SolidWorks

An important variable to keep track of when engineering a part is its multiple mass properties. With varying features and sizes the mass and other linked variables related to the mass can be changed greatly with a simple edit to the design of the given part.

When working with CAD software or in the design field, it is likely you will come across files that will not be in a CAD friendly format. Customers might send over files such as PDF’s or JPEG. These are two very common file types; however, these files cannot be input into any CAD software.

You’re working on a project in SolidWorks when you realize you or a project partner has made some unwanted changes and saved over any previous versions. It happens to the best of us. Looks like you’ll have to spend extra time remodeling the part to get it back to the way you wanted, just to spend more time now modeling the changes you wanted to make in the first place.

Have you come across an issue with SolidWorks Visualize where the exact desired appearance isn’t available in their wide variety of selections? Nothing is more satisfying than having what you imagine appear exactly as though in a final render. This blog will help to create inform readers on how to achieve these appearances!

SolidWorks Visualize is a great software for creating realistic renderings of any company’s products quickly. The software is also able to import 20+ different file types from any SolidWorks parts and assemblies to STEP and STL files. This blog will mainly focus on importing options for SolidWorks parts and assemblies.

Repetitive tasks in SolidWorks have you down? Do you find yourself making the same design multiple times with small differences in features, size, and properties? DriveWorks is a unique design automation software that may be able to help! The best part about DriveWorks is that if you are already using SolidWorks the most basic version, Xpress is already built in.

The Weldments tab/tools allow for quick building and trimming of weldment structures by using a simple sketch. This blog will be over some of the basics of Weldments in SolidWorks.

In this blog, we will be discovering the mass and measuring evaluations within SolidWorks. These tools are useful in determining the size and weight of a particular part or assembly. We will be looking at how to use these tools, as well as some applications in which they may become useful.

With each package of SolidWorks Visualize there are some things you can and can’t do from one to the next. This blog will focus mainly on one little issue that we’ve run into at Perception Engineering when it comes to the lighting aspect of models and some of the tips and tricks we use to overcome them.

You’ve been working with SolidWorks PDM and it has worked well for the most part. Lately, you’ve noticed that occasionally the files you’re saving to the vault aren’t showing up. Especially if you’ve been working with step files (.step) or you saved files while working in offline mode. This blog will go over a quick tip that may save you hours of frustration trying to find them or worse, having to recreate them completely.

With another year coming to a close a new and improved version of SolidWorks has been released, SolidWorks 2019. This new SolidWorks version is full of powerful new modeling tools and various other updates to help bring design and manufacturing closer together. These updates and features cover all aspects of SolidWorks including, Assemblies, Routing, Drawings, PDM, Plastics, Simulation, Visualize, and much more.

SolidWorks CAM is a fully integrated, knowledge-based technology that allows you to integrate design and manufacturing processes under one system to evaluate designs earlier in the process to avoid unexpected costs and delays in finishing products on time.

Over the years at Perception Engineering, I have modeled and detailed hundreds of sheet metal parts. Often these sheet metal parts will require specific tooling to match the customer specs. Taking to the internet for help on creating tooling yielded minimal results. Having to do my own research to ensure the customers receive the quality parts they requested; I’ve decided to post my finding to help others out.

A drawing template is one of the main components to any assembly or part drawing. A drawing template allows you to convey all information about a part or assembly in a clean and organized manner. The key features of a drawing template are simplicity and clarity. This blog will demonstrate how to make a simple custom drawing template in SolidWorks! 

Here at Perception Engineering, we reach out to various companies across many industries in the West Michigan area. Among these companies, many different CAD software’s are utilized. Although SolidWorks is our expertise, we have assisted some customers out using other software’s such as Inventor and Fusion 360.

With virtual reality technology is growing and growing, there are a wide variety of softwares that can suit a company’s specific needs. Finding the right one for the company is all up to trying different softwares to find that exact fit! At Perception Engineering, we’ve been actively testing different softwares and this blog will cover some that we’ve been using.

Keeping track of part properties in SolidWorks can be a very tedious task. If multiple properties need to be changed from part to part on a project, it can cut into your productivity, taking time away from further refining your design. Luckily, with SolidWorks Product Data Management, we can remove much of this wasted time with the use of data cards.

