Modify Configurations - SolidWorks Tutorial

The Modify Configurations dialog box in SolidWorks 2008 makes it really easy to create and modify
configurations for your parts and assemblies. In a part document file, configuring the dimensions and suppression
states of your features and sketches got a lot easier to manage. Similar to a design table, all the parameters that you
want to control are all in one place. And not just for one configuration at a time, but for all of your configurations.

Let's take a closer look at the Modify Configurations dialog box. In a new Part document, create an extruded box
with a length of 100, a width 50, and a height of 25, as shown below.

Right click on the 100 dimension and pick Configure dimension. Then, in the graphics area, double click the 50
dimension, and then, double click the 25 dimension. The dimensions should appear in the Modify Configurations
dialog box when you double click on them.

The next step is to create the configurations that you want with the dimensions taht you want. It is pretty self-
explanatory. In the Modify Configurations dialog box, right click on Default and pick Rename Configuration.
Type 'Medium' as the new name and click OK in the Rename configuration dialog box. Next, click in the <
Create a new configuration. > cell and type 'Large'. Press the Enter key to accept the name.
Click in the < Create a new configuration. > cell and type 'Small' to create a third configuration. Press the Enter
key to accept the name. Now, all that's left is to change the numbers. Note that you can resize the Modify
Configurations dialog box by dragging the edges to whatever size that you like.

Once your dimensions are set the way that you want them, click OK. If you are asked to rebuild your model, click
Yes. In the Design tree area, click on the ConfigurationManager tab and you will see your new configurations.

Double click the different configurations and watch your part change size. Note that you can change the active
configuration while you are in the Modify Configurations dialog box as well.
In an assembly, you can use the Modify Configurations dialog box to configure configurations of components
suppression states, and dimensions of assembly features and mates.

That's it!

Helical Threads
A lot of us have seen a plastic bottle created in SolidWorks. It's a common demo that resellers use. One feature on a
plastic bottle is the helical thread on the neck of the bottle. To some, it looks like a very complicated feature. There
are various opinions on the best way to create a helical thread. I will show you how to use the Variable Pitch option
of the Helix command and the Face Delete command to create the neck of the bottle.
 
To start us out, open up a new part document. I just used the default mm part template. I will just show you the
technique. Then, you can apply it to your part. Create an Extruded Boss/Base on the Top plane. Create two circles
centered on the origin and dimension them as shown.
 

 
Exit the sketch. In the Extrude PropertyManager, set the Depth to '50.00mm' and click OK. Now, I want the helix
to start a little below the top of the extrude. To do this, create an offset reference plane by pulling down the "Insert"
menu and picking Reference Geometry - Plane. Select the top face of the part. In the Plane PropertyManager, set
the Distance to '5.00mm'.  Make sure that the plane is below the top face. I had to check the Reverse direction
check box to get my plane below the top surface. Click the OK button.
 

 
With the new plane selected, start a sketch. Press Ctrl+8 to switch Normal to the sketch. Pick the outside circle and
pick the Offset Entities button from the Sketch tab on the CommandManager, or pull down the "Tools" menu and
pick Sketch Tools - Offset Entities. In the Offset Entities PropertyManager, set the Offset Distance to '5.00mm'.
Check the Reverse check box and click the OK button. This will ensure that the helix will begin inside the part,
allowing a nice lead in and lead out for the thread.
 
With the sketch still active, pull down the "Insert" menu and pick Curve - Helix/Spiral. Press Ctrl+7 to switch to
the Isometric view. In the the Helix/Spiral PropertyManager, check the Reverse direction check box so that the
helix will go down. Set the Pitch to '15.00mm'. To vary the diameter of the helix, pick the Variable Pitch radio
button. A small chart will appear allowing you to enter the revolutions, the diameter, and the pitch. During the first
quarter revolution, we want the diameter to expand from 90mm to 100mm. So, modify line 2 in the chart to show
the values '0.25' for the Rev, '100mm' for the Dia, and '15mm' for the P. We then want two full revolutions,
maintaining the 100mm diameter at the same pitch. So, add the 3rd line in the chart as shown below. Then, for the
last quarter revolution, we want it to return to the 90mm diameter. To do this, add the 4th line as shown below.
 
 
Make sure that the Start angle is set to '0.00deg' and click the OK button. In the FeatureManager design tree, right
click on Plane1 and click Hide.
 

 
Next, start a sketch on the Right plane and draw a profile of the thread off to the side of the part, as shown. I just
kept it a simple shape. Once you learn how to do this, you can create a better thread profile.
 
 
Ctrl select the right end point of the horizontal centerline and the helical curve. In the Properties PropertyManager,
click the Pierce relation to connect the profile to the path. Click the OK button and exit the sketch.
 
