GH TE D MA TE RI AL Chapter 1 CO PY RI Becoming Familiar with SolidWorks Start SolidWorks Navigate the SolidWorks Interface Use the CommandManager Use and Customize the Menus Use Toolbars Use the Keyboard Use the Mouse
C ha p te r 1 • B e c o min g Fa miliar wit h S olidWor k s S olidWorks 2010 is one of the most popular 3D mechanical computeraided design (CAD) packages on the market today. Since its introduction in 1995, SolidWorks has become a favorite design tool for many of today’s engineers, mechanical designers, and industrial designers.
St ar t SolidWork s And here are the random-access memory (RAM) requirements: Minimum 1GB RAM when parts contain fewer than 200 features and assemblies contain fewer than 1,000 components Recommended 2GB RAM or more when parts contain more than 200 features and assemblies contain more than 1,000 components Once you have verified that your computer is able to support SolidWorks and it is installed onto your system, you can launch it by selecting Start ➢ Programs ➢ SolidWorks 2010 ➢ SolidWorks 2010 S
C ha p te r 1 • B e c o min g Fa miliar wit h S olidWor k s in a new version of SolidWorks. When this option is selected, a question-mark icon will be displayed on new menu items and new and changed PropertyManagers and will link to the corresponding sections of the What’s New manual. The topics in the What’s New manual will then provide more information about the new or updated functionality since the previous release. Do Not Show Me Any Dynamic Help.
Navigate the SolidWork s Inter face N O TE You can adjust your workflow customization at any time while in a part file by selecting Tools ➢ Customize and select the Options tab. In the Work flow Customization section, select or deselect the appropriate options. For the sake of the project being demonstrated in this book, in the Welcome To SolidWorks window select the following: 1. In the Help Customization section, select Do Not Show Me Any Dynamic Help. 2.
C ha p te r 1 • B e c o min g Fa miliar wit h S olidWor k s CommandManager Menu Bar Heads-up View Toolbar Task Pane Icons Graphics Area FeatureManager Design Tree Status Bar F igur e 1 . 1 SolidWorks 2010 user interface Heads-up View Toolbar At the top of the graphics area is the Heads-up View toolbar. This transparent toolbar is always available at the top of your graphics area, giving you quick and easy access to the tools necessary to manipulate your views.
Navigate the SolidWork s Inter face view tools shown by default are not the only tools that are available for the toolbar. To customize the Heads-up View toolbar, do the following: 1. Right-click any of the buttons shown in the Heads-up View toolbar, and select Customize from near the bottom of the menu. 2. Select the Commands tab at the top of the Customize window. 3. In the Categories section of the window, locate your desired tool set. For this example, select Standard Views in the Categories section.
C ha p te r 1 • B e c o min g Fa miliar wit h S olidWor k s Status Bar Along the bottom of the SolidWorks interface is the status bar. As the name suggests, the status bar will give you information about the actions you are performing in SolidWorks. The status bar can be turned off in the View menu, but we strongly recommend leaving it on since it can prove to be extremely useful while you work.
Navigate the SolidWork s Inter face No Solution Found, or Invalid Solution Found. We will be covering what each of these means later when we start working sketches. Task Pane On the right side of the graphics area is the task pane. The task pane is a set of windows that provides a number of resources in one location. Normally, the task pane is hidden, and the tab icons are the only thing visible in the graphics area.
C ha p te r 1 • B e c o min g Fa miliar wit h S olidWor k s In addition to be being docked on the right side of the graphics area, the task pane can also be floated. This is especially useful if you are working with dual monitors. We often find it is helpful to float the task pane onto a second monitor and pin it open. To float your task pane, do the following: 1. Click any task pane tab icon to open the task pane. 2. Drag the title bar away from the right side of the graphics area. 3.
Navigate the SolidWork s Inter face F igur e 1 . 7 SolidWorks Resources tab of task pane F igur e 1 . 8 Design Library tab of task pane File Explorer The File Explorer tab gives you access to your files on your local PC and network just like Windows Explorer, as shown in Figure 1.9.
C ha p te r 1 • B e c o min g Fa miliar wit h S olidWor k s F igur e 1 . 9 File Explorer tab of task pane You can adjust the folders shown in the File Explorer on the System Options tab, as described in the following steps: 1. Click the Options button in the menu bar. 2. On the Systems Options tab, select File Explorer. 3. Select the folders you want to be displayed in the File Explorer tab. 4. Deselect the folders that you want to be hidden in the File Explorer tab. 5.
