manual solidwork 2012-2013

Manual Soldiworks

September 2013

2012 - 2013

CAD/CAM ManualBy Tom Oostewechel

September 2013

CAD/CAM Manual

ForSolidworks 2012-2013

University Of TwenteBy Tom Oostewechel

September 2013Suitable for Solidworks 2012/2013

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Table of contents

September 2013

Chapter 1

1. Working with sketches p. 5 1.1 Using the Sketch Tool bar p. 6 1.2 Learning to use the Sketch Tools p. 6 1.3 Adding dimensions to a Sketch p. 9 1.4 Adding dimensions to a rectangle p. 10

Chapter 2

2. Feature types p. 12 2.1 Deciding where to start p. 13 2.2 Using the extruded boss and cut feature p. 14 2.3 Making changes in a feature p. 17

Chapter 3

3. Controlling Sweep features p. 19 Trim Tool p. 23 3.1 Using the Revolve feature p. 24 3.2 Revolve and Sweep combined p. 28 Chapter 4

4. Plane Reference Geometry p. 31 Circular Pattern p. 34 Fillet p. 35 4.1 Sweep Refresh p. 36 4.2 Using the Plane Reference Geometry p. 38

Chapter 5 5. Rendering in Photoview 360 p. 41 5.1 Adding & changing appearances p. 42 5.2 Adding & changing decals p. 43 5.3 Scenes & lighting p. 44 5.4 Adding materials to your model p. 45

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Chapter 1 IN THIS CHAPTER Working with sketches Using the sketch tool bar Learning the sketch tools - tutorial Adding dimensions to a sketch

Sketching in Solidworks

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1 - Working with sketches

Chapter 1 - Basis

The first step to learning how to create models in Solidworks is learn how to sketch. There are various possibilities to reach your goal but the workflow for most Solidworks features is almost always in this way:

1. Create a sketch 2. Use the sketch to create a feature 3. Repeat

With these 3 simple steps you can build very difficult Solid models. But first you have to understand the basic functions of the sketch tools. When you open a Sketch, several tools become available. But before you can use these tools you have to open a Sketch. There are 2 ways in Solidworks to open a Sketch:

You can click on Sketch in the Sketch tab (Picture 1).

Click Sketch

Sketch tab

You can click on insert, in the menu bar (Picture 2).

Picture 1

Picture 2

Important! Sketches must be either open or closed, and you can have only one Sketch open at a time. Because Open sketches are a source of frustration for new users you have to know when you are still working in a Sketch. Solidworks has many indicators to let you know when you are in Sketch mode:

1. The Sketch tool bar display the text Exit Sketch. When you click on the Exit Sketch tab you will leave the Sketch.

2. The Conformation Corner displays a Sketch icon in the upper right corner of the graphics window. When you click on this icon you will leave the Sketch.

3. The red Sketch Origin displays in the middle of your sreen. The Origin is a point with coordinates (0,0,0) so you can give dimensions to lines you drawing. It is used as a reference.

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1.1 - Using the Sketch tool bar

Chapter 1 - Basis

Now you know how to open a Sketch and the indicators to let you know when you are working in a Sketch. This is the right moment to learn some of the most used Sketch tools. Solidworks Sketch tools include many types of Sketch enti-ties, some of which you will use all the time, and some which you may never use. In this section I will explain how to use the most used Sketch tools. You can find all the Sketch entities in the Sketch Tab.

Line - with this tool you can create straight lines using one of two methods:

Click-and-Drag: This is used to draw individual or unconnected lines. Click, drag, and drop. The first click initiates the line, and the drop ends it. Click + Click: This is used for drawing multiple connected end-to-end lines. You can use this method when you already have multiple points from other lines and you want to connect those lines.

Corner Rectangle - with this tool you can create a rectangle using the following method:

Click with your mouse on the red Origin and drag your mouse to the diagonal corner. This action creates four lines with Horizontal and Vertical Sketch relations. If your product contains a rectangle, using the corner rectangle is way more efficient then drawing a rectangle with the Line Sketch tool. Circle - with this tool you can create a circle using the following method: Click with your mouse on the red Origin and drag your mouse to another location. Click again and you have sketched a circle.

1.2 Learning to use the Sketch tools - Tutorial

This mini-tutorial makes sure that you get to know the basic Sketch entities described above. Every part that you model starts with a Sketch, so it’s very important that you master the sketching part of Solidworks in the beginning. So far you have learned how to open and close a Sketch, the indicators to let you know when you are in a Sketch and the basic Sketch entities tools. Now is a good time to practise the things you just read.

Follow the steps on the following pages to create the sketches below:

1 - Line Tool 2 - Rectangle Tool

3 - Circle Tool

NOTEMention that the pictures above don’t have dimensions and sketch relations. These topics will be discussed later in the manual. You can find ‘‘adding dimensions to your sketch’’ in chapter 1.3

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Chapter 1 - Basis

Tutorial Sketch Entities1 - Triangle: 1. Click on New Document or select file, New..

2. Select the Part Icon and click on OK (You can also double click on the part icon).

There will appear a new part window were you can see elements of the Solidworks interface

Feature Manager Design Tree

Sketch Tools

3. Open a New Sketch by clicking on Sketch in the Sketch tab or by clicking insert, Sketch in the menu bar. Then select the Front Plane to create the Sketch on (Which plane you choose to create your Sketch will depend on the geometry from your model. This will be explained in chapter 2.1).

4. Click the Line tool from the Sketch tab and move your cursor to the Origin point; the yellow Coincident symbol appears. Click and drag your cursor to the right, click again to draw the line. You have drawn your first line but the Line tool is still selected. You can exit the Line tool by clicking 2 times in the endpoint of your line.

Note that when you drag your cursor to the right you will see that the dimension of the line appears. At this moment the dimensions of your line are not important. You can find ‘‘adding dimensions to your sketch’’ in chapter 1.3

Status Bar

Dimensions of the line in mm

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Chapter 1- Basis

1 - Triangle: 5. Draw two more lines to create a triangle that looks like picture 3. When your drawing make sure that you see the following symbol This symbol means that the point of the line are concentric to each other, they are connected.

TIP: If your triangle has a different shape, then dragging endpoints is the most direct way to change the geometry. Dragging the line directly may also work, but this sometimes produce some odd geometry. The Sketch leaves a ghost when dragging so that you can see where you started. (When you don’t see a ghost you can activate this option at Tools --> Options -->Sketch, Ghost Image On Drag).

Picture 3

2 - Rectangle:

3 - Circle:

1. Click on New Document or select file, New..

2. Select the Part Icon and click on OK (You can also double click on the part icon). 3. Open a New Sketch by clicking on Sketch in the Sketch tab or by clicking insert, Sketch in the menu bar. Then select the Front Plane to create the Sketch on. 4. Select the Corner Rectangle from the Sketch tab. Move your mouse to the Origin and click when you see the coincident symbol appearing. Drag your mouse to the right and click when you think that you have a good rectangle. (See picture 4 for an example).

Note: If your not pleased with your rectangle, use the technique described above. You can easily change the geometry by dragging lines.

