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:

  1. With the Broken-Out Section tool active and cut area established, click on the Depth Reference field in the PropertyManager. 
  2. 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.
  3. 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 )

Overview

The official name of the new app is eDrawings for iPad from 3DS SolidWorks.  This initial release is a great app with a lot of potential.  For the first time, you can inexpensively open and view native SolidWorks files directly on a mobile device.

The app provides many of the familiar and fun functions from the eDrawings family.  It is useful to quickly and conveniently communicate 3D CAD files to locations and environments were PCs and printed drawings just aren’t practical.  It also provides an great method to view SolidWorks files for customers that do not use SolidWorks, from the shop floor to a corporation’s CEO.

User Experience

When the app is started, you are presented with a menu of models and drawings.  There is an area of sample models and an area for your files, called “User Files”.

The sample files provide good cases to try out eDrawings for iPad functionality.  The User Files area lists any files which you have added to the iPad to view in eDrawings.

When you open a supported 3D file, you can rotate, pan, zoom in and out, zoom fit, zoom home (last view when file that was saved).  Similar to other eDrawings applications, the eDrawings for iPad app can Play a model by transitioning between different views of the model.

Assemblies

For assemblies, you can highlight individual parts from the Components tree.

Configurations are also supported. Selecting a particular configuration from the Configuration tree will immediately display it within the graphics area.  It is very easy to switch between configurations.

Assembly explosions are viewable from the Explode Assembly button.  Individual configurations can also be separately exploded.

Highlighting parts from the Components tree is also available when viewing the assembly as an explosion.  This makes it very easy to identify parts in the graphics area when browsing through an assembly.

Just as with the desktop computer, larger files consume more device resources.  If you wish to view a large assembly, you may wish to close background processes if your iPad resources are stretched thin.

                                                            

Disclaimer – Though this article was not reviewed by SolidWorks, nor its parent company Dassault Systemes nor any other entity, the author of this article is an employee of Dassault Systemes and is internally familiar with eDrawings for iPad.  As such, this article should not be understood as being from an uninvolved and neutral third party.

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

Amazon Affiliate link to Photoview 360 guideAmazon Affiliate link to Photoview 360 guide
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.