make the selections shown for
triggering alerts and warnings.
Click OK.

4 Changes.
Open either HD_Washer part
and change the value in the
Extrude2 feature to 2.75mm
as shown.

Save and close the part.

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5 Alert.
Click Rebuild a few times to trigger the alert after 5 rebuilds. The
What’s Wrong dialog states:
The following sensors have triggered alerts:
Dimension1: 0.313mm < 0.5

Close the What’s Wrong dialog.

6 Change.
Change the value in the
Extrude2 feature to 2.50mm as
shown. This will turn off the
alert.
7 Save and close the files.

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SolidWorks 2012 Exercise 17
Assembly Errors

Exercise 17: Repair and change this assembly.

Assembly This lab uses the following skills:
Errors
I Editing Activities on page 174
I Finding and Repairing
Problems on page 175
I Replacing and Modifying
Components on page 180
I Mate Errors on page 183

Design Intent The assembly you will open was saved with a number of errors. Repair
the assembly in such a way that you capture and maintain the following
design intent:
1. The Brace_New components are centered with respect to the hole
in the End Connect components.
2. The edges of the End Connect components are flush with the front
edge of Rect Base.
Procedure Use the following procedure:
1 Open an assembly file.
Open assy_errors_lab from
the Lesson06\Exercises\
Assy Errors folder.
2 Mate errors.
Expand Mates to see the
errors. There are two
conflicting mates that over
define End Connect<2> and
Brace_New<2>.
Delete the one mate to rectify
the over defined condition
and to properly capture the design intent.
3 Interference checking.
Select the entire assembly and check
for interferences. There should be
one interference.

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Exercise 17 SolidWorks 2012
Assembly Errors

4 Edit the mate.

Edit the failed mate
(Coincident17) to both repair it
and eliminate the interference.
Tip When you edit the definition of
the mate, pay attention to the
alignment condition; enable
Preview of the mate before you
apply it.
The assembly should look like the illustration above, in the top view
orientation, with no errors.
5 Find and edit mate.
Right-click the top level icon in
the FeatureManager design tree
and click Tree Display, View
Mates and Dependencies.
Find the mate that is responsible
for Brace_New<1> being off
center.
Edit the mate so that Brace_New<1> is positioned according to the
design intent.
6 Replace components.
Replace both End Connect
components with components
named new_end.
7 Save and close the files.

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SolidWorks 2012 Exercise 18
Sensors and Assembly Equations

Exercise 18: Create a sensor and an equation for this existing

Sensors and assembly to control the length of a component.
Assembly This lab uses the following skills:
Equations I Editing Activities on page 174
I Assembly Equations on page 197
I Sensors on page 201

Procedure Use the following procedure:

1 Open an assembly file.
Open assy_eq from the Lesson06\Exercises\assy equations
folder.
2 Hide components.
Hide all components except those shown
at the right.
3 Check for interference.
Check for interference between all
components.

4 Change.
Change the length of Cross Bar to
64mm and check for interferences.

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Sensors and Assembly Equations

5 Reference dimension.
Add the reference dimension
shown between planar faces of the
model.

6 Sensor.
Create a sensor to check that the gap
does not drop below 0.30mm. Change
the length of Cross Bar to 66mm.
The sensor alert will activate.
Although the sensor will alert, it
cannot prevent the gap from being
violated.
Delete the sensor and dimension.

7 Edit the Cross Bar. 0.30mm gap each end

Edit the definition of Cross Bar so
that it is modeled as an in-context part.
The design intent is such that there is
exactly 0.30mm of clearance between
the ends of Cross Bar and the inside
of UBracket.
8 Link values.
Use global variables to make sure the
two clearance values are always equal.
Use the name Clearance.
Add a reference dimension that shows
the overall length of the part.
9 Rebuild the model.
Rebuild and return to Edit Assembly mode.

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10 Test.
Test the in-context feature by
changing the width of
UBracket to 90mm. No
interference should exist
between the components and
the proper clearance should be
maintained.

11 Edit the mate.

Find the Coincident mate that is
between Spindle Washer and
UBracket. Change it to a Distance
mate.
Set the distance under the washer at
6mm and rename the mate to
WasherGap.

12 Equation.
Write an equation that drives the value of the distance mate so that it is
equal to the clearance between the end of Cross Bar and the inside of
UBracket. Create the equation by selecting the appropriate dimensions
rather than by typing the equation shown below. The equation is
provided for reference.
"D1@WasherGap" = "Clearance@Base-Extrude@Cross Bar.Part"
Rebuild the model. The gap between Spindle Washer and UBracket
should now be 0.30mm.
13 Test.
Change the clearance between Cross Bar and UBracket to 0.20mm.
Rebuild the model. The distance mate should update accordingly.
14 Save and close the files.

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Exercise 19 SolidWorks 2012
Mirror Component

Exercise 19: Mirror and edit a sub-assembly.

Mirror This lab uses the following
Component skills:
I Mirroring Components on
page 190

1 Open an assembly file.

Open FoldingPlatform from the Lesson06\Exercises\
MirrorComp folder.
2 Mirror components.
Mirror the LeftSideSub sub-assembly.
I Use the Right plane of the assembly as the Mirror plane.
I Create opposite hand versions for all of the sub-assembly
components except for the rivets.
I Reorient the rivets until the preview is correct.
I Accept the default name of the new sub-assembly and new
components to add the prefix, Mirror.
If you properly mirror the sub-assembly, then all the mates are
re-created for you.
3 Save and close the files.

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 Lesson 7
Layout-based Assembly
Design

Upon successful completion of this lesson, you will be able to:

I Create a layout sketch in an assembly.
I Build sketches into blocks.
I Use a layout sketch to show an animation.
I Create part components from blocks.

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Layout-based Assembly Design

Layout-based Layout-based assembly design creates full solid model assemblies

Assembly based on sketch blocks. The sketch geometry of the blocks creates the
Design parts and transfers the animation.

Key Topics Some of the key topics in this lesson are shown in the following list.
I Layout-based Assembly Design
Using an assembly layout sketch, use blocks to represent the motion of
an assembly.
I Creating Blocks
Create blocks from sketch geometry and connect them to form an
assembly.
I Inserting Blocks
Blocks can be saved to an external file (*.sldblk) and inserted into any
layout sketch.
I Using Layout Sketches to Place Components
Place existing components relative to layout sketch geometry after you
verify relations and movement among the sketch blocks.

The Layout Using Layout-Based

Assembly Design, you can
go directly from an assembly
sketch to the full assembly.
Starting with a new assembly
Layout, sketch geometry is
turned into blocks and
connected with relations to
simulate an animation. The
block geometry can then form
component parts with the
same motion as the original
blocks.

Where to Find It I Begin Assembly PropertyManager: Create Layout

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SolidWorks 2012 Lesson 7
Layout-based Assembly Design

Procedure The process includes making blocks, adding relations and positioning
them in an assembly to display movement. Then, convert the blocks
into part models in the same layout assembly.
1 New assembly.
Create a new assembly in millimeters and click
Create Layout.

2 Review layout.
A Layout sketch is created and opened in
the assembly. This is a 3D sketch.

Are You In Layout If you are in Layout mode, the Confirmation Corner shows the
Mode? layout symbol. To get into layout mode, right-click the top
level component and click Layout.

Blocks Blocks allow you to group multiple pieces of sketch geometry and
dimensions together so that they move as one in a sketch. This is useful
in testing 2D mechanisms. Sketch blocks in layouts can create
in-context parts.
Using Local Local Blocks are those that are created and remain in the same sketch.
Blocks
Creating a Block Using sketch geometry, create the geometry of the block. Select the
geometry and use Make Block to convert the geometry into a single
piece block.

Note The block geometry can be as simple as required to make the

connections between blocks. It can also be more complex to save time
when it forms a part.

