The Scoop on SolidWorks
2001
by Cliff
Beattie
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A
New Perspective on Sheet Metal
Anyone who works with sheet metal parts and is willing to make a change
in CAD software should look or re-look at SolidWorks as an option. Talk
about a change! SolidWorks offers many new tools to a sheet metal designer
that makes creating parts a breeze, verses the slow methods of yesteryear.
Creating new parts in the folded state has been made easier by adding
the "flange" tool. By using this tool, you can create a flange,
or bend, simply by picking the edge you want it put on, and giving a
length you want it to be <PICTURE G>. There is even a "miter
flange" tool for making flanges around an edge of a "C"
shaped piece <PICTURE H>. Another handy tool is the "unbend"
tool. This allows you to flatten the part, make any modifications to
it, and then use the "fold" tool to return the part to its
folded state. There is a "sketched bend" tool that allows
bends to be added one at a time onto a flat piece or part. Overall,
the sheet metal part of the program seems more stable, easier to use,
and reliable.
Making
Sketches
There are a few noteworthy changes in making sketches too. One is their
first attempt at giving the user the ability to use the "click-click"
method. This method involves not having to hold down the mouse button
to draw lines, arcs, circles, etc… For some new users who are used
to this method, switching to SolidWorks can be taxing when drawing new
geometry and having to get used to a different drawing system. You now
have the ability to use the "click and drag" method of before,
and the new "click-click" method that other CAD packages use.
The offset command has been changed too. You can offset on both sides
of picked geometry. There is a new chamfer command in the sketch mode.
Before, you could only make chamfers automatically on solid corners.
A new feature has been added to switch between drawing lines and arcs.
Now by running your cursor over the beginning origin point of a line,
you switch for line to arc mode. A big plus for ordinate dimension users
is that you can use them to define where things are located in a sketch
<PICTURE I>.
Is
There a Downside?
Well, of course there is! All software has problems. Even operating
systems! SolidWorks 2001 does have bugs, including some that can be
frustrating. When these are found and identified, they are usually fixed
in the next service pack. At the time of this article, they are already
up to service pack #2. A few things could be made a little user-friendlier
too. The offset line command is better than before, but could be made
better. If you use the return key to input your offset value, the program
kicks you out of the command (and the pushpin to keep it doesn't help
this either). Their needs to be an option to switch between the "click-click"
sketch method, and the "click and drag" method to keep from
doing one or the other accidentally. Creating holes on bend lines sometimes
produces undesired results when using the "fold" and "unfold"
tools. The toolbars still float around occasionally when you thought
you had them where you wanted. Do you understand all or any of these
problems? Well, don't feel bad if you don't. Only after using the software
for a long time are most of these problems noticeable. Overall, I haven't
found any problems with this software that would be considered a design-stopper
or a major problem. Most are just inconveniences or user preferences.
Cliff Beattieis an experienced designer who has used a variety of CAD
packages since the 386 computer days. He currently designs air conditioning
and heating units for Bard Manufacturing Company, Bryan, Ohio.
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