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Cutting With Surfaces in SolidWorks

solid_surface_example

 

In the above image, I have three separate bodies. One is a surface body, which is the body with the ocean decal applied to it. The other two are solid bodies (the red cylinder and the translucent solid surrounding it). Let’s pretend, if you will, that this ocean wave is roaring to rip the top of this cylinder off with the topological geometry seen at the top of the surface. As you can see in the above screenshot of the part, the surface is pretty bumpy. Imagine forming the eventual top face of the cylinder with Cut Extrude features. It’d be pretty difficult to do that, right?

The reason I chose an ocean wave for this example is because it’s easy for all of us to visualize an ocean wave. Picture the very top ‘surface’ of an ocean wave. It’s very bumpy and curvy, isn’t it? What if we wanted that same bumpiness and curvature to top off something like a solid cylinder?

cut_with_surface

As you can see, ‘Cut With Surface‘ is a command that makes a cut to the solid model by removing material from that model with a surface body. If we use this feature, all we have to do is select: a) our surface body to cut with, and b) our solid to cut.

surface_cut_flip

You’ll see that ‘Body-Move/Copy1′ inhabits the ‘Surface Cut Parameters’ box. This is the name of my surface body selection because the body automatically took the name of the last feature used to modify it. The same applies for the cylindrical body I selected under ‘Feature Scope’. You’ll also notice that my mouse is hovering over an arrow in the viewport. Clicking this arrow allows you to flip the direction of the cut, if needed. Right now, it’s pointing in the intended direction. Therefore, I will leave it alone. I am now ready to execute the command, so I’ll click the green checkmark.

hide_surface_solid

As you can see, the top surface, displayed in grey, has changed. Its shape is now dictated by the topological geometry of the surface we used to cut it. Post-cut, I simply hid the surface body (as well as the solid body formerly surrounding the cylinder). I’m hovering over the feature which built the surface to display its outline, which might give you an even clearer idea of what the command actually did.

 


Moving BOM/Drawing View to New Sheet

One question I’m often asked when fielding tech calls is how to transfer drawing views and/or bill of materials (BOM) tables onto new drawing sheets. In SolidWorks drawing files, doing this is about as easy as cutting and pasting a paragraph from one text document to another… because it’s basically the same method! In this example, I’m going to do the cut and paste with a Drawing View; however, cutting and pasting the BOM would virtually require the same steps.

drawing_view_solidworks

Step one is to highlight the drawing view you want to cut and paste. Once this is highlighted, you can go here to cut:

drawing_view_cut

As you can see, the shortcut for ‘Cut’ is listed next to the command in the menu. Using ‘Ctrl+X’ accomplishes the same effect. Next, we’ll go to the destination sheet, or the sheet where we wish to place this drawing view. Once I’ve activated this sheet (in my case, it’s Sheet2), I’ll simply paste it in:

drawing_view_paste

At this point, you’re done! Orient the view/BOM as you wish. It’s as simple as that.


Where is my Command Manager?

We often hear complaints in the Prism SolidWorks Tech department that a user’s SolidWorks Command Manager sort of ‘ran off’ to the side of his screen. Or we hear it’s somehow wound up in the middle of the user’s interface, hogging up the limelight while your model sits in the background pouting.

There are two easy things you can do to set things back to normal again.

command manager 1

In a situation like the one above, you can simply drag the Command Manager back to where you want it. Click and hold on an empty area on the Command Manager, and drag it. Once you start dragging, look for directional indicators like the ones below to pop up. These signal that you can ‘snap’ the Command Manager down to a designated area on the screen.

 

command manager 2

 

To snap the Command Manager to the left, top, or right arrows, simply continue dragging over to the arrow of your choice. Once your cursor is on top of the arrow, you should see the area highlight in blue, like this:

 

solidworks_drag_command 5

 

Doing this snaps it back into its out-of-the-box location.

 

Don’t feel like doing this? Can you simply not find your Command Manager? If you don’t feel like playing “Hide and Seek” with it, just use this option to set things back to normal:

command manager 4

 

 

For those of you playing at home, that’s View>Workspace>Default. Easy, huh?

Post questions below!

~ Sean O’Neill

Applications Engineer


Mastercam X7 Coming Soon

ATTENTION MASTERCAM USERS!

Mastercam X7 is coming! Those of you on maintenance are able to preview the software NOW

The second Mastercam X7 Technology Preview is available for download on Mastercam’s site! Prism Engineering is gearing up for the next release of Mastercam; save the date for Mastercam X7 Rollouts later this quarter. We’ll be traveling around the Mid-Atlantic region & Virginia presenting the latest updates and new features in X7.