Now sweep the profile along the path. In the FeatureManager design tree, select the last sketch that you just created.
Then, pick the Swept Boss/Base button from the Features tab on the CommandManager or pull down the "Insert"
and pick Boss/Base - Sweep. In the Sweep PropertyManager, click in the Path box, and then, pick the helix in the
graphics area. Once you see the preview, click the OK button. You should see a nice thread with a lead in. But you
also can see that the thread sticks through the inside of the part as well.
 

 
To fix this, you can use the Face Delete command. Pull down the "Insert" menu and pick Face - Delete. Pick all 8
faces that came through into the middle of the part. I right clicked and used the Select Other command to get the
bottom faces.
 
 
Once all 8 faces are highlighted, make sure that Delete and Patch is selected in the Delete Face PropertyManager.
 

 
Click the OK button. The middle of the part is back to how it should be. If you want you can add fillets to the
threads. That's it! That should get you going to add your own helical threads on your parts.
 

 
Custom Wheel - SolidWorks Tutorial

This is a simple wheel design to shown you how it's done. The main thing that you want to do is to get the
main concepts for each step: the revolves, cut extrude at a specified direction, circular patterns, and cut
revolve. Then, explore and create your own profiles to create your own wheels. If you are really proud of
your work, I would love to see it. Just email me at info@AboutSolidWorks.com.

To start out, open a new part document. I used mm for my units. Start a sketch on the Front plane and draw the
following sketch. The best way is to draw the basic shapes without the fillets and dimension it. Create about a 35mm
vertical Line directly below the Origin and going downward. Continue with a second line about 9mm at 135
degrees, down and to the right. The third line continues down about 116mm, but at a sharper angle, just don’t let it
lock in as vertical. Next, about a 62 mm line to the left and make it perpendicular to the third line. Then make about
a 69 mm horizontal line to the right. The next line goes up about 32mm and to the right at about 60 degrees. And
another one up and to the left about 120mm. This line will be parallel to the similar line shown to the left of it in the
sketch (the third line). Now up about 13mm and to the left again, this one is at 135 degrees and is parallel to the
second line. From here, create a vertical line which ends a little higher than the first one started but below the
Origin. Then, finally close the loop.

Create one more line, a horizontal Centerline through the Origin. Then, add the dimensions below.
Then, add your fillets. Break the sharp corners with a 6 radius fillet. I did this in five places. I also turned off the
sketch relations so that you could see the sketch better. (Pull down the "View" menu and uncheck Sketch
Relations). Exit the sketch.
With the sketch selected in the FeatureManager design tree, click the Revolved Boss/Base button from the Features
CommandManager tab, or pull down the "Insert" menu and pick Boss/Base - Revolve.

In the graphics area, pick the centerline of the sketch that goes through the origin. In the Revolve PropertyManager,
make sure that the Angle is set to 360 and click OK.

That's the first step to creating the wheel. Next, you are going to prepare for your cut that will reveal the spokes. To
do this, create a new sketch on the Front plane, and sketch the two centerlines as shown below. Make sure that the
angled centerline in coincident to the front edge line as shown by the black endpoint.

Exit the sketch. Now you are going to create a new plane by copying the Right plane at the endpoint of your angled
centerline. To do this, in the FeatureManager design tree, click on Right Plane so that it is shown in the graphics
area. Then, hold down the Ctrl key and drag the plane in the graphics area to the right and let go of the mouse
button. In the graphics area, pick the endpoint of the angled centerline as shown below. Once the preview is correct,
click OK in the Plane PropertyManager.

Start a sketch on the new plane that you just created. Pick the the outside circle and click Convert Entities from the
"Sketch" toolbar in the CommandManager, or pull down the "Tools" menu and pick Sketch Tools - Convert
Entities. Then create a small circle at the lower endpoint of the angled centerline from the previous sketch. Add two
tangent angled lines, and then trim everything up as shown below. Right click on the top arc and pick Select
Midpoint from the menu. Hold down the Ctrl key and pick the centerpoint of the small arc. In the Properties
PropertyManager, pick the Vertical relation and click OK. Finally, add the two dimensions shown and exit the
sketch.
With the sketch selected in the FeatureManager design tree, click the Extruded Cut button from the Features
CommandManager tab, or pull down the "Insert" menu and pick Cut - Extrude.

In the Extrude PropertyManager, set the End Condition to Through All. Click in the Direction of Extrusion box.
Then, pick the angled centerline from the graphics area, and then click OK.

Start a sketch on the Front plane and draw the sketch below. Make sure that the left most vertical line is Coincident
to the Origin and the rightmost vertical line is Collinear to the right edge of the part, as shown below. Exit the
sketch.

With the sketch selected in the FeatureManager design tree, click the Revolved Cut button from the Features
CommandManager tab, or pull down the "Insert" menu and pick Cut - Revolve.

