Graphics Systems SolidNotes

Keeping Older SolidWorks Releases in Peak Performance

Many SolidWorks users, for various reasons, stay with an older version of SolidWorks. Some SolidWorks users keep more than one version of SolidWorks to accommodate customers and partners.

To keep your older SolidWorks at its peak performance consider updating to the final Service Pack for that edition.

As an example: SolidWorks 2012 has issued the final Service pack – SP5. Service Pack 5 is going to address all the issues considered for SolidWorks 2012 (any other issues or enhancements would be for a future version)

Typically the final service pack is the most stable of the versions.

One important thing about older versions of SolidWorks and downloads is You MUST be on Subscription. With subscription you can log into the customer portal at:

http://www.solidworks.com/default.htm

and then from the download menu choose the version or service pack you wish to download.

Some customers choose not to renew subscription at some point.

Keep in mind access and rights to Service packs ends with the subscription date.

You are only allowed service packs and versions that have been released during your active subscription. Subsequent updated are not available past the end your subscription date.

Also consider saving a copy of the final version in a safe place for the future.

 

See SolidWorks Help at:

http://help.solidworks.com/2012/English/SolidWorks/install_guide/HID_STATE_DOWNLOAD_OPTIONS.htm

Go the the section of:

Download only. You can download once and then share downloaded files with multiple computers.

SolidWorks Installation Manager does not run an installation after the download completes.

Typically, you would specify this option if you are downloading the files to configure an installation file set to share among multiple computers.

If you specify this option, you are then asked to choose between two sets of files to download:

• Files for THIS computer: The download will contain only those files that are missing from the installation file set currently on this computer.

This should be a smaller download because it contains:

• Only files for products selected on the Product Selection page
• Only the prerequisite files that are required for your computer but not yet installed

However, if you try to use this downloaded file set on another computer to perform an installation, some files could be missing (because the installation file set on the other computer might be different from this one). You can use these download files to install on another computer, but when the installation runs you may have to download additional files to complete the installation file set on that computer.

• Files to share with ANY computer: The download will contain the complete installation file set that can be used to install this version on any computer.

This will be the larger download because it contains the complete file set that you can use to install this version of any product on any computer.

If you specified a limited set of products to download, this option ignores that specification and downloads all products contained in the product release.

The download will contain all files required to create an administrative image, not just those files required to perform an individual installation.

 

 

Below is a list of release dates for SolidWorks versions and Service packs. With this you can ensure that you have the most current Service pack available that you are entitled to. (Solution ID: S-038801)

 