Where to Find It I CommandManager: Layout > Make Block

I Menu: Tools, Blocks, Make
I Shortcut Menu: Right-click the geometry and click Make Block

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Lesson 7 SolidWorks 2012
Layout-based Assembly Design

3 Sketch geometry.
Create the sketch geometry for the
block.

Note The block geometry can be attached to the origin like a standard sketch
or remain some distance from it.
4 Make block.
Select the geometry and dimensions
of the sketch and click Make Block
.
Click in the Insertion Point group
box, drag and drop the Manipulator
(blue axes) to the endpoint as shown.
Click OK.

5 Relations.
Add relations to the block:
I Drag the vertex between the endpoint
of the 50mm and 42mm lines so it is
Coincident with the Origin.
I Place a Horizontal relation on the
42mm line.

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SolidWorks 2012 Lesson 7
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6 Rename.
Rename the block using a slow double-click or click and then press the
F2 key. Type the name Base.
7 Create another block.
Create the rectangle, centerline, and two sketch points shown below for
a new block. Place the manipulator as shown and rename the block to
Arm.

Mechanical Motion The Layout environment allows you to test the motion of connected
with Blocks blocks by dragging.
8 Connect blocks.
Connect the endpoint and the point using
a Coincident relation. The Arm block
should rotate freely about the point.

Tip For more on motion and animations, see the Creating Animations with
SolidWorks Step-By-Step manual.

Saving a Block Blocks can be saved to disk for reuse in multiple sketches. The
geometry and dimensions can be saved to a (*.sldblk) file.
Using Sketches as Sketches created in parts can be saved as block files and inserted into
Blocks layouts.

Where to Find It I CommandManager: Layout > Save Block

I Menu: Select a block and click Tools, Blocks, Save
I Shortcut Menu: Right-click a block and click Save Block

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Lesson 7 SolidWorks 2012
Layout-based Assembly Design

9 New part.
Create a new part in millimeters.
10 Straight Slot.
Create a new sketch on the Front plane.
Create a Straight Slot approximately 125mm by
10mm. point

Add a point on the centerline.

11 Dimensions.
Fully dimension the sketch as shown.
12 Save block.
Select the sketch feature and Save Block . Name
the block Handle and save it in the local folder.
Close the part without saving.

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SolidWorks 2012 Lesson 7
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Inserting Existing blocks can be inserted into the active layout using Insert
Blocks Block. They can be connected to other blocks using relations. The
blocks can be local or from a location on disk.

Where to Find It I CommandManager: Layout > Save Block

I Menu: Select a block and click Tools, Blocks, Insert
I Windows Explorer: Drag a block into the graphics area

13 Insert Handle block.

Return to the layout assembly. Click Insert Block
and Browse. Select the block Block-Handle,
place the block anywhere in the graphics area and
click OK.

14 Connect block.
Connect the new block to the
others as shown.

15 Insert additional blocks.

Click Insert Block and Browse. Select the block Block-Link,
place the block anywhere in the graphics area and click OK.
Repeat for the Block-Hold Down block.

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Lesson 7 SolidWorks 2012
Layout-based Assembly Design

16 Connect blocks.
Connect the Link and Hold Down blocks to the others as shown.
Link Hold Down
Coincident 2x Coincident &
Collinear

Editing Blocks The Edit Block tool allows the block sketch geometry to be edited
while maintaining the block as a feature.

Where to Find It I CommandManager: Layout > Edit Block

I Menu: Select a block and click Tools, Blocks, Edit
I Shortcut Menu: Right-click a block and click Edit Block

Note If the block is linked to an external file, it cannot be edited.

Exploding Blocks Blocks can be exploded to remove the block and replace it with the
geometry of that block. Exploding a linked block copies the geometry
to the active sketch and breaks the link.

Where to Find It I CommandManager: Layout > Explode Block

I Menu: Select a block and click Tools, Blocks, Explode
I Shortcut Menu: Right-click a block and click Explode Block

17 Edit block.
Right-click the Link block in the graphics area
and click Edit Block. Change the 25mm
dimension to 30mm as shown.

Exit editing the block by clicking in the

Confirmation Corner.

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SolidWorks 2012 Lesson 7
Layout-based Assembly Design

18 Drag.
Drag the blocks to see the change in length and the differences in the
motion.

19 Exit Layout.
Click Exit Layout .

Creating a Part Using the geometry of the block, you can create a part component. This
from a Block component contains the block and has the same motion as the block.
When the block is converted into a part, the new
part absorbs the block into a sketch. Unlike the
new parts in Lesson 1: Top-Down Assembly
Modeling, this new part is added to the assembly
without Edit Sketch or Edit Part mode.
There are two options:
I Project - Use this option if you intend to
project from the plane of the block but not be constrained co-planar
to it. Use this for a part that is parallel to the sketch position but not
aligned with it.
I On Block - Use this option if you intend to project from the plane
of the block and be constrained co-planar to it. Use this for a part
that will remain at the sketch position.

Where to Find It I Menu: Insert, Component, Insert Part from Block

I Shortcut Menu: Right-click a block and click Make Part From
Block

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Lesson 7 SolidWorks 2012
Layout-based Assembly Design

20 Make part.
Right-click the Base block and click Make Part
from Block and use the On Block option.

Note Creating the part does not automatically put the part into Edit Part
mode.
21 Edit Part.
Right-click the new part and click Edit Part .

22 Add geometry.
Create a new sketch on the Front plane of the new part and add the
geometry shown relative to the visible block geometry. The arcs are the
same radius and their centerpoints are coincident with the endpoints of
the lines in the Base block.

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SolidWorks 2012 Lesson 7
Layout-based Assembly Design

23 Extrude.
Extrude the sketch using Midplane to a depth of 20mm.
Return to editing the assembly.
24 Open part.
Right-click the new part and click
Open Part . Add fillets of 4mm
to the bottom edges and a shell of
3mm.
Optionally change the color of the
part.

25 Test the motion.

Save the part changes and return to the assembly. Drag the blocks and
you will see that the motion of the layout remains intact. The blocks
move relative to Base.
26 Assembly.
This is what the assembly might
look like when complete if you
continue creating parts from the
rest of the sketch blocks.

27 Save and close the files.

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Lesson 7 SolidWorks 2012
Layout-based Assembly Design

Gear and Pulley In addition to the flexibility we have already seen when using blocks,
Motion in they can also model gear or pulley motion. This is similar to the gear/
Blocks pulley and rack/pinion mates we have already seen, creating “traction”
between elements, but applied in the context of a sketch.
Introducing: The Belt/Chain sketch entity simulates an animation of pulleys and
Belt/Chain belt or sprockets and chain.
Where to Find it While editing a sketch, select Tools, Sketch Entities, Belt/Chain.

Introducing: A Traction relation applies friction between elements (blocks) in a

Traction Relation sketch to achieve mechanical motion. The Belt/Chain sketch entity
applies Traction relations automatically.
Where to Find it While editing a sketch, select Add Relation, Traction .

1 Open a part file.

Open pulleys from the
Lesson07\Case
Study\Blocks folder.
The part contains a sketch
with three blocks, each
representing a pulley.
2 Insert the belt.
Edit the sketch, and select Tools, Sketch Entities, Belt/Chain. Select
the three blocks from right to left as the Belt Members.

Tip Order of selection matters; the feature assumes a clockwise sequence

and snakes the belt accordingly.
3 Belt side.
Flip the belt side on the
idler, as shown. Click
OK.

4 Rotate.
Drag one of the pulleys to see the block motion.
Save and close the part.

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SolidWorks 2012 Lesson 7
Layout-based Assembly Design

5 Open a part file.

Open gears from the Lesson07\Case
Study\Blocks folder.
The part contains a sketch with three
circles and some construction geometry.
The blocks need to be created.
6 Blocks.
Edit the sketch, and create three blocks,
each consisting of one circle and its two diametric construction lines.
Add a relation to the right circle (block) to make it concentric with the
origin.
Tip Drag the block slightly off the origin first to make selection easier.
7 Traction relation.
Insert a Traction relation between two of the blocks. Click OK. Repeat
for the other contacting circle pair.