In the Cut-Revolve PropertyManager, click in the Axis of Revolution box. Then, pick the bottom horizontal line in
the sketch. Make sure the Angle is set to 360 and then click OK.
Now, in the next step, you will create a circular pattern to create the rest of the spoke and lug nut holes. All you have
to do is click the Circular Pattern button from the Features CommandManager tab, or pull down the "Insert" menu
and pick Pattern - Circular.

In the CirPattern PropertyManager, click in the Features to Pattern box and then, in the flyout design tree, pick
the Extrude and the Cut-Revolve. In the graphics area, pick the centerline of the part.  Make sure that the Angle is
set to 360 and set the Number of Instances to '5'. Click OK.
This is where you can play with the number of spokes by changing the Number of Instances. Equal spacing is
easier to do than trying to calculate the angles manually.

Lastly, start a sketch on the Front plane and draw the following sketch. Make sure that the right side is Collinear to
Plane1 and the top line of the sketch is Collinear to the bottom edge of the part.

Then, add your fillets. Start with the largest fillets first and work your way down. I also turned off the sketch
relations so that you could see the sketch better. (Pull down the "View" menu and uncheck Sketch Relations). Exit
the sketch.
With the sketch selected in the FeatureManager design tree, click the Revolved Boss/Base button from the Features
CommandManager tab, or pull down the "Insert" menu and pick Boss/Base - Revolve.

In the graphics area, pick the horizontal centerline of the sketch that goes through the origin. In the Revolve
PropertyManager, make sure that the Angle is set to 360 and click OK.

That's it!

 
Engrave Text On a Curved Object - SolidWorks Tutorial

In a just a few steps, you can easily create any text and engrave or emboss on a curved surface. To
begin, create your curved surface. I just created a simple cylinder by sketching a circle on the top plane
as shown.
Next, create the text you are going to use to wrap. To do this, pick the Right plane in the FeatureManager
design tree. Then, pick the Text button on the Sketch tab in the CommandManager, or pull down the
“Tools” menu and pick Sketch Entities – Text.

In the Sketch Text PropertyManager, click in the Text box and type your desired text,
‘AboutSolidWorks.com’. Then uncheck Use document font and click the Font… button. Choose your
desired font and font height. I used Century Gothic and 36 Points. Click OK to return to the Sketch Text
PropertyManager.
To better locate your text on the part, press Ctrl+8 to rotate the model Normal To the sketch. Move the
text location by clicking the cursor. The cursor location is the bottom left corner of the text.
Click OK in the Sketch Text PropertyManager. If you need the text position more precise, you can add
construction geometry and dimensions to place the text. For this tutorial I just used an estimated position.
Exit the Sketch.

Now, pick your new sketch in the FeatureManager design tree. Then, click the Wrap button on the
Features tab in the CommandManager, or pull down the “Insert” menu and pick Features – Wrap.

To create a wrap feature: Select the sketch you want to wrap from the FeatureManager design tree.

In the Wrap PropertyManager, I picked Deboss to cut into the part. You can also pick Emboss to create
a raised feature on the face or Scribe to create an imprint of the sketch contours on the face.

Click in the Face for Wrap Sketch box. Then, in the graphics area, pick the cylindrical face.

I just kept the default Thickness. Since you want to cut the sketch normal to the cylindrical face, leave
Pull Direction blank, and click OK in the Wrap PropertyManager.

Rotate the part around and see the debossed sketch. Play around a little so that you can get the results
that you are after. This is a great feature for using with text. You can also use it for any sketch with closed
contours. For full detail on the Wrap command, see the Help file.
Here's another example using the Emboss option in the Wrap PropertyManager.

 
SolidWorks 2009: What’s New - Fundamentals

I was finally able to download and install the new SolidWorks 2009 Beta. It took a few hours to get up
and running. When the program opens up, it looks the same as SolidWorks 2008. And just like its
predecessor, when you open an existing file, the file has to be converted to SolidWorks 2009. Once it is
saved, the file can no longer be opened in any previous version of SolidWorks. For now, I didn’t worry
about converting all of my files, since I am only testing out the new release. Since it takes longer to open
up a file for the first time, you might want to consider using the SolidWorks Task Scheduler to batch
convert your files to SolidWorks 2009.

Another thing that I noticed was that SolidWorks Corp. has updated all of their product names to include
the SolidWorks® name. PDMWorks Workgroup and COSMOS, for example, have been changed to
SolidWorks® Workgroup PDM and SolidWorks® Simulation. The main SolidWorks product tier has also
dropped the Office in their names.

After opening a new Part document, I can tell that the CommandManager tabs have a little larger font size
than I am used to.
Looking to the right side of the screen, I noticed a new Custom Properties tab on the bottom of the Task
Pane.

