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?… Read more...
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.… Read more...
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.… Read more...
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.… Read more...
I recently needed to create a quick spike pattern for a project I had been working on. Now there are a lot of was to approach this problem, and in this case the seemingly simplest option was the best option. Check out the video below for more details:
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.… Read more...