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Meet Kenny Truong, Applications Engineer II at Hawk Ridge Systems

Kenny Truong, engineer at Hawk Ridge Systems

Tell me about how you got into engineering.  I grew up in Minnesota and then I went to the engineering program at The University of Minnesota. I think even probably as early as middle school or high school, I knew I wanted to go down some type of engineering path. I just found mechanical things or just taking stuff […]

CAMWorks vs. ESPRIT vs. Mastercam: Choosing the Right Wire EDM Software       

CAMWorks Wire EDM Pro in SOLIDWORKS CAD

In the fast-evolving world of manufacturing, you need precision, speed, and flexibility to keep up with industry leaders.    For some industries, these are the bare minimum requirements in today’s market. Without them, you could be swept under the rug.   One machining process that offers these qualities is wire electrical discharge machining (wire EDM) — a technology that has revolutionized how manufacturers create intricate, high-precision components.  What Is Wire EDM?  Wire EDM, or […]

Meet Taylor Hoff, Applications Engineer III at Hawk Ridge Systems 

Tell me about how you got into engineering.  I’ve always been interested in finding out how things work — I spent a lot of time taking things apart in my youth. Discovering how each little bit and piece of something could come together to create some greater function always impressed me back then—and still does today. That curiosity naturally evolved into a drive to create things myself and to gain a better […]

3DEXPERIENCE World 2026: SOLIDWORKS goes All-in on AI 

Learn about the groundbreaking AI advancements unveiled at 3DEXPERIENCE World 2026, where SOLIDWORKS embraces AI as a core multiplier for engineers. Highlights include the introduction of LEO, the physics-aware virtual assistant that reverse-engineers drawings into parametric models, automates simulations, generates manufacturable parts from sketches, and even builds complex assemblies—like a wind-loaded steel water tank frame—in minutes. Powered by Dassault Systèmes’ partnership with NVIDIA for “physical AI” and industry world models, these tools amplify creativity, streamline workflows, and boost productivity without replacing human expertise.

What It Actually Means to Future-Proof Your Automotive Factory Floor

Industrial robotic arms weld a suspended white car body on an assembly line, with intense orange sparks and dramatic fiery light creating a high-energy factory scene.

Future-proof your automotive factory floor with digital twins, cobots, and on-demand additive tooling. Discover actionable steps Tier-1 & Tier-2 suppliers are using today with Hawk Ridge Systems, DELMIA, SOLIDWORKS, and Markforged to cut downtime, changeovers, and costs — and stay profitable in the EV era.

SOLIDWORKS Simulation 2026: Key New Enhancements 

SOLIDWORKS Simulation 2026 Enhancements

What’s new in SOLIDWORKS Simulation 2026? New angular displacement plots that eliminate manual trigonometry, default thick shells setting, distributed remote loads on shell edges, 30% faster connector solving, and more.

Meet Erik Islo, Technical Support Engineer at Hawk Ridge Systems

What started off as a conversion of a 1982 Suzuki from carburetors to homemade fuel injection, has now turned into an electric conversion project.

Meet Erik Islo, Technical Support Engineer at Hawk Ridge Systems specializing in CAMWORKS and SOLIDWORKS CAM. From basement CNC mills and homemade electric motorcycles to solar-powered homes and pedal-powered generators, Erik’s 20+ years in manufacturing and boundless curiosity shine through. See how a kid with Legos and a welder accidentally became an engineer, why he joined Hawk Ridge Systems, his best advice for future engineers, and the gloriously over-engineered coffee mug that runs on power-tool batteries.

2026 SOLIDWORKS Buying Guide: Get the Most for Your Money

Engineers working on an assembly in SOLIDWORKS

SOLIDWORKS is the core of many engineering design ecosystems and integrates simulation, data management, CAM, and cloud services, which are now automatically included for all new customers. SOLIDWORKS has a wide range of purchase options that cater to all. There are SOLIDWORKS subscription price options that cater specifically to large enterprises, medium-sized businesses, small businesses, […]

Beyond the Hype: What’s New with AI in Design 

AURA AI SOLIDWORKS

In a world where AI dominates headlines and every tech company seems to be in an arms race to integrate artificial intelligence into their products, it’s important to separate the practical from the promotional. As designers and engineers, we need solutions that actually improve workflows today — not just promises about the future.  SOLIDWORKS has […]

Repairability as a Core Automotive Design Principle

Designing with repairability in mind for automotive

Amid right-to-repair laws, sustainability concerns, and consumer demands, design for repairability is a core design principle that can help you optimize automotive component part design for efficient maintenance, reduced costs, and increased customer satisfaction.

What’s Here Today: The AI Buzz in SOLIDWORKS CAD & 3DEXPERIENCE

AI features now available in SOLIDWORKS CAD

Something exciting is happening in the world of design and engineering. Whether you call it artificial intelligence (AI), machine learning (ML), or just smarter software, Dassault Systèmes is quietly transforming how we work. AI technologies are now being built directly into some of the most popular tools — like SOLIDWORKS and the cloud-powered 3DEXPERIENCE platform. […]

How to Configure and Manage the SOLIDWORKS Toolbox

Different types of fasteners in the SOLIDWORKS Toolbox

The SOLIDWORKS Toolbox can be a powerful tool for working with assemblies. As discussed in previous blog posts, the Toolbox can be a valuable asset for automating the usage of standardized components in your designs. The standard Toolbox has a vast catalog of components like fasteners, washers, O-rings, and that helps standardize designs and eliminate […]

