How-To Archives - Page 6 of 13

Windows Desktop Search (what to do?) XP instructions

SolidWorks installation may request permission to install the Windows Desktop Search. My advice is to decline this! It is not needed on any workstations. It potentially degrades performance of even the most pimped-out PC. The reason is that it is always busy updating its index. It is recommended by some that the Windows Desktop Search only be installed on servers.

If it is already installed via SolidWorks or even via one of Windows automatic updates on your workstation PC, you’ll have to jump through hoops just to get to a point where you might be able to kinda remove it. It’s like a legal virus. Once its on your PC, you’ll be engaged in a lengthy battle to remove it. I’m not exaggerating when I say it can take days. This is because in many situations even if you “uninstall” it using Add and Remove Programs, it stays on your system. To truly get it off requires some ugly hacks that should only be attempted by experienced PC users.

If it is accidentally installed on a workstation PC, there is hope. It can generally be successfully ignored with a couple of easy steps. Within SolidWorks, goto Tools pulldown>Options…>System Options tab> and under the Search heading, find the Indexing performance area. Make sure “Index only when computer is idle” is selected and choose OK. One other area that might help is also under System Options tab> under the File Locations heading. Choose “Search Paths” from the “Show folders for:” field. In the “Folders:” field, only add folders of note (removing any extra folders that do not need to be indexed).

These steps may not help other programs such as Windows Explorer, but it should help SolidWorks performance.

Standard Views without Zoom-to-fit

When using Standard Views in SolidWorks, the resulting view of the model is normally Zoom to fit. This is regardless to the zoom level of the current view. So, if I’m zoomed in to look at a specific feature a very long part, when I change from Front View to Rear View, the model will be resized to fit to screen. This might be unexpected in some cases, as it requires extra steps to return to the area where I was working on the model.

With newer versions of SolidWorks, there is an alternative. A toggle setting is available under Tools>Options…>System Options>View. Unselect the Zoom to fit when changing to standard views option.

The only draw back is that this toggle is buried deep within the Options window. This makes the task of dynamically using this functionality difficult. Otherwise, this is a great function.

Zoom to fit when changing to standard views

SolidWorks 2010: Mouse Gestures

SolidWorks Corp has been working hard to improve the user experience. SolidWorks 2010 has examples have several innovative interface additions. The one addition that is sure to get a lot of attention is Mouse Gestures.

Mouse Gestures is a simple a menu scheme that is controlled by the RMB and a gesture (or short movement) of the mouse. When the RMB is clicked and held briefly in addition to a very slight movement of the mouse, a wheel menu appears around the cursor location.

Simply continue to hold the RMB down and move the cursor over the desired command. Without any further action, that command will execute and the menu wheel will disappear. If the RMB is released before a selection is made, the menu wheel is cancelled without any command executed.

If the traditional RMB is desired instead of the menu wheel, simply give the RMB a quick click (same as it ever was) without a mouse movement.

As with the “S” key shortcut menu scheme, Mouse Gestures menu wheel is customizable and context sensitive. The user is allowed 4 or 8 gestures with four different menus for each of the major modes: Part, Assembly, Drawing and Sketch. These are customized under a new tab in the good ol’ Tools>Customize… window.

Here are the eight gesture choices that can be assigned to particular commands:

Mouse Gestures is suprizingly easy to use. It’s intuitive when it is activated intentionally. However, I have found myself activating it unintentionally once in awhile. This may result in the surprize command being executed before I even know what hit me. So, for now and for me, Mouse Gesturing will be limited to View Modify functions. I certainly won’t be placing the Quit in my menu wheel. That said, the usual result of the accidental activation is just that the user will see the menu wheel briefly ghost in and out before any command is executed.

Mouse Gestures is a great new tool that looks to be a major time saver for frequently used commands. I’m looking forward to having a bit of fun playing with Mouse Gestures and customizing its functions until I find just the right combination of commands for each mode.

SolidWorks 2010: Dimension Palette and Styles

Dimension Palette is a great new function in SolidWorks 2010 that allows the user to edit most commonly accessed aspects of a dimension, right from the main drawing view pane.

Simply highlight or LMB click on a dimension. A ghost image of its Dimension Palette will appear nearby. Move your mouse cursor over the ghost. This forces it to fully materialize. (I’m reminded of Ghostbusters for some reason.)

Dimension Palette

From that point, many of the dimension’s attributes may be directly edited, such as tolerance style and range, dimension accuracy, and tolerance accuracy. Also editable is text above, right, left and below the dimension. Additionally, formatting is editable, including dimension position and justification, reference parenthesis, and inspection obround outline. To aid in use of these new functions, small pop-up hint fields appear as the mouse cursor moves over each element.