2013
SP2	1/30/2013
SP1	12/5/2012
SP0	10/9/2012
2012
SP5	10/25/2012
SP4	6/18/2012
SP3	4/9/2012
SP2	1/27/2012
SP1	11/17/2011
SP0	10/3/2011
2011
SP5	10/10/2011
SP4	6/17/2011
SP3	3/23/2011
SP2	1/17/2011
SP1	12/2/2010
SP0	10/18/2010
2010
SP5	12/9/2010
SP4	6/22/2010
SP3.1	5/11/2010
SP2.1	1/26/2010
SP2	1/11/2010
SP1	12/7/2009
SP0	10/19/2009
2009
SP5	11/23/2009
SP4	6/30/2009
SP3	3/25/2009
SP2.1	2/10/2009
SP2	1/14/2009
SP1	11/13/2008
SP0	9/17/2008
2008
SP5	10/23/2008
SP4	6/18/2008
SP3.1	3/10/2008
SP3	2/20/2008
SP2.1	1/29/2008
SP2	1/14/2008
SP1	11/27/2007
SP0	9/13/2007
2007
SP5	10/30/2007
SP4	5/31/2007
SP3	2/14/2007
SP2.2	12/21/2006
SP2.1	12/4/2006
SP2	11/9/2006
SP1.1	10/17/2006
SP1	9/26/2006
SP0	7/26/2006
2006
SP5.1	11/??/2006
SP5	8/31/2006
SP4.1	4/19/2006
SP4	4/3/2006
SP3.4	2/23/2006
SP3.3	2/15/2006
SP3.1	1/16/2006
SP3	1/3/2006
SP2.1	12/8/2005
SP2	11/16/2005
SP1	10/15/2005
SP0	8/1/2005
2005
SP5	9/14/2005
SP4	7/11/2005
SP3.1	5/31/2005
SP3	4/12/2005
SP2	3/21/2005
SP1	2/14/2005
SP0.1	10/28/2004
SP0	8/26/2004
2004
SP5	12/13/2004
SP4.2	9/21/2004
SP4.1	7/20/2004
SP4	6/21/2004
SP3	3/17/2004
SP2.1	1/26/2004
SP2	1/6/2004
SP1	11/6/2003
SP0	9/8/2003
2003
SP5.1	11/25/2003
SP5	10/6/2003
SP4.1	9/15/2003
SP4	7/14/2003
SP3.1	5/15/2003
SP3	4/24/2003
SP2.1	3/12/2003
SP2	3/4/2003
SP1.1	2/4/2003
SP1	1/9/2003
SP0	10/28/2003
2001+
SP6	11/11/2002
SP5.1	9/25/2002
SP5	9/19/2002
SP4.1	8/12/2002
SP4	7/22/2002
SP3	5/20/2002
SP2	3/14/2002
SP1.2	1/29/2002
SP1.1	1/24/2002
SP1	1/21/2002
SP0	12/11/2001

Two Handy Assembly Mouse Shortcuts

This month I have a couple of quick shortcuts to share when working with assemblies. I used these in my SolidWorks Assembly Modeling class last week and everyone in the class wanted to know how I did things so quick, so I figured it would make a good blog post.

Shortcut number one: hold down the <CTRL> key as you drag a part in an assembly and SolidWorks will make a new instance (“copy”) on the fly. A great way to get another instance of a part without having to find it with Insert Part or from some folder or part window.

Shortcut number two: drag an underdefined component with the right mouse button instead of the left and you’ll rotate the part instead of moving it.

I’ve created a short video showing these shortcuts in action. If you like these, let me know in the comments area and maybe I’ll have a couple more next month!

  

On Design and The Tools Of Our Trade

Every once in a while in this space, I like to depart from the usual technical tips and tricks and think back to not the tool but the reasons for its use. We need to learn the tools of our trade, certainly, but we must also continually learn and refine our craft. We are, after all, designers. SolidWorks is the mechanism by which we translate our ideas into reality. As designers, we are taught to think outside the box. To look at the world a little differently. To see solutions where there were none before. Speaking for myself, I know I have sought and received inspiration from the work of others…perhaps you recall my article in these very pages on a longtime favorite of mine, Brooks Stevens.

Aside from others’ designs, I also enjoy reading their thoughts and perspectives on Design Thinking itself. This month, I thought I would leave you with a couple simply elegant quotations from those I respect and admire:

“Always design a thing by considering it in its next larger context — a chair in the room, a room in a house, a house in an environment, an environment in a city.”

--- Eliel Saarinen

“It’s art if it can’t be explained. It’s fashion if no one asks for an explanation. It’s design if it doesn’t need explanation.”

--- Wouter Stokkel

 Who are your biggest inspirations, in your work?

 

SolidWorks Tutorial: How to Get Colored Crosshatch in Section View

There have been times when I wanted to show a section view with the crosshatch in a different color than the default black. Here is what the default view looks like.

Here are the steps to get a different color for the crosshatch.

• Create a new layer and give it the color, line style, and line thickness you want.

• Select the default crosshatched area on the section view.
• In the Area Hatch/Fill Property Manager, uncheck the “Material crosshatch” checkbox.

• Then select “None” as the option for type and select “OK” (green checkmark).

