SolidWorks assembly mates are a powerful 3D design capability, but they are often take for granted. Designers expect them to work every time, all the time, even when mating information isn’t 100% clear to the software. If you’re using SolidWorks assembly mates in a design automation scenario, and you’re experiencing some frustration with SolidWorks’ behavior, […]
Swapping Models in SolidWorks
Design Automation is very powerful when creating unique “same as, but” models for new jobs. But in many cases, people are doing configure-to-order (CTO) just as much as they are doing engineer-to-order (ETO). Configure-to-order means utilizing standard components and using the automation to determine the logic for which component, or which size of a component, to put in an assembly. Configuring […]
SolidWorks Assembly Mates for Design Automation
When creating your SolidWorks assembly master models and preparing them for automation, a lot of decisions need to be made in developing the best mating schemes. One important consideration in this development is the creation of the relations between components. The design intent in your models can be established by parameters that are driven by […]
Neutral Properties in 3DVIA Composer
Neutral Properties in 3DVIA Composer are generated from the original import of the underlying CAD files. Often, the default properties such as texture, scale and location are changed for geometry actors or collaboration actors for various reasons (exploded views, animations, etc.). Fortunately, the original properties of the actors can be restored easily, saving time in creating technical […]
Positioning Geometry Actors in 3DVIA Composer
If you’re a veteran CAD designer getting to know 3DVIA Composer, you’ve probably already asked yourself the question, “Why doesn’t this tool let me maintain my CAD assembly constraints?” There’s actually a very good reason – they’re going to be more hindrance than help.