If interested, download the fully-functional pre-release and provide CNC software’s development team with user feedback. Please contact our Mastercam technical support department if you are unsure of how to download this beta version of Mastercam X7; please note this will mean your current Mastercam licenses will be used on the X7 beta platform for a time period.

 

Some exciting additions and changes are available with Mastercam X7:

  • The new Tool Manager provides an easy way to create, organize, and share your tooling information throughout your enterprise.
  • Improved Backplot and Verify utilities offer a more efficient workflow, better analysis tools, and more comprehensive toolpath support.
  • Dynamic and OptiRough toolpaths create more efficient tool motion, enhanced cut orders, and faster calculation times.
  • Multi-threading support is extended to most 2D high speed toolpaths, resulting in faster toolpath processing.
  • Oscillating motion for Curve and Swarf 5-axis toolpaths improves your tool life by varying the portion of the tool used to cut material.
  • New Lathe Dynamic Roughing strategy for fast and efficient material removal.

 

 

Prism Engineering’s Mastercam Technical Support Department is on standby to answer questions about the upcoming release and beta version. If you are unsure about whether or not you will receive Mastercam X7 when it is officially released, contact Prism’s Maintenance department.


How to Rename a SolidWorks File

When managing SolidWorks files, you’re probably tempted to organize, move, and rename each file using typical Windows conventions. Actions like “Right click, Rename,” “Ctrl+C, Ctrl+V” and “Drag and Drop” are indelibly hardwired into my brain. This is fine when it comes to some files, like the text file you made yesterday when you needed to jot down the number to the new pizza place around the corner. However, when it comes to other files–like SolidWorks files that may be linked to by other files–this is not okay.

For example, consider your typical SolidWorks drawing file. Your drawing views might reference either a part or an assembly–how is this reference made and maintained? SolidWorks stores the file location of the referenced part/assembly within the drawing file. It immediately looks to that specific location to retrieve up-to-date information about that part/assembly. If, for instance, you renamed a file named ‘Pulley.sldprt’ stored in C:/SolidWorks Parts/Prototypes to ‘old pulley.sldprt’ using the Windows means of doing so (like right-clicking on the file in a Windows Explorer window and clicking “Rename” under “Delete”), the SolidWorks drawing file would have no idea where to look. You’ll get messages like the one displayed below if you do this:

browse or suppress

 

 

For this very reason, SolidWorks provides an in-Shortcut menu bar for convenient access within these Windows Explorer windows.or image

 

As you can see in the above picture, the process to safely and responsibly rename a SolidWorks file is as follows: Right click, SolidWorks, Rename. Upon clicking Rename, the following SolidWorks Explorer window should appear:

 

rename doc

 

You can rename the file by editing the “To:” field. Having “Update where used” checked is important, because it instructs SolidWorks to update the file reference held by files that are looking to this part for information. You can also include virtual components in your search for references.

Hope this helps solve any associative issues you may be having. If you have any questions, feel free to contact me in Prism Engineering’s SolidWork Tech Support department

~ Sean O’Neill

Applications Engineer

 


3DVia Composer now SolidWorks Composer

3Dvia Composer has been officially re-branded as SolidWorks Composer. This brings a few changes that existing and future users will be happy to see.

First, let’s look at the re-branded program. You will notice that all of the icons and interface splash screens have been updated to the new SolidWorks Composer 2013 Symbol:

composer rebrand2

 

 

 

 

 

composer rebrand1

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

composer rebrand3

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Users who choose to download the software from the SolidWorks customer portal will also notice that SolidWorks Composer is now grouped on the SolidWoks Tab. 3Dvia composer is also still available for download on the Composer tab, if needed.

composer rebrand4

This also brings a few technical changes that will be much appreciated by Composer users. Composer can now use internet-based activation. This means that you will not have to generate and send a license file request with the MAC address of your machine anymore, which will make it a lot faster and easier to get Composer up and running on a new machine.

Additionally, Composer is now supported on the Solid Network License Manager. So if you have an existing network of SolidWorks licenses,  Composer can be easily added. This will make it easier to share a license of Composer between multiple users.

All existing customers who own 3Dvia Composer 2013x are entitled to SolidWorks Composer 2013. I would highly recommend downloading and installing it. If anyone needs any help with the migration, please contact the Prism SolidWorks Technical Support department at SWtech@Prismeng.com.

