SolidWorks fully defined sketches

Using fully defined sketches

Have you ever tried to extrude or revolve a sketch but SolidWorks will not let you?  You have probably seen this message pop up.
 

There are a couple of ways you can fix this issue.  First, you can always add all of the dimensions and relations to make this sketch fully defined.  The problem with this is the next time you create a sketch, you will get the same error message.  The best way to handle this issue is to change the setting.  Go to Options, System Options, Sketch and uncheck “use fully defined sketches”

This is the preferred setting for SolidWorks.  The reason for this setting is that you want to have the freedom to work with organic shapes.  You will not use fully defined sketches when dealing with these complex shapes as it would make your modeling extremely difficult.

SolidWorks 2013 Beta is Coming Soon

Today there was an email sent out to the SolidWorks Community announcing that SolidWorks2013 Beta is coming soon (see below for copy) and we wanted to spread the word and also tell you about some of the highlights of the SolidWorks Beta Program.

1. Influence: Reporting bugs & migration issues specific to your environment, data & workflows will help improve your release transition.

2.  On-Premise Testing: The SolidWorks Beta Team is opening their different office worldwide and you can attend the testing events to test your data while working with the SolidWorks Research and Development personnel. The good news is there is an event in the CATI territory in Madison, WI on July 30, 2012 to August 3, 2012. Please visit http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/Beta_2013_on_premise_testing_event for more information.

3. Prizes and Awards: While the Beta site does not have all the details yet you can see all the different prizes that were given out to those who participated in the Beta Program. Last year on top of the overall prizes that were given out there were several special  competitions that were done weekly and on specific design topics.

Please take a few minutes to look over the SolidWorks Beta Site http://www.solidworks.com/beta/default.htm to see all that it has to offer.

If you would like to register for the Beta Program all you need to do is log into the SolidWorks Customer Portal https://login.solidworks.com/nidp/idff/sso?id=cpenglish&sid=0&option=credential&sid=0.

Happy Beta Testing

Josh Altergott

CATI Support Manager

 

Email From SolidWorks Sent out on 5/29/2012

Dear SolidWorks Professional,

The SolidWorks Beta team has been hard at work and is very excited to announce that the 2013 Beta program will be launched in June 2012.

SolidWorks 2013 includes many new user-driven enhancements - along with some entirely new areas of functionality!

Visit the 2013 Beta site and click "Join Now" to keep updated on the latest Beta News and learn about upcoming contests and prizes for Beta participants.

This year's Beta program includes an expanded list of on-premise Beta events at several SolidWorks regional offices worldwide.  Learn more and sign up for these opportunities at: 2013 End User On-Premise Beta Events.

For more information about Beta and upcoming SolidWorks 2013 related events, please contact your Reseller.

We encourage you to participate in the 2013 Beta Program and experiment using copies of your own production data.  This will enable you to learn about the new functionality and how it will work with your data before SolidWorks 2013 is released.  Testing with your data is something only you can do.

Be part of the SolidWorks 2013 Beta program to test and explore all the new and exciting features for SolidWorks Design, SolidWorks Simulation, and SolidWorks Enterprise PDM!

If you have any questions please email us at beta@solidworks.com

The SolidWorks Beta Team.

Simulation – Why Should I Increase the number of elements through the thickness

Every once in a while a question will come in about a simulation result not showing the results that were expected. Well this doesn’t mean the software is wrong or that the user is wrong it just means that the study hasn’t been fully developed. What I mean by this is that the mesh has not been refined enough to allow the software enough movement to obtain the expected result. More specifically there are not enough rows of elements through the thickness of the component. To illustrate this, think of a chain where each link in the chain represents a row of elements through the thickness of a part. Hold just one link and notice that you can’t get any other shape then the shape of a single chain. Now hold three links and this time notice that you can manipulate the three links into several different contours. Now continue to hold more and more links, where each link represents a new row of elements. You will see that the more links or rows of elements you have the more shapes the chain can take. This is how it works with simulation and increase the number of element rows in a part. So the next time you run a study that isn’t given you the results you want, try increasing the number of elements through the thickness by controlling the mesh size or by using mesh control. The smaller the mesh size the more rows can be fit through the thickness.