5. Click file, save as and save your file as rectangle.sldprt. We will need this file later on in the tutorial!

1. Click on New Document or select file, New..

2. Select the Part Icon and click on OK (You can also double click on the part icon). 3. Open a New Sketch by clicking on Sketch in the Sketch tab or by clicking insert, Sketch in the menu bar. Then select the Front Plane to create the Sketch on. 4. Select the Circle tool and move your mouse to the origin. Click and drag your mouse to give your circle a radius.

5. Click file, save as and save your file as circle.sldprt. We will need this file later on in the tutorial.

6. Click file, save as and save your file as triangle.sldprt. We will need this file later on in the tutorial!

Picture 4

Summary tutorials: Sketching in SolidWorks is something that you will do almost every time you open the Software. The 3 shapes that you just drawn are only the beginning and were meant for getting used to the interface and different Sketch tools. In the next chapter I will explain how you can add dimensions to your 3 drawn sketches.

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Chapter 1- Basis

1.3 - Adding dimensions to a Sketch In this chapter you will learn how to add dimensions to your sketches from the tutorial. When you open for example your sketch of the rectangle you will notice there are two types of line colour, black lines and blue lines. Solidworks recognize black lines as a fully defined line and blue lines as an under defined line. So what is the difference between them?

1. A black line is a defined line by its location and dimension attached to it. The black line will mean that the entity is locked and will not move if you try to drag it to another position. (See picture 5 for a black line with a dimension).

2. A blue line is an under defined line because it’s free from its position and there is no dimension given to it. This line is normally not locked and drag able.

Then there is a third line colour and you will see this colour when you did something wrong in your sketch. When you over define a sketch the line colour will turn into yellow or red. Over define means that you have conflicting relations and/or dimensions in your sketch. To solve this you must change your dimensions or relations.

It’s recommended to have fully defined sketches for multiple reasons. It will be easier to control and edit your sketch. Part rebuilding will also be faster. You can see in the status bar on the bottom of Solidworks if your sketch is Fully Defined or Under Defined (picture 6).

Picture 5

Picture 6

Picture 7

Smart dimension is a button (picture 7) on the sketch tool bar that can create all types of dimensions used in Solid-works, such as horizontal, vertical, radial, diameter, angle and arc length. You can create these types of dimensions on different ways so you can choose the one that works best for you;

1. By selecting a line and placing the dimension by dragging and clicking 2. By selecting the endpoints of the line and placing the dimension by dragging and clicking

3. By selecting a line and a point and placing the dimension by dragging and clicking 4. By selecting a pair of parallel lines and placing the dimension by dragging and clicking

Selecting the line is the easiest and fastest method and will be used the most. But I explained the other ones too so you know there are other techniques as well to get the job done.

On the next page we are going to practise this knowledge. You will need the file rectangle.sldprt we created earlier in this tutorial.

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Chapter 1- Basis

1.4 - Adding dimensions to a rectangle 1. Open the file rectangle.sldprt you made earlier and click on the Smart dimension tab in the sketch tool bar. Move your mouse to the right line of the rectangle. Notice that your cursor will change and the line will turn orange (Picture 8).

2. Click on the line and drag your mouse to the right. Click again to place your dimension line.

Notice that there will appear a modify dialogue (picture 9). In this dialogue you can change the dimension of the line. Select the current dimension and delete these numbers with backspace. Set the dimension of the line to 100 mm and press enter or click OK

3. Repeat step 2 only for the upper line of the rectangle and give the line a dimension of 100 mm. You will see that all lines have turned black. Your sketch is now Fully Defined and will look like picture 10!

4. Save your file as RectangleDimensions.sldrpt because we need this file later on in the tutorial (Please follow the same workflow to give dimensions to your triangle and circle. You can choose your own dimensions. Save these files as TriangleDimensions.sldrpt and CircleDimensions.sldrpt).

Changing dimensionsIt’s quite important to know how you can change you dimensions to other values. This is relative easy because the only thing you have to do is double-click on the dimension you want the change. You will notice that the Modify window appears again. Select the dimension, hit backspace and insert your new dimension and hit enter or OKTry to change one or more dimensions in one of your drawn figures.

There is another way to change your dimension. Click one time on a dimension. Notice that the Dimension Properties Interface will appear on the left side of your screen (Picture 11). In this interface you can change the value of the selected dimension. Choose for yourself if you want to use Dimension Properties Interface or the Modify Dialogue to change dimensions.

Picture 8

Picture 9

Picture 11

Picture 10

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Chapter 2 IN THIS CHAPTER Feature Types Deciding where to start

Using the extruded boss and cut feature

Making changes in a feature

Creating simple parts

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Chapter 2 - Part modeling

2 - Feature Types There are many different feature types in Solidworks that you can use to create everything from the simplest geometry to more complex shapes. Table 1 lists some of the most common features in Solidworks and classifies them according to whether they always require a sketch, a sketch is optional or they never require a sketch.

Sketch Required Sketch Optional No Sketch (Applied Features)Boss Extrude Sweep Fillet

Revolve Loft Chamfer

Hole Wizard Shell

Table 1

Before we begin with creating a part of our own there are some things you need to know about the design of a model to make good models by yourself. Beginning to create simple parts will help you understand techniques used in more complex models. By knowing the right information about the part’s function before you start, you can create models that are easier to edit, easier to properly place into an assembly, easier to detail in drawings and most import, easier to understand for other Solidworks users when someone has to work on your models.

I will not show the effect of every feature but I will show you the most used features and their result. The most used features for the beginning users are Boss Extrude, Revolve, Sweep and Fillet (Later on in the tutorial I will clearly tell you when a new feature is introduced and how to use this feature).

Boss Extrude - This feature will add material to your sketch and can be used on all kind of sketch shapes.

Revolve - This feature will add material to your sketch 360 degrees around a centerline or axis from a profile.

Sweep - This feature will add material to a sketch profile that is following a (curved) path.

Fillet - This applied feature will round of edges from a extruded part with a certain radius.

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2.1 - Deciding where to start Deciding where to start can be more difficult than it sounds, especially for new users. Because of this I will go through some sample parts and discuss possible starting points. When you are trying to decide how to model geometry in Solidworks, you should be thinking of a 2D shape and a process. You typically create sharp-edged shapes by using an Extrude feature and round shapes by using a Revolve feature. Features can also add (boss) or remove material (cut). But obviously, your first feature will always add material.

In picture 12 you can see 3 possible sketches drawn in the front plane, right plane and top plane. One of these sketches was used to create the part in the middle, but which of these 3 sketches is the best starting sketch?

Picture 12

Picture 13

Rectangular cut out

Chamfered corner

Extrude Boss

Right PlaneFront Plane

Top Plane

Notice that the part in picture 12 has flat and round faces, but still you can create this part with one single sketch. The best starting sketch would be in this case the one in the lower-right corner. If you extrude this sketch you will come very close to the end shape of the part. Although you can make the same part from the other two sketches, you will need much more features to reach the same result.

Also realize that you don’t need to make all the geometry in a single feature. It is often best to use multiple features for elements such as holes, fillets, chamfers, and other groups of geometry that can be cut out from the main shape. I used 3 features in the part in picture 13;

1. An Extrude Boss 2. Chamfered corners 3. A Rectangular cut

You might look at the part and see many other ways to create this shape but the one I described is the most straightforward one. In the beginning this is difficult to see but when you get more experienced this will become easier and easier. Try to keep in mind that you always want a beginning sketch that comes very close the shape you want to reach. Try to look good at the model before you begin sketching and then decide in which plane you begin your sketch.