8 Motion.
Rotate one of the gears by dragging.
Save and close the part.

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Lesson 7 SolidWorks 2012
Layout-based Assembly Design

224
SolidWorks 2012 Exercise 20
Stick Blocks

Exercise 20: Create the cutting mechanism using “stick”

Stick Blocks blocks from lines and circles.
This lab reinforces the following skills:
I Using Local Blocks on page 213
I Mechanical Motion with Blocks on
page 215
Units: millimeters

Procedure Use the following procedure:

1 New assembly.
Create a new assembly file using the Assembly_MM template. Create
a layout.
2 New blocks.
Create new blocks using the individual sketches as shown below.

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Exercise 20 SolidWorks 2012
Stick Blocks

3 Connect blocks.
Connect the blocks as shown below and drag to display the motion.

4 Save and close the files.

226
SolidWorks 2012 Exercise 21
Inserting Blocks

Exercise 21: Insert existing blocks and

Inserting connect them to create a
Blocks representation of a backhoe
mechanism.
This lab reinforces the
following skills:
I Inserting Blocks on
page 217
I Mechanical Motion with
Blocks on page 215
Units: millimeters

Procedure Use the following procedure:

1 New assembly.
Create a new assembly file using the Assembly_MM template. Create
a layout.
2 Insert sketch block.
Insert the Sketch-Block1 file, fully
constraining to the origin it as shown.

3 Additional blocks.
Add the additional blocks
(Sketch-Block2 - Sketch-
Block7) to the sketch. Add
relations to them as shown.
Color the blocks to
distinguish them.

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Exercise 21 SolidWorks 2012
Inserting Blocks

4 Sketch geometry.
Insert Sketch-Block8 two
times, once at full scale and at
0.7 scale as shown. Add
construction lines with
Collinear relations and
dimensions.

Block Scale 0.7

5 Changes.
Change the
dimensions to
move the
components as
shown.

6 Save and close

the files.

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SolidWorks 2012 Exercise 22
Making Blocks

Exercise 22: Create this mechanism using blocks.

Making Blocks This lab reinforces the following skills:
I Using Local Blocks on page 213
I Mechanical Motion with Blocks on
page 215
I Saving a Block on page 215.
I Inserting Blocks on page 217.
I Creating a Part from a Block on page 219
Units: millimeters

Procedure Use the following procedure:

1 New assembly.
Create a new assembly file using the Assembly_MM template. Create
a layout.
2 New blocks.
Create new blocks by creating sketches in a part as shown below. Save
the sketches as blocks and insert the blocks into the layout.

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Exercise 22 SolidWorks 2012
Making Blocks

3 Connect blocks.
Connect the blocks as shown below and drag to display the motion.

4 Internal parts.
Use Make Part from Block to create internal
parts. Use your own dimensions.
5 Save and close the files.

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SolidWorks 2012 Exercise 23
Belts and Traction

Exercise 23: Create these blocks from sketches and

Belts and use them with a belt/chain and traction.
Traction This lab reinforces the following skills:
I Saving a Block on page 215
I Introducing: Belt/Chain on page 222
I Introducing: Traction Relation on
page 222
Units: millimeters
Procedure Use the following procedure:
1 Open a part file.
Open Sketches_to_Blocks
from the
Lesson07\Exercises
folder. Save the entities from
each sketch as a new block.
Use the name of the sketch
as the name of the block.

2 New part.
Create a new part file using
the Part_MM template.
Insert the blocks and
connect them as shown.

3 Belt.
Add a Belt/Chain between
the blocks shown.

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Belts and Traction

4 Test belt.
Rotate Block-
Small_Pulley or Block-
Large_Pulley to test the
belt.
Add Block-Idler to the
sketch with a Traction
relation.

5 Rotate idler.
Rotate Block-Idler to turn
Block-Large_Pulley and
the belt.

6 Delete belt and relation.

Delete the belt. Delete the
coincident relation between
Block-Small_Pulley and
the endpoint of Block-
Frame.
Connect Block-
Small_Pulley to the line of
Block-Frame with a
coincident relation as
shown.
7 Driving belt.
Add a new Belt/Chain
using the Driving option
with a belt length of
150mm.

8 Save and close the files.

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Upon successful completion of this lesson, you will be able to:

I Configure large assembly mode options.
I Take advantage of lightweight components.
I Use advanced selection techniques.
I Create a SpeedPak configuration.
I Simplify assembly components with Defeature.
I Modify the structure of an assembly.
I Use Assembly Visualization to create display states.
I Take advantage of Large Design Review.

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Large Working with a large assembly requires a strategy to minimize the time
Assemblies required to load and edit the components in the assembly. There are
several strategies offered using lightweight, hidden and suppressed
components.
Key Topics Some of the key topics in this lesson are shown in the following list.
Each of these topics corresponds to a section in the lesson.
I Lightweight Components
Lightweight components offer reduced file sizes on open to increase
speed. They must be fully loaded (resolved) to perform some
operations.
I Large Assembly Mode
The large assembly mode invokes a set of options based on an
assembly with the minimum number of components. The threshold for
the number of components is user defined.
I SpeedPak
The SpeedPak configuration reduces the file size of a sub-assembly by
reducing the assembly to selectable faces.
I Simplified Configurations
Using assembly configurations (Lesson 4: Using Configurations with
Assemblies), you can create “simplified” configurations of parts, sub-
assemblies and the top level assembly. The simplified geometry
reduces the load when opening or editing the assembly.
I Defeature
With the Defeature tool, you can remove details from a part or
assembly to simplify the graphics and improve performance.
I Modifying the Structure of an Assembly
The structure of an assembly has an impact on how easily it can be
edited. There are a number of tools that allow you to manage and
modify the organizational structure of an assembly. You can dissolve a
sub-assembly, select components and form a new sub-assembly, and
drag and drop components into or out of sub-assemblies.
I Large Design Review
Large Design Review lets you open very large assemblies quickly,
while still retaining capabilities that are useful when conducting design
reviews of assemblies.

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Lightweight Lightweight components are a key factor in improving the performance

Components of large assemblies. Lightweight components only load selected
information into memory.
The lightweight component can:
I Speed up assembly work.
I Keep mates intact.
I Maintain placement.
I Keep orientation.
I Be moved and rotated.
I Be displayed in shaded, hidden line or wireframe modes.
I Have their edges, faces or vertices selected or mated to.
I Have Mass Properties or Interference Detection performed on
them.
Lightweight components cannot:
I Be edited.
I Show their features in the FeatureManager design tree.
The opposite of a lightweight component is a resolved component. A
resolved component is fully loaded into memory and can be edited.
Creating There are various ways to open assemblies as lightweight:
Lightweight I Select Lightweight for Mode on the Open dialog box.
Components
I By changing the
Automatically load
components lightweight
setting on the Performance
page of Tools, Options,
System Options.
The option Check out-of-
date lightweight
components can be set to
Don’t check, Indicate or Always Resolve. This setting controls
how lightweight parts are treated when they have been changed
since the assembly was saved.
The option Resolve lightweight components can be set to
Always or Prompt. This setting determines what happens when
you perform an operation that requires resolved components.

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After the Once the assembly is open, lightweight components can be resolved.
Assembly is Open Similarly, resolved components can be changed to lightweight. There
are several ways to do this.

Set Lightweight to Resolved Set Resolved to Lightweight

Double-click the component in

the graphics area. It will auto-
matically be resolved.
Right-click the component and Right-click the component and
click Set to Resolved from the click Set to Lightweight from
shortcut menu. the shortcut menu.
Right-click the top-level Right-click the top-level
component of the assembly and component of the assembly and
click Set Lightweight to click Set Resolved to
Resolved. This resolves all of Lightweight. This sets all of the
the lightweight components, resolved components to
including those in sub- lightweight, including those in
assemblies. sub-assemblies.