When I clicked on the Custom Properties tab, it tells me that a property page for part files was not found.
I have to click the Create now button to launch the new Property Tab Builder. This is like File –
Properties on steroids, I mean performance enhancers. I’ll have to do a write up of a quick tutorial on
how to use this new feature.

Click here to enlarge.

This next one’s really cool. You know how you used to be able to change the view orientation in from a
pull down below the triad in the bottom left of the graphics area. It’s back with a vengeance. Rather than
having to use a pull down menu, all you have to do now is pick the reference triad itself to change the
view orientation. Pick an axis to see the view normal to the screen. Pick an axis that is normal to the
screen to rotate the view 180 degrees. Holding down the Shift, Ctrl, and Alt keys add additional
functionality. You have to try this one out yourself. Small note: You can now resize the View Orientation
dialog box. Another small note: Double click the middle mouse button to Zoom to Fit. One last small note:
You know how when you switch to a standard view, the model is automatically zoomed to fit the screen.
Pull down the “Tools” menu and pick Options. On the System Options tab, pick View and uncheck
Zoom to fit when changing to standard views.

I remember back in the day, CADKEY had a Bird’s Eye view. Well now that we’re approaching 2009,
SolidWorks 2009 has introduced the Magnifying Glass. I’m not sure if I’ll ever use this new feature, but it
will allow you to zoom in on an area of the screen and even select geometry without actually changing the
overall view. Press the G key, the default shortcut key, to open the magnifying glass. My magnifying glass
appears to be broken. Must be a graphics card issue that I’ll have to look into.

You are able to move the CommandManager and the PropertyManager from their default positions with a
simple drag and drop. I’m kind of use to them where they are at, but someone must have a reason to
move them around.

      

 
SolidWorks Tips and Tricks sponsored by SolidWorks for the Sheet Metal Guy
 
How to add a watermark to a drawing
At times, a watermark such as “CONFIDENTIAL” is required on a drawing print. Unfortunately, SolidWorks does
not have a watermark feature. There are a few workarounds that are available, though.
 
Embed a Microsoft Word Watermark
To embed a watermark directly from Microsoft Word into the sheet format, begin by opening a drawing.
 
Right click over the sheet and pick Edit Sheet Format, as shown in Figure 1.
 

Figure 1

Then, pull down the “Insert” menu and pick Object.

 
In the Insert Object dialog box, under Object Type, pick Microsoft Word Picture, as shown in Figure 2. Then,
click OK,
 

Figure 2
 
A Word document will open. In the Word document, pull down the “Format” menu and pick Background –
Printed Watermark.
 
To insert a text watermark, click the Text watermark radio button. Then, pick the text you want from the pull
down. Note that you can also type in any text that you want, as shown in Figure 3. To insert a picture as a
watermark, click the Picture Watermark radio button, and then select your picture.
 
 Figure 3
 
Select any additional options that you want, and then click OK. In the Edit Picture" toolbar, click Close Picture, as
shown in Figure 4.
 

Figure 4
 
The watermark is imported into your drawing. Drag the watermark to place it where you want, as shown in Figure
5.
 

Figure 5
 
Finally, right click over the sheet again and pick Edit Sheet to exit out of the sheet format. Remember that you can
use this technique to create the watermark as part of a Drawing Document Template.
 
Manually Add a Watermark
In a drawing, right click over the sheet and pick Edit Sheet Format. Pull down the "Insert" menu and pick
Annotations – Note. Place the note on the drawing where you want the watermark to appear. Set the formatting,
including the text angle and text color. Once you set the note the way that you want it, click the green check mark
button in the Note PropertyManager. Next, right click on the note and pick Make Block, as shown in Figure 6.
 

   
Figure 6
 
That's it! Right click over the sheet again and pick Edit Sheet to exit out of the sheet format. You watermark is now
underneath everything on your drawing. Note that you can save your block for use on multiple drawings or for use
on a Drawing Document Template.

Just for Fun: Change the Drawing Paper Image in SolidWorks 2008
By default, SolidWorks 2008 uses a crinkled piece of paper for the sheet background of a new drawing document.
The actual image file for the crinkled paper is located at SolidWorks Install
Directory/data/Images/drawings/sheetbackground1.bmp. You can replace this bitmap file with something else.
Before you do, just make sure to save the original file so that you can change it back at any time. Once you have the
original sheetbackground1.bmp file backed up, simple save your new bmp file as sheetbackground1.bmp and place
it in the drawings folder. Then, in SolidWorks 2008, pull down the “Tools” menu and pick Options. In the System
Options dialog box, pick Colors. In the bottom of the dialog, make sure that Use specified color for drawings
paper color is not checked. If this option is checked, the color selected for Drawings, Paper Color will be used
instead of the sheetbackground1.bmp file. It's that easy! Open a drawing and check out your new sheet background.
Here are just a couple that I came up with. The options are endless.
 

