In over 20+ years of using SolidWorks, we have learned and developed a number of techniques, strategies, tactics, tips, and tricks that have helped our industrial design and engineering firm with our design work.
We have made it our policy to share useful SolidWorks discoveries and perspectives through the founding of the Chicago SolidWorks User Group, presentations at SolidWorks World User Conferences, and various user group presentations around the country.
I tried this "Curve Driven Pattern" on a 3D Sketch Pattern Direction. I was unable to use the "Tangent to Curve" in "Alignment Methods". I was only able to use this feature keeping "Align to Seed". Looks like the "Tangent to Curve" works only for 2D Sketch in Pattern Direction
Just learned something new: "tangent face" relation. Until now I was always making an intersection curve as contruction geometry and made the arc tangent to this curve. But from now on I can skip this step. Thanks for the tip 😀
Here's my summary of this video: 1. Using a "patch" layout before surfacing a complex geometry. 2. Reference surface = a straight surface extrude of the profile. Good practice for initiating the surfacing. 3. Boundary surface vs. Surface Fill & Trim: a.) 4x sided surface should be created with "boundary surface" command. b.) 2,3,5 sided surface should be created with "surface fill" and "trim back" 4. Surface to surface joint relations: a.) Contact relation = abrupt radius change b.) Tangent relation = equal angle, but abrupt radius change c.) Curvature relation = equal radius at junction = smooth transition
Wow you answered my question in the first example using delete n fill. Would've never thought of that on my own. And I've been using sw for years! I've only reordered features to satisfy the model. That really opens the door to more flexible opportunities. Thank you!
in alias/automotive design (which these dynamic looking features are based on) you would never use a straight line and a spline otherwise the shape looks negative. There are no straight lines anywhere, even lines that look straight are curves with a small amount of curvature, which gives the feature more flow and natural character which the eye picks up on
That's great explanations, Andrew. In the course of encountering those pattern obstacles I have found the same issues with drafts and other feature creation. So I have used this patterned body method as well. Great tutorial as always. Thanks!
That is an exellent method for adding those snap features on that round part, Andrew. Thanks for your video! 26 years using SolidWorks and still learning better ways to use the software. Have a great day!
Ok. So FIRST, I start a new part file. THEN, I insert part (multi-body part in this case) browse for the multi-body part. THEN, I use the delete/keep body function to KEEP the single part of that multi-body part I am working on. This establishes the child/parent relationship BTW, I had never learned the "save bodies" function. Always went the long way around! Now I have a better way to do this! Thanks for your video tutorials!
That technique for checking the draft angles for the shut offs will be very useful to me in future product designs. I also didn't know that 3-5 degrees was the industry standard. Your videos have been the best I have seen. Thanks for sharing. Have a great day!
Very helpful! Is there a way to make a G3 transition between arcs that bend in opposing directions? E.g. if the the center point of one of the arcs was flipped to the opposite side, forming an “S”? I tried to reproduce the same method, with no luck.
What about the continuity curvature comb link between that curve and the previous one? Will it have a brake or perfect pass? Sometimes I find it hard to get even setting equal curvature between them.