• Select the area (or areas) that you want to have crosshatched.
• Go to the Insert dropdown menu and select “Annotations > Area Hatch/Fill”.
• Here is where you can select what style of Hatch you want to have on the area.
• Then select the newly created layer (color layer).

• This is what your colored drawing view will look like.

 

Using Bend Notes in SolidWorks 2013

SolidWorks 2013 has some very nice enhancements for bend notes. To start, bend notes can now be controlled directly from a selected view’s PropertyManager.

 

Bend notes can also have more information added beyond direction, angle, and radius. Simply click on the buttons below the Bend Note field in the PropertyManager to add information. You can also build up a bend note with your own order and constant text between the bracketed syntax for the bend note information place holders.

 

Under Tools, Options, Document Properties, Sheet Metal, you’ll find the controls for the notes. Changing the style here will change the styles for all the bend notes in the drawing, although you can also select note and adjust them separately.

Don’t forget you can select multiple notes together to change style and position. While this isn’t new in 2013, it’s good to review the options here. See the following examples for some ideas. Thanks for reading!

 

 

 

 

Transactive Memory and 3D Content

I’ve been reading a bit lately about transactive memory.   It’s a theory that basically states that in any organization, the group mind may know something in its entirety although individual members will only know either certain things or how to find the person with the appropriate knowledge.   Collectively, however, it’s an efficient and effective system.

Reading about this has reinforced my belief that the more work we put into obtaining data, the better we remember it.   Have you felt that way?   In the old days, we may have had to drive to a library and pore through volumes of material to find something.   Now, we find that all we need to remember is which file drawer we’ve placed something in, or, in an even more contemporary example, that it comes up at the top of the list in Google if I phrase my search terms in a certain way.

I am a big believer in being familiar with one’s resources.   Reading about memory systems and mnemonic tools has reassured me that this is in fact how the brain works, and indeed it’s safe to say at times it’s less important to remember something  than to know how to find it when needed.

What does this have to do with SolidWorks?

I’m glad you asked.   As trusted advisers, we here at Graphics Systems believe in empowering our customers, and a vital part of our training classes is teaching not only the software but tools for its effective use.    One of those tools is 3D Content Central, a Dassault Systemes SolidWorks hosted site.

 

If you’re about to model any sort of purchased part, check this site out first as there are countless free searchable parts and assemblies available in native SolidWorks format.   Yes, I said “free.”   The only stipulation is you agree to receive an email from the company whose products you’ve downloaded, but that’s a rather small price to pay!   Additionally, you are able to post your own company’s parts for others’ use in their designs…so it’s a win-win situation and the site has spawned quite a user community.  

So, remember those resources at your fingertips, such as 3D Content Central and my.solidworks.com (as was covered in these pages recently by my coworker Dale Rice).  

Change Your Life With SolidWorks "Search Options"

One of the great things about SolidWorks is that each new release is chock full of new functionality and improvements. The challenge of knowing where the settings are located that govern the behavior of all that functionality, unfortunately, becomes larger and larger.... until SolidWorks 2013.

In SolidWorks 2013, we have the same Options dialog that we've had in the past, with tabs and categories and all manner of controls, but we also now have a way to quickly find what we want -- it's called Search Options.

Say I'm working on a file from someone who didn't use the same document properties I want; maybe the arrows in sketches aren't to my liking. In the old days, I'd have to remember where those specific settings were located, or go through the Help and find it that way. In 2013, I can just type in the word "arrow" in Search Options, and immediately I'll have a list of each and every setting (both System Options and Document Properties included). What's more, I can click on that list and the Options dialog will jump to the described location for me, so I can literally click through and visually search for the page of settings that I want, with SolidWorks highlighting my keyword match on each page as I go:

Thus, on my third click in the list, I find the arrow settings I was looking for. Simple!

If you are a CAD administrator or a person who supports SolidWorks at your company, Search Options can make your life a whole lot easier. I won't leave home without it!