Just Add MaaS: Building Your Perfect D2M Ecosystem with Hawk Ridge Systems

A3D Manufacturing showing customers their shop floor

You probably already know that Hawk Ridge Systems has an impressive portfolio of manufacturing hardware, software, and services to help you more easily build your prototypes, parts, and products. What you might not know is that we also partner with manufacturing as a service (MaaS) providers, specifically, A3D Manufacturing.   MaaS is perfect when you:  If […]

How I Designed and 3D-Printed Sturdy Paddleboard Cup Holders

It all started with a text from my sister: “Hey, I have this idea for my paddleboard.” I could not help but be intrigued.   She had been paddleboarding for a while now, exploring lakes and rivers, and there was one thing she always wished she had — a cup holder.   But not just any cup […]

3 Actionable Strategies for Manufacturers Dealing with New Tariffs

3D printed chess pieces from a Markforged 3D printer

Tariffs are a tool in a long game for politicians, but for engineers and manufacturers, they are a pain in one’s posterior geometry if you know what we mean.     In February 2025, President Trump announced a 25% tariff on steel and aluminum imports closing loopholes that other countries skirted previously. And in March 2025, President […]

Why Companies Use SOLIDWORKS to Design High Tech

KOSES Facility Shop Floor 

If you’re designing cutting-edge tech products, you need tools that keep up with the demands of modern engineering. SOLIDWORKS isn’t just a CAD program — it’s a full-fledged design, simulation, and validation ecosystem that makes product development faster, smarter, and more cost-effective. With powerful built-in simulation tools, seamless integration with circuit board design software, and […]

How to Fix the Most Frustrating Import Issues with 3D Mesh Files 

Supply chains are a necessary evil. You can’t get a product to the consumer if you don’t have the right materials, suppliers, producers, distributors and assembly mechanisms. But each of those facets require two things: time and money. Wouldn’t it be nice to reduce the amount of downtime and expense it takes to bring a product through the supply chain? Enter additive manufacturing.

Additive manufacturing, or 3D printing, doesn’t necessarily replace traditional manufacturing. Instead it solves challenges that can add expenses, slow down, or even disrupt the traditional manufacturing supply chain. In order to show you the impact that additive could have, we put together an infographic that walks through traditional manufacturing and shows how adapting additive can change some of those bottlenecks.

6 Easy Steps to Benchmarking and Improving Your SOLIDWORKS Performance

When it comes to the world of consumable products, most experts know that economies of scale are everything. Whether they be food containers or medical supplies, producing these items quickly and cheaply enough in order to be enjoyed by the world’s population is only possible with mass production and the technologies that make it possible, such as plastic injection molding.

As if producing vast quantities of products wasn’t already challenging enough, the world’s supply chains have faced an unprecedented challenge in the face of the 2020 novel coronavirus pandemic. Shortages have cropped up in everything from bottled water to toiletries, and of course medical equipment.

How to Efficiently Manage the Supply Chain Process with 3D Printing

person holding a 3d printed part

Supply chains are a necessary evil. You can’t get a product to the consumer if you don’t have the right materials, suppliers, producers, distributors and assembly mechanisms. But each of those facets require two things: time and money. Wouldn’t it be nice to reduce the amount of downtime and expense it takes to bring a product through the supply chain? Enter additive manufacturing.

Additive manufacturing, or 3D printing, doesn’t necessarily replace traditional manufacturing. Instead it solves challenges that can add expenses, slow down, or even disrupt the traditional manufacturing supply chain. In order to show you the impact that additive could have, we put together an infographic that walks through traditional manufacturing and shows how adapting additive can change some of those bottlenecks.

3 Ways to Fight Rising Costs and Labor Challenges in Manufacturing

camworks training

Manufacturing costs are escalating in part due to material prices, supply chain breakdowns, along with labor cost increases and shortages. When adding shop personnel, we’re often faced with the challenge of trying to out-bid the next company down the street for the next seasoned machinist, or to build up a candidate with less experience.

How to Avoid Shortages in Plastic Production with SOLIDWORKS Plastics

SOLIDWORKS Plastics Can Help Maintain the Supply Chain

When it comes to the world of consumable products, most experts know that economies of scale are everything. Whether they be food containers or medical supplies, producing these items quickly and cheaply enough in order to be enjoyed by the world’s population is only possible with mass production and the technologies that make it possible, such as plastic injection molding.

As if producing vast quantities of products wasn’t already challenging enough, the world’s supply chains have faced an unprecedented challenge in the face of the 2020 novel coronavirus pandemic. Shortages have cropped up in everything from bottled water to toiletries, and of course medical equipment.

Food-safe 3D Printing Material: Nylon White FS from Markforged

3D printing is an extremely useful technology for spinning up bespoke tooling for the manufacturing line. As always, things get complicated once you start to look at regulatory requirements, and the food and beverage industry, which directly impacts human health, has a high bar of requirements to get through.   Food and beverage industry regulations can […]

How Design Can Impact Supply Chain Downstream

Parallel product development processes for better business decisions

When you think about a product reaching your hands—from the spark of an idea to that final, tangible item—there’s a whole network working behind the scenes. As engineers and technical professionals, every design decision we make sends ripples through the entire supply chain. And that’s a big deal.  What Does “Design for Supply Chain” Mean? […]

How to Use CFD Results as FEA Inputs for Multiphysics Analysis 

Supply chains are a necessary evil. You can’t get a product to the consumer if you don’t have the right materials, suppliers, producers, distributors and assembly mechanisms. But each of those facets require two things: time and money. Wouldn’t it be nice to reduce the amount of downtime and expense it takes to bring a product through the supply chain? Enter additive manufacturing.

