MASWUG Meeting notes

From: Aug. 18th

Topic: Top 10 Do’s and Don’ts

Presenter: Christine Vrooman of Thermo Electron Corporation

Notes by: David Hurst of Sub-Zero Freezer Company

 

 

Some of SolidWorks Top 10 Do’s and Don’ts

 

  1. Do center part on origin and use “mid-plane” extrusions whenever possible.

 

  1. Do use Annotations liberally

 

  1. Do avoid or at least Remove “in-contest” mates.

 

  1. Don’t save “custom parts” or other work in Solidworks Libraries. Always make your own library to store custom standard stuff.  Because, SW upgrades overwrite their “template folders”.

 

  1. Do take the necessary time to re-do or fix errors immediately.  Don’t leave it for later or someone else!  Don’t perpetuate a bad design!

 

  1. Do fully define sketches, use planes not surfaces to mate with, consider first if you want to use parallel, distance, or coincident (they do make a difference), and dimension to Holes…Not their “crosshairs or centerlines”

 

  1. Do add relations before dimensions.  This usually saves you dimensioning and better captures design intent.

 

  1. Don’t use “insert new part” (or create a new part) in an assembly.  Do it manually by starting the part outside of the assembly and THEN bringing it into the assembly and developing it.

 

  1. Do use “custom properties” and “templates” to keep consistency and populate your drawings and databases in a complete and useful fashion.

 

  1. Don’t “delete”… when you can “edit”!  As tempting as it is sometimes… try to resolve the problem first.  Use the tools such as “display/delete” relations tool in sketches, mate folders and component appearance fly-out in assemblies, etc. to analyze, clean, and redefine your part the way it needs to be.

 

  1. Do use a lot of “sub-assemblies” if practical.  This saves on file size, loading and saving time, allows collaboration or multiple people working on a project together, etc.

 

  1. Do keep your equations simple and meaningful if you use them.  Although SW has improved their equation management considerably… it is still good advise to “keep it simple.”

 

  1. Do optimize your hardware or help justify it if you can.  Stay on your IT people and ask how you can help justify regular hardware upgrades.  There are also some hardware settings and performance options (virtual memory, physical memory, resource settings, etc.) that may be adjusted on your physical PC that you can ask about.

 

  1. Don’t over detail purchase items.  This one’s self explanatory.   Only what’s critical to you.  Make them responsible for their quality control.  It is becoming easier now to just give vendors the “geometry” and they can match the part.

 

  1. Do use “patterns” and also keep things related to one another separate and “grouped together” so that editing is easier and more accessible.

 

  1. Do Keep Learning!  Stay on top of new features and new tips and tricks.  Utilize comp.cad.solidworks? Attend any new release promos and this Users Group (MASWUG) to become more and more efficient and knowledgeable of short-cuts and advice.  Consider starting a weekly or bi-weekly “in-house” users group to share tips and concerns.  Be careful to keep it productive, and if possible on the employee’s time not the employer’s.  (unless you want to take your boss out golfing, and let him/her win, then buy him/her a drink in the clubhouse, and with them in a slightly susceptible and good mood… “mention” that you would really like to get the whole design/drafting group together every so often to hone your skills and make you all more marketable or at the very least worth much more money...) nahhhh, Lunch, pizza, and a meeting room sounds easier to me.   

 

Also…If you haven’t already, begin preparing for and pursuing your Pro Certification (CWCP)!  Ask those who have been certified how they approached it, and what you can do to begin your process.  Remember, it’s not cheap… but some companies will offer some or full reimbursement upon successful completion!  This step will definitely bring your level of expertise in line with your potential, and the potential of the software.

 

Hope these tips are helpful to you and make your job a lot more enjoyable and a little more productive!

 

Thanks!!                                                                                               MASWUG

 

 

Top 10 Do’s and Don’ts list

from Stan Sweet of TDS Automation;

SolidWorks World 2006 Presentation

 

1)     Do Capture your Design Intent

2)     Do Use Lots of Sub-assemblies (flatten BOM)

3)     Don’t Delete When you can Edit

4)     Don’t Duplicate File Names

5)     Do Use Templates

6)     Don’t Use Default Settings

7)     Don’t Put Up with Slow Hardware

8)     Do Use a PDM System

9)     Do Keep Learning

10)  Maybe??? (Contentious Items)

a.      Avoid Configurations, use separate files

b.      Design Tables

c.      Configurations for hardware lengths

d.      Sketch fillets versus fillet Features

e.      Subtractive vs. Additive modeling

f.        Be consistent within your organization

 

Mike Allex’s Group’s List from the meeting:

Do’s

1)     Use symmetry as often as possible

2)     Be careful about where you store your 1st part

3)     Good revision control

4)     Center on the origin

5)     Use templates specific to your company

6)     If equations, make sure you document them well

7)     Use material function to specify material

8)     Be careful w/auto-back-up, just save often

9)     Be careful inserting a part into assembly; sometimes it is better to create the part there

10) Break in context and fully define planes

11) Mate to planes instead of faces

12) Use patterns

 

Don’ts

1)     Don’t leave undefined sketches

2)     Don’t coddle (keep adding rather than changing)

3)     Create equations that no one else can understand

4)     Be casual w/cosmos -> use it as a tool not final solution

5)     Use windows explorer to move files

6)     Limit your configurations

7)     Over-detail purchased items

8)     Dimension to the holes not the crosshairs

9)     Don’t mate to faces if modifications may be made; mate to plane

10) Don’t put standard items in SW directory because upgrades will write over it

 

Rick Schulte’s Group’s List from the meeting:

1)     Keep it simple

2)     Rename features

3)     Fully define Sketches

4)     Mirror sketches or features

5)     Avoid in context relations

6)     Draft before fillet

7)     Combine features

8)     Add relations before dimensions

9)     Use end conditions that make sense

10) Mate to reference geometry if possible

11) Dimension Sketches as you want to see on drawing

12) Use parallel instead of coincident

13) Don’t perpetuate a bad model

 

John Frye’s Group’s List from the meeting:

Do’s

1)     Use fully defined sketches

2)     Name features

3)     Name Fillets (library naming conv.)

4)     Mate to planes not faces

5)     Use custom properties

6)     Center Part on Origin and Planes

7)     Use 3D Content Central

8)     Ask Co-Workers for Help First

9)     Save Often

10)  Set up back-up saves

11)  Create simple configurations of parts and assemblies

12)  Set virtual memory to 4X physical

13)  Use command manager

14)  Keep files clean

15)  Group common features in folders

16)  Use display state fly out

 

Don’ts

1)     Don’t put fillets before drafts

2)     Don’t mate on bends

3)     Don’t Mirror parts

4)     Don’t mirror fillets

5)     Don’t barrow from previous configurations

6)     Don’t change color at feature level in Assembly