What Is Configuration Using Design in SOLIDWORKS and How Does It Work?

 DESIGN TABLE:

Design tables are a way to create different parts or assembly configurations by defining parameters in cells, rows, and columns of an integrated Microsoft Excel spreadsheet.

NOTE: To use design table, must have Microsoft Excel 2016-2021 on computer for SOLIDWORKS 2022-2025.

Desing table for part:
1. Used to edit any dimensions of a 3D part.
2. Also used to create multiple configurations of the same part.
3. These configurations can use complex equations in the design table to
achieve any desired outcome.

STEP 1: Creating a part

A part is created using SOLIDWORKS. For example.

Figure 1

Specific name has been mentioned to define the dimensions on the design table.

Figure 2

STEP 2: creating design table

To create design table the following commands are used

• Menu bar: Insert –>  tables –>  Excel Design table

Figure 3

On following the above steps, on property manager source, edit controls, options are displayed as shown below. By default, some options are selected and on source the auto-create is selected, which creates an auto design table with reference to the model that created. Click .

STEP 3: Dimensions, features

On Clicking the Auto-create option, design table has been created. The Dialog box opens where user can select from the following dimensions to add in this new design table.

Click OK.  

Figure 4

Selected dimensions are loaded to the design table.

Figure 5

STEP 4: Changing dimensions, features

Changes that made in the design table also changes the feature, dimension and fillets. In this the D1@fillet1 radius and the D1@Bossextrude4 is modified. 

Figure 6

Figure 7

STEP 5: Adding configuration and materials

1. We can add materials and configurations to the design table to reflect it on design.
2. When adding the new configuration, the dialog box gives the information that the design table as created new configurations.
3. New1, New2 are the configuration created on design table.
4. Material of the part can be changed / modified in the design table using the drop-down box.

Figure 8

After saving the above table automatically, the dialog box appears with the information of the new configurations that are created as shown below.

Figure 9

The design table for the part has been created. From the design table we have created the configuration table.

Figure 10

Author : Sudhakar R
Application Engineer | Mechanical Engineering Specialist with nearly two years of hands-on experience, I specialize in SOLIDWORKS CAD and the 3DEXPERIENCE Design Ecosystem. My journey has allowed me to support over 100 customers, assisting them with product design, drafting, and 3D modelling using advanced CAD techniques. I also conduct training sessions and provide ongoing support to engineers, designers, and cross-functional teams, ensuring they optimize their use of SOLIDWORKS and follow best practices. I’m passionate about helping others unlock the full potential of their design tools and creating efficient workflows.

Contact Us: Have questions or need assistance? Feel free to reach out!

Email: mktg@egs.co.in
Phone: +91 94454 24704

Interference detection in SOLIDWORKS is a tool that helps find overlapping parts in an assembly. It ensures all components fit together correctly and prevents problems during manufacturing or assembly.

How to use in SOLIDWORKS:

Step: 1
➢ Open Your assembly in SOLIDWORKS
➢ Go to Evaluate Tab > Interference Detection.

Step: 2
In Selection Components, the top-level assembly is selected by default, or we can manually select specific components

Exclude Components: Excludes specific components from the interference analysis.

Hide Excluded Components from View: Hides the excluded components in the graphics area.

Step: 3
After selecting, the Options group helps to adjust the detection settings.

➢ Treat coincidence as interference: Consider coincident entities as interferences.
➢ Show ignored interferences: Displays ignored interferences in the Results list.
➢ Treat subassemblies as components: Consider subassemblies as single entities, ignoring interferences between their internal components.

➢ Include multibody part interferences: Detects interferences between individual bodies within multibody parts.
➢ Include surface bodies: Identifies interferences involving surface bodies but does not calculate the interference volume.
➢ Make interfering parts transparent: Displays interfering components as transparent for better visualization.
➢ Create fasteners folder: Groups interferences involving fasteners (e.g., nuts and bolts) into a separate folder named “Fasteners.”
➢ Ignore hidden bodies/components: Excludes interferences involving hidden components or bodies within multibody parts.

Step: 4
Once the option settings are checked, click “Calculate”.

In Results:
➢ Displays the detected interferences.
➢ Shows the volume of each interference listed.
➢ Selecting an interference in Results highlights it in red in the graphics area.

Step: 5
These options allow control over the display state of non-interfering components in the assembly.

Contact Us: Have questions or need assistance? Feel free to reach out!

Email: mktg@egs.co.in
Phone: +91 94454 24704

How to Add and Manage Custom Properties in a SOLIDWORKS Part Template?

Open new part document Click New (Standard toolbar) or File > New. In the dialog box, select “Part” or your standard custom part document.

Then open the “File Properties” using the icon as shown in the below image.

The properties dialog box is opened, under the “custom” & “Configuration Properties” tab we add the SOLIDWORKS part template file properties

Adding Properties:

• First row is provided but it is empty so lets start adding the properties
• Start with “Property Name” by drop down it shows a pre-made set of items were displayed in the list. I select “Drawn By”.