Additive manufacturing, or 3D printing, doesn’t necessarily replace traditional manufacturing. Instead it solves challenges that can add expenses, slow down, or even disrupt the traditional manufacturing supply chain. In order to show you the impact that additive could have, we put together an infographic that walks through traditional manufacturing and shows how adapting additive can change some of those bottlenecks.

Streamlining PCB & Mechanical Design: The Power of OrCAD X and SOLIDWORKS

How OrCAD X and CircuitWorks Enhance PCB Design for SOLIDWORKS Users

If you’re a SOLIDWORKS user, you’re probably used to having total control over mechanical design. From assembling complicated products to designing detailed plastic parts, SOLIDWORKS CAD makes complex projects manageable. But when a design involves printed circuit boards (PCBs), collaboration with electrical teams can quickly become challenging. Misaligned workflows, endless file exchanges, and late-stage surprises […]

The Impact of Supply Chain Disruptions on Manufacturing

Robotics on the manufacturing floor

You might not be able to see them, but supply chains are at the heart of all manufacturing operations. They connect suppliers, distributors, and customers.   So, what happens when things go wrong? Like when materials are in short supply, shipments are delayed, and costs are on the up and up?  In this blog, we’ll explore […]

How to Make Your Shop Floor Run Smoother 

Supply chain disruptions over the past few years have been a headache for manufacturers and machine shops. From material shortages to new tariffs to unexpected transportation delays, businesses everywhere have felt the supply chain squeeze, threatening production schedules, profitability, and peace of mind.   Yet, there’s one area that manufacturers have almost complete control over — […]

Why CATIA’s Surfacing Capabilities Drive Precision in Automotive Design 

Automotive design requires the unmatched, precise surfacing design of CATIA

In the automotive industry, design is more than just aesthetics; it’s about engineering precision.   From the sleek contours of a sports car to the aerodynamic efficiency of an electric vehicle, every curve, transition, and surface must not only look perfect but also meet exacting performance standards.   This is where CATIA’s advanced surfacing capabilities […]

How 3D Printing Is a Billion-Dollar Industry & What You Can Do Today

Markforged Metal X printing stainless part

Technology has a way of making things better — it speeds up processes, streamlines workflows, and turns the impossible into the possible. The manufacturing industry has seen the impact of innovation play out time and time again. This time, it’s all eyes on 3D printing. What Is 3D Printing? 3D printing — a type of […]

Which Is Better: SOLIDWORKS Surface Modeling vs. xShape Subdivision Modeling

Modeling a curved chair with subdivision modeling in xShape on the 3DEXPERIENCE platform

When it comes to designing complex, organic parts, we — as engineers and designers — have many options in the SOLIDWORKS suite. Among those tools, by far the most popular is SOLIDWORKS 3D CAD with its robust and well-proven parametric solid and surface modeling tools. But with the addition of xApps on the 3DEXPERIENCE platform, […]

What’s New in Artec Studio 19? Scanning, Processing, & Post-Processing Features

A photogrammetry scan of a plant in Artec Studio 19

Artec Studio is the premier software to process scan data captured by Artec3D scanners. With each new release, quality-of-life enhancements and exciting new tools are added to make processing and post-processing better. The new release of Artec Studio 19 brings improvements to existing scanners functionality and CAD extraction as well as new photogrammetry tools to […]

FX10 Metal AND Composite Printing: The Most Versatile Tool for the Factory Floor

The Markforged FX10 is able to print functional composite and metal parts on the same system.

Back in November of 2023, I covered the launch of the FX10 Composite 3D printer – the next-generation industrial machine from Markforged. Sporting enhancements such as a heated build chamber, a precision-machined self-leveling print surface, and automatic material changeover, the FX10 was brought to market as one of the most advanced machines Markforged has to […]

DyeMansion Powershot X: The Future of 3D Printing Post-Processing

DyeMansion Powershot X machine front

Additive manufacturing demands post-processing solutions that are precise and highly adaptable. The DyeMansion Powershot X addresses these needs with a sophisticated design that offers flexibility, performance, and efficiency. Officially launched at Formnext 2024, this advanced system redefines post-processing workflows, providing manufacturers with a reliable solution for scalability and consistent quality. The Powershot X stands out […]

Understanding End-to-End Solutions in your Manufacturing Tech Ecosystem

Three Hawk Ridge Systems team members

In today’s business climate with more and more technologies and competitive solutions emerging, it’s more important now than ever to incorporate integrated end-to-end solutions. This is true in the world of digitally manufacturing parts as well. Having the most cutting-edge CAD software, hardware, and post processing equipment integrated seamlessly can give you a competitive advantage […]

EMAG Meets Thermal: A Beginner’s Guide for Electrical Engineers with SIMULIA CST Suite

Engineer viewing CST thermal simulation results on a PCB model

In today’s complex high-tech landscape, devices are becoming more compact, dense with components, and power-hungry. Any of those aspects can lead to excess heat and potentially cause serious issues.   We know this from personal experience of devices overheating, causing slowdowns or performance drops. Identifying potential thermal issues through simulation early in the design process […]

4 “Home Renovation” Techniques to Refresh Your SOLIDWORKS PDM System

SOLIDWORKS PDM screenshot

Extreme Makeover: Data Management Edition It’s a story that I hear all the time… Trust me, you’re not alone when you’re asking questions around those topics above. If you have SOLIDWORKS PDM or any data management system in place, that’s a very good thing. If it’s working well the way you have it setup… even […]

SOLIDWORKS Simulation Fixtures 101: Understanding Fixtures

Identifying the applied fixture and area of interest of a car spring in the simulation results.

