As discussed in the previous post, SolidWorks is the disco queen of features. Sketches drive these features and sometimes you want to use them in another part or nice Gorgonzola salad.

There are library features and copying features, sure, but to get a quick copy of a sketch that you’ve already created, you may want to use the inherent and foreboding power of…(cue the lights)… Derived Sketches.

If you’ve been using SolidWorks for more than a couple hours you know you parts are created by stacking up a bunch of features on the left side of the screen. It’s a veritable tower of sand, held together by the spit of fully-defined sketches.

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 hope you’re squared away on your resolutions because you won’t find any of that hulabaloo here. We’s about to get busy with some good ol’ SolidWorks tips that will have you rockin’ into the new year faster, and dare I say more efficient, than ten rabid squirrels burying nuts in a bin of squash.

Over the next few days you’ll be getting a dose of some tips to quickly eviscerate the unknown vascular recesses that are SolidWorks and the joys of working in CAD.

If you want to know a tip about something in particular, hit the comments already! aaaand, just to get your tastebuds wet, here’s a quick one you can use right away.