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By now many of you have seen the improvements to SolidWorks 2008 user interface. There are also improvements to the modeling tools and some of these include the “Instant 3D” technology and shortcut bars that help you stay in the graphics area while you continue to model. I would like to point out how you can utilize and customize some of these new functions. Customizable shortcut bars let you create your own set of “non-context” commands, try this out, it works like “Magic”
Shortcut Toolbars and Sketching
You can now start a 2D sketch by just picking a plane or face and a Shortcut Bar will come up near the mouse pointer, just pick the sketch Icon and begin sketching.
If you want to pick a specific sketch tool hit the “S” key on your keyboard this will bring up the Shortcut Toolbar near the pointer or where you last picked in the sketch. You can then pick whatever tool Icon you need and continue sketching.
When you are finished sketching and to exit the sketch just double click out in space away from your sketch and the sketch will close, no need to pick the exit sketch button, unless you are already close to it.
Shortcut Toolbars and Features
When you are out of a sketch and you want to create a feature hit the “S” key and again the Shortcut Toolbar will come up but this time with features. Pick the feature Icon you want and continue modeling.
Other Shortcut Toolbars
There are also Shortcut Toolbars for Assemblies and Drawings.
What if the Icon I want isn’t on the Shortcut Toolbar?
Well you can customize it, here’s how.
To customize the shortcut bar:
- With nothing selected in the graphics area, press S.
- Right-click the default shortcut toolbar that appears and select Customize.
- To add commands, on the Commands tab, select categories and drag tools to the shortcut toolbar.
- With the Customize dialog box open, you can also:
- Remove a tool by dragging it from the shortcut bar.
- Resize the shortcut bar by moving the pointer over an edge and dragging it. You can make the toolbar long and straight or short and square or something in between.
- Change the keyboard shortcut by clicking the Keyboard tab, sorting by Command, scrolling to Shortcut Bar, and changing the value for Shortcut(s).
- Click OK.
Instant 3D
If you pick a sketch edge with “Instant 3D” active when you are outside a sketch you will see an arrow show up. If you pull on that arrow it will automatically begin an extrude feature and as you drag it you will see a scale show up that will help you drag it to the length you need. If you drag directly over the scale your distance for the extrude feature will match the exact points in the scale, if you drag off it you will get variable points in between.
If you hold down the “M” key while dragging you begin a mid-plane extrude and see the sketch extrude in both directions equally from the sketch plane.
If the sketch is on a base feature and you push through that base feature it will automatically make an extruded cut instead.
If there is a fillet on this feature it will reverse the fillet on the hole instead of the extrude feature.
If you pick a face on any completed features of parts you will also see the arrows come up and you can push or drag these features to change their dimensions or feature positions as well. If you single pick a dimension now it will show you a box and you can change the dimension and it will complete and rebuild on its own without opening up the “Modify” window.
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