Indicators of When an assembly is loaded as

Lightweight Status lightweight, all part components are listed
with lightweight status. This includes all
part components inside any sub-assembly.
Lightweight components are indicated
with a feather symbol over the component
icon in the FeatureManager design tree.

Note Out-of-date lightweight parts are indicated per the settings

Performance page of System Options.
Best Practice Use lightweight assemblies. Set your system options so that
components in assemblies are loaded as lightweight by default. This
way you will automatically reap the benefits of working with
lightweight components. On those few occasions when you want to
open an assembly as resolved, you can always select Resolved for
Mode on the Open dialog box.

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Comparison of Components in an assembly can exist in one of four states: resolved,

Component States lightweight, suppressed, or hidden. Each of these states has
implications on system performance and on what operations you are
able to perform. See Comparison of Components Suppression States in
the online help for a table that summarizes the behavior of assembly
components in each of the four states.

Note See Using SpeedPak on page 244 for another configuration variant.
Large Assembly When opening an assembly with
Mode Large Assembly Mode active,
appropriate settings are chosen
to make the large assembly
faster.
There are various ways to open
assemblies in Large Assembly
Mode:
I Select Large Assembly Mode for Mode on the Open dialog box.
I By changing the settings under Large assemblies on the
Assemblies page of Tools, Options, System Options.
The settings on the Assemblies page of System Options are then
used for the large assembly. Some of the settings include:
I Do not save auto recover info
Disables automatic save of your model.
I Hide all planes, axes, sketches, curves, annotations, etc.
Selects Hide All Types on the View menu.
I Do not display edges in shaded mode
Turns off edges in shaded mode. If the display mode of the assembly is
Shaded with Edges, it changes to Shaded.
I Suspend automatic rebuild
Defers the update of assemblies, so you can make many changes, then
rebuild the assembly once.

Tip Using Lightweight mode is good, but using Large Assembly Mode is
better. Large Assembly Mode includes additional settings to improve
performance. The threshold for components should be set so that all
large assemblies trigger this mode.

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1 Threshold.
Set the Large Assembly
Threshold to 100.
Click OK.

Note The assembly used in this lesson is large enough to display the
techniques used with large assemblies but small enough to be practical
in the classroom.
2 Open an assembly file.
Open Full_Grill_Assembly from the Lesson08\Case Study folder.
Use the configuration Default. Click Open.

3 Display state.
Right-click in the ConfigurationManager and click Add Display State.
Rename it to No Hardware.

Tip You create display states to hide components to improve graphical

performance and improve the performance of opening assemblies when
you select Do not load hidden components on the Open dialog box.

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4 Advanced Select.
Click Select , Select Toolbox.

5 Hide.
Right-click the components and click
Hide Components to hide the selected
fastener components in the No Hardware
display state.
The original display state,
Default_Display State-1, includes all
the hardware.
Default_Display New Display
6 New display state. State-1 State-1
Add a new display state and rename it
Support under the same Default configuration.
The new display state is copied from the active one, No Hardware, so
the copy hides all the Toolbox components.
7 Drag select.
Drag from left to right to select
everything through the depth that
is within, but not crossing, the
window boundary.

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8 Hide.
Hide the selected components.

9 Display State.
Activate the No Hardware
display state. Add a new display
state and rename it Cooking
Area.

10 Volume select.
Change to the Front view. Click Select , Volume Select. Drag
from left to right to select the covers. Adjust the selections using the
arrows as shown. Click off the model to select.

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11 Invert.
Right-click in the graphics area
and click Invert Selection.
Hide the selected items.

12 Hide.
Hide any other components that may have been
missed.

13 Add display state.

Create a new display state Cooking Area&Controls.
14 Show hidden.
Click Assembly > Show
Hidden Components
and temporarily all the
hidden components
reappear as the visible
components are hidden.
Select control panel and
other components. They
disappear as they are
selected.

15 Exit show hidden.

Click Exit Show-Hidden to show the selected
components and complete the process.

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16 Switch configurations.
Return to the ConfigurationManager
and make the Full configuration
active. Because Link Display States
to Configurations is on, the
associated display state Display
State-1 is activated with the
configuration.

Unloading Hidden To free system resources, you can unload hidden components. All of
Components the components that are hidden in the current display state are removed
from memory.

Where to Find It I Shortcut Menu: Right-click the assembly in the FeatureManager

design tree and click Unload Hidden Components

17 Unlink display states.

Clear Link Display States to
Configurations and activate the
display state Support. Show any
hidden components from the
Support_Frame_End \
side_table_shelf_&_burners
sub-assembly.

Hide or show any additional components to look as shown above.

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18 Unload hidden components.

Although many components have been hidden and shown, they are all
loaded into memory.
Right-click the top level component and click Unload Hidden
Components.
Save the assembly.

Scroll Selected In a large assembly, it is often difficult to locate components

Item into View graphically. One way is to use Scroll selected item into view. When
this option is enabled, selecting a piece of geometry in the graphics
window highlights it in the FeatureManager design tree, expanding
several levels if required.

Where to Find It I Menu Bar: Options , System Options, FeatureManager,

Scroll selected item into view

19 Select Sub-assembly.
Right-click range_burner_insert
and click Select Sub Assembly.
From the dialog listing three
options, click
double_range_burner-1.

20 Open component.
Locate the double_range_burner-1
component in the FeatureManager
design tree. Right-click and click
Open Assembly.

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Using The SpeedPak is a special configuration using a simplified

SpeedPak representation of an assembly that maintains references. It is simplified
by identifying the selectable Faces to Include or Bodies to Include in
the assembly.
Including Faces To minimize the size of the assembly, the minimum selections can be
just the faces required to mate the component into an assembly.
Quick Include The Enable Quick Include button allows you to use a slider to
determine the amount of detail included. The sliders are for Faces to
Include or Bodies to Include .

Enable Quick Include Results

Note SpeedPak configurations are marked with the icon.

Where to Find It I Shortcut Menu: Right-click in the ConfigurationManager and click

Add SpeedPak

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21 Adding a SpeedPak.
Create a new configuration named Reduced.
Right-click in the ConfigurationManager and
click Add SpeedPak. Click in Faces to Include
and select the three faces as shown.

Click OK.
Save and close the
sub-assembly.
22 Using the SpeedPak.
Return to the main assembly.
Right-click
double_range_burner and
click Component Properties.
Select Reduced_speedpak as
the reference configuration and
click OK.

Note Only the identified faces (and edges of those faces) can be selected in
the SpeedPak. As you move the cursor, a white circle erases
unselectable geometry.
23 Save the file.
Save but do not close the assembly.

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Defeature With the Defeature tool, you can remove details from a part or
assembly and save the results to a new file in which the details are
replaced by dumb solids (that is, solids without feature definition or
history.) You can then share the new file without revealing all the
design details of the model. An additional benefit is that using
simplified models improves performance by simplifying the graphics
and reducing rebuild times. The new file has the same mass and center
of gravity as assigned mass properties.

Before After

Where to Find It I Menu: Tools, Defeature

24 Open an assembly file.

Open the Burner_Plate sub-assembly in
its own window and show all of the
hidden components.

25 Defeature - step 1: Components.

Click Tools, Defeature.
Under Remove, choose Selected
components and select the four screws and
two gaskets from the flyout FeatureManager
design tree.
Click Next .
26 Defeature - step 2: Motion.
Motion is not required for this sub-assembly so
click Next .
27 Defeature - step 3: To Keep.
Select any holes or features you want to retain.
Typically, you want to consider the faces that
you need to mate with.
For this assembly, no selections are necessary so click Next .

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28 Defeature - step 4: To Remove.