  
 
Remember, this is just for looks. In other words, the sheet background image will not print. If you want a picture to
print in a drawing, pull down the “Insert” menu and pick Picture. Open the picture of your choice and use the
Sketch Picture PropertyManager to adjust the picture.
SolidWorks Tips and Tricks sponsored by SolidWorks for the Sheet Metal Guy
 
Ever Need to Create a Knurl?
Knurled surfaces are very common in engineering design. However truly modeling a knurled solid feature takes up a
lot of memory and slows down SolidWorks, especially with multiple knurled parts in your assembly. A couple other
ways of dealing with a knurl is to apply a texture to the face or to add a crosshatch pattern in the drawing to make it
look like a knurled surface.
 
With that said, the easiest way to add a knurl is to apply a texture to the face. SolidWorks has two knurled textures
that you can add to the part to make it look like it is knurled. To apply a texture, pull down the “Edit” menu and pick
Appearance – Texture. Pick the face in the graphics area that you want to apply the texture to, and then, in the
Texture PropertyManager, under Texture Selection, pick Metal – Machined – Knurl 1 or Knurl 2, as shown in
Figure 1.
 
 Figure 1
 
Now, here's how to physically create a knurl feature. Create a sketch of a 50mm circle centered at the origin on the
Front plane. Next, extrude the sketch 50mm. Pull down the "Insert" menu and pick Reference Geometry - Axis.
Pick the cylindrical face in the graphics area, and then, pick OK.
 

Figure 2
 
Start a sketch on the front face and create the square shown in Figure 3. The construction lines are used to constrain
the square. It's important that the points of the square are coincident to the circle.
 
   
Figure 3
 
Pull down the "Insert" menu and pick Curve - Helix/Spiral. Pick the front face in the graphics area, and then, pick
the outside circle and pick Convert Entities from the "Sketch" toolbar. Exit the sketch, and enter the values in the
Helix/Spiral PropertyManager, as shown in Figure 4.
 

  
Figure 4
 
After clicking OK, click Sweep Cut from the "Features" toolbar, or pull down the "Insert" menu and pick Cut -
Sweep. Pick your square sketch for the Profile and the helix for the Path, as shown in Figure 5. Click OK.
 
 Figure 5
 
Click Circular Pattern from the "Features" toolbar, or pull down the "Insert" menu and pick Pattern/Mirror -
Circular Pattern. Pick Axis1 from the flyout FeatureManager design tree for the Pattern Axis. Set the Number of
Instances to '36'. Make sure that the Total Angle is set to 360 and that Equal spacing is checked, and click OK.
 

Figure 6
 
Now all you have to do is to mirror the pattern by clicking on Mirror from the "Features" toolbar, or pulling down
the "Insert" menu and picking Pattern/Mirror - Mirror. For the Mirror Face/Plane, pick the Right plane from the
flyout FeatureManager design tree. Pick the circular pattern for the Features to Mirror, and click OK.
 

Figure 7
 
To clean up the edges of the front and the back of the part, add a sketch on the Right plane, as shown in Figure 8.
Exit the sketch and click Revolved Cut from the "Features" toolbar, or pull down the "Insert" menu and pick Cut -
Revolve. For the Axis of Revolution, pick Axis1 from the flyout FeatureManager design tree. Click OK.
 

Figure 8
 

Figure 9
 
And there you have it, a knurled feature. But as you may have noticed, SolidWorks takes some time to complete
these operations.
 
SolidWorks Tips and Tricks
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Combine Bodies
You can use the Combine Bodies command to combine multiple solid bodies into a singled-bodied part. In this
example, you will create a snowboard. Using a top view and a side view, you will create two separate extrudes. The
Combine option will then remove all the material except for where the two extrudes intersect in the middle to
produce your final part. You can have a lot of fun with and get very creative.
 
First of all, open SolidWorks and start a new part document. Start a sketch on the Top Plane.
 
Using the Spline command, I sketched the main shape of my snowboard, as shown below. My sketch is roughly
500mm x 90mm. This is a great way to get familiar with the Spline command. Once you have your shape looking
pretty good, exit the sketch.
 
 
Next, click on the Features tab in the CommandManager and pick Extruded Boss/Base, or pull down the "Insert"
menu and pick Boss/Base - Extrude. Extrude your sketch a blind distance of about 90mm, as shown below. Click
the OK button to create the extruded feature.
 

 
Then, start a sketch on the Right Plane. Using the Spline command, I sketched the side profile of my snowboard, as
shown below. Once you have your side profile looking like mine, exit the sketch. Note that the exact shape is not
crucial in this example. Just get it looking close to what I have.
 

