SolidWorks Legion

Visually determine the depth of a Broken-out Section in a Drawing View during preview

Adding a broken-out section to a drawing view is very useful to show detail inside of a part without resorting to creating an additional Section View. The Broken-out Section tool in SolidWorks allows you to quickly add this detail to an existing drawing view by simply drawing a closed spline and establishing a depth. A preview option allows you to see the result of your choices. The drawing view updates in real time as you change depth.

However, sometimes, it is hard to visualize the depth while you are creating the broken-out section. Some users will simply step through various depths until the broken-out section looks about right. This trial and error method can be time consuming.

The Broken-Out Section tool is actually smarter than that! It detects when there are projection views of the current view (either parent or child). If there is a projection view, you can click on the specific feature you wish to slice with the broken-out section. To use this cool function:

With the Broken-Out Section tool active and cut area established, click on the Depth Reference field in the PropertyManager.
In the adjacent side view, you will see a yellow line that represents the current depth of the broken-out section cut. Click on the feature you wish to cut through. The depth line will shift to the center of that feature.
Click OK to accept.

The above method may not always be feasible. Perhaps the detailed components are too large to show the multiple views on screen at the same time. Or, perhaps there is no feature that readily provides desireable results.

Here’s a trick that may help. Use 3D Drawing View tool to rotate the view in 3D. As you adjust the depth in the PropertyManager, the 3D view of the model will update accordingly.

1. With the target view highlighted, choose 3D Drawing View tool.

2. Rotate the view to a desirable angle.

3. In the PropertyManager, change the depth.

4. Select OK in the PropertyManager when desired depth is found. Then exit the 3D Drawing View tool.

The result is a happy broken-out section in your target drawing view.

eDrawings for iPad from 3DS SolidWorks ( #edrawingsforipad )

Parts

Zooming methods are the same as assemblies, with zoom fit, zoom home, panning, etc. Play is also available. I don’t know what it is about Play; there is just some inexplicable joy that comes from watching a model transition between views.

Configurations are also supported for parts. Switching between configurations is a breeze.

Same as other eDrawings releases, DimXpert dimensions are viewable in eDrawing part (.eprt) files.

Drawings

Zoom tools work a little different for drawing. There is still pan, zoom in and out, zoom fit, and zoom home. Logically, you won’t have the ability to rotate a drawing sheet into 3D space.

When viewing a drawing, Play works the same in eDrawings for iPad as it does in other versions of eDrawings. Watching a drawing transition between drawing views is even more enjoyable than watching a model because the associated dimensions are displayed at each waypoint.

Drawing sheets are also supported. Switching between drawing sheets may be done through the Sheets tree.

Usability and Performance

eDrawings for iPad is very intuitive for anyone familiar with multitouch screens. One finger drag rotates the model. Two fingers pan. Pinching zooms. I’ve used this app on both an iPad and iPad 3. On either of these devices, manipulating the model orientation has great responsiveness that is as immediate as you may expect any iPad app to be. For example, switching between configurations and sheets using the tree is very quick.

Loading a file into eDrawings for iPad is also a snap. You can copy files to your iPad via your iTunes interface. Even easier, just email the file to yourself or someone else who has this app installed.

When downloading the model file through your email interface, you are automatically presented with the option to open it in eDrawings. If you accept, it is added to your User Files and opened. Very convenient.

Bottomline

eDrawings for iPad has enough functions to immediately make this a useful tool. It is very inexpensive when compared to similar applications that view native SolidWorks files on the iPad. The app is very easy to use. These points give this app a great combination of qualities.

eDrawings for iPad is available as of May 1, 2012 from the Apple App Store. Please find and install this app through App Store from your iPad device. Search word: edrawings. Or, follow this iTunes link. There is a lively discussion on Twitter under hashtags #edrawingsforipad, #eDrawings, or just plain search for edrawings. Also, if you wish, check out the SolidWorks.com introduction site

Pages: 123

The official Photoview 360 book by SolidWorks ( @robrodriguez @solidworks )

I’ve been wanting to write an article about the book Photorealistic Rendering Using SolidWorks and Photoview 360 for almost a year now. Between that time and now, I’ve become employed by SolidWorks, which makes writing reviews about SolidWorks related products somewhat self-serving. As such, I’m not going to do a full length detailed review. That being said, it is a great guide to learn the ins-and-outs of making photorealistic images from SolidWorks. One of the main consultants for this book is Rob Rodriguez, infamous for his photorendering skills.

The book’s approach to the subject is refreshing, in that it is written from the perspective of a photographer. Topics include basic elements, such a lighting, to more complex visualization settings for illumination. Also discussed are OpenGL, RealView, Surface Finishes, hardware, performance, scenes, decals, user interface, display states, configurations, mapping, output options, etc, etc. It does include a DVD-ROM!

It’s a great guide with a lot of detailed images as it takes you step-by-step through the process of creating photorealistic images with SolidWorks and Photoview 360.

The book is available in the SolidWorks Store. It is also now available from Amazon.com (image link above is via Amazon.com).

In honor of Fenway Park’s 100th anniversary, it was modelled and 3d printed

Objet and Rob Rodriguez teamed up recently to produce a 3D model and a 3D print of the famous Fenway Park in honor of its 100th anniversary. Rodriguez talks about this challenging task in a recent posting on his blog, Axis Cad Solutions Blog,

I was approached by Objet to create a solid model of Fenway Park for the centennial celebration (1912-2012). …Having lived in New England all my life, being a Sox’s fan and knowing that Fenway was/is an iconic part of baseball history I’d [couldn’t] say, “no”.

I’m not a Red Sox fan, but I can see the love New Englanders have for their team and the Fenway Park venue. For the past month, there’s been nonstop chatter about Fenway Park and the idea that this is a “building” year for the Red Sox team.

In Rodriguez’ article, you’ll find an eDrawings version of the model (very cool), plus links to Objet’s article about the 3D printing of the park.

Resource: Guide to submitting Enhancment Requests for SolidWorks

I wrote up an article on the SolidWorks Blog a couple weeks ago. It can be used as a resource to guide users to the area where they can submit their requests to improve SolidWorks. The article is called Need SolidWorks to do more? The article covers how to submit bugs and enhancement reqeusts.

Briefly, users should submit bugs to VAR. A VAR can quickly determine if the bug is known or unknown and how best to address it.

Requests for new functionatality in SolidWorks (known as Enhancement Requests) may be submitted through the Customer Portal on the SolidWorks website. However, always check to see if someone already has submitted a similar request, so you can vote for theirs instead.

If your request is for new functionality in SolidWorks, the first place to search is the Knowledge Base in the Customer Portal. The Knowledge Base has quick how-to instructions. It also has a list of outstanding enhancement requests from other customers.

Anyway, I invite you to check out the article. It thoroughly covers the submission process.

SolidWorks 2012: Reuse Letters from Deleted Views

In the past, SolidWorks would track the letters used in Section Views, Detail Views and Auxiliary Views on drawings. If one of these views was deleted, for whatever reason, it’s letter would no longer appear on the drawing when new views were created. The only automatic method to get the letters to be reused would be to reset the starting letter for the whole drawing. What many users ended up doing was just manually entering letters for new drawing views after one was deleted.

In SolidWorks 2012, a new setting was added that allows you to automatically reuse letters from views that have been deleted. This setting is in Tools pulldown > Options… > System Options tab > Drawings heading. Near the bottom, find Reuse view letter from deleted auxiliary, detail, and section views. Add a check to its box and OK. The setting’s name is a bit long, but clearly stated.

So, now when a view is deleted, it’s letter will automatically appear for the next Section View, Detail View or Auxiliary View.