Rotate the assembly to view the preview from different orientations. If
any holes or features were not removed, you could select them now.
Click Next .
29 Defeature - Feature Removal
Complete.
Under Results, click Save the model as
a separate file and click OK. Type
Defeature_Burner for File name and
click Save.
The resultant part has three solid bodies
and no editable features. There are fewer holes and no screws. Here is a
comparison of the assembly and the part:

Burner_Plate.sldasm Defeature_Burner.sldprt

10 parts 1 part
26 mates in this assembly 0 mates in this part
50,000+ triangles in an STL file 10,000+ triangles in an STL file

Note The number of triangles in an STL file is shown to give an idea of the
complexity of the geometry for graphical performance reasons.
30 Replace component.
Return to the main assembly.
Right-click the Burner_Plate sub-assembly and
click Replace Components. The Burner_Plate
sub-assembly appears in the Replace these
component(s) field.
Select Defeature_Burner for With this one.
Click Re-attach mates.
Click OK.

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31 Mated entities.
The Mated Entities dialog appears to
assist in re-attaching the failed mates.
Expand the mates and select the
replacement faces for each one. You need
to select a cylindrical face (1), planar
face (2), and a cylindrical face (3) as
shown in the image. Click OK when you
replace the entities for all three mates. 1 2 3

The grill assembly now includes

the simplified part, reducing
graphical complexity and
improving performance.

32 Save the file.

Save but do not close the assembly.

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Using Configurations of the component parts, sub-assemblies and the top

Configurations level assembly make large assemblies faster. One approach is to
with Large remove components from the assembly by suppressing them. Another
is to make simpler versions of the components and use them in place of
Assemblies
the “full” versions.
Suppressing This method “removes” components from the sub-assemblies and the
Components top level assembly by suppressing them. Since suppressed components
are not loaded, it can increase the speed of the assembly.

Tip Suppressing a component also suppresses the mates associated with

that component. See Comparison of Components Suppression States in
the online help for more information on the impact of suppression,
lightweight and hidden components.
See Lesson 4: Using Configurations with Assemblies for more
information about creating assembly configurations.
Simplified The Simplified Configurations approach to large assemblies is to
Configurations create “simplified” configurations of the components in the assembly
(see Tips for Faster Assemblies on page 260). The simplified part
configuration suppresses all detail features that are not required to use
the component in the assembly. Usually the suppressed features are
fillets, chamfers or small detail features. The small assembly below
illustrates the process.

Default Simplified

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Advanced Open There are several Advanced options available when opening an
existing assembly. On the Open dialog, select <Advanced> from
the Configurations menu and click Open. You can use this method to
create the simplified configuration of an assembly provided the
individual parts have been simplified.
Advanced Open The options of the Configure Document dialog are explained below.
Options
I Open currently selected configuration.
Opens the currently selected configuration.
I New configuration
showing all referenced
models.
Opens and resolves all the
components. Saves it under
the Configuration name.
I New configuration
showing assembly
structure only.
Opens and suppresses all the components. Saves it under the
Configuration name.
I Use specified configuration for part references when
available.
Searches for part configurations matching the Configuration name
(Simplified or your input) and makes them active.

Modifying the If you have the foresight, it is always best to place components into the
Structure of an proper level of the assembly (at the top level or in a sub-assembly).
Assembly Despite your best plans, sometimes you need to change the level of a
component. There are tools that allow you to manage and modify the
organizational structure of an assembly. Specifically, you can:
I Dissolve a sub-assembly.
I Select components, and form a new sub-assembly.
I Insert a new, empty sub-assembly.
I Drag and drop components into or out of sub-assemblies.
I Drag to reorder components within an assembly or sub-assembly.
Dissolving a You can dissolve a sub-assembly into individual components. This will
Sub-assembly move the components up one level in the assembly hierarchy.
Creating a New To gather components into a new sub-assembly that resides in the main
Sub-assembly assembly, you can use Form New Sub-assembly. The new sub-
with Components assembly exists in the main assembly and as an assembly in its own
right.
To create a new, empty sub-assembly in an assembly, you can use
Insert, Component, New Assembly.

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Promoting and Components can be moved from the main assembly to a sub-assembly
Demoting by dragging and dropping them. They can also be moved between sub-
Components assemblies, or from a sub-assembly to the top level assembly.
When you reorganize the components at any level, the mates and any
features that reference the selected components are affected. Therefore,
decisions about hierarchical groupings should be made early in
development of a complex assembly to minimize the effects on these
items.
A couple of points to keep in mind when reorganizing components are:
I Mates of the component move to the mate group of the lowest
common parent assembly.
I Moving a fixed component from the top-level of the assembly
hierarchy down into a sub-assembly can leave the main assembly
free to float in space.
I Moving a fixed component from a sub-assembly to the top-level
assembly may over define the top-level assembly.
I Features that have external references will be deleted if the
referenced component moves. A message will appear to inform you
of this.
I Component pattern instances cannot be moved. Moving the
component that is the seed for a component pattern will delete the
component pattern. A message will appear to inform you of this.
The process of promoting or demoting components is accomplished in
several ways. The commands Form New Sub-assembly Here and
Dissolve Sub-assembly both force components to move within the
hierarchy. Drag and drop can also be employed for this purpose.
Finally, Tools, Reorganize Components can be easier to use when
the FeatureManager design tree is very long, and therefore requires a
lot of scrolling.
In this example, component parts will be dragged and dropped into an
existing sub-assembly.

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Reorganize One way to move components from one assembly to another is to drag
Components Using and drop them in the FeatureManager design tree. You can select one or
Drag and Drop more components using the Ctrl or Shift keys, and move them in a
single operation. The cursor will appear with the marker as the
components are dragged and dropped onto a sub-assembly. The
components become part of that sub-assembly.

1 Configuration and display state.

Activate the Default configuration and the Cooking Area display
state. Display all of the components in the Upper_Cover assembly.
2 Resolve.
Right-click the Full Grill Assembly top level assembly and click Set
Lightweight to Resolved. This resolves the assembly and components
within it.

Introducing: The Dissolve Sub-assembly option brings components up one level

Dissolve Sub- in the assembly structure.
assembly

Where to Find It I Menu: Select a sub-assembly and click Edit, Dissolve Assembly
I Shortcut Menu: Right-click a sub-assembly and click Dissolve
Sub-assembly

3 Dissolve.
Right-click the Upper_Cover sub-assembly and
click Dissolve Sub-assembly. The component
parts are placed in to the top level assembly at the
bottom of the FeatureManager design tree. There are errors.
4 Float.
As the components are moved to the top level assembly, a common
problem is that fixed components may cause errors. Right-click
Rebuilt_Top_Cover and click Float, All Configurations. The errors
are gone.

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Introducing: Form Form New Sub-assembly Here creates a new assembly using one or
New Sub-assembly more selected components in the current assembly.
Here

Where to Find It I Menu: Select one or more components and click Insert,
Component, Assembly from [Selected] Components
I Shortcut Menu: Right-click one or more components and click
Form New Subassembly Here

5 New sub-assembly.
Right-click lower_grill and click Form
New Sub-assembly Here. Name the new
sub-assembly Grill_Top&Bottom.
6 Drag and Drop Part Components.
Select handle_front_mount,
Rebuilt_Top_Cover, rock_grate,
cook_grate, and both hinge and hinge_female components as
shown. Drag them into Grill_Top&Bottom.

Tip The same method used to drag and drop components into
sub-assemblies reorders components within an assembly. By default,
the order of the components in the FeatureManager design tree
determines the order of the items in the BOM in an assembly drawing.

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Using Folders Folders can organize components and shorten the FeatureManager
design tree. Components can be dragged and dropped into the folder,
but it does not change the assembly structure. Folders organize
components that are related but do not constitute a sub-assembly.

Tip Create New Folder creates a new folder in a part or assembly tree.

7 Drag into folder.

Select and drag the washers, nuts and screws at the
bottom of the FeatureManager design tree into the
Hardware folder. They are moved into the folder.

8 Move folder.
Drag the Hardware folder onto the
last component before the Mates
folder. The folder is moved to the
last position in the tree.

Sub-assembly Sub-assemblies are added to the main assembly as rigid components.

Solving They can move as a group but motion of the individual components is
blocked. You can change the sub-assembly to flexible to allow motion.

