SolidWorks 2022: Part Modeling Features for Building

Name: SolidWorks 2022: Part Modeling Features for Building
Author: Will Tenney

Learn the most commonly used features for building 3D volumes in Solidworks

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Course: On-Demand

Hi, my name is Will Tenney. In this lesson, we explore the conditions of a feature, the origin point, termination point, draft, et cetera. So, we know the basics of creating sketches. We can use a plane and draw something in two dimensions. We can also use 3D sketch or projected curve to create lines that drift in three dimensions across X, Y, Z, but those sketches usually serve the purpose of creating features because features are the things that are going to get us the value out of the program. They get us things we can render with. They get us the things we can create engineering drawings with, that we can use for exporting files for manufacturing, 3D printing, cutting on the CNC router, anything we need, and so we're gonna start talking about that now. A sketch will be the basis of the feature that will come from it and for most cases, the sketch is the origin of the extrusion of that feature. The feature simply adds the third dimension. So, let's go ahead and give that a shot. Here we go. We're gonna select the sketch, and it's already asking us how far we want to extrude, there we go, this item, and that brings up the termination point. We can set the termination point usually over here to the left by setting a distance. We can also set the termination point by selecting a vertex that it terminates up to. This could be a point or a line. We can set the termination point by bringing it up to a plane, which is a type of surface, a flat type of surface specifically, or we can also select a surface that we make ourselves. This particular surface is flat, but if this surface had dimensionality, this boss extrude would extrude up to that dimensionality and match that surface and its curvature, which is also convenient. Most features are going to have something called Draft, which is an option you can toggle on or toggle off. You can set the degree. For those of you who are unfamiliar with Draft, it's essentially just the tapering of a feature in one dimension, usually to pull it out of a mold if you're doing plastic injection molding or casting, or if you simply just want to give a taper to the design of the product that you're designing. Most features will also have something called a Thin Feature, which we can usually toggle on or toggle off. For that, it disregards the closed space created by the sketch and focuses only on the lines. Now, the idea thus far has been, you need a closed contour in order to make a feature and for most cases, that is correct, but if you prefer just to make a feature from the line itself, we can go ahead and choose Thin Feature and basically dictate how thick those lines are going to be and in what direction, on the outside or the inside, the feature is created. I'll give an example of that. If I go back into the sketch and say I trim one of these entities, the purple shade has gone away. It is now an open contour. We can still use this to create a feature, but it's automatically going to choose Thin Feature. We will not be able to toggle out of that and create something, but it's nice to know what that option is there. Thanks for tuning in. In the next lesson, we discuss the following feature tools, boss tools. These are extruded boss and revolved boss.

Beginner Provider : Will Tenney 7 Lessons · 27m in Arabic, German, English, Spanish, French, Portuguese, Chinese

Course Description

Using 2D sketches, you can set the basic parameters of what will become a 3D model. All that is left is adding depth to that sketch to make it something that has mass and volume. This is the intent in Solidworks: taking sketch concepts and building them into 3D shapes that can be used for manufacturing, engineering drawings, 3D printing, presentation, rendering, etc.

There are 2 categories of tools that will be covered in this module: Boss tools (tools for building mass) and cut tools (tools for removing mass from an existing 3D volume). Some of the most common boss tools, those that will be taught in this module include: Extrude Boss/Base (a tool for adding depth dimension to a 2D sketch, Swept Boss (a tool for extruding a profile along a sketch path), and Boundary Boss (a more sophisticated tool for connecting two sketch profiles with a curved path creating a more organic volume). The boss (mass-building) tools each have cut counterparts that behave in similar ways and, expectedly, are built in the same way. Finally, you will learn not just how to extrude a sketch profile into a mass or cutting tool, but how to manipulate the path of that profile in a way that is controlled by the designer.

What You'll Learn

Understand the relationship between 2D sketches and the 3D volumes they create in SolidWorks
Create basic mass-building (boss) features such as Extruded, Revolved, and Swept Boss
Create basic mass-removing (cut) features such as Extruded, Revolved, and Swept Cut
Use Boundary Boss and Boundary Cut to connect two sketch profiles along a curved path
Control the path of a sketch profile as it edits a 3D volume
Combine more than one sketch into a single 3D feature

Key Takeaways

Adding depth to a 2D sketch turns it into a 3D model with mass and volume that can be used for manufacturing, engineering drawings, 3D printing, presentation, and rendering.
The module covers two categories of tools: boss tools for building mass and cut tools for removing mass from an existing 3D volume.
Each boss (mass-building) tool has a cut counterpart that behaves in a similar way and is built the same way.
Common boss tools taught include Extrude Boss/Base for adding depth, Swept Boss for extruding a profile along a sketch path, and Boundary Boss for connecting two profiles with a curved, more organic volume.
The course teaches how to manipulate the path of a sketch profile in a way that is controlled by the designer.

Frequently Asked Questions

What does this SolidWorks course cover?

It covers part modeling features in SolidWorks 2022, focusing on two categories of tools: boss tools for building mass and cut tools for removing mass from an existing 3D volume. Topics include Extruded and Revolved Boss, Swept and Lofted Boss, Boundary Boss, and their cut counterparts.

What tools will I learn to use?

You will learn common boss tools such as Extrude Boss/Base for adding depth to a 2D sketch, Swept Boss for extruding a profile along a sketch path, and Boundary Boss for connecting two sketch profiles with a curved path, along with their cut counterparts.

What skills does this course build?

The course builds skills in 3D Modeling, 3D Modeling Software, Build Tools, SketchUp, Solid Modeling, and SolidWorks (CAD).

Will I learn how to combine multiple sketches into one feature?

Yes. One of the learning objectives is to learn how to combine more than one sketch into a single 3D feature, and tools like Boundary Boss connect two sketch profiles into a single volume.