Finally, the user can also quickly apply saved Dimension Styles (formerly known as dimension favorites) to the dimension. This can be accessed by clicking on the gold star icon in the upper right of the Dimension Palette. Dimension Styles are much more automated than the old dimension favorites. Not only does the user have access to any saved Styles, SolidWorks will also restore recently used formatting changes as Dimension Styles.

Dimension Styles

This means, when the user makes a change to a dimension, SolidWoks will automatically save the user’s change as a Dimension Style. Automatically saved Dimension Styles will show up in the Recent tab of the Styles window. These Styles only reside in the current drawing. (In order to use these Styles in another drawing, the user will still have to save the Style in the same way dimension favorites have been saved in previous SolidWorks releases.)

To replicate the same changes to multiple dimensions, the user simply has to edit one dimension (preferably through the Dimension Palette). From that point on, to apply those same changes to other dimensions, the user need only select the Dimension Styles button for affected dimension and select their previous change from the Dimension Styles window.

Basically, the user can paint any various dimension formats as Styles to any following dimension. This is a very cleaver execution of a long standing Enhancement Request to allow dimension formatting to be quickly copied from one dimension to another.

Don’t quote me on this, but if I remember correctly, the current limit on the number Dimension Styles stored in the Recent tab is ten. This may change at some point. One added function I’d like to see within the Styles window is the ability to delete Dimension Styles from the Recent tab. As always, with any great new functionality comes even a greater number of new requests for improvement.

HOW TO CHANGE/SWAP TEMPLATE/SYSTEM OPTIONS IN SOLIDWORKS

I have heard this request many times so putting it up over here. The whole credit for this should go to Stefan Berlitz of http://solidworks.cad.de/ http://swtools.cad.de . Without his wonderful macro, this option might not have been possible.

Before starting the process I will strongly advise you to make a backup of the files.

Open you part, drawing or assembly file from which you want to copy the Tool, Options> System Options /Document Properties Settings.
Open the Excel based macro and choose the tab based on type of you file.
In the Excel sheet, click on Get Options. This will copy the Document Properties Settings for that particular file. Repeat same for System Options.
Close the SW file.
Now open you part, drawing or assembly file to which you want to copy these setting or overwrite their setting with these one.
Go back to Excel sheet and click on Set Options for both System Options and Document Properties Settings.

Cool, enjoy with your new part, drawing or assembly file template.

Get the macro here: mac_copydoc.zip

Lot of thanks to Stefan Berlitz for sharing his macro. He has also explained how to use this macro in a much efficient way in the same excel file.

Dimensioning of Slots in SOLIDWORKS for ASME Y14.5

This entry is part 4 of 8 in the series Dimensions and Tolerances

Ever since the additions of the slot sketch tool for 2009 and the Hole Wizard Slot for 2014, SOLIDWORKS almost seems like a whole new software for the those who design machined parts. Adding these tools were long overdue. Additionally, SOLIDWORKS supports the standard methods for dimensioning slots when they are created by using these tools.

ASME Y14.5M-1994 paragraph 1.8.10 and figure 1-35 provide three methods for the dimensioning of slots, with no stipulation regarding which is preferred for particular scenarios. (Note: all three methods require the insertion of a non-dimensioned “2X R” note pointing at one of the slot’s end radii.)

In one fashion or another, SOLIDWORKS supports all three methods, though it does have a default for both simple slots and arc slots. For brevity, this article will only cover simple slots.

The first slot dimensioning method (a) provides the width and the distance between the end radii center points.

Dimensioning Method (a)

Method (a)

The second method (b) is the easiest and simplest to dimension. Simply state width and overall length, and use an arrow to point to the slot’s object line. Though originally reserved for punching operations, ASME Y14.5M-1994 (and later versions) allows for the use of this method on any simple slot. When using Hole Callout to dimension a slot in SOLIDWORKS 2009 or later, this is the type of dimension that is inserted.

Dimensioning Method (b)

Method (b)

The third method (c) provides the width and overall length of the slot in linear dimensions. This method is preferred if the slot has positional tolerances that use the boundary method (see ASME Y14.5M-1994 figure 5-47).

Dimensioning Method (c)

Method (c)

For all of the above methods, add the “2X R” separately by using Smart Dimension tool.

Side note: of the three choices, the ASME board almost left out (a) and (b). The original release draft of ASME Y14.5M-(1994) only shows method (c) in figure 1-35.