Based on what you do in that stack, the FeatureManager Tree, your part could crumble or, even worse, have absolutely no aesthetic appeal whatsoever. One way around this is one of the most useful features you can use in SolidWorks but one I don’t see used nearly enough. Naming Features.
Huh, You say? Well, before you wad this blog up and throw it in the disposal here’s why you should do it and how it will improve your design.
I’m all for not being constrained to sketches and features, running around with nothing but your solid geometry on. But in SolidWorks sketch-driven, history-based modeling is a reality and can be used for good, as opposed to things that are not good.
Create a train of thought
Some call it design intent (how you want the model to act) but really, it’s more. It’s how you’re throwin’ crap together or hopefully, at the very least, thinking of how its being built or manufactured. Instead of leaving features named Cut-Extrude1, Sweep2, or Fillet3 name them along the way.
Doing this causes something to happen. It becomes clear what the features actually are and you may better understand how to make changes to create a better product. This helps refine features, cut load time and improve design. Here’s a simple example.
The Three Trees
When the part was completed the FeatureManager looked like the first tree below. The second version names the features and you can see right away where there’s possible duplication. The third tree refines the features and cleans up the model.
Try this on any of your parts. My bet is you’ll see where you can make improvements right away. I regularly run this test with newbies and it really helps develop a more cognitive approach to modeling.