The Importance of Copy Settings Wizard in SolidWorks

Now that you’ve installed your SolidWorks and have it just as you want it……………. Back Up Your Settings!

 

Sometimes bad things happen to good people, if you have SolidWorks issues it’s nice to be able to restore your settings.

Or, maybe you want to establish a company standard for SolidWorks settings; this can be accomplished with the copy settings wizard.

The following is from SolidWorks Help:

The Copy Settings Wizard saves, restores, and propagates system settings to users, computers, or profiles.

When you select options for the SolidWorks software, those settings are saved in a registry file, and the software recognizes the settings from one release of SolidWorks to the next. For most users, no action is necessary to maintain their settings. However, you can use the Copy Settings Wizard to distribute settings.

You can Save or Restore system settings for:

• Keyboard shortcuts
• Menu customization
• System options
• Toolbar layout (All toolbars or Macro toolbar only)

You save settings to a file and then restore them to the following registries:

Profile	Registry
Current user	CURRENT_USER of current user
One or more network computers	LOCAL_MACHINE of selected computers
One or more roaming user profiles	CURRENT_USER of selected users

 Only system administrators should copy settings to network computers or roaming user profiles. When you restore settings to network computers, the settings apply to new SolidWorks users on the specified computers. You can restore settings to roaming user profiles only if your company uses roaming user profiles.

 

To save system settings:

1. Optionally, exit SolidWorks.

You can save settings while SolidWorks is running but any options set during the current session are not saved.

1. In Windows, click Start, All Programs, SolidWorks <version>, SolidWorks <version>, SolidWorks Tools, Copy Settings Wizard .
2. In the dialog box, select Save Settings, then click Next.
3. Browse to a location and file name, select the types of settings, then click Finish.

The wizard confirms that the settings have been written to the specified file.

5.  Click OK.

 The settings files have a default extension of .sldreg. If you double-click a file with this extension, the Copy Settings Wizard appears.

To restore system settings:

1. Ensure that the computer or user to which you are restoring settings is not running SolidWorks.
2. In Windows, click Start, All Programs, SolidWorks <version>, SolidWorks <version>, SolidWorks Tools, Copy Settings Wizard .
3. In the dialog box, select Restore Settings, then click Next.
4. Browse to a file from which to restore settings, select the types of settings to restore, then click Next.
5. Select the type of destination (Current user, One or more network computers, or One or more roaming user profiles), then click Next.

If you selected:

• Current user - skip to step 6
• One or more network computers - a list of available computers is displayed
• One or more roaming user profiles - a list of available users is displayed

1. Select a user or a computer and click Add, repeat until you have specified all computers or users, then click Next.
2. Select or clear Create backup of current settings for <each_computer_or_user>, then click Finish.

The wizard confirms that the settings have been copied successfully.

1. Click OK.

New SolidWorks 2013 Function: Convert Drawing View to Sketch

Have you ever wanted to take a drawing view and make it into a standard block that you could use in layout drawings? You have a part model, but you only want a 2D “picture” of it? SolidWorks 2013 has a new command that makes this a breeze!

Simply right click on any model drawing view and choose Convert View to Sketch.

 

If you want to define a sketch block, choose that option and set the insertion point as you would any other block you create in SolidWorks.

 

Click to place the block and viola! There’s your block.

Getting Familiar with My.SolidWorks.com

How much time do you spend going from blog to blog, site to site, or checking your twitter feed to get the latest SolidWorks info? SolidWorks introduces my.solidworks.com; an aggregated site that pulls tutorials, tips, and news from across the web to one location.

My.solidworks.com organizes articles, videos, photos, step-by-step tutorials, the latest news, and social media updates in a way that is searchable and allows you to filter based upon topic and source.  It is just the ticket to help you be more productive while searching through online content. Solidworks will be adding more content in phases, so check the site often. Enjoy!