SOLIDWORKS Simulation is a well-known tool in the world of finite element analysis (FEA). Its direct integration with SOLIDWORKS means that we can analyze, update, and validate our models very easily and with high levels of accuracy. But just because it’s easy to use and can give us accurate results, it doesn’t mean every result […]

How to Create Your 2025 Annual Plan for Engineering Leaders

Knapheide on the machine shop floor

Great companies don’t just happen overnight. They are the result of rigorous work, long hours, lessons learned from past failures, and exhaustive future-oriented planning. Planning for the future of your machine shop or manufacturing facility is no easy task – so use our engineering planning checklist to get the wheels turning. Here are some key […]

From Go to Pro: Geomagic Design X’s New Multi-Level Software System

A sketch transferred from Design X into SOLIDWORKS using LiveTransfer.

For years, Geomagic Design X has been an industry standard for reverse engineering parts from a 3D scan. With the ability to scan into it, modify mesh data, extract references, and create fully parametric solids, an operator can use the software at any step in the reverse engineering workflow. With a plethora of tools for […]

5 Ways 3D Printers Transform the Heavy Construction Industry

Markforged FX10 3D printer spool cabinet

The industrial industry faces numerous challenges as it continues to modernize and expand automation across production lines. Additive manufacturing — particularly in-house 3D printing — provides a robust solution to these challenges. By enabling the rapid production of custom tooling and maintenance, repair, and overhaul (MRO) parts, 3D printing technology offers significant time and cost […]

How to Create a Hidden Light Bar for a Car Using SOLIDWORKS

A Subaru Outback with a front bumper light bar designed in SOLIDWORKS

I designed a mounting bracket part for a light bar on my Subaru Outback. This lets me mount a light bar behind the bumper of my car and keep it relatively out of the way. I used SOLIDWORKS to design the sheet metal part, then an online manufacturing service to cut out my flat pattern […]

Using 3D Printing to Embrace Sustainability in Product Design

Markforged small, printed part in hand

Sustainability should be an area of focus from a product’s conception, throughout the design phase and even beyond when considering environmental impacts. When considering sustainability from the start, costly design changes can be avoided, especially as the design constraints increase. With advanced simulation design exploration tools like optimization and topology analyses, not only can designs […]

3DEXPERIENCE Roles Explained: What Are They in SOLIDWORKS Cloud Services?

Screenshot of Share & Markup tools which are included with Cloud Services for SOLIDWORKS

Cloud Services for SOLIDWORKS comes with every new SOLIDWORKS CAD license, offering a cloud-based system that enhances product development through collaboration and data protection. Here are the top three benefits of Cloud Services for SOLIDWORKS: What Are 3DEXPERIENCE Roles and How Do They Work? 3DEXPERIENCE roles offer tools and applications tailored to the unique requirements […]

SOLIDWORKS Weldment Tools: Quick Guide to Gussets & End Caps

Gusset and End Cap tools in SOLIDWORKS Weldments significantly enhances your ability to create precise and robust welded structures. In this article, we will explore the robust capabilities of SOLIDWORKS Weldments, a versatile toolset for the efficient, simple creation of welded structures. Specifically, we will look at how to effectively use the Gusset and End […]

How to Use the Stress Hot Spot Tool in SOLIDWORKS Simulation

Figure 1: Simple bracket study setup

When refining a mesh to achieve convergence, it is possible that the stress values will diverge as the mesh becomes more refined due to a stress singularity. This article explains a few signs that can indicate the presence of a stress singularity, and how to use the “Stress Hot Spot” tool in SOLIDWORKS Simulation to […]

Estimating Weld Distortion with SOLIDWORKS Simulation Premium

Simulating weld distortion on a pipe welded into a sheet metal body in SOLIDWORKS Simulation Premium

What is Weld Distortion? Understanding how welded joints will behave under loads is necessary during a design process, considering they are a common failure point. When using an FEA package to find stresses on a welded connection, these stresses appear because of forces applied. SOLIDWORKS Simulation has tools like the “edge weld connector” (available in […]

Parametric & Sub-D Modeling: Optimize CAD Modeling with SOLIDWORKS and xShape

Creating an ergonomically design socket wrench in xShape and SOLIDWORKS

SOLIDWORKS Desktop has long been the go-to tool for CAD modeling in the world of engineering and design. In the age of cloud computing and collaboration, we now also have SOLIDWORKS cloud-based apps on the 3DEXPERIENCE platform. Both are well-known in the world of engineering and design. But what many people don’t know is that […]

How to Recycle 3D Printing Filament to Maximize Sustainability

A stack of Markforged filament spools

3D printing is known as one of the most sustainable manufacturing methods. It’s an additive process unlike traditional methods like milling or turning, which are subtractive. In subtractive manufacturing, material is removed from a larger block until only the part remains, which produces a significant amount of waste. In additive manufacturing, the part is built […]

Going Metal? Here’s What You Need to Know to 3D Print Metal 

Metal 3D printing has advantages over traditional manufacturing methods. It comes down to a few key factors. Here's what you need to know to 3D print metal.