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2.2 - Using the Extruded boss and cut feature

I will show you one more example of a model with different sketches. This is different part than picture 12 and other features were used to model this part. Which sketch in picture 14 do you think is the best starting sketch? (keep the information described on the previous page in mind)

Picture 14

Extrude Boss/Base tab

Right Plane

Front Plane

Top Plane

The best sketch in this occasion is the one sketched at the top plane. This is because if you extrude this sketch you don’t have to remove material. If you extrude one of the other sketches you have to remove quite a bit material. After I extruded the top plane 15 mm I only had to add the two rounded triangles on top. Notice that the holes in the part are not represented in the sketch. Holes are often added as separated features later because then you can control them better when you have to change them later.

If you are new to 3D modelling, all this information might be too much to take in all at once, but try to keep the information present in your mind when you make your first models and have to decide how you going to model a certain part. In the next chapter there will be a tutorial on how to use the Extruded Boss and Extruded cut features. You will use your sketches of the triangle, rectangle and circle that you made in chapter 1.

In this chapter I will explain on how you can use the Extrude feature. I will explain how you can extrude the rectangle sketch you made in chapter 1. Then we are going to use the Extrude cut to make a hole. If you want you can practise the extrude feature on your other sketches. You can repeat the steps described below for your other sketches. I strongly recommend this because you will familiarize with the Solidworks interface.

Tutorial Extrude Features

1. Open the file RectangleDimensions.sldprt that you made in chapter 1 and click on the features tab.

2. Click on the Extrude Boss/Base sign in the left top of the screen. Notice that ther will appear a new menu on the left side of your screen (Picture 15, next page).

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Picture 15

Picture 16 Picture 17

Picture 18

3. In the two pictures below you see the Boss-Extrude feature. Here you can change many settings but for now make sure that you have the same settings as in the picture.

4. I think 10.00 mm is a bit minimal for the extrude. Lets change the value to 50.00 mm and hit OK With this action you will create your first added material to your sketch. You part will now look like the one in picture 18.

Notice that the check boxes for Direction 2 and Thin Feature are turned off. I will explain later on in the manual on how to use this settings. For now focus on the left side of the picture. Before we go further with the tutorial I want to explain the different options you can choose in the left screen:

The From panel establishes where the Extrude feature starts. By default, Solidworks extrudes from the sketch plane. There are also 3 other options available, Surface, Face and Plane but these options are explained later on in the manual. For now keep the From panel on Sketch Plane.

The Direction 1 panel defines the direction of your extrude. The Blind condition will mean in this case an explicit distance that you can manually change with the box in picture 16. If you want to change the direction of your Extrude 180 degrees you can check the box in picture 17.

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Now you have added your first material to your sketch it’s time to remove some material from your added material. Remember that the cut extrude feature needs a new sketch in order to remove material. In the following steps you learn how to remove material from a model.

5. Click with your mouse on the front face and notice that the front face will turn blue. Now hit the spacebar on your keyboard. The orientation interface appears were you can choose different options (picture 18). Click on Normal To and see that the camera changes to a straight angle.

6. Click on the Sketch tab in the sketch tool bar to open a new Sketch on the front face.

TIP. We want our circle aligned with the centre of the rectangle. To accomplice this you can use a Centerline for construction. You can find the centerline tool beneath the line tool by clicking on the arrow. Select the centerline tool and move your cursor over a line from the rectangle. When you reach the middle you see a small square. This is the exact centre of the line. Click with your mouse and draw a horizontal/vertical line.

7. Draw a circle on the front face. Make sure the centre of the circle is in the centre of the rectangle (You can accomplice this by clicking the circle tool and move your mouse over the drawn centerline. Click when you see the small square and drag your mouse for a diameter). The circle will be in the centre of the rectangle!

8. Use smart dimensions to give the circle a diameter of 25.00 mm. Make sure that your sketch looks like the one in picture 19 (I used a horizontal centerline but a vertical centerline is also fine).

Picture 18

Picture 19

Picture 20

Picture 21

9. Go to the Feature Tab and click on the Extruded Cut tab. Notice there will appear a new interface on the left side of your screen (picture 20).

10. Change the Blind setting to the Through All setting and hit OK . Your part will look like picture 21. Save your part as RectangleHole.Sldprt!

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2.3 - Making changes in a feature


Picture 22

This chapter helps lay the foundation for more detailed information that follows. You have to make sure you understand most of this information and didn’t miss important things from the presented information. You have to develop a certain intuition on how the Solidworks interface operates, which is the most crucial kind of knowledge when troubleshooting a modelling or editing problem. In the next chapter I will explain on how to use the more difficult features in Solidworks, the Sweep Feature and Revolve Feature. If you notice you have a lot of trouble with the following chapter I recommend you repeat chapter 1 and 2.

When you notice you made a mistake in your Extruded Base or Extruded Cut you have to know where you can change the feature. You can change your part in the Feature Manager. The Feature Manager window is the panel to the left of the screen, which shows the features describing how the part was built. On this Feature Manager tree you can edit your features. For example, you want a bigger hole in the part you made in the previous tutorial. Open the RectangleHole.sldprt

1. Look at your Feature Manager Design Tree and notice there are two features present in the tree, a Boss- Extrude and a Cut-Extrude. You can see the Sketch you used for the feature by clicking on the + to unfold the feature (Picture 22).

2. You want to change the hole, so you have to edit Sketch 2. Right click on Sketch 2 and click on the Edit Sketch Tab.

3. Hit spacebar and select the Normal To option. Now double click on the 25.00 mm dimension and change it to 75.00 mm.

4. Exit the Sketch in the left corner of your screen and the Extruded-Cut changes automatically to 75.00 mm.

Keep in mind that if you want to change a feature you have to do it in the Feature ManagerTree. Try this on the different features throughout the different tutorials so it becomes convenient for you to use.

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Chapter 3 IN THIS CHAPTER Controlling Sweep features Using the Revolve feature

The Trim Tool Revolve and Sweep combined

Sweep and Revolve feature

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Chapter 3 - Sweep and Revolve features

3 - Controlling Sweep Features

The Sweep feature uses multiple sketches. A Sweep is made from a profile (cross-section) and a path, and can create a boss or a cut feature. Typical simple sweeps are used to create wire, tubing, or a hose. Sweeps that are more complex are used for creating objects such as bottles, springs and corkscrews. But for this chapter we stay with the more simple sweeps.

The main criterion for selecting a sweep to create a feature is that you must be able to identify a cross-section and a path. The profile (cross-section) can change along the path, but the overall shape must remain the same. It’s common for the sweep feature that the profile is typically perpendicular to the path, although this is not a requirement.

Using a simple sweepAn example of a simple sweep is shown in picture 23/24. The paper clip uses a circle as the profile and the bent lines as path. Notice that the path has a perpendicular relation to the profile.

Profile

Sweep path


Picture 25

Tutorial SweepsIn the next tutorial you learn how to use the Sweep feature step by step. I will begin with a very easy Sweep feature. In the tutorial following there will be a more difficult sweep. I will mark important information or steps with a exclamation mark. Try to follow the steps as good and thoughtful as possible.

