I wrote a macro to select a component by name from an assembly and then change its dimensions as required to automate the process. The same process can be used when trying to see how much each individual parts mass properties are in the context of an assembly. This can be done very easily in solid works. You have an assembly; You can change a few dimensions and everything updates Say you are designing this assembly (from the CSWA certification test) and you want to fit it inside a pre-existing housing. Usually changes are made to the model and they are reflected across all the drawings. Double click the feature or sketch which contains the dimension that was renamed. But quite some people found this setting annoying, because in some cases the dimension was placed at a previously selected and unwanted location. Often, you’re using SolidWorks, taking measurements and changing dimensions to make it fit into another assembly. You can also change the units when you are working with the Smart Dimension. ... We can use the Coincident Standard Mates features to make the shaft dimensions to coincide with the hole in the middle of the gear. The options for which model or feature the dimensions are inserted from (0 = Entire model, 3 = Assembly only). You can even use virtual components. As we want to work as efficiently as possible, we are interested in having many different mold dimensions. In this blog, we will look at how to model with in-context design elements so that your parts will automatically update and change with other parts inside of the assembly. If you rename a dimension in SOLIDWORKS, the dimension will appear in red in the dimensions and features section. Select the dimension in the SOLIDWORKS graphics area. Figure 24. We start by creating our model and turning on the option to Show Feature Dimensions. In case you have then you may be wondering how to make a hidden dimension reappear again. If you took any of our SOLIDWORKS classes or perhaps saw one of our YouTube videos, you may have noticed a discrepancy between the dimensions seen on other users’ drawings and your own.For instance, many students have noted that dimensions in drawings come in gray in some cases, and black or blue in others. • Section views to show how parts fit and to eliminate hidden detail. Another way just to turn off dimensions is to right-click on the specific sketch->uncheck Dimension Visibility. Macros are grouped by categories: part assembly, drawing, performance etc. When you insert a part using a design table or configurations into an assembly, you can select which configuration to place in the Open dialog box. 12. The option to propagate to the part is also available for other assembly features, such as fillets. If our customer needs to see the mass of the part in kilograms, for example, we can change the units shown in the Mass Properties window by clicking on Options. The SOLIDWORKS software is such a robust and feature rich application that it is impractical to cover every minute detail and aspect of the software and still have the course be a reasonable length. In Document Properties, you can change the settings for Dimensions, Detailing, Drawing Sheet, Units, and Line Font, “Document Properties” is different with “System Options”. Hi! Selecting shown dimension would change their color to gray and vice versa. The property manager of each sketch tool will appear, when you just select the sketch using the select tool. Overall. SOLIDWORKS 2016 introduced a new way of adding dimensions in a sketch. In order to change your dimensions in SolidWorks go to the same menu and same tab from TOOLS. To reattach the dimension: Select the missing dimension in the dimensions and features section. My question is, how can I get all the dimensions of the selected component in the assembly file. Inserting a design table part into an assembly. This article will demonstrate how to hide a dimension and then make it visible again in the SOLIDWORKS Part environment. E.g. We have a simple part shown below RE: Is there an easier way to change dangling dimensions CorBlimeyLimey (Mechanical) 12 Jul 06 12:41 If the dimension is manually placed, (not automatic or via "insert > model items") you should be able to just drag the connection point of the dimension back onto a … 3. Reuse view letters from deleted auxiliary, detail and section views We do this by adding new configurations to the SolidWorks assemblies fixed and moving side. Types of dimensions Bitwise or Annotation type as defined in swInsertAnnotation_e Enumeration (for example 8 = Dimensions, 32768 = Dimensions Marked For Drawing, 524288 = Dimensions Not Marked For Drawing). Dimensions in a SolidWorks drawing are associated with the model, and changes in the model are reflected in the drawing. A global variable is a named variable that you can use it throughout the part/assembly. In this example, our socket is in English units. • Assembly Drawings must have a number of views to show how parts fit together. You please note that to modify the dimension of any sketches, better to use the property manager. However, it is possible to directly modify part dimensions from the drawing. This is a SolidWorks tutorial just showing how to use the “Smart Dimension” tool to create dimensions in the sketch entities. ... Now to put the final touches on your assembly, you may want to change the material or color it. Every existing part or assembly can be used as an envelope. – How would you break out the SOLIDWORKS Macros Library. Dimensions = length/10 The goal of this course is to teach you how to utilize the assembly modeling capabilities of SOLIDWORKS mechanical