New in SolidWorks 2015- Sketching (Part 2)

New in SOLIDWORKS 2015 - SKETCHING

EQUIDISTANT POINTS AND SEGMENTS

You can create equidistant points and segments in a sketch. We will divide the line below in 5 segments using the Segment command highlighted in red box

In the Segment tool we have to select the entity that we want to divide. Then we have the option to select Sketch points or Sketch segments and the number of instances. In our case we selected the line as the entity to divide and Sketch segment option with 5 segments to divide.

As shown below the line got divided into 5 segments and we can select any one of the segment. Here the first segment is selected and so it’s highlighted in orange color.

Below is an example of using Segment command with sketch point’s option. Here we are creating 8 points on the circle’s circumference.

As shown below when the circle is selected its one complete segment with 8 points distributed equally.

MIDPOINT LINE OPTION

There is a new type of line in the Line command and it’s the Midpoint line option as shown below. You can create a line that is symmetrical from the midpoint of the line

We started the sketch line from the origin using the Midpoint line option and as shown below it’s symmetrical on both sides from the origin.

Sketching - What's new in SolidWorks 2015?

Sketching in SolidWorks 2015 - What's New - Part 1

ADDING CENTERLINES TO RECTANGLES

You can add centerlines when sketching a rectangle. In the PropertyManager, under Options, select Add construction lines as shown below.

Now you can select to add construction line either From Corner or From Midpoint as shown below.

The From Midpoints option is shown below.

The From Corners option is shown below.

CONVERING SPLINE TYPES

You can convert regular splines to style splines and vice versa. This is helpful when you want to sketch a spline by its through points, but then convert it to a style spline.

As shown below we have a regular spline that we want to convert to style spline.

We right click on the spline and select Convert to Style Spline option as shown below.

SolidWorks will show the Sketcher Confirm Conversion message for which we can say yes.

Shown below is the preview of Style spline with Curve degree set to 24.

We change the Curve degree to 6 and the result updates as shown below.

Creating Planes Normal to View Orientation - New in SOLIDWORKS 2015

In SolidWorks 2015, you can create a reference plane parallel to the screen by setting an offset from a reference vertex.

 As shown below we have selected the vertex as the first reference for plane creation.

Now we click on the Parallel to Screen option and type the offset distance as 0 since we want the plane to pass through the vertex. As shown in the image below we can see the preview of plane being created.

In case if you want to make a change you can always edit the plane and use the Update Plane option.

New in SolidWorks 2015 - LOFTED BENDS (NON-PARALLEL PLANES)

Lofted Bends (Non-Parallel Planes) - New in SolidWorks 2015

You can create bent lofted bends from sketches on Non-Parallel planes. In the previous versions of SolidWorks, the planes had to be parallel.

Shown below are two non-parallel sketches

In the Lofted Bends command, we can select the two sketches and are presented with a preview and Faceting options.

Finally as shown below, Bent lofted bends form a realistic transition between the non-parallel profiles.

New in SolidWorks 2015 - Magnifying Glass Access

A new Selection Toolbar in SOLIDWORKS 2015 provides easy access to the most commonly used selection tools, access to selection filters, and a shortcut to activate the magnifying glass during selection.

Magnifying Glass Access:

The Tools menu and the Select flyout menu on the Standard toolbar include the Magnified Selection tool, which displays the magnifying glass tool. The tool is also available on the context toolbar that appears when we right-click an empty space in the graphics area.

A.   Tools menu location

B.   Select flyout menu location

C.   Context toolbar location

The magnifying glass, which we can also display using the G shortcut key, gives a magnified view of a section of a model so that we can inspect the model and make selections without changing the overall view.

We can add the Magnified Selection tool to other toolbars, such as the Heads-Up View toolbar, by clicking Tools > Customize. On the Commands tab, in Categories, select Standard and drag the button to the toolbar where we want to add it.

Note: The magnifying glass is disabled if Use software OpenGL is selected in Tools > Options > Performance. Use software OpenGL is selected by default if you access the SOLIDWORKSsoftware remotely.