Do You Use Selected Contours in SOLIDWORKS? Even though many SOLIDWORKS users take advantage of Selected Contours when creating different geometry, I often see Selected contours not being utilized and overlooked. Maybe this is due to being unaware of the functionality or just not fully understanding how to use it. When creating sketches in SOLIDWORKS, most users create multiple closed contours within the sketch and don’t realize it. What does a closed contour entail? Closed contours are any boundary generated by the intersection of sketch geometry and can be used individually or in combination with other contours. Looking at the image below, there are four blatant closed contours.
CATI Tech Notes
SOLIDWORKS Tips and Tricks and Info on Professional 3D Printing with Stratasys from the Technical staff of CATI
Category: Modeling
SOLIDWORKS: Time to FLEX Your Modeling Skills
Time to FLEX Your SOLIDWORKS Modeling Skills I wanted to take the time to introduce to you a rarely used but incredibly powerful weapon in the SOLIDWORKS arsenal. With the FLEX feature at your disposal you will be able to transform your solids into fantastic shapes, only limited by your imagination. I will walk through the basics of the FLEX command and show you how it will deform even complex solids in an intuitive manner. There are four types of flexes: Bending Twisting Tapering Stretching I will demonstrate each of these types and the result will be a solid that would challenge any experienced SOLIDWORKS modeler. I will begin with
SOLIDWORKS: Do you WRAP? Not like JAY-Z or Lil Wayne
Do you WRAP? Not like JAY-Z or Lil Wayne The Wrap feature in SOLIDWORKS is great if you are trying to project a sketch without any distortion around a surface and cut or add material to that part. It supports any face which is planar, cylindrical, conical, extruded, or revolved. Let’s go thru the step to create a Wrap feature. First, let’s create a new sketch and add some text. You cannot create a Wrap feature from an open contour sketch. You must create using closed contour only. When creating the Sketch Text, you have some options. You can select an edge, curve, sketch or a sketch segment as reference
SOLIDWORKS: Indent Feature
Indent Feature Among all the features SOLIDWORKS has to offer, the Indent feature is often forgotten. What is it, how do you use it and why would you want to use it? I hope to answer those questions in this blog. Working with multi-body parts, the Indent feature creates an offset pocket or protrusion on a target body using a tool body or bodies. The contour of the tool body is removed or added to the target part, also allowing a thickness and clearance value to create the feature. The Indent feature can be used with solid and surface bodies. The Indent feature is different than the
SOLIDWORKS: Using Hardware Kits for Hardware
Using Hardware Kits for Hardware Why is my assembly so slow in SOLIDWORKS? Let’s continue on this idea that’s been started by Bryan Pawlak. As mentioned previously, there are many things that effect performance in an assembly that are modeling related. Today we are going to take a look at mates, particularly with hardware. I’ve created a sample box, with a screw on cover. I used Smart Fasteners to drop in 4 Socket Button Head Cap Screws and washers. This brings the total number of mates up to 19 that get evaluated when the assembly is evaluated. On the whole this isn’t too bad, but
SOLIDWORKS: How Do I Take SOLIDWORKS Training Classes Online?
How Do I Take SOLIDWORKS Training Classes Online? While chatting with a customer recently, he wanted to know if he could take SOLIDWORKS Essentials online. This wasn’t a hard question to answer, but it got me thinking. SOLIDWORKS Essentials is not called beginners. It is called Essentials. The definition of essential is a thing that is absolutely necessary. Now, I have never been in sales and I am not in sales now, but being in Tech Support for years, I feel stronger than ever that SOLIDWORKS Training is absolutely necessary. Not Just For Beginners All SOLIDWORKS training should start with the essentials. SOLIDWORKS Essentials is the foundation
CATI Serving the Community
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Serving the Community Computer Aided Technology, LLC is growing. We now have offices in over 20 locations, covering over 1/3 of the United States. With multiple offices, this gives CATI employees the opportunity and privilege to serve the many communities that we work and live in. Recently the Cardinal Glennon Children’s Hospital in St. Louis, Missouri put on their 38th Annual Fashion Show to benefit inpatient and outpatient cancer services. Our office in St. Louis was proud to create many of the children’s accessories for the fashion show. gboth FDM (Fused Deposition Modeling) and PolyJet printing equipment from Stratasys to 3D print bracelets, tiaras, bow-ties, jewelry, etc. for
Posted in Modeling, Rapid Prototyping
SOLIDWORKS: Difference Between SOLIDWORKS Loft & Boundary Features
What’s the Difference Between Loft and Boundary Features? Loft and Boundary features are very similar but have a few differences. They are alike because they both allow you to blend together different shapes. They are different because you control each feature in different ways. The differences show in the property manager. You will notice that the loft feature has sections called Profiles and Guide Curves. The Boundary feature has sections called Direction 1 and Direction 2. In a Loft, Profiles are the primary influence of the shape. Guide curves are used to shape the outside of feature between profiles. Loft feature also contains a centerline parameter
SOLIDWORKS: “ALT” the Under-Used SOLIDWORKS Shortcut Key
“ALT” the Under-Used SOLIDWORKS Shortcut Key If you have been using Microsoft Windows or OfficeTM for any length of time, you should know there are a plethora of keyboard shortcuts to help improve efficiency. Most of these shortcuts start with the “CTRL” key. (i.e. CTRL-O, CTRL-S, CTRL-Z etc.) What many people do not know is there are many other predefined keyboard shortcuts that begin with the “ALT” key. The reason for this is that it’s likely easier to find the CTRL key and there is little documentation available. For those of you familiar with the keyboard shortcuts in SOLIDWORKS 2017, you will recognize that most of the predefined shortcuts from
SOLIDWORKS: Bend Note Formatting
Bend Note Formatting Bend notes, in your sheet metal part drawings, are a clear way to provide the required information for manufacturing. They can be automatically inserted into the flat pattern drawing view. These bend notes will describe the bend direction, bend angle, and bend radius for each bend, within SOLIDWORKS. In many cases, the manufacturer will have to determine the exact bend radius based on their tooling options. If this is your scenario, you may desire to have this bend radius information omitted from the bend note. The brute force method is to edit each note individually and remove this portion of the text. Another
SOLIDWORKS Keyboard Shortcuts Cheat Sheet
