Category: Model Assembly

SOLIDWORKS X-ray Vision with transparency

SOLIDWORKS that allows you to quickly view your entire model as transparent mode, like an X-ray of your assembly.

Top Level Transparency is an option within SOLIDWORKS that allows you to quickly view your entire model in a transparent mode. It’s like a quick-access x-ray of your model. You may need this to peer deep into the heart of your assembly. Perhaps you are trying to visually find an obscured part which is buried within your assembly. Even within an individual part, you may just want to see a particular set of features without a section view.

You don’t have to change the transparency of each and every component within your assembly or create special display state. Just turn this setting on, and then turn if off.

How to turn Top Level Transparency on

To turn it on, right mouse button click on the top line of your Feature Tree. Select the Top Level Transparency option from the shortcut bar or within the list of options of the right mouse button menu. Repeat to turn the mode off.

Use Top Level Transparency on components to quickly get a better look at complex geometry within the model.

Although Top Level Transparency is a mode, it does directly affect the transparency of the assembly and components while active. This means the setting is persistent. If you turn this setting on for a component, when you open the associated assembly, that component will be transparent within the assembly. A component or assembly can also be saved with this mode active.

Besides Transparency, explore changes to Exploded Views

Another assembly tool that you may wish to explore in SOLIDWORKS might be Exploded View, which has seen a number of enhancements over the years. SOLIDWORKS 2015 introduced Radial Explode. Back in SOLIDWORKS 2013, you gained the ability to copy exploded views. More recently, you have the ability to autospace exploded components.

Each release of SOLIDOWORKS sees many enhancements for assemblies. Be sure to always review each year’s What’s New document.

Resellers are already making great videos about SOLIDWORKS 2016 new functions

This morning, I started looking around Youtube to see what’s already popped up for SOLIDWORKS 2016 What’s New.  There is already several great videos by several resellers.  Here’s a few for Mate Controller, Foreshorten Dimensions and DimXpert.

 

What’s New in SolidWorks 2013: New capabilities of Exploded Views

Multiple exploded views per configuration

In assemblies and multibody parts, the ability to create multiple exploded views for each configuration is now available.  As before, each exploded view appears under the specific configuration in the Feature Tree at the Configurations tab.  Now, multiple exploded views can appear as a list under each configuration .  This means you now longer need that the old workflow of having to maintain separate configurations for separate exploded views, even when the configurations are otherwise identical.

This functionality is also now supported in eDrawings.

Copying exploded views

Additional power has been added to exploded views and configurations where you can use normal windows Copy-and-Paste functions (CTRL-C/CTRL-V) to copy and paste exploded views between configurations!  To do this, highlight an exploded view in one configuration and hit CTRL-C.  Go to another configuration in the same assembly, and hit CTRL-V. Easy!

What’s New in SolidWorks 2013: Orientation dialog and View Selector

Orientation Dialog Box

Switching between views in the SolidWorks modelling environment has always been a fairly painless exercise.  Press the SPACEBAR and choose your view, or use the Normal to command.  The Orientation dialog window has now been improved in SolidWorks 2013.   In addition to icongraphic layout, you can now create custom views and save them for reuse in different documents.

To save views for use in other documents, create a new view same as before using the New View button.  The view will then appear in the Orientation dialog box between the standard views and the view port buttons.  When you highlight that view, a save icon appears.  When saved, a globe icon will appear next to new view indicating that it is now available for use in other documents.


 

View Selector

Another cool addition to the Orientation interface is the View Selector.  To turn on the View Selector, start the Orientation dialog box and click on the View Selector button in the upper right next to the pin.  While this button is depressed, the View Selector will automatically engage when you launch the Orientation dialog box.

The View Selector allows you to quickly and visually select your next view orientation of the model between standard views.  It provides quick access to the opposite views too (the other side of each standard orientation).  That means you can quickly jump to the backside upper isometric view as easily and you can jump to the front view!

 

Sneak Peek SolidWorks 2013: Better Interference Detection

From the SolidWorks Blog:

…you can exclude selected components in Interference Detection. You can filter components with matching cosmetic threads from Interference Detection results and place them in a separate folder. You can exclude interferences involving hidden components, as well as…