Comments on: Smack! The Complete Guide to SolidWorks Layout Sketches

By: sketches - StartTags.com

sketches - StartTags.com — Sun, 24 Jan 2010 14:15:16 +0000

[...] posts. I should have something up tomorrow though. Here are some sketches I did today in wet slip.Smack! The Complete Guide to SolidWorks Layout Sketches …With SolidWorks 2008 came the ability to add Sketch Layouts to drive all the parts in your assembly. [...]

By: SolidWorks Tip: Complete Guide to SolidWorks Assembly Layout Sketches, by Josh Mings

Fri, 22 May 2009 18:40:59 +0000

[...] Keep Reading: SolidWorks Tip: Complete Guide to SolidWorks Assembly Layout Sketches | SolidSmack.com. [...]

By: Brian

Brian — Tue, 09 Sep 2008 21:06:32 +0000

It's a Premium add-in.

By: Eric

Eric — Tue, 09 Sep 2008 13:32:45 +0000

Wow, I haven't seen the leash feature in SolidWorks. It must be a 2009 feature.

By: DOG_TRAINING

DOG_TRAINING — Fri, 01 Aug 2008 07:03:50 +0000

Correct use of the training leash is important, not only during training sessions, but at all times. Always having a loop over your thumb and your hand closed into a fist, prevents even the strongest dog from unexpectedly jerking the leash through your fingers and breaking free. Whether it's the hand-loop or a loop formed by marrying the leash over your thumb, the result is the same. Pulling on the leash merely causes your grip to tighten

By: DOG_TRAINING

DOG_TRAINING — Fri, 01 Aug 2008 07:03:50 +0000

Correct use of the training leash is important, not only during training sessions, but at all times. Always having a loop over your thumb and your hand closed into a fist, prevents even the strongest dog from unexpectedly jerking the leash through your fingers and breaking free. Whether it’s the hand-loop or a loop formed by marrying the leash over your thumb, the result is the same. Pulling on the leash merely causes your grip to tighten

By: Josh

Josh — Thu, 26 Jun 2008 13:09:08 +0000

yeah guys, I'd try it out and see how it works for your processes. The sketch patterns is the biggest bummer for me since I can work around the sketch picture by adding another part.

What Loeb is talking about is interesting. I've seen that done with spring. You could also do something similar with configurations, but you could get some complicated configurations with large assemblies.

By: Josh

Josh — Thu, 26 Jun 2008 13:09:08 +0000

yeah guys, I’d try it out and see how it works for your processes. The sketch patterns is the biggest bummer for me since I can work around the sketch picture by adding another part.

What Loeb is talking about is interesting. I’ve seen that done with spring. You could also do something similar with configurations, but you could get some complicated configurations with large assemblies.

By: Ivan

Ivan — Wed, 25 Jun 2008 20:50:14 +0000

Nice Josh, I think I'll start trying the 2008 layout sketch more. I'm with the rest of you… we find ways to make regular sketches do the job for us. But still with pros/cons as mentioned. Ditto with Matt on the importance of using sketch pictures!

Loeb, so… you're pulling in copies of your parts and mating them all in place so you can get desired motion? Seems to me like unnecessary redundant work… BOMS will have wrong qtys unless you change component properties for all multiple parts to 'Exclude from bill of materials'… you're loading twice the parts you really need…

By: Ivan

Ivan — Wed, 25 Jun 2008 20:50:14 +0000

Nice Josh, I think I’ll start trying the 2008 layout sketch more. I’m with the rest of you… we find ways to make regular sketches do the job for us. But still with pros/cons as mentioned. Ditto with Matt on the importance of using sketch pictures!

Loeb, so… you’re pulling in copies of your parts and mating them all in place so you can get desired motion? Seems to me like unnecessary redundant work… BOMS will have wrong qtys unless you change component properties for all multiple parts to ‘Exclude from bill of materials’… you’re loading twice the parts you really need…

By: Loeb

Loeb — Wed, 25 Jun 2008 16:38:07 +0000

I agree with Matt. The SWX implementation of Layout Sketches seems weak. I too have been using 2D sketches to drive the top-down design of parts and assemblies and don't see what this new feature adds. I only see it as a harder way to accomplish what I've been doing for years.

As far as having top-down driven parts move in an assembly, no problem.
1. Use your layout sketches (whether their just plain old sketches that you call layout sketches or they're the new SWX 2008 Layout Sketches doesn't matter) to define your parts and assembly in one position.
2. Create a copy of each part/assy that will be 'animated'.
3. I like to put the static, original versions of the moving parts into their own folder so that I can hide them all at once.
4. Remember to edit the original versions of the parts/assemblies if needed. I'm not sure what the implications are of editing a copy of a part/assy.

By: Loeb

Loeb — Wed, 25 Jun 2008 16:38:07 +0000

I agree with Matt. The SWX implementation of Layout Sketches seems weak. I too have been using 2D sketches to drive the top-down design of parts and assemblies and don’t see what this new feature adds. I only see it as a harder way to accomplish what I’ve been doing for years.

As far as having top-down driven parts move in an assembly, no problem.
1. Use your layout sketches (whether their just plain old sketches that you call layout sketches or they’re the new SWX 2008 Layout Sketches doesn’t matter) to define your parts and assembly in one position.
2. Create a copy of each part/assy that will be ‘animated’.
3. I like to put the static, original versions of the moving parts into their own folder so that I can hide them all at once.
4. Remember to edit the original versions of the parts/assemblies if needed. I’m not sure what the implications are of editing a copy of a part/assy.

By: Josh

Josh — Wed, 25 Jun 2008 15:41:07 +0000

Thanks Matt, yeah, we've been creating layout sketches, aka skeleton sketches, assembly sketches, horizontal modeling for year. Cool that SolidWorks put it into a single function with 3D sketches, but not cool that you cannot use sketch picture and sketch patterns. Patterns get me the most because I need hundreds of attachment locations driven from a layout.

I've gotten around the inability to use sketch picture in 3D sketches by putting a picture in a part first and then inserting it into the assembly. definitely not the best way I'd like to do it.

I totally missed mentioning the dynamic motion! it's so cool too, when you have inter-related sketches/blocks in 3D and you're adjusting sketches.

By: Josh

Josh — Wed, 25 Jun 2008 15:41:07 +0000

Thanks Matt, yeah, we’ve been creating layout sketches, aka skeleton sketches, assembly sketches, horizontal modeling for year. Cool that SolidWorks put it into a single function with 3D sketches, but not cool that you cannot use sketch picture and sketch patterns. Patterns get me the most because I need hundreds of attachment locations driven from a layout.

I’ve gotten around the inability to use sketch picture in 3D sketches by putting a picture in a part first and then inserting it into the assembly. definitely not the best way I’d like to do it.

I totally missed mentioning the dynamic motion! it’s so cool too, when you have inter-related sketches/blocks in 3D and you’re adjusting sketches.

By: solidworm

solidworm — Wed, 25 Jun 2008 12:56:03 +0000

the icon is a four-bar mechanism, fairly familiar for mechanical engineers who take dynamics of machines at the university. it reminds me of good old days back at the university.