Metal 3D printing — or additive manufacturing — enables the creation of complex, customized metal parts with unique geometries not possible with traditional manufacturing. If you’re a manufacturer or engineer, understanding the potential of metal additive manufacturing and the various types of metal printers can help you cut costs, and in some cases, create parts […]

How the SOLIDWORKS Suite Refines Industrial Equipment Design

SOLIDWORKS CAD being used on a large equipment assembly design

Industrial equipment is usually made for specific tasks and is often used in harsh and demanding environments. From specialized robotics, generators, pumps, and compressors to various heavy machinery equipment, industrial equipment is complex but essential for efficient production and operations in sectors for energy production and generation, national defense, civil construction, mining, automation, aviation, and […]

Top 5 Sessions from D2M 2024

Hawk Ridge Systems’ Design to Manufacturing (D2M) digital conference brought together experts and users to explore the latest advancements in SOLIDWORKS and related technologies with featured speakers like Manish Kumar, CEO of SOLIDWORKS, and Karen Norheim, CEO of American Crane & Equipment Corporation. The D2M conference is ripe with tips on how to streamline the […]

3 Incredible Ways 3D Printing & Scanning Enhance Product Design

At this year’s Design to Manufacturing (D2M) event, we explored several ways 3D printing and scanning boost designs, making your projects even more innovative.   In these four breakout sessions, our additive manufacturing and 3D scanning experts tell it all about how you can develop better parts, aids, and products using the latest 3D technology […]

DIY Sheet Metal Car Organizer Using SOLIDWORKS

Road trips can be messy. Below is an example of what my car can look like during a road trip. Between camping equipment, climbing gear, and food, things can get real disorganized real fast. I wanted a way to hold a pack of wipes on the rear quarter window (it’s on the driver’s side, so […]

Making Desktop 3D Scanning Simple with the Artec Micro II

Artec Micro II with user hand

The Artec Micro II 3D scanner takes high-resolution, compact 3D scanning to a new level, bringing even greater precision and ease of use to your desk like many of the easy-to-use portable Artec 3D scanners. With the Artec Micro II 3D scanner, you’ll enjoy a new camera system with a larger field of view and […]

10 Things I Wish I Knew About SOLIDWORKS as an Engineer in Industrial Equipment Design

Engineer Nikki Stakic sits at a desk using a laptop in an office setting

As engineers, we dream of building complex machines, and solving critical problems that involve new ideas while following the laws and rules of math and science.   There are many factors to consider: the feasibility, the strategy, the logistics, the cost, the design concept, the manufacturing execution, and the lifecycle of the design.   We often start […]

How SOLIDWORKS Ultimate Is the Perfect Fit for Industrial Equipment Design

Complex machine assembly in SOLIDWORKS Ultimate 3D CAD

If you use SOLIDWORKS to design large complex assemblies, such as with industrial equipment, you know that designing robust and reliable machinery requires more than just basic CAD tools. This is where SOLIDWORKS Ultimate shines. SOLIDWORKS Ultimate is a powerful package of tools that builds on SOLIDWORKS Premium with enhanced simulation, manufacturing, marketing, and management […]

How 3D Scanners Revolutionize Industrial Manufacturing and Repair 

Man scanning large metal forming for inspection with Hexagon AS1X laser 3D scanner

3D scanners have rapidly gained popularity within several industries as a go-to tool for creating high-accuracy measurements and high-quality digital twins for designing. Each industry has unique challenges and pain points that 3D scanners can help address. With several types of scanners and methods of capturing data, users can find a use for this technology […]

Why the Artec Spider II Is the Next Generation of Handheld Scanning

The Artec Spider II handheld 3D scanner

Artec3D has become an industry name for people looking to do targetless 3D scans of objects for reverse engineering, quality control, and archiving. One of their most popular scanner, the Space Spider, changed the game for targetless 3D scanning. The Artec Spider II aims to take what made the predecessor known and improve upon it […]

3 Biggest Reasons Companies Use 3DEXPERIENCE DELMIA to Program Robots

Single robot tending to multiple CNC mill turn machines using an additional gantry-mounted linear rail as an external axis

Machine tending is one of the most common uses for robots and cobots in today’s market. Whether you’re looking to fully automate a system or to have a cobot work collaboratively with an operator, the benefits of automating repetitive tasks can be seen and felt immediately. How Are Real World Companies Using 3DEXPERIENCE DELMIA? Robots […]

The Top Software & Hardware for Industrial Equipment Manufacturers

Knapheide manufacturing custom truck beds

Industrial equipment manufacturers design, build, and deploy high-performance heavy mobile equipment for rough, tough, complex jobs. Manufacturers in this vertical also design and build robotics for use on the production line or create specialized manufacturing equipment. Think of brands like The Boring Company, which creates massive machinery to drill underground tunnels, or agricultural and farming […]

3 Steps to Easily Import CATIA Files into SOLIDWORKS

Preparing CATIA files for viewing in SOLIDWORKS

If you’ve worked with one CAD software while a client or supplier used another, you understand the difficulty of accurately transferring data. While perfectly seamless data transfer may not be possible, there are strategies to make it easier. In this article, I’ll show you how to quickly and easily import CATIA V5 PMI (Product Manufacturing […]

8 Ways to Optimize SOLIDWORKS for Fast Performance (2024)

Optimizing SOLIDWORKS for fast performance

Optimizing performance in SOLIDWORKS can be a game changer when it comes to creating and working with our CAD models. Like with any tool, using SOLIDWORKS efficiently means less time and effort spent on modeling — allowing you to complete your work more easily and quickly. And thankfully in SOLIDWORKS, there are plenty of ways […]

