SolidWorks 2010- P4 pps

Explore the Anatomy of a Part 59 NOte The filter function in the FeatureManager design tree acts the same in assemblies, but it also filters out components in both the tree and the graphics area. Sensors Below the filter bar and the model name in the FeatureManager design tree is the Sensors folder. Sensors are used to monitor certain parameters in your part or assembly such as mass properties, measurements, interference detection, and simulation data. As the values of the sensors deviate from the specified limits, an alert will be displayed. Annotations Directly below the Sensors folder is the Annotations folder. In part files, anno- tations act like dimensions that can be placed directly onto the part model to satisfy the requirements of ASME Y14.41-2001. Placing dimensions and annota- tions directly onto the model eliminates the need to create paper drawings. Material Depending on what you are planning to do with the part model, you may find it necessary to apply a material. In some cases, it may not be necessary to apply a material to a part, but if you are planning to perform a simulation, obtain mass properties, or reference the material using custom properties, it will be neces- sary to apply a material to a part. When a material is applied to a part, the mate- rial is displayed in the FeatureManager design tree. O You can find more information regard- ing the various ASME standards referenced in this book on the American Society of Mechanical Engineers website at www.asme.org. 505434c02.indd 59 1/26/10 2:35:04 PM Chapter 2 • Learning the Basics 60 Planes By default, every part and assembly has three planes when you create a new part: the front plane, the top plane, and the right plane. These three planes intersect at the origin in the part environment. The planes that are shown in the FeatureManager by default can be renamed and hidden, but they cannot be deleted. The planes that are shown in the FeatureManager can be seen in the graphics area, as shown in Figure 2.11, if the plane is set to Visible. FIGURE 2.11 Planes in graphics area You can see the planes in the graphics area by making them visible in the FeatureManager. To hide or show a plane, do the following: 1. In the FeatureManager, select the plane to be shown in the graphics area. 2. In the context toolbar, select Show to display the plane. When the plane is set to Show, the icon in the FeatureManager will be shown as a solid yellow color. 3. To hide the plane, select the plane again, and select Hide from the context toolbar. 505434c02.indd 60 1/26/10 2:35:05 PM Explore the Anatomy of a Part 61 NOte If the plane does not appear in the graphics area after select- ing Show in the context toolbar, the visibility of all planes in the graphics area may be set to Hidden. To show planes in the graphics area, select View Planes in the Hide/Show Items flyout on the Heads-up View toolbar. Origin The origin shown in the FeatureManager design tree represents the origin of the graphics area. If the origin is not visible in the graphics area, you can select the origin in the FeatureManager design tree, and 0,0,0 will be highlighted in the graphics area. Features We have reached the most important part of the FeatureManager design tree, the tree. The features listed in the tree are the steps taken to create the base plate model. Since the example is a really simple part model, there are only a couple of features that were used to create the part. However, in some of the more complex models, it is not unheard of to have a feature tree with hundreds of features. The first feature in the tree is the base feature. This is usually created using a sketch or series of sketches that is then extruded, revolved, swept, or lofted. The icon shown denotes the feature type that was used to create the feature. For this example, the base feature of the Base Plate was created using Extruded Base/ Boss. The text next to the icon is the name of the feature that was automatically generated on creation. The name consists of the feature type followed by a num- ber that is sequentially incremented every time a similar feature is created. tIp You can rename features in the FeatureManager design tree by slowly clicking the feature name twice and entering the new name when the old one is highlighted. 505434c02.indd 61 1/26/10 2:35:05 PM Chapter 2 • Learning the Basics 62 Selecting a feature in the feature tree will highlight it in the graphics area. This is because the FeatureManager design tree and the graphics area are dynamically linked. Selecting features, sketches, drawing views, and construction geometry in either the FeatureManager design tree or the graphics area will highlight it in the other. Let’s give it shot: 1. In the FeatureManager design tree, click the feature named Extrude1. 2. The entire part in the graphics area will be highlighted, except for the four screw holes because they were created with separate features, as shown in Figure 2.12. FIGURE 2.12 Using FeatureManager design tree to highlight features in the graphics area 3. What if you had hundreds of features listed in the FeatureManager design tree and you were not exactly sure where the one you wanted was listed? If you select the feature in the graphics area, it will be high- lighted in the tree. Select one of the screw holes in the graphics area. 505434c02.indd 62 1/26/10 2:35:05 PM Explore the Anatomy of a Part 63 4. The counterbored hole feature that was created using the Hole Wizard will be highlighted in the FeatureManager design tree, as shown in Figure 2.13. FIGURE 2.13 Selecting a feature in the graphics area to find it on the FeatureManager design tree Now that you know how to determine which feature listed in the FeatureManager design tree relates to the actual feature on the part model, what can you do with that information? Well, one of the things you can do is see the sketch that was used to create the feature. Sketches are normally 2D open or closed profiles that are used to create extrusions, cuts, revolves, sweeps, and lofts. In Chapter 3, “Creating Your First Part,” you will dig deeper into creating sketches. For now, follow these steps to view a sketch: 1. In the FeatureManager design tree, click the small plus in front of the icon for the Extrude1 feature. 