Tutorial 1 - Sweep

1. Open a new part, File > New > Part

2. Click on the Sketch tab to open a new Sketch on the Front Plane.

3. Click on the Circle Tool and Sketch a circle with a diameter of 40.00 mm. Use smart dimensions to give your circle the required dimension.

You just created your profile required for the sweep. It’s important to know that you have to make another Sketch that functions as path for the Sweep feature. A Sweep feature always requires 2 different Sketches. We used the Front Plane for our circle (profile) so we must use a plane that has a perpendicular relation to the profile (path). Both the Right and Top Plane are perpendicular with the Front Plane but the geometry from your model lets you choose the Right or Top Plane.

4. Click on the Exit Sketch in the top left corner of your screen.

5. Click with your mouse on the Top Plane in the Feature Manager Tree as in picture 25. Then Click on the Sketch tab (This action allows you to open a new sketch on the Top Plane).

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Picture 26

6. Hit spacebar and select the Normal To mode (Now your oriented on the top of the Top Plane so your sure your drawing straight lines). Your screen will look like picture 26!

This is the Circle you sketched in your previous

Sketch

7. Click on the line tool and move your mouse to the origin and draw a vertical line of 70.00 mm (The reason we attach the line to the origin is because it insures that the end of the path lies exactly on the plane of the circle!).

8. Draw another line to the left attached to the vertical line with a dimension of 70.00 mm. Your Sketch will now look like the one in picture 27.

Now these two sketched lines are not enough to create a Sweep. There is a sharp angle between the two lines causing the Sweep to intersect. We are goingto solve this problem with the Sketch Fillet tool. The Sketch Fillet toolrounds the corner at the intersection of two Sketch Entities and creates a tangentarc.

9. Click the Sketch Fillet tool. Notice that there appears a new interface screen on the left side of your screen.

10. Select the two lines and set the Fillet Parameters to 40.00 mm (You can find the Fillet Parameters in the interface screen) Then hit the OK

Now you have two sketches that can create a sweep. Notice that when you go to the feature tab the Swept Boss/Base feature is turned grey. The reason for this is that you are still in Sketch mode. You can’t use Sweep when your in Sketch mode so go back to the Sketch Tab and click Exit Sketch.

11. Go to the Feature Tab and click on the Swept Boss/Base icon Notice that there appears a new interface screen on the left side of your screen. The blue section is meant for the profile of the sweep and the pink section is meant for your path. In this case the circle is your profile and the two lines with the arc are your path. Now there are two options to select the Sketches:

12.1 Click on the blue section in the interface screen and then click on the circle in your screen. The Circle will turn blue and there will appear Sketch1 in the blue section. Repeat these two steps for the pink section. Solidworks generates a preview that must look like picture 28!

Picture 27

Picture 28

Sharp angle

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The other option you can use to get the job done:

12.2 Click on the + in the left corner of your work screen (Picture 29)

12.2.1 Click on the blue section and then on Sketch 1, then Click on the pink section and then on Sketch 2 (Picture 30).

The reason I explained two options is because sometimes with more complex shapes andsketches it’s more difficult to hit the right sketches for your sweep. When you find yourself in this situation it’s easiest to use the last method because you can find your sketches you need fast in the Feature Manager Tree.

13. Hit the OK and your sweep is finished!

14. Save your part as SweepTurn.sldprt

Mini Tutorial Shell Feature

1. Open SweepTurn.sldprt

2. Click on the Shell Feature icon in the feature tab. Notice that there appears a new interface on the left side of your screen.

3. Select both faces from the part by clicking on them (Picture 31).

4. Set the distance to 1.00 mm and hit the OK . The Shell removes material from the inside and the result is a sort tube with a thickness of 1.00 mm.

5. Save your work as SweepTube.sldprt

Now you know how to use the Sweep Feature and which actions are crucial in using the Sweep Feature, such as a wide enough diameter so the Sweep doesn’t intersect. There are also two options to select the Sketch for the profile and path. Choose for yourself which one you want to use and are comfortable with because both options are not wrong. You can use the Shell tool fast and effective to give the shapes a certain thickness. In the next section of this chapter there will be a more difficult sweep. Also the revolve feature gets attention.

Picture 29

Picture 30

Picture 31

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Picture 34

Tutorial 2 - Sweep

The next tutorial requires a bit more skill to complete but if you follow the steps there is nothing to worry about. In this tutorial I introduce a new Sketch tool named, Trim Tool and of course another practise with the Sweep Feature. The main goal of this tutorial is creating more speed and intuition with Solidworks. But for now lets start with the tutorial! (Take a quick look at picture 36 at page 20 before you start, it will help you understand this tutorial a bit better!)


2. Click on the Sketch tab to open a new Sketch on the Front Plane.

3. Click on the Circle Tool and Sketch a circle with a diameter of 2.50 mm. Use smart dimensions to give your circle the required dimension.

Now your profile Sketch is finished! Remember that you have to create another Sketch on a perpendicular plane.

4. Click on the Exit Sketch in the top left corner of your screen.

5. Click on the Top Plane in the Feature Manager Tree and then click on the Sketch tab to open a new Sketch on the Top Plane.

6. Hit Spacebar and select the Normal To mode (If you cant see the circle Sketch from the top then use your scroll bar on your mouse to zoom in)

7. Click on the Line Tool and Sketch a vertical line attached to the Origin of 75.00 mm.

8. Click on the Circle Tool and move your mouse to the endpoint of the line. Then move your mouse horizontal to the right like in picture 32, dimensions don’t matter yet. Then move your mouse back to the endpoint of the line and click so you have a coincident relation with the point like in picture 33.

9. Give the circle a diameter of 25.00 mm.

10. Draw a vertical line down with a coincident relation to the circle of 110 mm like in picture 34.

11. Click on the Circle Tool and move your mouse to the endpoint of the line you just drawn. Repeat the steps from 8 and give the circle a dimension of 20.00 mm.

12. Draw a vertical line up with a coincident relation to the circle of 80.00 mm.

13. Click on the Circle Tool and move your mouse to the endpoint of the line you just drawn. Repeat the steps from 8 and give the circle a dimension of 15.00 mm.

14. Draw a vertical line down with a coincident relation to the circle of 45.00 mm (If you did things right you don’t have to give a dimension because the endpoint of this line has a horizontal relation with the Origin).

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The Sketch is almost finished. Make sure you have used the same dimensions as picture 36. Probably your Sketch isn’t fully defined so take a good look at picture 36 on which dimensions you have to add before you go further. This is the moment were a new tool is introduced, called the Trim Function. The Trim function is found at the Sketch Tab (Picture 35)

Picture 35


I can explain this function with a bunch of text but I think it’s much easier if you look up a video on Youtube about the Power Trim function. Go to this link --> http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gX3C3Z-QIL8 (If this link doesn’t work anymore type in youtube; Solidworks Power Trim)

15. Use the Power Trim mode to cut the 3 circles in half. Your Sketch will now look like the one in picture 37.

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Picture 38

16. If you cut the circles like in picture 37 you have to exit your Sketch by clicking on the Exit Sketch Tab (Remember that you have to exit your Sketch before you can use the Swept Boss/Base Feature).