SOLIDWORKS Ultimate: The Best CAD Solution for Advanced Product Development

Linear flowchart of SOLIDWORKS Ultimate package role breakdown

SOLIDWORKS has long been a leader in computer-aided design (CAD) solutions, offering a range of powerful tools for engineers and designers. With the introduction of SOLIDWORKS Ultimate, the entire product team can rally around the SOLIDWORKS designer. This article will explore the features and benefits of this new comprehensive CAD package. What Is SOLIDWORKS Ultimate? […]

3 Strategies for Reducing Shop Floor Downtime with Industry 4.0 Tech

CAMWorks manufacturing software on the shop floor

Industry 4.0 relates to the ongoing automation and digitization of the engineering and manufacturing sector. With big data technology progressing at alarming rates, modern systems can process large volumes of data at great speed, allowing industry to make data-driven decisions across their entire organization in real-time. The key components of Industry 4.0 include: Interconnectivity Automation […]

Getting Started with Industrial 3D Printers: What You Need to Know

Factory floor with multiple industrial 3D printers

When exploring the world of industrial 3D printers, it can be challenging to understand what benefits can be gleaned from systems and resources involved in operating and maintaining sophisticated equipment, especially in the early planning phases. With the large variety of printing systems and technologies out on the market today, where do you start? In […]

How to Scale Your Drawings 1:1 in SOLIDWORKS & DraftSight

SOLIDWORKS drawing

Creating drawings is a key part of the design process. With SOLIDWORKS Drawings, documenting your designs so that you can communicate those designs to other people is a cinch. But sometimes when creating drawings, the default drawing scale may not work for your desired intent. This might be the case if you have a product […]

How To Use Facility Layout in SOLIDWORKS To Optimize Your Factory Floor

Factory floor layout 

Facility Layout is a powerful assembly technique that can be used in SOLIDWORKS to help streamline the arrangement of machinery or equipment on a factory floor. When you’re working with very large models such as plant layouts, the special tools and workflows in Facility Layout are invaluable. Large models can slow down your workflow, so […]

How to Insert Assets in Facility Layout in SOLIDWORKS

Inserting assets in Facility Layout in SOLIDWORKS

In this post, we’ll cover how to arrange assets in a facility using magnetic mates. Magnetic mates allow assets like robot cells, equipment, and fixtures to be quickly and easily laid out on a factory floor and just as quickly rearranged. Facility Layout is a powerful assembly technique that can be used in SOLIDWORKS to […]

How to Choose the Right Unit System in SOLIDWORKS

solidworks cad sketching sketch monitor

When you’re spending as much time in SOLIDWORKS as we all are, you know how important precision is. In this ecosystem, every dimension matters, making the selection of the correct unit system in SOLIDWORKS crucial. Making a conscious choice for your unit system in the beginning ensures accuracy, facilitates collaboration, adheres to industry standards, and […]

How to Model Accurate Involute Spur Gears in SOLIDWORKS

Spur gears design in solidworks

Welcome to our third and final blog post in our series on using spur gears in SOLIDWORKS! Spur gears are one of the most common types of gears used in a wide range of applications from consumer-level products to advanced industrial and aerospace applications. They have straight-cut teeth with a constant profile making them relatively […]

How to Determine if the SOLIDWORKS Toolbox Spur Gear Component is a Good Fit

Spur gear simulation in SOLIDWORKS

In our previous post, “Spur Gears in SOLIDWORKS Part 1: How to Quickly Include Spur Gears in Your Assemblies ”, we discussed making use of the spur gear component in the SOLIDWORKS Toolbox. With the Toolbox, you have a seamless way to integrate standardized parts, like spur gears, into your designs. When you need to […]

How to Quickly and Easily Include Spur Gears in Your SOLIDWORKS Assemblies

Spur gears SOLIDWORKS tutorial 

If you deal with mechanical systems, chances are that you have come across a gear or two in your line of work. Gears come in many different forms including helical, herringbone, worm, bevel, and many others, each with a different application. In this blog post we will look at one of the most commonly used […]

3 Customers on How They Use 3D Printing to Speed Up Production

holding 3dpart formlabs

Hawk Ridge Systems is a value-added reseller, carrying all the software and hardware needed to digitally manufacture and post process custom parts. Designing parts from scratch and producing them in-house provides the opportunity to create custom solutions which are better than outsourcing generic parts when it comes down to financial investment and time allocation. In […]

Can I Run SOLIDWORKS on a Mac?

solidworks on mac

Here at Hawk Ridge Systems, we often get the question: “Can I run SOLIDWORKS on a Mac?” The answer is “Yes!”, but not right out of the box. While Macs often dominate in the realm of graphic, video, or web design, Windows-based PCs have long been the platform of choice for engineering design and analysis, […]

The Best of Both Worlds: Working with CATIA Files in SOLIDWORKS 3D CAD

CATIA V5 *.catpart file being imported into SOLIDWORKS with 3DInterconnect

For seasoned SOLIDWORKS users in the aerospace and defense industry, the word CATIA is likely all too familiar. First released in 1981, CATIA later rose to prominence during the development of the Boeing 777, the first passenger aircraft to be completely designed in 3D CAD. Ever since CATIA has been a household name in the […]

Performing Topology Optimization in SOLIDWORKS Simulation

Recommended SOLIDWORKS Simulation Settings

When performing a topology optimization in SOLIDWORKS Simulation an option is available to use something called the Min Max Formulation. This is relevant when optimizing a model with multiple load cases. But what is Min Max and when should it be used over the standard formulation? Note: This article assumes you’re already familiar with Topology […]

Save and Embed Files With SOLIDWORKS Routing System Options

solidworks inspection software on laptop

Looking for information on how to save and embed files with SOLIDWORKS Routing System Options? Look no further. We’ve put together a short walk-through of how to use these handy save and embed features, which will ultimately help your CAD and BOM workflows in SOLIDWORKS go more smoothly. Use System Options in SOLIDWORKS to configure […]

How to Use Combine & Intersect Multibody Commands in SOLIDWORKS

Multi-body assembly in SOLIDWORKS CAD

Multibody design is a powerful SOLIDWORKS modeling method for creating more complex, yet convenient parts. Complex parts can be broken down into individual bodies to simplify and speed up the modeling process. This article will cover two of the commonly used commands for multibody design: Combine and Intersect. Combine and Intersect are two incredibly useful […]

Unleash Your Manufacturing Potential with Hawk Ridge Systems’ Expert Services

Are Business Assessments Right for You?