• Second column is the “Type” we need to choose how to display the property I select the “Text” type.
• Then move to “Value / Text Expression” here is where we need to enter who drawn the model.
• The Last is the “Evaluated Value” this will be the value shows once the property is called upon.
• Auto Populating Properties like material, weight have their own Value / Text Expression auto displays what material is added in the model. By selecting the drop down list on the Value / Text Expression.

Example: Here, I adds some of the common properties used by the ISO standard company as shown in the image.

Finally click “OK” to add the property.

If we want add, edit, delete or change the position of the custom properties list by click Edit List on the top right corner for the properties window.

We can also edit the custom properties list by using the Notepad by finding the custom properties file path shows in the Option> System Option> File Location> custom Property File from the drop down list.

Then browse to that location and find the properties.txt file and you can easily add, edit, delete or change location of the properties list.

Then save part file as template file, and you can reuse it for upcoming model files without any further delay.

Author: Sakthivel A is an Application Engineer at EGS Computers India Pvt Ltd, specializing in supporting and delivering value-added services to a diverse range of SOLIDWORKS customers for the past 3 years. He excels in understanding customer requirements and providing customized solutions to meet their needs effectively.

Contact Us: Have questions or need assistance? Feel free to reach out!

Email: mktg@egs.co.in
Phone: +91 94454 24704

How to REMOVE INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY FROM SOLIDWORKS FILES

When sharing SOLIDWORKS models externally, it’s often important to keep your design confidential to protect your intellectual property. In this blog, we’ll see the options available for REMOVING INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY FROM SOLIDWORKS files.

1. Defeature:

Defeature is a tool where you can remove details from a part or assembly and save the results to a new file in which the details are replaced by dumb solids (that is, solids without feature definition or history). You can then share the new file without revealing all the design details of the model.

Click Tools pull-down menu > Click Defeature

This will then open up a simple 3-step wizard, which will help manage what you want to remove and hide from those spying eyes.

The options available will depend on the file type you are working on:

Defeature – Components, Bodies

For assemblies, you can specify components to remove from the model. For multibody parts, you can specify bodies to remove from the model.

Defeature – Motion

If you want to allow motion in an assembly, you can remove details from groups of components and allow motion between the groups.

Defeature – To Keep

In parts and assemblies, you can specify features to retain, such as mounting holes, which might otherwise be removed by the Defeature tool.

Defeature – To Remove

In parts and assemblies, you can specify to remove features that were not automatically removed.

Defeature – Feature Removal Complete

In parts and assemblies, you can save the less-detailed model in a separate part file.

You can see from the images below the before and after effect of Defeature on the same SOLIDWORKS file.

Another great advantage of Defeature is when you create CAD neutral formats such as ‘. STEP’ the file size is greatly reduced.

Benefits Of Defeature

• Find and delete bodies or components – internal and based on relative size.
• Creates new model.
• Good way to create less-detailed part from complex imported parts.

2. Save Assembly as a Part (Exterior Surface):

If you need to protect intellectual property of an assembly model, saving it as a part is one of the easiest ways to do this. When saving an assembly as a part, you can direct SOLIDWORKS to save only exterior faces.

To do this, go to File > Save As, then change the Save as type to SOLIDWORKS Part (*.prt; *.sldprt). Under Geometry to save, select Exterior faces, then click the check box for Preserve geometry references and click Save. A part will be saved in the location of your choosing, which will be comprised of outer surfaces only.

The recipient of this model will not be able to use FeatureWorks to build a Feature Tree from the surfaces, ensuring REMOVING INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY FROM SOLIDWORKS effectively.

3. Save Assembly as a Part (STL):

To do this, go to File > Save As, then change the Save as type to SOLIDWORKS Part (*.prt; *.sldprt). Then save the part as an STL file format. This will create separate Graphics Bodies but in a single file. This method is also useful for 3D Printing processes while still REMOVING INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY FROM SOLIDWORKS models.

4. Publish to eDrawings or 3D PDF:

If you wish to share a file for viewing only, consider saving the file as a 3D PDF, or publish it to eDrawings. Both methods allow you to share your models in a way that the recipient can only open the file in a viewer (with limited measurement capabilities).

• To publish a file to eDrawings, go to File > Publish to eDrawings.

• If you do not wish to allow the recipient to measure the model in eDrawings, go to Tools > Options > System Options > Export, then change the file format to EDRW/EPRT/EASM and uncheck Okay to measure this eDrawings file.

• To save the file as a 3D PDF, go to File > Save As then change the Save as type to Adobe Portable Document Format (*.pdf) and click the Save as 3D PDF checkbox.

 

Author Details: Palaniyappan T is an Elite Application Engineer with a background
in Mechanical Engineering, specializing in customer success. He serves as a Team Lead for Technical Support and also a Customer Success AE, leveraging almost 10 years of experience with SOLIDWORKS CAD, SOLIDWORKS PDM and also with the
3DEXPERIENCE Design Ecosystem. His expertise has enabled him to successfully assist over 100 customers in resolving technical challenges, improving their design workflows, and achieving their goals.

Contact Us: Have questions or need assistance? Feel free to reach out!

Email: mktg@egs.co.in

Phone: +91 94454 24704