17. Go to the Feature Tab and click on the Swept Boss/Base tab.

18. In the blue section select Sketch1 as your profile and select in the pink section Sketch 2 as your path.

19. Hit the OK and your part is finished. Your part will now look like the one in picture 38.

20. Save your part as Paperclip.sldprt

I hope you learned enough from this two tutorials in order to use the Sweep Boss/Base Feature properly. Always keep in mind that you have to create a closed profile and a open path on a perpendicular plane! And keep in mind that you can only use the Sweep Feature when you closed your Sketch. If you can’t use the Sweep Feature because it’s turned grey you know you are still working in the Sketch. You can select the profile and path using two different methods explained on page 17 and 18. Choose which one you like most! In the next part of this tutorial the Revolve Feature will be discussed!

3.1 - Using the Revolve FeatureLike all other features, revolve features have some rules that you must observe when choosing sketches to create a revolve. Read these important rules carefully because they prevent you from using the Revolve Feature wrong. This are the important rules:

Draw only half of the revolve profile. Draw the section to one side of the centerline.

The profile must not cross the centerline. The profile must not touch the centerline at a single point. It can touch along a line but not at a point. Revolving a Sketch that touched the centerline at a single point would create a point of zero thickness in the part.

Keep in mind that you can use any type of line or model edge to be the centerline, not just the centerline/construction line type! This will become clear when you follow the tutorial about the Revolve Feature.

Just as many features you can use different end conditions. There are five Revolve end conditions you can use for your Revolve:

1. Blind 2. Up to Vertex 3. Up to Surface 4. Offset from Surface 5. Midplane

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Tutorial - Revolve


2. Click on the Sketch tab to open a new Sketch on the Right Plane.

You use the Revolve feature often for cylindric parts and it’s important that you use the suitable plane to draw your Sketch on. In case of this tutorial this is the Right Plane but it depends of the geometry of the part which plane you have to choose. After you model more parts and used different features, the selection of the Plane will be more convenient. Remember that when you use a Revolve Feature you always have to think about how the cross-section of the product will look like.

3. Click on the line tool and draw the profile shown in picture 39 (I think in this stage of the tutorial you have enough experience with the Sketch Tools so I don’t have to explain every line you have to draw anymore)

4. Give the right dimensions to the profile with the Smart Dimensions tab so your Sketch becomes fully defined.

5. Click on the Feature tab and click on the tab. Notice that there will appear a new interface in the left side of your screen (Picture 40).

You see an Axis of Revolution tab in the interface. Here you have to select a line that is the point of rotation for the Revolve. Which line you choose determines the final shape of the part. On the next page I will show the effect of changing the Axis of Revolution within the same Sketch!

6. Select the line with the red arrow in picture 39 as Axis of Revolution. Make sure under Direction1 your end condition is set to Blind and that the angle is set to 360 degrees!

7. You will see a preview of the Revolve in your screen. Hit the OK and your part will look like the one in picture 41! Save your part as Revolve1.sldprt


Picture 41

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Now I want to show you what happens to your part if you choose another Axis of Revolution in the same Sketch. You will see that you get a whole other result. It also shows that it’s important to carefully think what you are going to use as Axis of Revolution when you model a new part.

1. Open Revolve1.sldprt

2. Click on Revolve in the Feature Manager Tree like in picture 42 and press delete (This way you delete the feature but the Sketch will be intact). Confirm the delete by pressing yes.

3. Right click on Sketch in the Feature Manager Tree and click on the Edit Sketch

4. Hit spacebar and press the Normal To view.

5. Click on the Feature Tab and click on the Revolve Boss/Base

6. Select Axis 1 by the red arrow in picture 43 as Axis of Revolution and hit the OK . Save your part as Revolve2.sldprt

Picture 42

Picture 43

Axis 1

Axis 2

7. Repeat Step 2 till step 6 and choose Axis 2 as Axis of revolution. Save your part as Revolve3.sldprt.

Now you see that you can make different parts using the same sketch with only another Axis of Revolution. I hope you understand the most of what I told you about the Revolve Feature. Remember that you use the Revolve feature with cylindric parts. For example, the part in 41 can also be build with two Extrudes and an Extruded Cut but this will take you much more time because you have to make 3 sketches and apply 3 Features. So try to really think it through on which feature you going to use when you see a part that you have to model (Is the part cylindric, always try to use the revolve feature). In the next part of the Tutorial there will be another example of the Revolve feature but the Axis of Revolution will be used in another way.

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Tutorial 2 - Revolve


2. Select the Front Plane in the Feature Manager Tree and click on the Sketch Tab to create a new Sketch on the Front Plane.

3. Click on the Circle Tool and draw a circle next to the Origin as shown in picture 44 (Use Smart Dimensions)

Picture 44

Picture 46

Picture 47

4. Click on the arrow ‘next’ to the Line Tool and select the Centerline Tool (Picture 45).

5. Draw a vertical Centerline as shown in picture 46.

Picture 45

6. Go to the Feature Tab and click on the Revolve Boss/Base Tab

7. Click on the Centerline as Axis of Revolution and a preview will show, if not make sure you selected the Centerline! (See Picture 47)

8. Hit the OK and save your work as DonutRevolve.sldprt

Now you know that you can use a Centerline for the Revolve Feature. In the next tutorial we are going to combine a Revolve and Sweep in one part!

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3.2 Tutorial 3 - Sweep & Revolve combined

1. Open SweepTurn.sldprt

2. Select the left face like in picture 48 and hit spacebar and click on Normal To.

3. Click on the Sketch Tab to open a new Sketch on the selected face.

4. Click on the arrow ‘next’ to the Line Tool and select the Centerline Tool. Notice that a new interface appears on the left side of your screen (Picture 49)

5. Make sure you have the same settings as in picture 49. Make sure that under Options the For construction is selected.

Construction geometry is used only to assist in creating the sketch entities and geometry that are ultimately not used into the part. Construction geometry is ignored when the sketch is used to create a feature. A Centerline is always for construction but you can convert Sketch entities in a sketch or drawing to construction geometry.

6. Draw a vertical Centerline like in picture 50 (Notice that there will appear a orange dot on the edge of the circle when you are in the middle of the circle ). Then hit the OK

Picture 48

Picture 49

Picture 50

Picture 51

Picture 52

7. Select the Line Tool and draw the shape like in picture 51. Make sure you start in the middle of the Circle and give the correct dimensions to the lines with the Smart Dimensions Tab.

I didn’t draw the other side because the other side is symmetric with the side we just drawn. And because we used a centerline we can use this line as a ‘mirror’. Mirroring entities can save you time and comes in handy with symmetric parts.

8. Click on the Mirror Entities tab (Picture 52) and notice that there will appear a new interface on the left side of your screen (Picture 53, next page).

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You will see two boxes, Entities to mirror and Mirror about. In the first box you have to select all lines you want to mirror and in the Mirror about box you have to select the line which acts as a mirror. Look in picture 53 for the boxes.

9. Select all Lines from your Sketch except the Centerline (Notice the selected lines will turn blue in the Sketch and appear in the Entities to mirror Box)

10. Click on the Mirror about box so the box turns blue like in picture 54.

11. Click on the Centerline as Mirror about (Notice that there appears a preview of the mirror in yellow lines). Hit the OK and you have mirrored the Sketch!

Notice that when you change a dimension on the left side of your Sketch it will automatically change on the mirror side because the lines are linked to each other. So when you change dimensions you don’t have to do a whole new mirror. Keep the Mirror in mind for when you have a symmetric part because this will save you a lot of time!