How We’ve Helped Manufacturing Customers Across Various Industries Hawk Ridge Systems offers more than just top-of-the-line hardware and software for manufacturing. We also employ expert engineers across various industries who can help you add capacity, improve processes, and implement new initiatives with ease. In fact, over 130 of our employees are engineers with specialized experience. […]

6 Tips and Tricks for Sub-D Modeling in 3DEXPERIENCE xShape

Example design for sub-D modeling method

SOLIDWORKS has long been known as the industry-leading CAD tool in the world of parametric modeling. But when it comes to creating organic, ergonomic, or form-fitting shapes, modeling parts parametrically may not be so easy. xShape vs. SOLIDWORKS – Subdivision Modeling vs. Parametric Modeling Sweeps, Lofts, and Boundary features are all parametric features in SOLIDWORKS […]

How to Create a Three (or More!) Piece Mold in SOLIDWORKS

Engineer solidworks learning on a computer

For most mold designs, we split the mold tooling into two halves: a core side and a cavity side. However, splitting the tooling into three or more pieces works better for some designs. While this functionality is unavailable in the normal tooling split command in SOLIDWORKS (you can only use one continuous parting surface), we […]

5 Easy Steps to Installing Your SOLIDWORKS Cloud Services

engineer computer screen 3dx cloud wheel model

Ready to get started with the 3DEXPERIENCE platform? This is your quick start guide. The 3DEXPERIENCE platform simplifies remote collaboration across departments, boosting flexibility, enhancing productivity, and empowering you to achieve your goals. In five steps, you’ll have everything you need to streamline your design workflows with SOLIDWORKS. Let’s get your system up and running […]

The 3 Best Production 3D Printers for Industrial Equipment

The Fuse 1+ is capable of printing complex, strong geometry that can easily be used in many industrial applications.

Like many manufacturing methods, 3D printing is a great tool for improving the product development cycle. Even if the final method of producing a product is already set in stone, bringing 3D printing in-house as a supplemental solution can allow an organization to improve the efficiency of their existing processes and hardware. In this article, […]

Maximize Profits: Your Ultimate Guide to Smart 3D Printing Investments

3d printed part guide

Choosing a 3D printer that’s right for your business is a daunting task. With so many options on the market, how do you know where to start? Here at Hawk Ridge Systems, we are experts in additive manufacturing solutions. We’re ready to give you the inside scoop on what you need to know to kick-start […]

How Analysis Tools Like SIMULIA CST Are Fueling the Growth of Industry 4.0

simulia cst engineer monitor

Digital technologies, data analytics, smart factories, robotics, and automation have driven manufacturing to be extremely dynamic and efficient. Some call it Industry 4.0 which is a bit of a flashy buzzword to some. Whatever you call it, companies utilizing these technologies to the max are on an upward trajectory, enhancing productivity, quality, and adaptability in […]

Understand The 5 Maturity States in SOLIDWORKS Cloud Services

Using 3DEXPERIENCE Lifecycles and Maturity States

In 3DEXPERIENCE, there is out-of-the-box lifecycle management to allow you to have more options to control your data. Maturity states allow you to control who can find data or make changes to it. It also allows you to have control over when revisions are created for a product during its lifecycle. This Maturity can be […]

Formlabs Form 4: Unleash the Next Generation of Resin 3D Printing

formlabs form 4 3d printing machine

Formlabs, a leading innovator in 3D printing technology, has introduced the Form 4, a revolution in professional resin 3D printing. The Form 4 breaks through speed barriers, surpasses accuracy expectations, and boasts unmatched reliability, making it the ideal tool for designers, engineers, and manufacturers across a wide range of industries and applications. In this article, […]

How to Choose the Perfect 3D Printer in 3 Easy Steps

Markforged X7 Field Edition

3D printing has come a long way in the last 10 years. With the incredible advancement in print technologies, there has been a major increase in industry adoption and use. 3D print users in almost every industry are reaping the benefits of faster lead times, reduced part costs, and improved operational efficiency: ASC (Aaron Sims […]

3DEXPERIENCE: A Beginner’s Guide to Communities and Conversations in 3DSwym 

3dexperience platform and communities

In the 3DSwymer role, you gain access to various apps designed to improve communication within your network. In this article, we’ll focus on the 3DSwym app, a social and collaborative tool that works for just about everyone—students, engineers, and scientists. The 3DSwym app enables you to join communities with common interests. It acts as a […]

SOLIDWORKS Simulation Features for Aerospace Applications

SOLIDWORKS Simulation What’s New

Your Key to Putting Satellites into Orbit to Designing Consumer Drones One of the great things about working at Hawk Ridge Systems is working with customers across a wide variety of industries and domains. Compared to many industries, designers in aerospace are tasked with exceeding some of the most stringent requirements and physical test standards. […]