 
Next, click on the Features tab in the CommandManager and pick Extruded Boss/Base, or pull down the "Insert"
menu and pick Boss/Base - Extrude. Set Direction 1 to Mid Plane with a Depth of 120.00mm. Uncheck the
Merge result check box. This is what will keep your two extrusions as separate solid bodies for the next command.
Set Thin Feature to Mid-Plane with a Thickness of 5.00mm, as shown below.
 
 
Click the OK button to create the extruded feature.
 

 
Now for the fun stuff! Pull down the "Insert" menu and pick Features - Combine. In the Combine
PropertyManager, under Operation Type, click Common. Under Bodies to Combine, pick the two solid bodies in
the graphics area. You can click Show Preview to preview the feature. Click the OK button.
 
That's it! Below is my snowboard. I think I might add some decal graphics to make it official.
 

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How to copy settings to use on another computer
Many people work on multiple computers. Others have multiple users on the same computer. How do you move to
another computer and load your interface easily? There’s really not a whole lot to it when you use the SolidWorks
Copy Settings Wizard. Just a few clicks and you’re done.

The first step is to save your settings so you can use them whenever you need them. To do this, make sure that
SolidWorks is closed. Then, click on the Windows Start button and pick All Programs – SolidWorks Install
Folder – SolidWorks Tools – Copy Settings Wizard.

In the SolidWorks Copy Settings Wizard dialog box, click the Save Settings button and then click Next.
In the SolidWorks Copy Settings Wizard dialog box, click the Browse button and pick a location and a name for
your saved settings file (NeilsSettings.sldreg) and click Save. It may be helpful to save the file on a network drive
that you can easily access from any computer. Under Select which settings to save to file, make sure that all four
check boxes are checked and the All toolbars radio button is selected. This will save all of the settings.
Click Finish. A dialog box will appear, confirming that the settings have been copied successfully to the
NeilsSettings.sldreg file, and it is saved to the SolidWorks Files folder.

Click OK. Now that your settings are saved, you can copy them to any computer by restoring the saved settings.
This can be done at any time on any computer. This technique is great if you want to use someone else’s computer
for a short time and then return it back to the way they had it.

To load your settings on a computer, make sure that SolidWorks is closed. Click on the Windows Start button and
pick All Programs – SolidWorks Install Folder – SolidWorks Tools – Copy Settings Wizard. Before you load
your settings, it is a good idea to save the current settings on this computer so that you can reset SolidWorks to its
current state when you are done. The SolidWorks Copy Settings Wizard provides an easier, convenient way of
doing this when you load your settings. So, for now, just go to the next step to load your settings.

In the SolidWorks Copy Settings Wizard dialog box, click the Restore Settings button and click Next.
In the SolidWorks Copy Settings Wizard dialog box, browse to the settings file that you want to use to restore the
settings (NeilsSettings.sldreg). Under Select which settings to restore from the file, make sure that all four check
boxes are checked. If you did not have any keyboard shortcuts, it will be grayed out. Or, if you just want to load
your keyboard shortcuts and change nothing else, you would only check Keyboard shortcuts.
Click Next. In the SolidWorks Copy Settings Wizard dialog box, under Select the Destination, click on the
Current user button.
Click Next. In the SolidWorks Copy Settings Wizard dialog box, make sure that Create backup of current
settings for User is checked. With this checked, the current settings are saved as a .sldreg file in the folder chosen
earlier before the settings from the selected .sldreg file are restored.
Click Finish. A dialog box will appear confirming that the settings have been copied successfully.

When you are done, all you have to do is run the SolidWorks Copy Settings Wizard and restore the backup file.
The backup SolidWorks made uses the filename "Backup" plus a date and time stamp. So, you should be able to
easily recognize it. All the settings will be changed back like you were never

Using Projected Curve to Create a 3D Curve

There are several ways to create a 3D curve. A neat technique is to create two sketches on intersecting planes and
merge the sketches to create one 3D sketch. The 3D curve can then be used to create solid model features. For
example, you can use the curve as the path or guide curve for a sweep feature, as the guide curve for a loft feature,
or as a parting line for a draft feature. To demonstrate what I am talking about, create the sketch shown below on the
Front plane.
 
 
Next, create the following sketch on the Right plane. Make sure that the origin is at the midpoint of the bottom
vertical line.
 

 
Now, the sketches can be merged together. To do this, Ctrl select both sketches and pull down the "Insert" menu and
pick Curve-Projected... Click the green check mark button at the top of the Curve PropertyManager.
 