12. Click on the Revolve Feature tab and select the line in picture 55 as centerline!Picture 53

Picture 55

Picture 56

Picture 54

13. Hit the OK and your part will now look like picture 56. Save your part as SweepRevolve.sldprt

Now you know you can use the mirror entities for symmetric parts and how to combine a Sweep and Revolve feature. In the next chapter of the tutorial I will show you how to use reference geometry.

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Chapter 4 IN THIS CHAPTER Plane Reference Geometry Using the Plane Reference Geometry

Sweep Refresh

Circular Pattern

Fillet

Plane Reference Geometry

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Chapter 4 - Plane Reference Geometry

Reference geometry in Solidworks is used to help establish locations for geometry that you can’t physically touch. The importance of working with reference geometry becomes obvious in situations where you need to create geometry that doesn’t line up with the standard planes. Before you begin watch a quick movie about how to add reference planes so the subject becomes more clear for you before you start: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sNd5efDKB34

Creating PlanesPlanes are the most commonly used type of reference geometry because they are used for sketching, cutting, as extrude end conditions, and more. When you create a new plane you have to have something as reference for your new plane. You can use lines, faces, edges, points, or the existing planes as reference. With this subject you have to do some tutorials before this subject becomes clear. So lets start with the first tutorial on reference geometry. I will begin with the simplest version of creating a new reference plane. Later on in the tutorial it becomes more complex.

Tutorial 1 - Creating a reference plane


2. Open a New Sketch on the Front Plane and draw a square of 40 by 40 mm (Use the rectangle tool instead of drawing 4 lines).

3. Click on the Feature Tab and Extrude the Sketch 80.00 mm.

Now we are going to create a new Plane. The plane we are going to create is not very special yet but it’s meant to show you the new interface that comes with adding a reference geometry.

4. Click on the Feature Tab and click on the Reference Geometry Tab (Picture 57).

4 - Plane Reference Geometry

5. Then click on Plane (Notice that there will appear a new interface on the left side of your screen like in picture 58).

Picture 57

Picture 5831


Picture 59Picture 60

Picture 61

Picture 62

6. Hit spacebar and select the Isometric view.

7. For the First Reference select the right face of the square like in picture 59 (Notice the blue preview).

Notice that there will appear some new options under the First Reference box as you can see in picture 60. You can choose between parallel, perpendicular, coincident, an angle and offset distance. You use these options for different situations and with some practise you know which one to use in different situations.

8. Select the offset distance and set the value to 30.00 mm.

9. Hit the OK and notice that there will appear in the Feature Manager Tree.

You just created you first reference plane and can use it for a Sketch. Maybe you think after you follow the next steps what’s the purpose of the plane you just created because you can reach the same effect with a simple extrude. The main goal of this tutorial was to get acquainted with the interface. In the next tutorial you see why and when you need reference geometry.

10. Select Plane1 in the Feature Manager Tree and click on Sketch to open a new Sketch on the just created plane.

11. Hit spacebar and select the Normal To view.

12. Select the Centerline Tool and draw a vertical line in the middle of the square.

13. Use this Centerline to draw a circle in the middle of the square with a diameter of 10.00 mm. (See picture 61).

14. Select the Feature Tab and click on Extrude Boss/base.

15. Under the Direction1 option select the Up to surface

Notice that there will appear a new option in the interface on the left side of your screen.Here you can select the face to which you want to extrude to

16. Select the correct face like in picture 62 and then hit OK to apply the extrude.

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17. Click on the Top Face of the square and hit the Normal To view.

18. Open a new Sketch by clicking on the Sketch Tab.

19. Click on the Circle Tool and draw a circle in the centre with a diameter of 20.00 mm.

20. Click on the Feature Tab and Extrude the circle 50.00 mm. Your part will now look like picture 63.

Picture 63

Picture 64

Picture 65

Picture 66

21. Click on the Feature Tab and click on Reference Geometry, Plane.

22. Click on view in the top tool bar and click on Temporary Axes.

22. In the First Reference Box select the Axis from the Cylinder like in picture 64.

You see in picture 64 that the plane isn’t fully defined yet because it’s yellow. This is because it doesn’t have enough references to create a plane. That’s why you have to add a second reference!

23. Select the Right Plane as Second Reference (Remember that you can select the Right Plane by clicking on the + in the left upper side of your screen as you see in picture 65).

24. Then hit the At Angle and give the plane an angle of 40 degrees.

25. Hit the OK and you created your Second Reference Plane!

26. Select Plane2 in your Feature Manager Tree. Hit spacebar and select the Normal To view.

27. Click on the Sketch Tab to open a new Sketch on the Second Plane.

28. Click on the Centerline Tool and draw a centerline in the middle of the cylinder, then add a circle with the Circle tool in the middle of the centerline with a diameter of 5.00 mm (Picture 66).

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Picture 67

Picture 69

Picture 70

Picture 71

Picture 68

29. Go to the Feature Tab and Extrude the circle 25.00 mm.

30. Hit the OK and save your part as ReferenceGeometry.sldprt (We are not finished with this part but I recommend that you save your part while modelling to prevent you lose everything when Solidworks crash)

Now you see that you sometimes need to create a new reference plane. The cylinder we just created has an angle of 40 degrees with respect to the Right Plane. The only way to model this cylinder was by creating a reference plane. When you have to model more parts in the future you definitely have to use the reference plane more often. It also gives you more freedom then the traditional planes.

Now we have modelled one cylinder but I want two more cylinders with just as much space between them as in picture 67. The question is on how to model this? With the information I presented in this tutorial you probably think you have to create two more reference planes under an angle of 160 degrees and 280 degrees with respect to the Right Plane. But there is another way that is much faster. You can use Circular Pattern to reach this way faster.

31. Click on the Feature Tab and click on the Linear Pattern Tab, Circular Pattern (Picture 68).

32. Notice that there will appear a new interface on the left side of your screen (picture 69)

33. Under the option Parameters you have to choose your pattern axis. Click in this box and select the axis from the big cylinder like in picture 70.

34. Make sure your total angle is 360 degrees.

35. Make sure you have 3 number of instances and make sure Equal spacing is checked!

36. Click in the Features to Pattern box and click on the feature you want to pattern, this would be the one in picture 71!

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If you did things right your part will look like the one in picture 67 on the previous page. Now you used your first Circular Pattern. You saw that the use of the Circular Pattern is more effective than adding two more reference planes. Now you only have to change one feature instead of 3 features because the circular pattern changes automatically when you change the dimensions of the feature. In the next part of the tutorial we are going to use the fillet on the part.

The Fillet Feature is an applied feature and will round of edges from a extruded part with a certain radius. You can find the Fillet Feature in the feature tab.

37. Click on the Feature Tab and click on the Fillet Tab. Notice that there will appear a new interface on the left side of your screen (Picture 72).

Picture 72

Picture 73

Picture 74

38. Under Feature Type make sure you select Constant Radius.

39. Under Items to Fillet change the radius to 5.00 mm.

40. Click in the select edges box and select the edges like in picture 73 (You know you hit a edge when you see the edge sign next to your cursor).

Edge Midpoint Face

Make sure you select the boxes Tangent propagation and Full preview. Now you see a full preview of what the Fillet will look like if you hit OK (Picture 73).

