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This is a continuation of my Solidworks tutorial-ish blog. And today I will discuss about Design Intent and a few add-ons. So sit tight, relax and enjoy this little tutorial-ish for those who are interested in learning how to use Solidworks (basic usage only ofc!).

Design Intent

In order to use a parametric modeler like SolidWorks efficiently, you must consider the design intent before modeling. Design intent is your plan as to how the model should behave when it is changed. The Several factors contribute to how you capture design intent:

•Automatic (Sketch) Relations

Based on how geometry is sketched, these relations can provide common geometric relationships between objects such as parallel, perpendicular, horizontal, and vertical.

•Equations

Used to relate dimensions algebraically, they provide an external way of force changes.

•Added Relations

Added to the model as it is created, relations provide another way to connect related geometry. Some common relations are concentric, tangent, coincident, and collinear.

•Dimensioning

Consider your design intent when applying dimensions to a sketch. What are the dimensions that drive the design? What values are known> Which are important for the production of the model? The way dimensions are applied to the model will determine how the geometry will change if modifications are made.

Consider the design intent in the following examples.

Examples of Design Intent

The design intent of each sketch below is slightly different. how will the geometry be affected if the overall plate width, 100mm is changed?

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A sketch dimensioned like this will keep the holes 20mm from each end regardless of the width of the plate.

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Baseline dimensions like this will keep the holes positioned relative to the left edge of the plate. The positions of the holes are not affected by changes in the overall width of the plate.

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Dimensioning from the edge and from center to center will maintain the distance between the hole centers and allow it to be changed that way.

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How Features Affect Design Intent

Design intent is affected by more than just how a sketch is dimensioned. The choice of features and the modeling methodology are also important. For example, consider the case of a simple stepped shaft as shown at the right. There are several ways a part like this could be built and each way creates a part that is geometrically identical.

The "Layer Cake" Approach

The layer cake approach build the part once piece at a time, adding each layer, or feature, onto the previous one, like this:

Changing the thickness of one layer has a ripple effect, changing the position of the other layers that were created after it.

The "Potter's Wheel" Approach

The potters's wheel approach builds the parts as a single, revolved feature. A single sketch representing the cross section includes all the information and dimensions necessary to make the part as one feature. While this approach may seem very efficient, having all the design information contained within a single feature limits flexibility and can make changes awkward.

The Manufacturing Approach

The manufacturing approach to modeling mimics the way the part would be manufactured. For example, if this stepped shaft was turned on a "lathe" machine, you would start with a piece of bar stock and remove material using a series of cuts.

There is not really a right or wrong answer when trying to determine which approach to use. Solidworks allows for great flexibility and making changes to models is relatively easy. But creating models with design intent in mind will result in well built documents that are easily modifiable and well suited for re-use, making your job easier.

That's it for the Design Intent part, let's take a breather for now and digest what we have discussed. And while we're at it, I'll throw in some add-ons as a bonus

Object Linking and Embedding (OLE)

In the Windows environment, information sharing between files can be handles either by linking or embedding the information.

The main difference between linked objects and embedded objects are where the data is stored and how you update the data after you place it in the destination file.

•Linked Objects

When an object is linked, information is updated only if the source file is modified. Linked data is stored in the source file. The destination file stores only the location of the source file (an external reference), and it displays a representation of the linked data.
Linking is also useful when you want to include information that is maintained independently, such as data collected by a different department.

•Embedded Objects

When you embed an object, information in the destination file doesn't change if you modify the source file. Embedded objects become part of the destination file and, once inserted, are no longer part of the source file.

In the previous lesson, we talked about File Reference, in this lesson, I will be giving a little graphic presentation about File Rreference.

File Reference Example and Diagram

The different types of external references created by Solidworks are shown in the following graphic. Some of the references can be linked or embedded.

That's it folks for the second part of our Solidworks tutorial-ish* session. Follow me and stay tuned for more Solidworks tutorials. Thanks for reading and have a good day! @jamesanity's bouncing off the building!!

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