Creating a Custom Detailed View in SolidWorks

CREATING A CUSTOM DETAILED VIEW

When a part is modeled in SolidWorks it exists as a virtual object as per Figure 1.

Figure1:

That information is traditionally conveyed to manufacturing by means of an engineering drawing.  The parametric nature of the Solidworks software allows for modifications of the part model to instantly update the part drawings.  Furthermore, more complex assemblies may have their Bills of Material updated on the fly.  An example of a simple engineering drawing is shown in Figure 2 (dimensions removed for clarity).

Figure 2:

Traditional use of the detailed view allows for a circular cut out and enlargement of the viewing section.  In some cases it is beneficial to create a custom or modifiable shape that will suit the geometry of your part.  In this case I have chosen a simple rectangle for illustration purposes.  Please bare in mind that any closed contour will work as well.  Begin by sketching your contour around the section you would like to detail as shown in Figure 3.

Figure 3:

Once the sketch is complete, select the “View Layout” tab and select “Detail View”.  This will create a detailed view based on the contour that you sketched.  In this case the detail view is a rectangle instead of the default circle as shown in Figure 4.

Figure 4:

This trick will help you save space and work with better formatting in your engineering drawings.  

How to create custom weldments?

Creating Custom SolidWorks Weldments

Not all weldments are created equally.  The standard library is a good starting point, however some profiles may not be properly dimensioned and some profiles that you need might not exist in the library.  This tutorial will show you how to create your own custom profile and insert it into the SolidWorks Library.

Suppose you need a weldment in the shape of a hexagon.  Your first step is to sketch the profile (as per below Figure 1). Please bear in mind that the origin will be the default point of extrusion for the weldment. 

 Figure 1:

Once you are satisfied with your sketch, select the sketch from the feature manager design tree, go to File > Save As.  Under “Save as type” select “Lib Feat Part”, give it a file name and save (as per Figure 2). The next step is to find your weldment profile library.  This can be done by going to Tools > Options.  Under the System Options Tab, select “File Locations”.  Under “Show folders for”, scroll down to “Weldment Profiles” and note the folder location as shown.

Figure 2:

Place a copy of the custom weldment profile into the Weldment Profiles location (as per Figure 3). 

Figure 3:

**Important** Maintain the file structure or create a new one since SolidWorks uses these file structures to designate their drop down boxes.  For example a standard profile library would look as follows:

…\weldment profiles\iso\angle\ [Weldment profile file]

You may insert your profile under the same file structure, in this case we have created (as per figure 4):

…\weldment profiles\Custom Profiles\Special 1\ [Weldment profile file]

Figure 4:

Once you have placed your custom weldment profile in place you will be able to use it like any other weldment profile (as per figure 5).

Figure 5:

SolidWorks World 2013 - Day 2 General Session VIDEO

The second day of SolidWorks World was exciting as always, with presentations from Dr. Vijay Kumar (Professor, School of Engineering & Applied Sciences, University of Pensylvania) and Festo talking about the future of robotics research. See all the action in this video.