IMPORTANT TERMS AND THEIR DEFINITIONS
Before you proceed further in SolidWorks, it is very important to understand the following terms as they have been widely used in the solidwork posts.
Feature-based Modeling
A feature is defi ned as the smallest
building block that can be modifi ed individually. In SolidWorks, the solid
models are created by integrating a number of these building blocks.
Parametric Modeling
The parametric nature of a software
package is defi ned as its ability to use the standard properties or parameters
in defi ning the shape and size of a geometry. The main function of this
property is to drive the selected geometry to a new size or shape without
considering its original dimensions.
Bidirectional Associativity
As mentioned earlier, SolidWorks has
different modes such as Part, Assembly, and Drawing. There exists
bidirectional associativity among all these modes. This associativity ensures
that any modifi cation made in the model in any one of these modes of
SolidWorks is automatically reflected in the other modes immediately.
Windows Functionality
SolidWorks is the Windows-based 3D CAD
package. It uses the graphical user interface of Windows and the
functionalities such as drag and drop, copy paste, and so on.
SWIFT Technology
SWIFT is the acronym for SolidWorks
Intelligent Feature Technology. This technology makes SolidWorks more
user-friendly. This technology helps the user think more about the design rather
than the tools in the software. Therefore, the novice users fi nd it very easy
to use SolidWorks for their design. The tools that use SWIFT Technology are
called as Xperts. The different Xperts in SolidWorks are
SketchXpert, FeatureXpert, DimXpert, AssemblyXpert, FilletXpert, DrafXpert, and MateXpert. The SketchXpert in the sketching
environment is used to resolve the conflicts that arise while applying relations
to a sketch. Similarly, the FeatureXpert in the Part mode is used when the fillet and draft features fail.
You will learn about these tools in the later post.
Geometric Relations
Geometric relations are the logical
operations that are performed to add a relationship (like tangent or
perpendicular) between the sketched entities, planes, axes, edges, or vertices.
When adding relations, one entity can be a sketched entity and the other entity
can be a sketched entity, or an edge, face, vertex, origin, plane, and so on.
There are two methods to create the geometric relations:
Automatic Relations
Add Relations.
Automatic Relations
The sketching environment of
SolidWorks has been provided with the facility of applying auto relations. This
facility ensures that the geometric relations are applied to the sketch automatically
while creating it. Automatic relations are also applied in the Drawing mode while
working with interactive drafting.
Add Relations
Add relations is used to add geometric
relations manually to the sketch. The sixteen types of geometric relations that
can be manually applied to the sketch are as follows:
Horizontal
This relation forces the selected line
segment to become a horizontal line. You can also select two points and force
them to be aligned horizontally.
Vertical
This relation forces the selected line
segment to become a vertical line. You can also select two points and force
them to be aligned vertically.
Collinear
This relation forces the two selected
entities to be placed in the same line.
Coradial
This relation is applied to any two
selected arcs, two circles, or an arc and a circle to force them to become
equi-radius and also to share the same centerpoint.
Perpendicular
This relation is used to make selected
line segment perpendicular to another selected segment.
Parallel
This relation is used to make the
selected line segment parallel to another selected segment.
Tangent
This relation is used to make the
selected line segment, arc, spline, circle, or ellipse tangent to another arc,
circle, spline, or ellipse.
Concentric
This relation forces two selected
arcs, circles, a point and an arc, a point and a circle, or an arc and a circle
to share the same centerpoint.
Midpoint
This relation forces a selected point
to be placed on the midpoint of a line.
Intersection
This relation forces a selected point
to be placed at the intersection of two selected entities.
Coincident
This relation is used to make two
points, a point and a line, or a point and an arc coincident.
Equal
The equal relation forces the two
selected lines to become equal in length. This relation is also used to force
two arcs, two circles, or an arc and a circle to have equal radii.
Symmetric
The symmetric relation is used to
force the selected entities to become symmetrical about a selected centerline,
so that they remain equidistant from the centerline.
Fix
This relation is used to fi x the
selected entity to a particular location with respect to the coordinate system.
The endpoints of the fi xed line, arc, spline, or elliptical segment are free
to move along the line.
Pierce
This relation forces the sketched
point to be coincident to the selected axis, edge, or curve where it pierces
the sketch plane. The sketched point in this relation can be the endpoint of
the sketched entity.
Merge
This relation is used to merge two
sketched points or endpoints.
Blocks
A block is a set of entities grouped
together to act as a single entity. Blocks are used to create complex
mechanisms as sketches and check their functioning before developing them into complex
3D models.