Tip The editing performance of flexible sub-assemblies is slower than that

of rigid sub-assemblies. Choose rigid unless flexible is required.

Where to Find It I Shortcut Menu: Right-click a sub-assembly and click Component

Properties . Change the Solve as option to Rigid or Flexible.

9 Component Properties.
Right-click the Grill_Top&Bottom sub-assembly and
click Component Properties. Change the Solve as
state from Rigid to Flexible. Click OK.

Tip Notice the FeatureManager design tree now shows a new icon for
this sub-assembly, indicating its flexible state.

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10 Drag.
Drag the Rebuilt_Top_Cover sub-assembly to
move it.
Note You can not edit a flexible sub-assembly in
context or add equations to external features.
The sub-assembly must be rigid for these
operations.
11 Float and fix in sub-assembly.
Right-click the Grill_Top&Bottom
sub-assembly and open it.
Right-click the lower_grill component and
click Fix.
Save and close the assembly. Return to the
main assembly.

12 Save and close the files.

Assembly Assembly Visualization provides

Visualization different ways to display and sort an
assembly’s components. The list
provides an alternative to the
FeatureManager design tree. You can
sort the list using basic numerical
data such as mass or volume or you
can create customized criteria which
are dependent on several numerical
values. You can also sort by custom
properties and add or delete columns.
In the graphics area, the software applies colors to the components
based on the value of the property you are sorting by. The colors help
you visualize the relative value of the property for each component.
You can save the colored assembly as a display state.

Where to Find It I CommandManager: Evaluate > Assembly Visualization

I Menu: Tools, Assembly Visualization

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13 Open an assembly file.

Click Open , browse to Full_Grill_Assembly, but do not click
open yet.
Set Mode to Resolved because Assembly Visualization gives
accurate results with resolved components.
Set Configurations to Default and Display States to
Default_Display State-1.
Click Open.
14 Assembly Visualization.
Click Assembly Visualization .A
new tab appears next to the
ConfigurationManager. Initially, the
components are sorted alphabetically.

15 Sort.
Click the Mass heading twice to sort
the components by mass from largest
to smallest. Notice the value bars on
the names of the components. The
longest bar is applied to the
component with the highest value.
The lengths of all the other bars are
calculated as a percentage of the
highest value.
16 Display.
Click the color bar to the left of the list of components. The graphics
area displays the components in a color ranging from red to blue,
depending on the relative mass.

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17 Select.
Scroll to the bottom of the list. Select all
the components from Pan Cross Head
to the last component Hex Nut. These
components have a lower mass relative
to the rest of the assembly. Notice how
multiple instances of a component are
grouped together.
18 Hide.
Right-click the selected components and
click Hide components . All of the
lighter, presumably smaller, components
are hidden.

19 Display state.
Click the right facing arrow in the
header as shown in the image. Click
Add Display State.
Rename Visualization Display State-1 to Large Mass in the
ConfigurationManager.
20 Save and close the files.

Large Design Large Design Review lets you open very large assemblies quickly,
Review while still retaining capabilities that are useful when conducting design
reviews of assemblies. When you open an assembly in Large Design
Review mode, you can:
I Navigate the FeatureManager design tree
I Measure distances
I Create cross sections
I Hide and show components
I Create, edit, and play back walk-throughs
I Create snapshots with comments
I Selectively open components

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Large Design Review mode is intended as an environment for quick

reviews. The FeatureManager design tree does not include many details
other than the structure of the assembly. For example, you cannot edit
components or mates. For greater access to the details of the assembly,
you must open the assembly components.

Where to Find It I Open dialog box: Select Large Design Review for Mode
I CommandManager: Large Design Review tab for various
functions you can access in Large Design Review mode

21 Open an assembly file.

Click Open , browse to Full_Grill_Assembly, but do not click
open yet.
Set Mode to Large Design Review and click Open.
22 Inactive configurations.
A message states, Graphics data might be out of date for the
flagged components because these components reference
inactive configurations. Large Design Review mode displays the
graphics for the last-saved configuration of a part. This message
appears if there are parts that use a configuration other than the last-
saved one.
Click OK.
23 Review hardware.
Expand the Hardware folder and note that the
parts in the folder have a warning because they
use inactive configurations.
24 Measure.
Click Measure . A message states
that measurements are approximate in
Large Design Review mode. Click OK.
Click the planar face above and the
planar face below the propane tank to
measure the distance between the faces.
Press Esc to turn off Measure.
25 Section view.
Click Section view . Change to the YZ plane and
click OK. This section view offers a glimpse inside the
grill.

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26 Snapshot.
Click Take Snapshot . Type Section for the name and click OK.
27 DisplayManager.
Switch to the DisplayManager and
expand Snapshots in the tree.
Double-click Home to display that
snapshot. The section view is turned
off and you see the entire assembly.
The Home snapshot cannot be
modified. It is there to provide a
means for you to return to the
original display.

28 Comment.
Right-click the Section snapshot and click Comment.
Type Here is a look inside the grill, then click Save and Close.
Hover over the Clearance snapshot to see the comment.
29 Isolate.
Switch to the FeatureManager design tree.
Right-click Grill_Top&Bottom and click
Isolate.

Click Take Snapshot . Type

TopBottom for the name and click OK.
Click Exit Isolate to display all the
components again.

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30 Selective Open.
Switch to the DisplayManager and double-click the TopBottom
snapshot.
Select all of the components in the graphics area. Click Selective
Open . In the dialog box, click Selected components and click
Open Selected.
Notice the changes:
I The assembly is no longer in Large Design Review mode.
I The CommandManager tabs change to appear as they do for any
other assembly.
I A message appears to inform you that hidden components are not
loaded into memory.
I The selected components are loaded into memory. You can see their
features and mates in the FeatureManager design tree.
31 Save and close the files.

Tips for Faster Whether your assembly is large or small, there are best practices to
Assemblies follow to create efficient and faster parts and assemblies. Faster means
both opening speed and editing speed, both of which contribute to the
overall time it takes you to work in SolidWorks.
I Sub-assembly breakdown
Multiple sub-assemblies should be used in place of
multiple component parts. Advantages include:
I Facilitates multi-user design environments.
Separate members of the design team can work on
individual sub-assemblies.
I Eases sub-assembly editing. You can edit
sub-assemblies in their own window. Sub-assemblies are smaller and
less complicated than the main assembly.
I Reduces top-level mates. Placing the majority of mates in
sub-assemblies instead of the top-level assembly allows the top-level
assembly to solve faster.
I Facilitates reuse of sub-assemblies. Parts grouped as
sub-assemblies can be easily reused in other assemblies.

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SolidWorks 2012 Lesson 8
Large Assemblies

I Using Component Patterns

Patterns save editing time at the
part and assembly level.

I Configurations
Configurations of the
assembly and sub-assemblies
create different versions of a
product. The versions can
differ by the number of
components, the visibility of
the components, or the
configurations of the
components. One assembly
configuration could contain
simplified configurations of
part components. Selecting
that configuration selects all
the part configurations
contained within it.
I Lightweight components
Lightweight components improve performance when working with
assemblies because only a subset of the model data is loaded into
memory. The remaining model data is loaded on an as-needed basis. A
point to note is: the larger the assembly, the greater the performance
gain. For more information see Lightweight Components on page 235.
I Files saved in earlier releases
Be sure to save all component files in the latest release of the
SolidWorks software. Files saved in earlier releases open and rebuild
slower.
I Graphical appearance
There are many functions that can enhance the appearance of an
assembly, including: RealView graphics, shadows, textures, and so on.
Consider reducing your use of these functions while creating and
editing an assembly, then turn them on to create presentations or your
final output.

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Lesson 8 SolidWorks 2012
Large Assemblies

I Suppress unnecessary
detail
Use part configurations to
represent models in a
simplified state by
suppressing details that are
not critical in the assembly.

For comparison purposes, a bolt with full helical threads is over 100
times larger in file size than a bolt with no threads. A bolt with revolved
threads is 30 times larger.