2. The sketch that was used to create the Extrude1 feature will now be shown below the feature. This sketch is named Sketch1 since it was the first sketch that was created in this part. 3. At this point in the book, we won’t cover how to open and modify the sketch, but it is possible to just view the sketch in relation to the part model and even see the dimensions that were used to fully define the sketch. Select Sketch1 in the FeatureManager design tree with a single click. 4. The sketch will now appear in the graphics area, as shown in Figure 2.14. 505434c02.indd 63 1/26/10 2:35:05 PM Chapter 2 • Learning the Basics 64 FIGURE 2.14 Viewing a sketch that makes up a feature NOte The dimensions that were used to define the sketch will be shown with a single click only when Instant3D is enabled. Instant3D can be turned on by selecting the Instant3D button on the Features tab in the CommandManager. If you do not want to enable Instant3D, the dimensions for the sketch can still be shown by double-clicking the sketch. Rollback Bar To extend the time machine metaphor even further, the rollback bar allows you step back in time and see the individual steps that were performed to create a model. The rollback bar is a line below the features in the FeatureManager design tree that can be dragged up or down in the feature tree. Any features that exist below the rollback bar act as if they have not been created yet. To get a better understanding of the concept, it is probably better to try it for yourself: 1. In the Base Plate part model, move the mouse pointer directly above the line that is below the feature tree. When the mouse pointer changes to show a hand, press and hold the left mouse button. 505434c02.indd 64 1/26/10 2:35:06 PM Explore the Anatomy of a Part 65 2. While still holding the left mouse button, drag the rollback bar above the counterbored hole feature, and release the mouse. With the rollback bar above the counterbored hole feature, the holes are removed from the plate, as shown in Figure 2.15. This is because, based on the placement of the rollback bar, they haven’t been created yet. FIGURE 2.15 Using the rollback bar to view an earlier state of a part One advantage to being able to step back in your feature tree is that it is pos- sible to insert new features above features that have already been created. Later in this book, we will be working more with changing the order of features in the FeatureManager design tree. So, for the time being, return the rollback bar to its original position below the feature tree by dragging it back down. Display Pane The display pane is an extension of the FeatureManager design tree that pro- vides you with a quick view of the display settings that are applied to the indi- vidual features, entire part, and bodies. The display pane is available in parts, 505434c02.indd 65 1/26/10 2:35:06 PM Chapter 2 • Learning the Basics 66 assemblies, and drawings, but changes to the display pane can be applied only in parts and assemblies. 1. To show the display pane, click the chevron on the top-right of the FeatureManager design tree. 2. The display pane will appear to the right of the FeatureManager design tree. The display pane is broken down into four columns, as shown in Figure 2.16. Each column is described next. Display ModeHide/Show Appearances Transparency FIGURE 2.16 Display pane columns Hide/Show In the Hide/Show Column, some items in the FeatureManager dis- play tree can have their visibility status changed, including solid bodies, planes, and sketches. Figure 2.17 shows an example of changing the visibility of a sketch. The actual features, such as extrusions and sweeps, cannot be hidden individually. FIGURE 2.17 Showing sketch in display pane Display Mode In part files, the Display Mode column applies only to solid bodies and is used to display and change whether the solid body is shown with one of these settings: Wireframe, Hidden Lines Visible, Hidden Lines Removed, Shaded With Edges, or Shaded. Figure 2.18 shows changing the display mode 505434c02.indd 66 1/26/10 2:35:06 PM Explore the Anatomy of a Part 67 of the solid body for the Base Plate model. Setting the display state this way will override the display state settings in the Heads-up View toolbar. To allow the state to be specified by the Heads-up View toolbar, set the state to Default Display in the FeatureManager. FIGURE 2.18 Changing the display mode in the display pane Appearances Appearances are used to add the look of certain materials to the entire part, body, or individual features. Items in the FeatureManager design tree that have an appearance applied to them will show a color block that reflects the color of the appearance. If there is no block shown in the Appearances column, then there has not been an appearance applied to the feature. Figure 2.19 shows that a matte aluminum has been applied to the Base Plate solid body. Later in the book, we will show you how to apply appearances to parts, bodies, and features. FIGURE 2.19 Appearances in the display pane Transparency Parts, bodies, and features can be made to be transparent, giving a glass appearance that allows you to view internal features or features or bod- ies that might otherwise be obscured. Items in the FeatureManager design