Does your design department all work to a standard SOLIDWORKS® modeling method.....or is everyone going about it their own way with their own opinion of what is best? If so, you've likely run into these ongoing frustrations:
I mean, some of these people will show incredible creativity with their choice of part modeling techniques. You have to admire the talent it took to get a feature sketch to reference an unnamed sketch further down the tree, to have that controlling dimension reference a reference dimension in another sketch, that is referenced to a fourth sketch and in the fourth sketch the dimension is controlled by an equation. The variables in that equation are pulling from Custom Properties and the Design Table.
What exactly is the fallout to your design department when people can't easily make the simplest changes to many part models and choose that it's faster redoing them from scratch? Assemblies blow apart from seemingly innocent changes to parts? Drawings require time-consuming dimensioning ....but haven't you done this work once already in the model?
If you can identify the above scenarios as directly causing your project milestones to fail, your needing to stay after working hours dissecting other people's puzzling cad files and being mortally afraid of what a newly hired designer or contractor will do to your models, then your department could be a candidate for a robust and standardized SOLIDWORKS® modeling method.
- Part models are too busy and complicated to understand,
- Assembly models are fragile, especially towards the end of the project,
- Drawings take a long time to dimension
I mean, some of these people will show incredible creativity with their choice of part modeling techniques. You have to admire the talent it took to get a feature sketch to reference an unnamed sketch further down the tree, to have that controlling dimension reference a reference dimension in another sketch, that is referenced to a fourth sketch and in the fourth sketch the dimension is controlled by an equation. The variables in that equation are pulling from Custom Properties and the Design Table.
What exactly is the fallout to your design department when people can't easily make the simplest changes to many part models and choose that it's faster redoing them from scratch? Assemblies blow apart from seemingly innocent changes to parts? Drawings require time-consuming dimensioning ....but haven't you done this work once already in the model?
If you can identify the above scenarios as directly causing your project milestones to fail, your needing to stay after working hours dissecting other people's puzzling cad files and being mortally afraid of what a newly hired designer or contractor will do to your models, then your department could be a candidate for a robust and standardized SOLIDWORKS® modeling method.
Can you imagine everyone is CAD modeling in such a predictable and professional manner that;
- Part models have the design intent so well captured that anyone can quickly understand them and easily predict the effect of changes,
- Assembly models have parts mated so that geometry changes leave them intact and error-free
- Drawings are dimensioned instantly, even when you delete and re-insert views
Are you intrigued? Well then read on, because the following is a description of how we at Ubique perform all of our modeling for customers, and shows the standard to which we train our on-site contractors before they work on other's projects.
Step 1 - Make a first sketch, choosing the orientation that captures the most important design intent and features. Notice the neatly-arranged dimensions.
Step 2 - make one or more additional sketches in descending priority, relating back to the previous sketch elements. Give them meaningful names (Front Layout) and colors
Step 3 - Relate all of your features to the sketch elements - avoid typing values for depth etc.
Step 4 - Name and comment in your features, use the Design Binder and Hole Wizard exclusively. Take advantage of symmetry to reduce modeling.
Step 5 - Mate the parts into the assembly using reference geometry, not faces. This is why you so carefully identified design intent in the layout sketches
Step 6 - Make drawing views using the Insert Model Items command. Your dimensions will be neatly inserted into all views, Shift-Drag any dimensions to a view you prefer, and Use the Auto Arrange tool to quickly tidy them all up. You won't need to insert a single dimension manually.
Step 5 - Mate the parts into the assembly using reference geometry, not faces. This is why you so carefully identified design intent in the layout sketches
Step 6 - Make drawing views using the Insert Model Items command. Your dimensions will be neatly inserted into all views, Shift-Drag any dimensions to a view you prefer, and Use the Auto Arrange tool to quickly tidy them all up. You won't need to insert a single dimension manually.
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The downstream efficiencies of this method pay back your time many-fold. The outstanding benefits of following with discipline what we call the “Ubique Modeling Method” are that all your designers can repurpose models any of your people have made, well into the future. They're easy to understand, mate robustly into assemblies and produce drawings rapidly.
Designers, if you recognize a need for these advantages in your department, I encourage you to show this video to your manager:
Designers, if you recognize a need for these advantages in your department, I encourage you to show this video to your manager:
We even have an in-depth training program to efficiently and thoroughly teach this method - check out the Cad Mentoring Program for SOLIDWORKS
Dan Andrews
VP Delivery
Dan Andrews
VP Delivery
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