Fillets and chamfers are often the easiest features to identify and
suppress.

Do not suppress those features that are required for mating and
interference detection.

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SolidWorks 2012 Lesson 8
Large Assemblies

I System Options and Document Properties

Some options affect assembly performance, including:
I Document Properties,
Image Quality. These
settings affect the
performance of an assembly.
The coarser the display, the
faster the performance.

I System Options,
Performance, Level of detail Set
the slider to Off or from More
(slower) to Less (faster) to specify the level of detail during dynamic
view operations (zoom, pan, and rotate) in assemblies, multi-body
parts, and draft views in drawings.
I System Options, Performance, Verification on rebuild. When
selected, the application performs more error checks when you create
or edit features. Turn this option off when you do not need it to improve
performance.
Mate Mates are required in all assemblies to restrict the movement of
Considerations components. Here are some considerations on what to select and what
to avoid.
Mate Entity Choices Avoid mating to faces that may be suppressed in other configurations.
Create the mates using the simplified configurations of the parts.
For example, assume that the
highlighted cylindrical face is used in a
mate.

In the simplified configuration, the

feature is suppressed and the mate will
fail.

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Lesson 8 SolidWorks 2012
Large Assemblies

Excessive Mates Some mates are required, but those that are
excessive should be avoided. Components
that are not fully defined may be acceptable.
In this example, the bolt is free to spin.
Adding a parallel mate to prevent the
spinning would be excessive.

Drawing Drawings of large assemblies offer more challenges.

Considerations The same issues with opening and loading the
components of the assembly can happen at the drawing
level. The best solution is a Lightweight Drawing. A
Lightweight Drawing can be set to not load the hidden
models, significantly reducing the loading time. Also, some operations,
such as manually adding dimensions and annotations can be performed
without loading the models.

For more information about lightweight drawings, see the SolidWorks

Drawings manual.

264
SolidWorks 2012 Exercise 24
Large Assemblies with Display States and SpeedPak

Exercise 24: Create a series of display states

Large and a SpeedPak configuration
Assemblies for this large assembly. This lab
uses the following skills:
with Display
States and I Bulk Selection Tools on
SpeedPak page 146
I Lightweight Components on
page 235
I Large Assembly Mode on
page 237
I Using SpeedPak on page 244

Procedure Open the assembly Large from the Lesson08\Exercises\

Large_Assembly folder. Create the following Display States.

Tip Use Select Toolbox, Direct Select, Isolate, Invert Selection, Show
Hidden Components and other selection techniques with Hide and
Show Components.

Display State Create a display state that hides

No_Fastener all Fastener components in the
assembly.

Note All display states will have fasteners hidden.

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Exercise 24 SolidWorks 2012
Large Assemblies with Display States and SpeedPak

Display State Create a display state

Center showing these
components.

Display State Create a display state

Press showing only these
components.

Display State Create a display

Upper state showing only
these components.

Display State Create a display state showing

Lower only these components.

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SolidWorks 2012 Exercise 24
Large Assemblies with Display States and SpeedPak

SpeedPak for Create a SpeedPak

conveyor configuration in
the conveyor
sub-assembly. Use
that configuration
for all instances in
the assembly.

Tip When creating the SpeedPak, select Bodies to Include and use the
related slider.

267
Exercise 25 SolidWorks 2012
Flexible Sub-assemblies

Exercise 25: Create this assembly.

Flexible Sub- This lab uses the
assemblies following skills:
I Sub-assembly
Solving on
page 254

Procedure Use the following procedure:

1 New assembly.
Create a new assembly and name it Piston&ConnRod.
Add Upper_Connecting_Rod at the origin. Add
Lower_Connecting_Rod and mate it, fully defining it.

2 Plane to plane mate.

Add Piston_Head and mate it to the upper end of
Upper_Connecting_Rod using a width mate.
Piston_Head should be free to pivot.

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SolidWorks 2012 Exercise 25
Flexible Sub-assemblies

3 Open an assembly file.

Open the assembly Engine. The
assembly contains Crankshaft, fixed
at the origin.

4 Axis.
Open Crankshaft. Create an
axis using the Top and Front
planes of the component.

5 Float.
Float the component.
Mate the Right plane of the
component to the Right plane of the
assembly. Also, mate the new axis of
the component to the Front and Top
planes of the assembly.
Make sure that the component can be rotated.
6 Sub-assembly.
Insert the sub-assembly Piston&ConnRod into the main assembly. Set
the Solve as condition to Flexible.
7 Mates.
I Mate the sub-assembly to
Crankshaft using a
Concentric mate.
I Add a Coincident mate
between the Right plane
of Piston_Head and the
Top plane of the
assembly.

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Exercise 25 SolidWorks 2012
Flexible Sub-assemblies

I Mate the planar sides

using a width mate.

8 Motion.
Drag Crankshaft to see the motion of the sub-assembly components.

9 Additional instances.
Add 3 more instances of the Piston&ConnRod sub-assembly using
Flexible.

10 Save and close the files.

270
SolidWorks 2012 Exercise 26
Working with Sub-assemblies

Exercise 26: Dissolve sub-assemblies and add

Working with new ones to change the structure
Sub-assemblies of this existing assembly.
This lab uses the following skills:
I Dissolving a Sub-assembly on
page 250
I Modifying the Structure of an
Assembly on page 250
I Promoting and Demoting
Components on page 251
I Sub-assembly Solving on page 254
Procedure Use the following procedure:
1 Open an assembly file.
Open lab_pro_dem from the Lesson08\Exercises\
Subassemblies folder
2 Dissolve sub-assembly.
Dissolve the sub-assembly bad_sub. The components of the sub-
assembly are promoted to the main assembly. The sub-assembly is
deleted.
3 New Sub-assembly SUB_body.
Create a new sub-assembly that contains the
following components:
Main Body<1>
Finger Grip<1>
Nozzle<1>
Nozzle<2>

4 New Sub-assembly SUB_trigger.

Create another new sub-assembly
that contains the following
components:
Pull Ring<1>
Plunger<1>
End Cap<1>
Note that the sub-assembly is treated
as a single component. Its Component Properties are set to the
default Solve state of Rigid.

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Exercise 26 SolidWorks 2012
Working with Sub-assemblies

5 Open SUB_trigger.
Open the SUB_trigger assembly. Define its position in space by
adding Fix to End Cap.
Optional Reorder the components within SUB_trigger so that End Cap is listed
first in the FeatureManager design tree. Remember – the order
components are listed in the FeatureManager design tree determines
the default order they will be listed in a bill of materials.
6 Test the behavior.
Use dynamic assembly motion to test the behavior of the
trigger assembly. You should be able to drag Pull Ring in and
out of End Cap.

7 Switch.
Switch back to the main assembly.
8 Delete components.
Delete the following components:
Pull Ring<2>
Plunger<2>
End Cap<2>

9 Add a second instance.

Add a second instance of SUB_trigger
to the main assembly.

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SolidWorks 2012 Exercise 26
Working with Sub-assemblies

10 Mate sub-assembly.
Mate the second instance of
SUB_trigger to the main assembly.

11 Component Properties.
Edit the Component Properties of SUB_trigger<1>. Set the Solve
as state to Flexible. Repeat the process for SUB_trigger<2>.

12 Dynamic Collision Detection.

Click the Move Component tool and
click Collision Detection.
Make sure that Stop at collision,
Highlight faces and Sound are
enabled.
Drag each of the Pull Ring
components to the limits of their
motion in both directions.
13 Save and close the files.