design automation software. Simply go to View menu->Object Visibility->uncheck both 2D and 3D Sketches. if you have a extruded length of 50 mm and a square sketch with 5 mm lengths you can use one of them as a base. First group: Global variables. Chose the option to Save as when prompted. • Create new assembly • Drag parts to default coordinate system – Parts should automatically be placed properly • Check cross-section to ensure clearances are consistent with parent part • Other things to try: – What happens when you change the dimensions in the parent model? A basic knowledge of dimensions will also be helpful. Whatever the reason, the scale feature, in SolidWorks, is a quick and easy way to resize a part. Assembly Drawings must provide sufficient information to enable the assembly of a component. This is the quickest way to turn off dimensions, since all sketches become invisible. Adding dimensions to an Assembly Hi there, Does anyone know if its possible to add a dimension in an assembly and animate this in Inventor studio? A powerful tool such as SolidWorks can be intimidating for the new user. In the Save As dialog box use the Save as type pull down to change it to Part (.sldprt) 4. From this version you can preselect sketch entities and then use the Smart Dimension tool to add dimensions to the entities. Using SOLIDWORKS Custom Properties can be a great time saver and can help you share engineering data with other members of your company. 2- Changing Dimensions. By the way, you are entitled to two free exam vouchers a year when your company is on a SOLIDWORKS subscription! Figure 23. With your top level assembly open, left click on a sub-assembly that you would like to save as a part and chose Open Subassembly. JD is right. With the help of this guide, it doesn’t have to be. ... Change your view to Isometric View, select Extruded Cut, select the Sketch and select Through All. The following image demonstrates how more dimensions … Reduce spacing when dimensions are deleted or edited (add or change tolerance, text etc…) When dimensions are deleted, SolidWorks will try to re-arrange other dimensions to use the space. In this tutorial it is a minimal change but it explains the principle. If you change the settings in System Options, this mean the change will apply for all Parts, Assemblies and Drawings. About the Author Step 6. Step 1: Right-click on the Annotation folder under feature manager design tree and check off Show Feature Dimensions. I know I could go back to the part, save it as a copy, and then make my changes, but it seems faster if I could just modify the one instance of the part in assembly. 1. Hey guys, Probably a dumb question, but can I edit a part in an assembly and have it not change the original part file? Therefore, if Hide/Show Annotations is activated as shown on Step 2, any numbers of dimensions could be set hidden or show hidden dimensions. For instance, if we change the length of our bracket below from the part, it will proliferate that change to the drawing and assembly real-time. If we change the dimension on the assembly, it updates at the part level as well. SOLIDWORKS allows us to edit aspects of our model across any one of the different modeling environments (part, drawing, assembly) and have those changes reflect in the other two environments. This page contains a library of useful macros, utilities and scripts for SOLIDWORKS engineers. The Blatant Assumptions. In SOLIDWORKS, in-context design refers to anytime you have two separate parts that are linked in an assembly through relationships or applied features. In this example, I will show you how to link model dimensions from a part file to a Description custom property. Placing the serial number label inside an assembly. Well, there’s a cooler way to do this and it’s much easier that changing the matter of a pea with the power of your mind. Follow the Programming VBA and VSTA macros using SOLIDWORKS API section for guidelines of using and creating macros in SOLIDWORKS. I haven't tried it in assembly, but you might want to use equations and base all dimensions of a scale value. With the sub-assembly open click File, Save as. 2. The SolidWorks three-dimensional drafting program includes a useful "Smart Dimension" feature. Solidworks assembly. • Dimensions to indicate range of motion or overall size of assembly for reference purposes. I believe the dimensions are all associated with sketches. I have seen people not like SolidWorks to move things around like this. Add or change mold dimension. I know I can create a sketch in the assembly and add a dimension there but when I go to render the animation, it disappears. You can change which configuration you want to use after the part is placed. Have a equation called "length" = 50 and have the square dimensions based on "length". You can learn more about the new capabilities in SOLIDWORKS 2016 by signing up for a free membership. All you have to do is type in a name (with or without double quotes, SOLIDWORKS adds them when you don’t) and a value or equation. Since I used dimension names, this script cannot be currently used for other similar assemblies. The process flow for SOLIDWORKS usually starts with modeling a part / assembly and then afterwards creating a drawing from the model. Before setting the dimension, simply delete the units next to the value and type in the unit you wish your sketch to have. Posted August 9, 2012 by Rohit Mitra & filed under Productivity Tools, Quick Tips.. Perhaps you want a larger version of your part, or that imported model you brought in has the wrong units. 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