Navigate the SolidWork s Inter face 2. Type the text or keywords for your search criteria. 3. Press Enter. All the files that match your search criteria will be displayed in the Search tab of the task pane, as demonstrated in Figure 1.10. If the search returns more files than what can be displayed on one screen of the Search tab, you can navigate through the results. F igur e 1 . 1 0 Search tab of task pane 4.
C ha p te r 1 • B e c o min g Fa miliar wit h S olidWor k s Figure 1.12. The View Palette tab displays available drawing views when you create a drawing from a part or assembly, browse to a document from the View Palette tab, or select a document in the list of open documents from the View Palette tab. F igur e 1 .
Navigate the SolidWork s Inter face F igur e 1 . 1 3 Appearances/Scenes tab in the task pane F igur e 1 . 1 4 Custom Properties tab in the task pane Menu Bar At the top of the screen is the ribbon-style menu bar, shown in Figure 1.15. The menu bar provides quick access to the most common actions including creating, opening, saving, and printing documents. If you are familiar with previous versions of SolidWorks, you may notice the lack of pull-down menus.
C ha p te r 1 • B e c o min g Fa miliar wit h S olidWor k s If you hover over the SolidWorks logo on the left side of the menu bar, the menu items will fly out. Nearly all SolidWorks commands are available in these pull-down menus, but some menus and menu items will only be available depending on the active document type. F igur e 1 . 1 5 SolidWorks menu bar CommandManager The CommandManager by default is located below the menu bar and is a contextsensitive toolbar, as shown in Figure 1.16.
Use the CommandManager will be showing you a technique that virtually eliminates the need for toolbars in SolidWorks by using the CommandManager, shortcut bars, mouse gestures, menus, and in-context toolbars. F igur e 1 . 1 7 FeatureManager design tree F igur e 1 . 1 8 A SolidWorks toolbar Use the CommandManager The CommandManager was introduced in SolidWorks 2004 to mixed reviews. Since then, the CommandManager has evolved into the powerful tool you see today.
C ha p te r 1 • B e c o min g Fa miliar wit h S olidWor k s the CommandManager will display the toolbars that are related. For example, when you are working in a part document, the CommandManager will display the Features, Sketch, Evaluate, and DimXpert tabs by default. However, when you are working in a drawing, the CommandManager will display only the View Layout, Annotation, Sketch, and Evaluate tabs. Using the CommandManager couldn’t be any easier.
Use the CommandManager F igur e 1 . 2 0 Floating and docking the CommandManager T I P Double-clicking the CommandManager when it is docked will make it float. Double-clicking the CommandManager when it is floating will return it to its last docked position. 2. If you release the mouse button while the CommandManager is in the middle of the SolidWorks window, it will “float” where placed. This can be extremely useful if you prefer to have the CommandManager close to your working area. 3.
C ha p te r 1 • B e c o min g Fa miliar wit h S olidWor k s If you prefer, you can also dock the CommandManager on one side of the SolidWorks window by following these steps: 1. Select the title bar of the CommandManager, if floating, or select the docked CommandManager. 2. Drag the CommandManager over to one of the three available docking icons, as shown in Figure 1.21. F igur e 1 . 2 1 Docking the CommandManager to one side of the SolidWorks window 3.
Use the CommandManager Customize the CommandManager The CommandManager, by default, has most of the toolbars and tools that you would require for your daily usage of SolidWorks. If you select the workflow options that apply to how you intend on using SolidWorks, additional toolbars will be available to you.
C ha p te r 1 • B e c o min g Fa miliar wit h S olidWor k s Add Existing Toolbars to the CommandManager There may be instances where you want to add a tab that is not listed in the right-click menu. No worries, you can add any toolbar that is available in SolidWorks to the CommandManager. Here’s how: 1. Right-click any of the tabs on the CommandManager. 2. Select Customize CommandManager from the menu. 3. To the right of the tabs displayed in the CommandManager, click the New Tab button. 4.
Use the CommandManager 2. Select either Copy Tab To Drawings or Copy Tab To Assemblies. N O TE If you are adding a new tab to a drawing or an assembly, the option to copy the newly created tab to parts will also be available. 3. Once you are finished making modifications to the CommandManager, click OK in the Customize window, shown in Figure 1.24. F igur e 1 .