273
Exercise 27 SolidWorks 2012
Simplified Configurations

Exercise 27: Create simplified configurations of parts,

Simplified sub-assemblies and the main assembly.
Configurations Also, add new sub-assemblies and change
the structure of this existing assembly.
This lab uses the following skills:
I Simplified Configurations on page 249
I Promoting and Demoting
Components on page 251
I Creating a New Sub-assembly with
Components on page 250
Procedure Use the following procedure:
1 Open an assembly file.
Open Compound_Vise from the Lesson08\Exercises\Simplified
Configurations folder.
Sub-assemblies Create sub-assemblies within the assembly using Form new sub-
assembly here.
2 Sub-assemblies.
Create three sub-assemblies using components of Compound_Vise:
I Base

I Center

I Vise

3 Modify sub-assembly.
Open the Vise sub-assembly and add a second
cap screw using a Component Pattern.

274
SolidWorks 2012 Exercise 27
Simplified Configurations

4 New sub-assembly.
Open the Base sub-assembly and create a new
sub-assembly named base swing plate from
lower plate<1> and cap screw<1>. Add a
component pattern of cap screw.

5 Use sub-assemblies.
Use the base swing plate
sub-assembly on both sides of the
part. Delete components where
required.
Perform a similar operation on the
Center sub-assembly, adding a
center swing plate sub-assembly
and using it on both sides.

center
swing
plate

6 Drag and drop components.

Drag all four locking handle components
from sub-assemblies to the top level assembly.

275
Exercise 27 SolidWorks 2012
Simplified Configurations

7 Simplified configurations.
Create configurations in each part named simplified and suppress the
listed features to complete it.

Component Suppress

cap screw threads and

extend features

lower plate and All Fillet features,

upper plate notch, limit_text
and Chamfer1
Saddle All fillet features

handle shaft Chamfer1 feature;

Note some editing
is required
compound Fillet2 and Fillet3
center member

276
SolidWorks 2012 Exercise 27
Simplified Configurations

Component Suppress

tool holder Chamfer1 and

Chamfer2

upper Fillet1, Fillet2,

compound Fillet3 and
member Chamfer1

locking handle Fillet6, Fillet7 and

Fillet12

Sub-assembly Create simplified configurations for

Configurations the following sub-assemblies. Create
an assembly configuration named
simplified and use the simplified
configurations of all the component
parts.
The base swing plate is shown as
an example.

8 Low level sub-assemblies.

Create the configurations for the lowest level of sub-assemblies.
I base swing plate
I center swing plate

277
Exercise 27 SolidWorks 2012
Simplified Configurations

9 Sub-assemblies.
Move on to the next level of sub-assemblies, using the work completed
above.
I Base
I Center
I Vise
10 Top level assembly.
At the top level assembly, create the
simplified configuration using the
part and sub-assembly configurations.
I Compound Vise

11 Save and close the files.

12 Open simplified.
Open the simplified configuration of the assembly using the
Configurations list of the Open dialog.
13 Hide and Show.
Create new display states using Hide and
Show Component. Name the display
states Base&Center and Center&Vise
and use a copy of the simplified
configuration.
14 Save and close the files.

278
 Index

Symbols C E
->? 23 cam mates 85, 89 edit
->* 24 capture mate references 72 assemblies 174–195
->x 24 changes to in-context features 20 blocks 218
colors components 10, 17
A edit parts in assembly 12 feature scope 176
advanced open 250 images in manual 4 in context 23
advanced select 148 comment in Large Design Review 259 mates 184–185
alignment, holes 195 component patterns 120 equations 197–200
appearances 159–168 components errors in mates 186
assemblies add 10 external references 22–32
add components 10 configure 123
best practices 44, 183, 185, 236, join 179 F
260–264 lightweight 235–236 fasteners 46
configurations 122–132, 144 mates 64 feature palette, See Design Library
display states 144–154 mirror 190–192 feature scope 176
edit 174–195 over defined 185 FeatureManager design tree
external references 23–25 reload 181, 194 folders 254
in-context features 8–20, 38–46 rename 11 reorder 44
large 234–264 replace 180, 189–190, 247 reorganize 250–253
Large Design Review 257–260 resolve 236 scroll item into view 243
layout 212–221 select 146–150 symbols 23–24, 236
lightweight 235–236 Smart Components 62, 73–84 features
mates 64, 85 unload hidden 242 assembly features 39–46, 87, 175–
mirror 190–192 Configuration Publisher 128 178
modify the structure 250–253 configurations 122–132, 144 hole series 39
options 237 simplified 249 hole wizard 176–177
reorganize the structure 250–253 Smart Fasteners 50 in-context 8–20, 38–46
replace components 180, 189–190 SpeedPak 244 time dependent 44
statistics 130 Configure Component 123 find
top-down design 8–20, 38–46 convert entities 14 file references 26, 44
assembly features 39–46, 175–178 copy with mates 96 folders 254
belt/chain 87 counterbore, See hole wizard functions 200
feature scope 176
hole series 39 D G
hole wizard 175 defeature 246 gear mates 85
assembly visualization 255 Design Library 62, 70–71 global variables 197
AssemblyXpert 130 dimension names 197 graphics, RealView 161
display pane 145
B display states 144–154 H
belt/chain assembly features 87 drag and drop hardware 46
belt/chain sketch entities 222 mates 64 hinge mates 85
best practices 44, 183, 185, 236, 260– reorganize assembly hierarchy 251 hole alignment 195
264 drag selection 147 hole series 39
blocks 213–219 drill, See hole wizard hole wizard 176–177
BOM, order of components 44
break external references 24

279
Index SolidWorks 2012

I N SolidWorks Toolbox 46
in-context features 8–20, 38–46 new part from block 219 SpeedPak 244
inplace mates 12, 21 new part in assembly 10 split parts 178
insert components statistics of assemblies 130
blocks 217 O sub-assemblies
new part 10 offset entities 17 dissolve 250
summary 92–93 open part from assemblies 18 flexible 254
internal parts, See virtual parts open, advanced 250 form new 250
invert selection 148 out of context 22 rigid 254
isolate components 148 symmetric mates 85
P
J parent/child relationships 44 T
join components 179 parts Tab key 63
editing within an assembly 10 tags 150
L external 21 tap, See hole wizard
large assemblies 234–264 from blocks 219 time dependent features 44
large assembly mode 237 open from assemblies 18 top-down design 8–20, 38–46
Large Design Review 257–260 split 178 traction relations 222
layout based assemblies 212–221 virtual 9, 11, 21 transparency 12–13
lightweight components 235–236 path mates 85
limit mates 85, 89 patterns of components 120 U
linear coupler mates 85 performance options 235 universal joint mates 86
lock external references 24 pointers for mates 66 unload hidden components 242
propagate changes 20
M PropertyManager 128, 188 V
mate diagnostics 187–189 variables 197
mate references 68, 72 R view mates 188
materials 159–168 rack and pinion mates 86, 91 virtual parts 9, 11, 14, 21
mates RealView graphics 161 visualization, assembly 255
advanced 85 re-attach mates 184 volume select 147, 240
aligned/anti-aligned 63 references
cam 85, 89 external 22–32 W
copy with 96 find file 26, 44 width mates 85
diagnostics 187–189 list external 25
edit 184–185 mate 72
entities 184 relationships, parent/child 44
errors 183, 186 reload components 194
gear 85–86 rename components 11
hinge 85 reorder in assemblies 44
inplace 12, 21 replace components 180, 189–190, 247
limit 85, 89 resolve components 236
linear coupler 85 rollback in assemblies 44
mate references 68, 72
mechanical 85 S
multiple 94 save
path 85 blocks 215, 219
pointers 66 save as 27, 180, 189
pop-up toolbar 65 save as copy 27, 180
rack and pinion 86, 91 save as part 179
re-attach 184 virtual parts 14, 21
screw 86 scenes 162
SmartMates 64 screw mates 86
summary 92–93 section view in Large Design
symmetric 85 Review 258
universal joint 86 select components 146–150
view 188 select transparent entities 13
width 85 selective open 260
with Alt key 64 sensors 201–203
MateXpert 187 show hidden components 149
measure in Large Design Review 258 simplified configurations 249
mechanical mates 85–86 sketch blocks 213–219
mirror components 190–192 Smart Components 62, 73–84
multiple mate mode 94 Smart Fasteners 46–50
SmartMates 63

280