Library Feature
Generally, in a mechanical design,
some features are used frequently. In most of the other solid modeling tools,
you need to create these features whenever you need them. However, SolidWorks
allows you to save these features in a library so that you can retrieve them
whenever you want. This saves a lot of designing time and effort of a designer.
Design Table
Design tables are used to create a
multi-instance parametric component.
Equations
Equations are the analytical and
numerical formulae applied to the dimensions during the sketching of the
feature sketch or after sketching the feature sketch. The equations can also be
applied to the placed features.
Collision Detection
Collision detection is used to detect
interference and collision between the parts of an assembly when the assembly
is in motion. While creating the assembly in SolidWorks, you can detect collision
between parts by moving and rotating them.
What’s Wrong Functionality
While creating a feature of the model
or after editing a feature created earlier, if the geometry of the feature is
not compatible and the system is not able to construct that feature, then the What’s Wrong functionality is
used to detect the possible error that may have occurred while creating the
feature.
2D Command Line Emulator
The 2D command line emulator is an
add-in of SolidWorks. You can activate this by choosing Tools > Add-Ins
from the
SolidWorks menus. On doing so, the Add-Ins dialog box will
be displayed. Select the SolidWorks 2D Emulator check box and choose OK from the Add-Ins dialog box; a
command section will be displayed at the bottom of the graphics area. This 2D Command
line emulator is useful for invoking the commands by typing them. You can type the
commands in the 2D Command line emulator.
SimulationXpress
In SolidWorks, you are provided with
SimulationXpress, which is an analysis tool to execute the static or stress
analysis. In SimulationXpress, you can only execute the linear static analysis.
Using the linear static analysis, you can calculate the displacement, strain,
and stresses applied on a component with the effect of material, various
loading conditions, and restraint conditions applied on a model. A component
fails when the stress applied on it reaches beyond a certain permissible limit.
Physical Dynamics
The Physical Dynamics is used to
observe the motion of the assembly.
Physical Simulation
The Physical Simulation is used to
simulate the assemblies created in the assembly environment of SolidWorks.
Seed Feature
The original feature that is used as
the parent feature to create any type of pattern or mirror feature is known as
the seed feature. You can edit or modify only a seed feature. You cannot edit
the instances of the pattern feature.
FeatureManager Design Tree
It contains information about default
planes, materials, lights, and all the features that are added to the model.
When you add features to the model using various modeling tools, the same are
also displayed in the FeatureManager
Design Tree. You can easily
select and edit the features using the FeatureManager Design Treee. When you invoke any tool to create a feature, the FeatureManager
Design Tree is replaced by
the respective PropertyManager. At this stage, the FeatureManager
Design Tree is displayed in
the drawing area.
HOT KEYS
Hot -> Key
Function
F1 -> Invokes the help
F11 -> Full screen
S -> Invokes the
shortcut bar
R -> Invokes the
recent documents
F -> Fit the object in
the drawing over the screen
Z -> Zoom out
SPACE BAR -> Invokes the Orientation menu
CTRL+1 -> Changes the
current view to the Front View
CTRL+2 -> Changes the
current view to the Back View
CTRL+3 -> Changes the
current view to the Left View
CTRL+4 -> Changes the
current view to the Right View
CTRL+5 -> Changes the
current view to the Top View
CTRL+6 -> Changes the
current view to the Bottom View
CTRL+7 -> Changes the
current view to the Isometric View
CTRL+8 -> Changes the
current view to the Normal View
CTRL+SHIFT+Z -> Changes the
current view to the Previous View
CTRL+Arrows -> Moves the feature
along the arrows direction
SHIFT+Arrows -> Rotates the
feature along the arrows direction
CTRL+B -> Rebuilds the
model
CTRL+Z -> Invokes the Undo tool
CTRL+N -> Invokes the New SolidWorks
Document dialog box
CTRL+O -> Invokes the Open window
CTRL+S -> Saves the
document
CTRL+P -> Prints the
document
CTRL+A -> Selects all the
parts in the document
CTRL+C -> Copies the
selected feature
CTRL+V -> Pastes the
selected feature
CTRL+X -> Cuts the selected
feature
ALT+F -> Opens the File menu
ALT+E -> Opens the Edit menu
ALT+V -> Opens the View menu
ALT+I -> Opens the Insert menu
ALT+T -> Opens the Tool menu
ALT+W -> Opens the Window menu
ALT+H -> Opens the Help menu
CTRL+W -> Closes the
current document
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