C ha p te r 1 • B e c o min g Fa miliar wit h S olidWor k s 2. On the very top of the menu, select Empty Tab. The New Tab name will be highlighted. 3. Enter the name of the new tab. 4. Add the desired buttons as described in the next section. 5. Once your new tab is finished, click OK in the Customize window. N O TE By default, newly created tabs exist only in the document environment in which they were created.
Use the CommandManager 3. On the left side in the Commands tab, the Categories window contains all the tool sets available in SolidWorks. The category name will correspond to the function that the tool set will apply to. For example, you’ll find the Extruded Boss/Base tool in the Features category. Click the Features category, and the available tool buttons will be displayed on the right. 4. Locate the Split tool in the Buttons section.
C ha p te r 1 • B e c o min g Fa miliar wit h S olidWor k s 2. Drag it off the toolbar. When the mouse pointer changes to include a red X, release the left mouse button, and the tool will be removed. Use and Customize the Menus In SolidWorks 2008, the user interface was improved with the addition of a ribbonstyle menu bar. The ribbon-style menu helps free up more space on your screen for other functions by automatically hiding when not in use.
U s e To o l b a r s 3. Clear the check box next to items to hide them. Select the check box next to an item to show it in the menu, as shown in Figure 1.26. F igur e 1 . 2 6 Adding a menu item 4. Once you are finished customizing the menu, press Enter or click outside the menu. Even though SolidWorks gives you the ability to remove menu items, we strongly recommend that you keep all the menu items visible, especially while you are still learning.
C ha p te r 1 • B e c o min g Fa miliar wit h S olidWor k s Mouse over or click the SolidWorks logo on the right side of the menu bar. The File, Edit, View, Insert, Tools, Window, and Help menus are now visible. Select Tools ➢ Customize ➢ Toolbars and click in the checkbox next to the names of the toolbars you wish to show; clear the checkbox next to the toolbars you wish to hide.
U s e To o l b a r s Drawing shortcut bar Sketch shortcut bar Customizing a Shortcut Bar To fully free yourself of using bars, you may find it necessary to customize your shortcut bars to add the tools you will need most often. You can customize each of the four shortcut bars using the same process: 1. In the graphics area, while in one of the four environments that use shortcut bars, press S on your keyboard. The shortcut bar appears. 2.
C ha p te r 1 • B e c o min g Fa miliar wit h S olidWor k s F igur e 1 . 2 8 Selecting commands to add to a shortcut bar 7. Click OK in the Customize window to exit the customize mode. There is still more you can do to customize the shortcut bar. For one, you can reorder the buttons on the bar. Here’s how: 1. In the graphics area, while in one of the four environments that use shortcut bars, press S on your keyboard. 2. Right-click anywhere inside the shortcut bar, and select Customize. 3.
U s e To o l b a r s 4. Press and hold the left mouse button, and drag to resize the toolbar. 5. Click OK in the Customize window to exit the customize mode. Access the Context Toolbars In addition to the shortcut bar, the context toolbars provide you with quick access to the most frequently used commands while in a part, assembly, or sketch. When you select items in the graphics area or in the FeatureManager design tree, a context toolbar will be displayed above the mouse pointer.
C ha p te r 1 • B e c o min g Fa miliar wit h S olidWor k s 3. Deselecting the Show On Selection option hides the Context Toolbar when you select an item with the left mouse button. 4. Deselecting the Show On Shortcut Menu option hides the Context Toolbar when you select an item with the right-mouse button. Use the Keyboard In addition to using the CommandManager, Menus, and Toolbars; many SolidWorks users take advantage of the keyboard shortcuts available in SolidWorks.
Use the Keyboard T abl e 1 .
C ha p te r 1 • B e c o min g Fa miliar wit h S olidWor k s T abl e 1 .
Use the Keyboard many shortcut keys other the ones listed in Table 1.2 but We have made a few modifications of our own. In the following example, we will show you how to create a new shortcut. The following is one of the first shortcut assignments we perform on every installation of SolidWorks we use and this is purely a personal preference. If you are familiar with web applications, such as Mozilla Firefox or Microsoft Internet Explorer, you are probably familiar with the F5 key.