 
Now, you can use the 3D curve to create your solid model feature. Below, I used the Sweep command to sweep a
5mm circle along the 3D path. The above sketches were used only to demonstrate what the Projected Curve
command can do. Feel free to be creative and play around with the sketches and create all kinds of useful 3D curve
paths.
 

              

Customize the New CommandManager

The CommandManager was introduced in SolidWorks 2006. The CommandManager was redesigned in SolidWorks
2008. Here are a few things you can do to customize the CommandManager.

Display or Hide a Tab

Right click on any of the CommandManager tabs. A menu appears listing the available toolbars. Check the toolbars
in the list that you want to be displayed. Uncheck the ones that you want to be hidden. For example, in the menu
pick Evaluate.

The Evaluate tab is now hidden.

To display the tab, just right click on any of the CommandManager tabs and pick Evaluate.

To toggle the display of multiple tabs, right click on any of the CommandManager tabs, and pick Customize
CommandManager.

When the Customize dialog box is open, you can fully customize the CommandManager. The individual display of
each tab is easily seen. The hidden tabs are grayed out. To toggle the display of any of the tabs, just right click on
the tab and pick either Hide Tab or Show Tab.

Reorder a Tab
When the Customize dialog box is open, you can easily reorder the tabs by simply dragging and dropping them to
the desired position. A small arrow will appear to indicate where you are placing the tab.

Add a Tab
There are a couple ways to add tabs to the CommandManager. One way is to click the far right tab and type a name
for the custom tab. Another way is to right click on a tab and pick Add Tab. A tab is added to the right of the
selected tab.
Rename a Custom Tab
When the Customize dialog box is open, right click on a custom tab and pick Rename Tab from the menu and edit
the text of the tab.

Delete a Custom Tab

When the Customize dialog box is open, right click on a custom tab and pick Delete from the menu and the tab is
deleted. Note that all of your customizations to that tab are deleted as well.

Customize a Tab
All of the tabs in the CommandManager are toolbars that can be customized the same way that toolbars are
customized. In the Customize dialog box, on the Commands tab, pick a category and drag the button to the
CommandManager tab. Remember that you can add buttons from multiple categories on your custom
CommandManager tab or the default tabs.

Change Button Labels

When the Customize dialog box is open, right click a button. When two or more buttons are in a tab, the Begin a
Group option appears.
If you pick Begin a Group, a divider line is added between the buttons. This is useful for grouping together certain
types of buttons.

Right click on a button and uncheck Text Below.

This will place the descriptive text to the right of the button rather than below it. Check Text Below to position the
text below the button.

Right click on button and pick Show Text to toggle the display of the tool name.

This will remove the descriptive text and just display the button.

Right click on a button and pick Delete.

This will remove the button from the tab.

Once you are familiar with the buttons that you use, you can free up more space by turning off the button
descriptions. Note that the Show Text command works for individual buttons only.

To turn off all of the button descriptions, uncheck Use large buttons with text on the Toolbars tab of the
Customize dialog box. You may also right click on the CommandManager and any time and check or uncheck Use
Large Buttons with Text.

When you are done customizing the CommandManager, click OK in the Customize dialog box.

And remember, the CommandManager is different in an assembly and a drawing, so you will want to take
advantage of it in those documents as well.

Easy Part Creation

Printable version: Easy_Part_Creation.pdf
SolidWorks 2008 makes every day part creation easier. SolidWorks has tried to place common tasks at your
fingertips so that you can focus on designing your parts without the tedious search for tools. See how easy it is to
make a quick solid model with SolidWorks 2008.

Start SolidWorks and open a new SolidWorks part document. In the FeatureManager design tree, pick the Top
plane. You will see some commonly used commands appear. In this case, pick the Sketch button.

Click on the Rectangle flyout toolbar in the Sketch CommandManager and pick the new Center Rectangle button.

In the graphics area, pick the origin as the center and drag the cursor to sketch the rectangle with centerlines.
Release the mouse button to set the four edges.

Press Escape and then double click in the graphics area to exit the sketch.

Press Ctrl+7 to rotate the model to the Isometric view.

Click on one of the lines of the rectangle, and then, drag the arrow to establish a part height using the new Instant 3D
capabilities.
That’s it! See how some of the new features in SolidWorks 2008 make it even easier and faster to create solid
models.

Shortcut Bars
Printable version: Shortcut Bars.pdf

SolidWorks 2008 has added a few new customizations that will increase your performance greatly. One of the new
things that you are going to want to do right away is to customize the new shortcut toolbar. Accessing commands
using your shortcut toolbar makes SolidWorks easy to use and allows you to keep your focus on the graphics screen.

There are separate customizable shortcut bars for parts, assemblies, drawings, and sketches. Just bring up whichever
shortcut bar that you want to customize and follow the steps below.