41. Hit the OK and save your part as ReferenceGeometry.sldprt

Now you have some more experience with a reference geometry plane. There will be another tutorial with different circumstances because adding reference geometry is considered difficult for new users but first a refresh on your sweep skills. We are going to add the part with an arrow in picture 74 using a Sweep.

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Picture 75

If you look at picture 74, think on how you would model this turn with the knowledge you learned till now. Which plane would you choose? Try to model the sweep with only the drawing in picture 75 as given. Remember that you have to make two sketches: 1 profile Sketch and 1 path Sketch. Look for dimensions in picture 75.

If you don’t know what to do you or get stuck with something you can look at the next page. On the next page it’s explained step by step but I hope that it’s not necessary for you to read the next page. But if you do don’t worry, you’re just a beginner with Solidworks and as you use Solidworks more you will eventually get things without the use of a manual.

4.1 Sweep Refresh

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First we are going to make the profile for the Sweep.

1. Click on the end face of the horizontal cylinder like in picture 76. 2. Hit spacebar and select the Normal To view.

3. Click on the Sketch Tab to open a new Sketch on the selected face.

We have to make an exact copy of the circle. What you can do is select the Circle Tool and draw a circle with exact the same dimensions but I want to show you a new Tool that comes in very handy for this kind of stuff. The Tool is named Convert Entities and can be found on the top of your Sketch Tool bar (Picture 77). Convert Entities converts selected model edges or sketch entities into sketch segments. With this tool you can make a Sketch very fast without the use of any Sketch Tools.

4. Click on the Convert Entities Tab and notice the new interface on the left side of your screen.

Because you already selected the face Solidworks will automatically convert the edge of the circle. You can see it worked when you see a black, fully defined circle like in picture 78.

Picture 76

Picture 77

Picture 78

Picture 79

Picture 80

5. Click Exit Sketch and your profile is ready.

Now we are going to make the path for the Sweep.

6. Select the Front Plane in the Feature Manager Tree and select the Normal To view.

7. Click on the Sketch Tab to open a new Sketch on the Front Plane.

8. Sketch the profile like in picture 79 (Use the Sketch Fillet tool).

9. Exit the Sketch and click on the Swept Boss/Base tab. Select the profile and path and hit OK

10. Your part will now look like the one in picture 80! Save your part as ReferenceGeometry.sldprt

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Picture 81

Picture 82

Picture 83

4.2 - Using The Plane Reference Geometry

In this part of the tutorial I explain some different options of the reference plane so you become familiar with the function. I’m going to use basic parts like extruded squares and cylinders. In this parts I’m going to add different Reference Planes.


2. Select the Top Plane in the Feature Manager Tree and click on the Sketch Tab to open a new Sketch on the Top Plane.

3. Draw a square like in picture 81 (Use the rectangle tool)

4. Go to the Feature Tab and Extrude this square 80.00 mm.

5. Hit spacebar and select the Isometric view.

6. Click on the Reference Geometry Tab, and click on plane.

7. Select the left face as First Reference (Pink) and the back edge of the top face as Second Reference (Purple) See picture 82. 8. Click on the At Angle and give the plane an angle of 45 degrees. Hit OK

9. Select the Plane in the Feature Manager Tree and select the Normal To mode.

10. Click on the Sketch Tab to open a new Sketch on the plane.

11. Sketch the profile on the plane like in picture 83.

12. Click on the Feature Tab and select Extruded Cut.

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13. Change the End Condition from Blind to Through All.

14. Select the box for direction2 and also set the End Condition from Blind to Through All

15. Hit OK and save your part as BoxAngleCut.sldprt

Now you know how to create a reference plane and when to use a reference plane. You can use the Reference Plane Geometry for circumstances where you can’t use the Front, Right or Top Plane. Try to think logically when you have to choose the References for your Plane. Also think which property is best for a certain situation, for instance do you use an offset or an angle. The best practise is using the Reference Plane Geometry in different situations so you become more experienced. Sure it will go wrong now and then but you have to learn from you mistakes. In the next chapter the rendering of parts will be explained.

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Chapter 5 IN THIS CHAPTER Rendering in Photoview 360 Adding & changing appearances

Adding & changing decals

Scenes & lighting

Adding materials to your model

Rendering of Parts

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Chapter 5 - Rendering of Parts

5 - Rendering in Photoview 360

In this chapter you learn how to render a part in Solidworks and how to assign different materials to the feature, face or part. Rendering your parts is important when you want to display your model to the audience or client. It can give a perfect impression on how the product is going to look and in which environment it is going to be used.

The program you use in Solidworks to render is called Photoview 360. Photoview 360 is a Solidworks add-in that produces photo-realistic renderings of Solidworks models. The rendered image incorporates the appearances, lighting, scene, and decals included with the model. You have to assign these options manually before you can render your part. This will be explained later in the tutorial.............. your part.

Before you can begin with rendering you have to follow the next steps:

1. Go to Tools > Add-ins (Notice that there will appear a new interface in your screen like in picture 84).

Picture 84

2. Click on the left check box as well as the right check box. The left check box will activate the Photoview 360 software right now and the right check box will activate the software every time you start up Solidworks (When you notice Solidworks becoming slow when starting up then you have to turn off this check box).

3. Click on OK to start up the Photoview 360 software (It will probably take some time for Solidworks to load Photoview 360 but you know it’s finished loading when you see the tab Render Tools in your tool bar like in picture 85).

Picture 85

You can manually load or unload the Photoview 360 software by clicking on the Office Products tab in the tool bar in the top of your screen. When you click on the Photoview 360 icon you load or unload the software. Notice that the Render Tools Tab appears or disappears. Before you can make a render you have to add appearances, decals and lighting. These subjects are explained in the next paragraph of this chapter.

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5.1 - Adding & changing appearances

Before you can render a part you have to assign different appearances to your model. If necessary add a decal and a good lighting that works with your model. For the 3 different subjects I’m going to explain the workflow.

To assign an appearance:

1. In the Task Pane click the Appearances, Scenes, and Decals tab You can find the tab in the top right of your screen like in picture 86. 2. In the Appearance folder, select a category. You can click on the plus sign for appearances. Notice all the different materials you can choose from.

Notice that when you click on the plus sign for example metal you can choose betweendifferent kinds of metal. For example if you click on Aluminium you see in the right bottom of your screen (picture 87) a preview of the material on how it will look.

Picture 86

Picture 86

Picture 87

When you have to assign a material to your model there are different ways to do this: Drag an appearance onto the model. Then from the Appearance Target palette (picture 87) Select the area of the model where you want to assign the appearance. You can pin the Appearance Target palette when adding multiple appearances to improve workflow.

With nothing selected, double-click an appearance to apply it to an entire part or assembly

With an entity selected (for example, face or feature), double-click an appearance to apply it to the selection

Drag an appearance onto an item in the FeatureManager.

If you want to change your appearances you can change or delete the appearances in the FeatureManager tree. Here are the added appearances listed in order of history. See picture 87 for an example. Right click on the appearance you want to delete or change.

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5.2 - Adding & changing decals

The next subject is adding a decal to you part. A decal is a 2D image applied to a model. You can use decals to apply warning or instruction labels to models. You can also use decals to create model details that you can effectively represent with an image instead of with the model geometry, such as a car grill or a picture frame.