tree that have been made transparent will show an icon to represent that the item is 505434c02.indd 67 1/26/10 2:35:06 PM Chapter 2 • Learning the Basics 68 transparent. Figure 2.20 shows that the Extrude1 feature has been changed to be transparent. Applying transparencies to features and parts will be discussed later in the book. FIGURE 2.20 Changing transparency in the display pane Hidden Tree Items There are a number of tree items that you currently do not see in the Base Plate part. This is because they are set to be automatically hidden unless they are being used within the model. For example, the Equations folder is not visible in the FeatureManager design tree unless equations are being used in the model. You can adjust the visibility of tree items to always be hidden, visible, or auto- matic. Here is how to do it: 1. Right-click while the mouse pointer is anywhere inside the FeatureManager design tree including on any item in the tree. In the right-click menu, select Hide/Show Tree Items (Figure 2.21). FIGURE 2.21 Selecting Hide/Show Tree Items 505434c02.indd 68 1/26/10 2:35:06 PM [...]... document, do the following: 1 Click the New button located on the menu bar at the top of the SolidWorks window 2 The New SolidWorks Documents window, by default, offers three SolidWorks document types: part, assembly, and drawing Click Part, and click OK An empty part file will open in SolidWorks Save the Model Before moving on to creating your model, this is a good time to save the model, which will allow... document SolidWorks comes with its own set of document templates that you will be using throughout the book If your organization has already modified these templates to suit their own needs, you will still be able to follow the examples provided in this book with little or no variation To create a new part document, do the following: 1 Click the New button located on the menu bar at the top of the SolidWorks. .. will not be covering using DimXpertManager in this book, but we encourage you to look into it once you become proficient at using SolidWorks Use Assemblies An assembly is a collection of parts, features, and subassemblies that are mated together to create the end product In SolidWorks, there are two approaches in creating assemblies: top-down and bottom-up The top-down design approach to creating an... drafters would often use vellum sheets preprinted with title blocks This would save the drafter valuable time that would otherwise be used drawing the title block every time they created a drawing In SolidWorks, when creating a new drawing, the sheet format contains the title block associated with the selected drawing template This is one reason why the drawing template and sheet format are often confused... 9  ​ Annotations in a drawing Sheet Tabs If you have ever created drawings, then you would know that it is often difficult to fit all the necessary information into one sheet of a drawing Luckily with SolidWorks, it is not necessary to create a different drawing for each drawing sheet Using tabs, a single drawing can have multiple sheets easily accessible at the bottom of the graphics area By clicking... PropertyManager The PropertyManager in the drawing environment will be heavily used during the drawing creation process Nearly every aspect of creating a drawing relies on the PropertyManager, although in ➢ SolidWorks 2010 the reliance on the PropertyManager when specifying dimension parameters has been relieved with A r e Yo u E x p e r i e n c e d ? the introduction of the dimension palette To access the... Figure 2.34 shows the PropertyManager when a section line is selected in the drawing F i g u r e  2 3 4  ​ PropertyManager in a drawing Are You Experienced? Now you can… EE Open various documents in SolidWorks EE the reference triad to change views Use EE Show/hide the origin in parts and assemblies EE the rollback bar in parts Use EE Hide/show the display pane EE Recognize the various elements of... Add Boss Extrusions  Core Out the Part  Add Fillets and Chamfers 82 C h a p t e r 3 • C r e a t i n g Yo u r F i r s t   P a r t N ow that you have spent some time going over the user interface of SolidWorks and have explored the different document types, you can begin creating your first project For the rest of this book, you will be modeling and creating drawings for a banker’s desk lamp You will... another component of the assembly N O TE  ​ Both the top-down and bottom-up assembly techniques have their own pros and cons; however, learning and using both will dramatically affect your efficiency in SolidWorks, and you will be using both approaches in subsequent chapters once you begin building the lamp project Before moving on the following sections, you need to open the assembly files that you should... Figure 2.26, is the Mates folder This is where you will find the mates that were used to create the assembly In Chapter 6, “Creating a Subassembly,” you will be introduced to using the various mates available in SolidWorks O Adjusting the Display Mode setting of individual components will come in handy when you create display states, which are described in later chapters 74 Chapter 2 • Learning the Basics F i . become proficient at using SolidWorks. Use Assemblies An assembly is a collection of parts, features, and subassemblies that are mated together to create the end product. In SolidWorks, there are. own pros and cons; however, learning and using both will dramatically affect your efficiency in SolidWorks, and you will be using both approaches in subsequent chapters once you begin building. Chapter 6, “Creating a Subassembly,” you will be introduced to using the various mates available in SolidWorks. O Adjusting the Display Mode setting of individual com- ponents will come in handy