~Dan Wagner, Applications Engineer, Prism Engineering


Prism Engineering Wins Highest Customer Satisfaction in North America

Bertrand Sicot, CEO, SolidWorks, John Ewell, President & CEO, Prism Engineering, Toby Schnaars, Manager--SolidWorks Technical Support Services, Prism Engineering

Bertrand Sicot, CEO, SolidWorks, John Ewell, President & CEO, Prism Engineering, Toby Schnaars, Manager–SolidWorks Technical Support Services, Prism Engineering

Prism Engineering Awarded SolidWorks Highest Customer Satisfaction Award in North America  

SolidWorks VAR Recognized for Achieving Award for 2nd Consecutive Year and 3rd Award Overall

 

February 20, 2013—Philadelphia, PA—Prism Engineering, a leading SolidWorks Value-Added-Reseller servicing the U.S. Mid-Atlantic states, is the recipient of the prestigious Highest Customer Satisfaction Award for North America in 2012.

The coveted award, announced at SolidWorks World in Orlando Florida on January 23rd, is presented to the North American SolidWorks Reseller with the highest customer satisfaction score resulting from an exclusive SolidWorks customer survey in 2012.   Prism competed with over 40 qualified resellers in the United States, Canada, and Central America and has now achieved the honor for a record-breaking third time over the past five years.

Ken Clayton, Vice President of Worldwide Sales at SolidWorks, Dassault Systems, recognized Prism Engineering as a premier industry leader in customer service within the VAR channel.

“Prism Engineering’s success as a SolidWorks reseller over the past 17 years is a direct result of their unwavering commitment to ensuring that their customers’ experience exceeds expectations,” said Clayton. “We congratulate Prism for achieving the highest SolidWorks Customer Satisfaction award three out of the last five years.”

“Prism Engineering’s significant growth in recent years stems from our continued focus on fulfilling our commitment to our customers in terms of outstanding technical support and customer service,” said John Ewell, President and CEO of Prism Engineering.  “Achieving this annual VAR award for highest customer satisfaction continues to be one of our primary objectives each year at Prism. We thank our valued customers for this honor and pledge our continued commitment to provide them outstanding service.”

About Prism Engineering, Inc.:
Prism Engineering is the Mid-Atlantic’s leading provider of 3D CAD/CAM Solutions and 3D Prototype Printers. Major product offerings include: SolidWorks®, SolidWorks® Simulation, Enterprise Data Management, Mastercam for CNC Machining, and Stratasys 3D Printers. In addition to these products, Prism offers a host of complementary Training and Support Services at its regional facilities and Certified Training Centers, located in Horsham, PA (suburban Philadelphia), Allentown, PA, Pittsburgh, PA, Baltimore, MD, and Lynchburg, VA. For more information, demonstrations, and news about products and services, please contact Prism at 888-441-9696 or visit www.prismeng.com.

About Dassault Systèmes SolidWorks Corp.:
Dassault Systèmes SolidWorks Corp., a Dassault Systèmes S.A. subsidiary, is a world leader in 3D solutions that help millions of engineers and designers succeed through innovation. SolidWorks products deliver an intuitive experience in product design, simulation, publishing, data management and environmental impact assessment. For the latest news, information, or an online demonstration, visit the company’s website (www.solidworks.com) or call 1-800-693-9000 (outside of North America, call +1-978-371-5000).

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Navigate Swiftly using Unique SolidWorks 2013 Features

Fast. Faster. Fastest.

Whether I’m trying to optimize a driving route to work, or micromanage my morning, I’m always looking for ways to navigate through the task at hand more quickly. The same goes for navigating through a model in SolidWorks. That’s why I love features that allow me to swiftly operate within the software.

 

In this post, I’m going to explore two features unique to SolidWorks that I use quite a bit. These two program features can be HUGE time-savers, and they’re ones that I love sharing with our customers: Quick Filter Buttons and FeatureManager Tree Filter.

 

1. Quick Filter Buttons

quick filter

 

 

I find these buttons to be awesome. These handy selection buttons are especially useful for situations like Pack and Gos, which can come equipped with a diverse array of files such as parts, assemblies, and drawings. The Quick Filter Buttons allow you to quickly display only the types of components you wish to display. You can filter by Parts, Assemblies, Drawings, AND Top-Level Assemblies, which is very convenient. Filtering by Top-Level Assembly allows me to find and grab the main assembly file with great speed. You can find the Quick Filter buttons in the bottom right corner of the ‘Open’ explorer window within SolidWorks 2013.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

2. FeatureManager Tree Filter

featuremanager

 

 

 

 

(Note: The top-right image is not displayed in SolidWorks. It was added to the screen-capture in an effort to better-indicate the functionality of this feature.)