In this blog, we will be discussing the SolidWorks Property Tab Builder. The property tab builder allows the user to build preset properties that can be loaded into parts and assemblies. We will also look at how to integrate these into the SolidWorks Properties Tab, and some of the convenient ways to use the SolidWorks Properties Tab.

Imagine being able to take a CAD model from SolidWorks and view it on a mobile device in real time with real objects. What seemed to be impossible is quite real and easy to do, keep reading to learn how!

Often customers will want to view multiple configurations of the same part to see which they like best. Instead of creating four or five new part files to show the customer, it is much easier to create each version of the same part with the configurations manager tab.

Do you have a random screw, washer, or nut laying around and have no idea how to identify what it is? You’re in luck with Amazon’s new Part Finder option within the Amazon app! Amazon now has the technology to scan whichever type of desired fastener, provide accurate sizing of it, and provide links on their app so you can purchase these! This blog will highlight how to locate this function within the app and how to use it.

Pattern commands are a designer’s best friend in terms of replication and improving overall efficiency. Linear, Circular, and Curve driven patterns are all common commands used by the everyday CAD user. This blog will guide you through using these three pattern features in SolidWorks and provide context as to when they can be used to simplify the modeling process

While creating parts in SolidWorks, efficiency and accuracy are essential when working on a project for a client! For projects that are repeatable, Perception Engineering saves time by applying the mirror feature command if models are symmetrical. SolidWorks is equipped with a few different types of mirroring commands: sketch mirroring, part mirroring, and feature mirroring. For this blog the focus will be on feature mirroring utilizing the given top, right, and front planes to create feature mirrors!

Team Collaboration, you may love it, you may hate it, but it is often necessary when it comes to coordinating projects among teams. There are many tools and applications designed to go about streamlining this process, however, there are better choices for specific purposes.

Exploding an assembly view in SolidWorks can make all the difference when trying to show every component involved in the making. Instead of showing multiple views and angles, one view can be used to show all components. A well done exploded view will also help in the understanding of how the entire assembly fits together. Exploded views are used in almost every industry when it comes to explaining a product and how it works. Knowing how to use the exploded view feature is a crucial key feature and will be finishing touch needed when showing an assembly.  

This blog will show three basic examples of how to use the Swept Boss/Base feature in SolidWorks. There are two main requirements to create a Swept Boss or Base: A closed profile and a path. This first example will show how to create a sweep using a circular profile and an open relatively linear path. Figure 1, below, shows the profile drawn on the front plane and the sweep path drawn on the top plane. It is important to make sure that the starting point of the path lies on the same plane as the profile. Also, notice how the center of the circle profile is centered on the start of my path. This ensures that the sweep will be centered to my profile; however, any location contained inside the profile, including the boundary, can be used to generate a sweep.

New to SolidWorks 2018, Online Licensing offers users the flexibility of accessing SolidWorks licenses through online MySolidWorks profiles. An administrative portal on MySolidWorks gives designated users the ability to assign seats of SolidWorks to members of their team. While this option is a huge step forward, in comparison to machine activation/deactivation using the modify install, implementation of online licensing company wide has uncovered many issues that have yet to be solved by SolidWorks upon their first release.

Imagine being able to produce photo quality renders in just minutes without the cost of creating the item in the real world! This blog will introduce you to the powerful, fast world of SolidWorks Visualize and some of the capabilities of the software.

Dimensions are used to define the geometry of sketches or some feature commands. The key purpose of dimensions within the modeling phase of a project is to fully define the part. Relations within the sketching phase do the same thing as dimensions without all the hassle of clicking each individual line. SolidWorks at times will include relations automatically if the sketch was done properly. Continue reading on for a How to on display and deleting these relations.

Some of the most time-consuming work that can be done in SolidWorks is inputting multiple purchased components into an assembly. With all the individual components come individual mates that need to be placed on each component to fully constrain them to the assembly. However, this blog will teach you about the Pattern Driven Components command in assembly’s that will allow one component and its mates to be copied and placed into all holes/features that are the same!