Add draft to cast and molded parts. Understand the various types of draft features you can create. Perform Draft Analysis to determine which faces need draft added to them.
Add materials to parts for calculations of mass properties, for use with SOLIDWORKS Simulation, and to modify the appearance of the part. Define the material for a part. Add a custom material to a part. Use configurations to assign different materials to a part.
Use standard mates to constrain the degrees of freedom of components relative to other components or reference geometry such as planes or axes. Learn about standard mate types such as coincident, concentric, and more. Understand how selected entities such as faces, edges, vertices, planes, or axes determines the available mate types.
Use the Physical Dynamics options when moving components to allow realistic interaction between assembly components. Physical dynamics identifies collisions between faces and allows components to push one another when they come into contact. Understand options within the Move Component command. Use the Physical Dynamics option to simulate interaction between components being moved. Understand the limitations of using Physical Dynamics versus a Motion Study. Learn how to troubleshoot issues when using the physical dynamics option.
Evaluate the size, weight, and more of a model using the measure and mass properties tools. Understand how the material and coordinate system of a part affect its mass properties. Measure between points and circles to determine the size of a part.
Create rounded or beveled edges using fillets or chamfers, respectively. Understand general filleting rules to facilitate better modeling practices. Create and understand some of the options for constant radius fillets. Create and understand some of the options for chamfer features.
Use the Interference Detection tool to identify any overlap between parts in an assembly. Clearance between parts can also be detected using the Clearance Verification tool. Use the Interference Detection tool to identify interferences between assembly components. Explore the options available within the Interference Detection tool. Use the Clearance Verification tool to identify clearances between assembly components. Explore the options available with the Clearance Verification tool.
Create reference planes in any orientation using existing reference and solid geometry. You use reference planes for sketching or as a reference for other features. Create reference planes in a variety of orientations from different reference selections. Create reference planes from one or more geometric references.
Mirror existing sketch entities with the Mirror Entities tool or by adding symmetric relations. Or, dynamically mirror sketch entities as you create them. Mirror sketch entities that you previously created. Dynamically mirror sketch entities as you create them. Add symmetric relations to sketch entities to mirror the entities.
Use the ConfigurationManager to add configurations and modify the part by controlling the suppression state of features and by configuring dimensions. Use the ConfigurationManager to add configurations to a part. Suppress features to represent a different version of the model. Configure dimensions to create different size versions of the part.
Insert driving dimensions into a sketch using the versatile Smart Dimension tool. With a single tool, you can create radial dimensions for arc, linear dimensions between two points, and more. The dimension that appears depends on the entities you select. Insert linear, angular, radial, and other dimensions. Modify dimensions. Move and reattach dimensions.
Create a drawing from an existing part file, insert basic views, and insert and manipulate dimensions and callouts. Make a basic drawing of a part. Insert standard views. Import dimensions from a model into a drawing. Make a change to a dimension. Demonstrate the associativity between the model and its drawings.
A structural member profile is a cross-section of a beam, tube, channel, or other structural member type. Sweeping this profile along segments of a layout sketch creates the structural member\'s geometry. There are full collections of profiles and sizes available for download, and it is also possible to create customized profiles. Learn how to access the additional content for standard structural member profile sizes. Create a custom weldment profile by saving a sketch as a Library Feature Part. Use the Structural Member command to create a structural member from a structural member profile. Use the Locate Profile option to choose a sketch point for aligning a structural member.
Model parts in the context of an assembly, using references to other components to complete the design. The design intent for new parts (sizes of features, placement of components in the assembly, etc.) comes from other components in the assembly. Build a virtual part in the context of an assembly by employing Top-Down assembly modeling techniques. Create features in the assembly context by referencing geometry in mating parts. Understand InPlace mates and external references. Identify external references in the FeatureManager design tree.
Create a weldment frame from a series of layout sketches. The weldment environment uses standard weldment profiles to define the type of structural members in the weldment. Members of the same type and size are created in one feature. Create a weldment frame. Insert structural members. Relocate the profile sketch. Change corner treatments.
Learn how shells are used to model thin structures. Create shells on thin structures using the shell manager. Apply symmetry fixtures to reduce computational efforts.
Insert annotations into existing drawing views, including custom notes, geometric tolerances, and blocks. Create annotations and symbols. Create blocks from geometry and notes. Save a block to a file. Insert a block into a drawing.
