I want you to think of the tools that you use most frequently in SOLIDWORKS, especially the ones that you have to search out or are hidden deep in the pull down menus. Why don’t you have keyboard shortcuts for these? I had to ask myself the same question after one too many times of… Read more »
Posts Categorized: Blog
My Two Favorite Tools in SOLIDWORKS
Lately, I’ve been doing a lot of work with some plastic parts. The parts that I’ve been creating use the Master Model approach. Now this has both upsides and downsides. The technique allows for avoiding the some of the pitfalls of assembly design, such as a complex reference structure. Because everything lives in one part,… Read more »
Properly Terminating a Thread in SOLIDWORKS
So how do we terminate the threads on something like a mason jar or plastic bottle? Unfortunately the Thread Wizard, added to SOLIDWORKS 2016, does not give us a simple option to finish a thread. There’s a couple methods that I like to use. There is one that is quick and straightforward, and the other… Read more »
SOLIDWORKS Surfacing: Fixing a Hole Wizard Countersink
The Hole Wizard, in SOLIDWORKS, places countersinks and other holes flat to a point on a surface. Anything that is above this plane will be left alone, so for geometry that isn’t flat, you may be left with an overhang. The video below will show you a few methods on quickly remedying this problem.
Properly Terminating a Drill Bit Groove in SolidWorks
It’s relatively simple to create a helical swept cut in SolidWorks. Create the helix, the profile, and then the swept cut. If the swept cut doesn’t pass the entire length of the body, though, you’ll get a flat end that doesn’t really represent the geometry you’d find in a drill bit, screw, or bolt. You… Read more »
SolidWorks Quick Tip: Creating Blends Between Bodies and Surfaces
If you’ve ever scene a carbon bike frame up close, you’ll notice that the blends at each joint are fairly complex, at least from a solid modeling perspective. Trying to use the fillet tool for geometry like this is just going to leave you feeling frustrated and confused. By using the boundary surface tool and… Read more »