SOLIDWORKS Composer files (like SOLIDWORKS files) contain important model information that can be used to manufacture a model. This information can also be used to reverse-engineer a model, potentially compromising your intellectual property. In this article, learn how to protect files and your intellectual property from unscrupulous (or unknown) viewers.
SOLIDWORKS Composer imports SOLIDWORKS models so users can create graphical content and share projects with a wider audience. However, sometimes models import with missing actors or components - usually due to components loading in lightweight mode within SOLIDWORKS or import settings within Composer that exclude surface bodies.
When working with SOLIDWORKS drawing views, it is possible to customize them in various ways. Sometimes, it is necessary to label each view to indicate the customizations made. For instance, when a custom scale is used, it is important to indicate this for each view to avoid confusion during manufacturing. Individual view labels can be inserted into each view to automatically pull relevant information such as scale, name, label, delimiter, and angle. Manual view labels can be created as well.
In SOLIDWORKS Composer, users can set up actors to constrain motion in a project. Doing so lets us specify the ways in which specific actors can move, effectively limiting their degrees of freedom. This controlled motion is similar to how mates can be used in SOLIDWORKS assemblies to do the same.
Most SOLIDWORKS users are aware of how powerful splines are when creating non-linear sketches with variable-radius curves, similar to drawing a freehand sketch. They can even be used to trace photos and create 3D models based on existing objects! Most users are also aware that splines take a bit of practice to get right, however, and can have sharp transitions that pose serious manufacturing constraints.
SOLIDWORKS allows users to create multi-radius fillets that terminate with a zero radius, smoothly transitioning into the model’s edge. However, a vertex needs to be selected to create a zero radius fillet, and sometimes a model doesn’t have a vertex where we want the radius to reach zero. Here is where an a-typical use of the Split Line comes into play.
This article explains how to use DimXpert in SOLIDWORKS to insert dimensions and tolerances in 3D space so you can effectively share your design with others. DimXpert allows us to easily communicate sizes, locations, and tolerances so that other users can easily understand and manufacture our parts.
SOLIDWORKS Composer lets you apply colors and textures (e.g., wood grain to simulate a finished product) to parts and assemblies. Colors and textures can be applied to individual parts or the entire assembly. You can also take advantage of hierarchy that overrides part-level colors with assembly-level colors.
SOLIDWORKS MBD tells us graphically which features of a part are fully-constrained, under-constrained, over-constrained, or don’t have any constraints. It does so by applying specific colors to the model itself as well as to the design tree. This helps check a model to see if it’s ready to be manufactured.