It’s recommend that you apply a decal to a part, rather than to an assembly. In a part, you control the faces to which to apply the decal. In an assembly, you cannot select specific faces.

To assign a decal:

1. In the Task pane, select the Appearances, Scenes, and Decals Tab.

2. Expand Decals and select the decals folder containing custom decals.

3. In the lower pane on the right bottom of your screen, identify the decal to apply and do one of the following:

Drag the decal to an entity of the model, such as face or surface. Manipulators like in picture 88 appear with the decal and the Decals PropertyManager opens in the left side of your screen (With the manipulators you can change the size and place of your decal).

Select a reference on the model and do one of the following: Double-click the decal or Right-click the decal and select Add Decal to selection(s).

4. If you want to edit a decal you have to go to the DisplayManager and click on View Decals Unfold the added decals and right click on the decal you want to change. Then press Edit Decal. To manipulate a decal in the graphics area of Solidworks you have the following options: Move it by dragging the pointer anywhere inside the frame (except on the rotation manipulator).

Size it by dragging the handles at the corners and sides of the frame.

Rotate it by selecting the rotation manipulator at the centre of the decal, dragging toward or away from you, and dragging to the desired angle.

Picture 88

Probably you don’t use the decal feature often but it is a nice tool to use to really finish your model. There will not be a tutorial on this subject but with the information described above you can probably do it yourself. And if you don’t get it search on Google on how to add a decal to Solidworks. This will give you enough information. The nextpart I’m going to describe on how to choose the lighting of the part.

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In the Photoview 360 software you can choose between different scenes. It depends on the model with scenes you have to choose. For example if you want to render a white Ipad then it’s logically that the background must be black or else your Ipad will be almost invisible. When you going to render a model you have to know that there are different types of light sources. When you know these types you can use it to your advantage to really let your model look good. The types of light sources are:

Ambient Light Illuminates the model evenly from all directions. In a room with white walls, the level of ambient light is high, because the light reflects of the wall and other objects that are in the room.

Directional Light Comes from a source that is infinitely far away from the model. It is a columned light source consisting of parallel rays from a single direction, like the sun.

Point Light Comes from a very small light source located at a specific coordinate in the model space. This type of light source emits light in all directions. The effect is like a tiny light bulb floating in space.

Spot Light Comes from a restricted, focused light with a cone-shaped beam that is brightest at its center. A spot light can be aimed at a specific area of the model. You can adjust the position and distance of the light source relative to the model, and you can adjust the angle through which the beam spreads.

In Solidworks all these features have default settings. By default, the scene folder under Scene, Lights, and cameras in the DisplayManager contains on Ambient light and three Directional lights.

You can turn the Ambient light on or off, but you cannot delete it or add additional Ambient lights.

You can turn the Directional light sources on or off, or delete them. You can also add additional Directional light sources.

By default, lights are on in Solidworks and off in Photoview 360 and the maximum number of light sources in any document is nine.

But I think if you only use the scenes that are available in Photoview 360 you get a pretty good result too. Scenes provide a visual backdrop behind a model. In Solidworks, they provide reflections on the model. With Photoview 360 added in, scenes provide a realistic light source that includes illumination and reflection. So if you use these scenes then you have to do less manipulation with the lighting. So for beginning users with no render experience I recommend you only use the scenes. You have to know that a scene consist of the following:

A spherical environment based on a preset scene or image you select is mapped around the model.

A 2D background that can be a single color, a gradient of color, or an image you select. Although partially obscured by the background, elements of the environment are reflected in the model. You can also turn off the background and show the spherical environment instead.

A 2D floor on which you can see shadows and reflections. You can change the distance of the model from the floor.

I hope you now know enough about the different scenes and lighting in Solidworks and Photoview. Later on in this tutorial I will explain on how to add different scenes. How to add lighting will not be discussed because in the beginning I think you have enough options with the different scenes available in Photoview 360. If you want to add lighting by yourself look at the information described above. In the next part of the tutorial Iwill describe how you can apply different materials to your model.

5.3 - Scenes & lighting

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In this tutorial you are going to add different materials to a model we made earlier in this tutorial. We also going to practice with the different scenes available in Photoview 360. Before we begin you have to make sure that Photoview 360 is active. You can do this with Tools > Add-ins or go to the tab Office Product and click on the Photoview 360 icon. Notice that the Render Tools tab will appear.

1. Open the ReferenceGeometry.sldprt part.

We are going to add the following materials to the different parts and faces of the model:

5.4 - Adding materials to your model - Tutorial

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4. Black High Gloss Plastic

3. Black High Gloss Plastic

1. Chromium plate

2. Chromium plate

5. Red Low Gloss Plastic

2. In the Task Pane click the Appearances, Scenes, and Decals tab You can find the tab in the top right of your screen like in picture 89.

3. In the Appearance folder, select a category. You can click on the plus sign for appearances. Click on Plastic, High gloss and notice the materials you can choose from in the left right corner of your screen like in picture 90.

Picture 89

Picture 90


As I explained before there are different options that you can use to assign a material to a face, part or feature. You have to choose for yourself which one you like the most but I think that dragging an appearance onto the model is the easiest way to assign a material. The first material we are going to assign is chromium plate. You can find Chromium plate under Metal, Chrome and then the first one.

4. Click on Chromium Plate and drag it onto the sweep and extrude like in picture 91 (Notice that when you drag it onto the extrude and sweep there will appear a interface like in picture 92 where you can choose on what you want the material applied on) choose in both cases for the second icon!

Body

Face Reference plane

(Extrude) Feature


Picture 93

Picture 94

5. Click on Plastic, High Gloss under the tab appearances.

6. Click on Black High Gloss Plastic and drag it onto the model like in picture 93.

7. Click again on metal, chrome under the tab appearances.

8. Click on Chromium Plate and drag it onto the model and apply it to the three extrudes like in picture 94.


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9. Click on Plastic, Low Gloss under the tab appearances.

10. Click on Red Low Gloss Plastic and apply it to the Fillet like in picture 95.

Picture 95

Picture 96


Now you have applied all materials it’s time to make your first render but first we are going to add a scene to the surrounding of your model. This scene will lead to more reflections and a better render. Often you have to try different scenes before you reach an optimal result. For this render I chose the scene: Backdrop - Studio Room

11. Go to scenes, basic studio and select the Backdrop - Studio Room scene and then drag it onto the surrounding area of your model.

12. To make a Final Render you have to click on the Final Render Tool in the tool bar on the top of your screen (A new screen will appear were Photoview will render the image, when finished you can save your image in the right top of your screen).

Your rendered part will now look like the one in picture 96! Maybe you chose another angle but that’s not so important.

Now you know a little about rendering. The main thing that you have to keep in mind when you render a part is that you play with the different functions available such as lighting, scenes and appearances. Try to find a good way to make your model look as good as possible. These were just the basic functions on how to render a part. There are more options but rendering in Solidworks will not create the best pictures because Photoview is an add-in. You will get the best renders with stand alone software such as Keyshot or V-ray.

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manual solidwork 2012-2013

Documents

sketch open

sketch icon

sketch sketching

sketch mode

solidworks sketch tools

used sketch tools

sketch tools tutorial

sketch tab picture