C ha p te r 1 • B e c o min g Fa miliar wit h S olidWor k s F igur e 1 . 3 0 Assigning a Keyboard Shortcut to a Command 8. If the shortcut being assigned is already being used by another command, SolidWorks will prompt you with a message box asking if you wish to reassign the shortcut to the new command. If you are sure that you wish to change the shortcut, select Yes; otherwise select No. 9. Once the shortcut has been assigned, click OK to close the customize window.
Use the Keyboard 4. Click the Print List… button in the upper left area of the customize window. 5. Select your printer and press OK. The entire command list will be sent to your printer. T I P Instead of printing the entire command list, press the Copy List but- ton to copy to the clipboard. You can then paste the list into a text editor or spreadsheet program that you can edit.
C ha p te r 1 • B e c o min g Fa miliar wit h S olidWor k s pressing the letter multiple times will cycle through the menu items. When the desired menu item is highlighted, press Enter to initiate the command. F igur e 1 . 3 1 Using accelerator keys to access menu items Use the Mouse Probably one of the first things you learned when you first sat down at a computer was how to move the mouse around and click things.
Use the Mouse More than likely, you are using a standard two-button mouse with a scroll wheel. Each of the two buttons and the scroll wheel has a variety of functions while working in SolidWorks, and we will be covering each of them in more detail throughout the entire book; however, there are some basic functions you should be familiar with before continuing. The next few sections are easier to learn if you follow along using the part named ExampleSketch.SLDPRT, which can be downloaded from http://sybex.
C ha p te r 1 • B e c o min g Fa miliar wit h S olidWor k s 2. Move the mouse pointer over an item in a sketch, model, assembly, or drawing. 3. Press the left mouse button and release. The item will be selected, as shown in Figure 1.32. F igur e 1 . 3 2 Selecting a sketch entity 4. If you select a second item, the first item will no longer be selected. 5. If you need to select multiple items, press and hold the Ctrl key while selecting the items.
Use the Mouse 1. Click anywhere in the graphics area with the left mouse button. 2. Hold the left mouse button down while you drag from right to left. This is the cross-selection window (see Figure 1.33). The color inside of the box is green, and the boundary line is dashed. Everything that falls within this box and crosses the dashed line will be selected. F igur e 1 . 3 3 Cross selection using the mouse 3. While still holding the left mouse button, drag the mouse from left to right.
C ha p te r 1 • B e c o min g Fa miliar wit h S olidWor k s Use the Right Mouse Button Up to this point, we have been using the right mouse button to select toolbars and customize the CommandManager, but those are not the only tricks it knows. The right mouse button in most Windows programs is used to access commands quickly and easily, and SolidWorks takes it a step further. The mouse button can be used in two completely different ways to select the commands you will most likely need in any situation.
Use the Mouse F igur e 1 . 3 5 Shortcut menu available with right mouse button 4. To hide a menu item, select the box with the check mark, and it will become an empty box. F igur e 1 . 3 6 Customizing a shortcut menu 5. Once you are finished making adjustments to your shortcut menu, click outside the menu to exit it or press Enter.
C ha p te r 1 • B e c o min g Fa miliar wit h S olidWor k s 44 N O TE To restore all your menus to the system defaults, select Tools ➢ Customize then select Reset To Default in the Menu Customization section of the Options tab. The right mouse button can also be used in assemblies to move and rotate components; see Chapter 7.
Use the Mouse As we said in the very beginning, it may be difficult to remember the layout but as you become accustomed to the button layout you will be able to select a command often without even looking. Manipulate Views with the Mouse Although the Heads-up View Toolbar, the View Menu, and the Shortcut Menu provide you access to the tools needed to manipulate your views in the graphics area; the scroll wheel on your mouse is often a quicker way to go.
C ha p te r 1 • B e c o min g Fa miliar wit h S olidWor k s model. You will need to download the part named Base Plate.SLDPRT from the companion site before doing the following steps: 1. Using the Open button in the menu bar, open the model for the base plate. 2. Select a face of the model by pressing and releasing the scroll wheel with the mouse pointer on the face. The mouse pointer will change to show that the rotate view is limited. 3. Press and hold down the wheel. 4.
A r e Yo u E x p e r i e n c e d ? Are You Experienced? Now You Can… EERecognize the elements of the SolidWorks user interface EEUse and customize the CommandManager EEUse the ribbon-style menu bar EEUse and customize toolbars including shortcut bars EESave time by utilizing keyboard shortcuts EESelect and manipulate views using the mouse 47