 

Enjoy,

Nick Jansen, CSWP

CATI

How to create a mirrored assembly in Solidworks

The process is the same as creating a mirrored subassembly.  Once you have created the assembly you would like to mirror, place that assembly into a new assembly file.  This makes it a subassembly now.  Just select a plane to mirror about and the box around the whole assembly file to collect the parts.  Then click the blue arrow to go to the next step in the process.  Select the assembly and click the button for mirror, which is at the bottom of the property manager.

As a side note if you wanted to select multiple parts to have a opposite hand side, the process one would have to follow is same:  select the part and click the button, select the next part and click the button.  To quicken the process you can select the first part and click the button, then hold Ctrl and simply start selecting the parts down the list.

Once you have created the mirrored assembly, dissolve the mirrored assembly.  Then you can open that mirrored assembly in its own file and save it.

Ketul Patel
Computer Aided Technology, Inc. 

 

Composer 2013 Now Available

Come and get it!  Composer 2013 is now available for download.

Looking thru the Dassoult Websites, I was able to find the fact sheet and an listing of the key enhancements for 2013.

3DVIA Composer is the leading solution for creating highly effective product communications across all manufacturing industries. Key new features and enhancements in 3DVIA Composer V6R2013 include:

• Image Library


• Quick Magnetic Line Alignment


• Prevent Actor Deletion


• New Advanced Application Settings


• Disable Document Property and Application Preference Modifications


• DisableMatchingProperties Precedence Change

For more information, download the 3DVIA Composer V6R2013 Fact Sheet.

 

You can check out the entire fact sheet describing all the new features at the link below.

http://www.3ds.com/fileadmin/PRODUCTS/3DVIA/3DVIAComposer/pdf/3DVIAComposer_V6R2013_Fact_Sheet.pdf

Big Changes to the CATI FTP site

Many of you that follow this blog are regular users of CATI support services. It is very common that during a support call our techs will as you to send us a copy of your files. For your securtity we have overhauled our FTP site to provide you with a more secure method of sending us files.

The first thing you will notice is that FTP.CATI.COM no longer exists. You will no longer be able to blindly log in and dump the files on to our ftp site.

The New site is SUPPORT.CATI.COM. The first major difference is that we now have a web portal interface. Most users should find this very eay to navigate. Please contact support for login information.

Once you are logged in you will see a listing of folder that you can navigate thru. This is similar to our old public folder. You will find help files, what's new documents, Installation files, and other general files. Notice that you do not see any of the call files.

Call files is probably the biggest change on our ftp site. Call folders are no longer visible to anyone who logs into the ftp site. All folders are now tied to a specific support call and have a randomly generated password. This password is only good for that support call. If you have multiple support calls with us, each call will have a separate folder and password. When you log a support call with us, we will send you an email with the login infomation for your call. This email contains a direct link to the support folder, and will also give you the instruction to manually log into your support folder.

All uploads and downloads will now be done thru a single call folder, and all files will be deleted from our server 90 days after the call is closed (subject to change).

We hope you like the new changes. If you are experiencing problems with the site, please contact support so we can work with you to resolve the issue. We feel this is a very benificial change and the feedback has been very positive.

We hope this helps you share your files with us so we can trouble shoot any issues you run across.

Enjoy!

Have a Safe and Fun Memorial Day Weekend From CATI...and a Little Help From SolidWorks

For most of us, Memorial Day weekend is a time spent with family and friends relaxing or enjoying outdoor activities.  You may be surprised just how much your weekend is impacted by product designers, engineers, and SolidWorks.  

Are you planning on doing any biking this weekend?  If so, it’s highly likely your bike was designed in SolidWorks.

Maybe you will be taking in an outdoor concert.  Keep an eye on the guitar player.  There's a good chance that guitar was designed in SolidWorks.

Heading to Indianapolis for the Indy 500?  You guessed it, some race teams utilize SolidWorks to design and engineer their cars.

Or, perhaps you are planning a BBQ this Memorial Day weekend.  The grill you are using, that too was designed in SolidWorks. And while you are at the store picking up your favorite BBQ items, keep in mind that the shelves and refrigerated displays are designed in SolidWorks.

I could think of plenty more examples of how SolidWorks will impact your holiday weekend, but I think you get the point. Which is, have a safe and fun Memorial Day weekend.  

 

Jim TeDesco
Marketing
Computer Aided Technology, Inc.