 

When you’re working within a large assembly that contains multiple subassemblies and/or parts, the FeatureManager Tree Filter is definitely something you’ll want to try using. It also serves as a reminder of how important it is to assign a sensible, solid nomenclature to your parts/assemblies. If you give your parts/assemblies names that you can recall, it can be much easier to find these components using this filtering tool.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

You can further customize the results here by clicking on the down-arrow next to the filter box icon, which brings up the following menu:

menu

 

 

 

As you can see above, you have two options. The first, “Filter Graphics View,” shows you the remaining components that match the qualifications of your entered filtering query. For example, if you a) have this option checked, b) have a component named “pin” and a component named “short pipe,” and c) have only typed “pi” within the filter box, you will see both the “short pipe” and the “pin” within the viewport. With this option turned off, the viewport will not update based on your filter query.

 

When selected, the second option listed, “Filter Hidden/Suppressed Components,” will hide hidden/suppressed components within your filtering results. You will not, of course, see this component within the viewport, regardless of the status of “Filter Graphics View.”

Hope this helps you increase your productivity! As always, questions can be commented below, and we’ll get back to ASAP. Otherwise, feel free to contact Prism Engineering’s SolidWorks Tech Support team at anytime.

~ Sean O’Neill, Prism Engineering SolidWorks AE


Windows and Mastercam Compatibility

Prism Engineering‘s Mastercam Technical Support often answers the question: “What versions of Mastercam are supported on various operating systems?”

With so many recent operating system changes in Mastercam, it can be hard to keep track of which Mastercam versions will run with which version of Windows. Throw in 64-bit systems and it gets even more confusing. To help answer your questions, see the handy chart below.

As you use these charts, pay attention to the following legend:

compatibility legend

Current operating systems

This chart shows which Mastercam versions are supported for the operating systems you are most likely to encounter today:

mc compatibility chart

Older operating systems

This chart shows which Mastercam versions will run on older operating systems:

mc v6 chart

Download the Mastercam Operating System Compatibilty PDF on our website.

Questions? Concerns? Need to update? Call our Mastercam Technical Support department. Feel free to post below and we’ll get back to you ASAP!


SolidWorks World 2013: Recap

This year SolidWorks World 2013 in sunny Orlando, FL yielded over 4,700 CAD users, and a handful of exciting announcements and special features. General Session Day 1

Aside from the usual sneak peek at next year’s release (more to come on 2014′s enhancements), there were several other “new” announcements:

1. my.solidworks.com - SolidWorks created this blog-style site to bridge the gap between its many outlets of information; you’ll now be able to access articles, the forum, tips, tricks, and eventually more robust content at one  location, rather than several.

2. SolidWorks Mechanical Conceptual – This new tool allows the creators to get creative. Throw around your ideas, collaborate, get input from stakeholders, all within Mechanical Conceptual. Designers use a single modeling environment to take an idea from just that, to a 3D model, while connecting to 3rd party contributors intuitively using modern social media technology.

3. eDrawings for Android – Although we knew this would arrive eventually, eDrawings for Android is a big victory in the business world, and we are psyched to start reviewing designs on the go! Coming later this year, but we saw with our own eyes at SolidWorks World 2013, this is possible!

Prism Highest Customer Satisfaction in NA 2012

Bertrand Sicot, CEO of SolidWorks, John Ewell, President and CEO of Prism Engineering, and Toby Schnaars, Manager of SolidWorks Technical Services at Prism Engineering (left to right)

Prism Engineering is proud of a few accomplishments at this year’s conference as well. For the third time, Prism Engineering was named the 2012 Top Reseller in Highest Customer Satisfaction in North America. We’ve said it before (in 2008 & 2011, to be exact!), and we’ll say it again: we owe this one to you! Thanks for your support and partnership; you know Prism’s Technical Support teams strive for excellent support and services, and we’re happy you think we’re succeeding!

Layout Driven design

This year, Prism Engineering’s Manager of SolidWorks Technical Services, Toby Schnaars, presented a technical session for Intermediate CAD Users: “Using a Layout Part to Drive an Assembly“. He packed the house; standing room only! Thanks to all who came out, and be sure to download the SolidWorks Layout Part Instructional Guide before it’s too late!

shulas event

We even had a little fun at Shula’s Sports Bar on Monday night with a few of our customers that made the trip down to Florida. Thanks for coming out, everyone!

Prism Reception at Shula's

We enjoyed traveling a little farther South to Orlando for the 75 degree weather–in January!

dolphin

It was also great to see some local users represented in the general sessions. Way to go Tom Smith, CHL Systems, for winning 2nd place at Model Mania 2013!

Tom Smith, CHL Systems (left)

Tom Smith, CHL Systems (left)

Don’t stop modeling, Tom! Check him out around minute 18:44 in SolidWorks World 2013 Day 3′s General Session Video.

If you have any thoughts, photos, questions, or great memories you’d like to share about SolidWorks World 2013, post below!