You display the shortcut bar by pressing the “S” key with nothing selected in the graphics area (the default user-
definable keyboard shortcut).
To customize a shortcut bar, simply right click the shortcut bar when it is shown, and pick Customize.

To add commands, on the Commands tab, under Categories, pick Sketch.

Under Buttons, find the Sketch button.

Drag the Sketch button to the shortcut toolbar and drop it next to the Select button, as shown.

To resize the shortcut bar, move the cursor over an edge and drag it.

You can easily add as many buttons to the shortcut toolbar as you like. Remember that with the Customize dialog
box open, you can also remove a tool by dragging it off the shortcut bar.

When you are done customizing the shortcut toolbar, click OK in the Customize dialog box.

8 Nov 2007 12:50:10 pm Instant3D On-screen Rulers A previous tutorial briefly showed how
to drag a rectangle sketch to establish a part height using the new Instant3D capabilities. This
great new feature lets you quickly create and modify model geometry using drag handles and
rulers. To control whether Instant3D is enabled or not, go to the Features toolbar or click the
Features tab below the CommandManager. The last toolbar button is Instant3D. Instant3D is
enabled when the button is depressed. Click the Instant3D button to toggle whether Instant3D is
enabled or disabled.

When using the Instant 3D functionality, you will notice on-screen rulers. These on-screen rulers
can be used to precisely measure your modifications. When you drag the handles to move
features, you have free drag of the dimensions. A great thing about this is that when the cursor is
away from the ruler, you can drag the dimensions however you please.
But what if you want a precise dimension and not some random decimal position? All you have
to do when dragging is to move the cursor over the ruler. Now, you can snap to the ruler
increments, achieving a precise dimension.

Note that the same is true for revolves and drafts, just that an angular ruler appears. If a feature is
either unsupported or constrained, SolidWorks will show a black arrow or an icon indicating that
the entity is not draggable.
Reduce File Size for Emailing I got an email asking if we had an ftp site to upload a large
SolidWorks file to rather than emailing me the file. The first thing that came to my mind was to
create a block around the part to reduce the file size. That was something I learned way back
when. The customer ended up suppressing all the features and then saving it. I know that
SolidWorks lets you save a file in rollback mode. But I wasn’t sure how that affected the file
size. So, I tested the three ways to try to reduce the file size. I used one of the samples shipped
with SolidWorks 2008 for testing purposes.

To start with, I opened SolidWorks Install Directory/Samples/Molds/Telephone.SLDPRT and

did a Save As. The file size dropped from 3400KB to 3379KB. Next, I rolled the part back to the
top of the FeatureManager design tree. The file size dropped down to 1842KB. Then, I tried
suppressing all the features. To my surprise, the file size was only 524KB. I then tried creating a
solid block enveloping the entire part. This only decreased the file size to 1675KB.

Lastly, I played with the Display Style of the part. The Shaded With Edges file size was
3908KB, while the Wireframe was 2213KB. From my testing, it seems that the quickest and
easiest way to reduce the file size is just to suppress all the features and save it. This makes a
small file that is much easier to email to someone else. Please, feel free to add you comment
about what you have done to reduce the file size of your SolidWorks documents.
Compare recovery file with last saved file using DrawCompare I just
finished writing a tip about the backup and recovery options in SolidWorks and was wondering
if you could compare the recovery file with the last saved file. I know that when you can
compare all entities between two drawing documents using DrawCompare. The differences
between the two drawings are shown, one color for the things added and another color for the
things removed. For instance, if an annotation was added or a different view was added or
removed. This is a great feature to quickly see the differences between the two drawings
versions.

I want to know if you can use this feature for comparing a recovery file with the last saved file.
So, to test this, I opened my System Options and picked Backup/Recover. Under Auto-recover,
I checked Save auto-recover info every 1 minute. Under Backup, I checked Number of
backup copies per document: 1. After picking OK in Systems Options dialog box, I opened a
drawing and made a few changes. I let the computer sit for a few minutes. Then, to test a power
failure, I unplugged my power strip (That’s probably not recommended). After getting my
computer up and running again, I reopened SolidWorks. A Document Recovery tab appeared in
the Task Pane showing the file that was open when the power was shut off.

I clicked the Open All button to load the backup file. Next, I did a Save As. Finally, I pulled
down the “Tools” menu and picked DrawCompare. For Drawing 1, I picked the original
drawing. For Drawing 2, I picked the backup file. I then clicked the Compare Drawings button.
It actually worked. I got to see what changes I had made to the original file that were saved
because of having Backup/Recover setup. I have never really been a fan of autosave, but I guess
it does really work. If something happens to the computer that you are working on, you ensure
that you do not lose any vital data. According to SolidWorks, the performance of the computer is
not affected when the Auto-recover feature is activated. So, I guess I will have to change my
mind and keep Auto-recover on.