Direct Model Editing through SOLIDWORKS

About

SOLIDWORKS 3D CAD software gives designers simple ways to quickly create and adjust 3D model geometry using direct model editing. Simply click on the model geometry and move it, speeding up design, saving time and development costs, and increasing productivity.

Direct Model Editing Overview

Easy-to-use direct model editing enables designers to quickly make changes to their 3D model:

• Direct Edit Toolbar enables you to copy, move, split, replace, offset, push, and drag geometry to create the result you want.
• Patterns instantly create SOLIDWORKS features, faces, and solid bodies with a simple click made directly on the geometry to be patterned.
• Direct Edit capabilities automatically convert non-native, imported model geometry into intelligent SOLIDWORKS features that can be modified parametrically or through direct geometry manipulation.
• Instant3D capabilities let you drag geometry and dimension manipulators to create and modify features.
• Live Section capabilities can be used to dynamically section models with any plane and then drag the section outline to make a change in the 3D model. Click on the model and then you can move, copy, and rotate surfaces and solid bodies to modify geometry.

Direct Modeling

A more user-friendly approach to 3D CAD comes from 3D direct modeling. By this technology designers can perform quick and immediate models editing without knowing anything about their modeling history but simply translating and rotating faces, edges and nodes. Moreover through a direct 3D modeling system a designer can easily continue a design where others left off resulting very performing for CAD model exchange on extended design teams.

With this approach designer can create quickly and easily 3D models which can be modified through direct on-the-fly interaction with the geometry (figure 9). This methodology is called explicit modeling, and is flexible and easy to use. This approach is also called history-free and it can be more effective in the early stages of design where the designers can create highly customized products without the extra effort of up-front planning the process of modeling. 3D direct modeling can be learned in very short time and, because its approach is very similar to 2D, is quite easy for a 2D designer transfer its skill on the new technology.

Solidworks Direct Model Benefits

• Higher accuracy.
• Easier drawing handling.
• Much faster to edit existing 3D models.
• Much faster NC-preparations.
• Good visualization tools makes it easy to explain ideas.