How to Handle Custom Built-to-Order Machine Designs With DriveWorks & SOLIDWORKS

The rising demand for customization challenges manufacturing fundamentals like standardization. But things change, and what has worked in the past may not be best practice today. In light of this shift, companies must rethink their approach. Mass production and uniformity no longer apply. Instead, you need sustainable, flexible and customizable design and manufacturing workflows that […]

How to Make a Sphere in SOLIDWORKS

teacher and students gathered around monitor

Want to learn how to make a sphere in SOLIDWORKS? You’ve landed in the right place. SOLIDWORKS is a computer-aided design (CAD) solution that simplifies design with intelligent features that power innovation and enable hassle-free collaboration. Equipped with specialized tools for various projects, it supports industries like automotive and electronics. Whether you’re creating complex parts […]

Unlocking Efficiency and Precision with the Artec Ray II

Artec Ray II set up

The Artec Ray II delivers three key components—speed, precision, and range. The scanner has helped thousands of engineers digitize items for quality control, reverse engineering, and critical dimensions for site planning. After successfully launching its first LiDAR scanner, Artec3D introduced the Artec Ray II. This scanner leverages what worked in the previous version and evolves […]

Additive Manufacturing for Aerospace: Taking Your Production to New Heights

airplane being taxied

In the realm of aerospace manufacturing, it is no secret that there are very real challenges to finding or changing production methods for any given project. A lot of these struggles can stem from the fact that most of the time, aerospace parts must satisfy multiple different requirements simultaneously. For example, critical parts on a […]

How To Use Equation Driven Curves in SOLIDWORKS

engineers collaborating around laptop

Unlock the secrets to fortifying your business with our in-depth insights on regulatory compliance, data management, and achieving industry certifications like ISO 9001. Let Hawk Ridge Systems guide you through data regulations and quality management systems to ensure your company stays competitive and secure. Watch our webinar to kickstart your compliance journey! 

Which Is the Best Markforged 3D Printer for Your Business?

Markforged 3D printers

Since entering the market in 2013, Markforged has pushed the industry forward with its fused filament fabrication (FFF) 3D printers. With multiple Markforged 3D printers on the market, here’s a breakdown of the Mark Two, Onyx Pro, X7, FX10 and FX20 so you can choose the right printer for your business needs. What Are Markforged […]

Future Proofing Your Workforce with SOLIDWORKS

future-proof your engineering and manufacturing workforce

How future-proof is your engineering workforce and manufacturing business? Amidst the rapid pace of change due to exponential leaps in technology, it’s not easy to envision what “future-proof” even means. How can you be ready for a future that is increasingly tough to envision? Well, the very existence of unpredictable changes makes it even more […]

5 Revolutionary Markforged FX10 Capabilities That Shape 3D Printing

Markforged FX10 industrial 3D printer

In the ever-evolving realm of additive manufacturing, innovation continues to push the boundaries of what’s possible. Markforged, a renowned name in the industry, has once again raised the bar with its latest industrial 3D printer, the FX10. Representing a leap forward in industrial printing capabilities, the FX10 combines advanced automation, cutting-edge technology and impressive performance […]

6 New CAMWorks Options that Make Modules Faster, Easier and Better

CNC programmer using CAMWorks

CAMWorks has new 2024 options and additional functionalities to make parts faster, easier and better. We’ll discuss six of those changes as they relate to specific modules. 1. Adding Machine Aware Programming to Mill-Turn Mill-Turn remains a significant area of emphasis for the past few CAMWorks updates. The most visible change in this environment — […]

Master Regulatory Compliance & Data Management with Expert Advice

cloud cad data management

Unlock the secrets to fortifying your business with our in-depth insights on regulatory compliance, data management, and achieving industry certifications like ISO 9001. Let Hawk Ridge Systems guide you through data regulations and quality management systems to ensure your company stays competitive and secure. Watch our webinar to kickstart your compliance journey! 

What’s New in SOLIDWORKS 2024: Simulation, Flow and Plastics

Probe results of a node assembly showing the maximum temperature in SOLIDWORKS Simulation

Learn how the most recent enhancements to the SOLIDWORKS Simulation tools can help engineers setup simulation studies faster and get quality results sooner!

We’ll cover enhancements to SOLIDWORKS Simulation, SOLIDWORKS Flow Simulation, and SOLIDWORKS Plastics from the 2024 and 2023 releases.

Recent updates to the 3DEXPERIENCE SIMULIA tools and how they can help tackle some of the most difficult problems will also be discussed, with a special focus on aerospace applications.

Introducing the Powerful SFX Desktop Vapor Smoothing System

amt postpro

When it comes to smoothing 3D-printed parts, AMT is a well-known industry giant, and now they are making waves once again with the release of the SFX desktop vapor smoothing system.   

The SFX brings powerful vapor-smoothing technology to a compact lab-friendly package perfect for those looking to take 3D-printed parts to the next level.   

Top 7 Enhancements for SOLIDWORKS 2024

A Hawk Ridge Systems customer is speaking and reviewing software solutions with their account manager in a breakthrough meeting.

SOLIDWORKS 2024 is here and there are new features that can help you design faster like sketching enhancements, backwards compatibility, and new tools.  

Tackling Low Frequency Electromagnetic Simulation in SIMULIA CST

Whether you are designing electric motors or high-voltage equipment, low-frequency electromagnetic simulation can help improve designs and even find problems before they occur in the field. SIMULIA CST Studio Suite has a host of solvers that can fit your application. You can use SIMULIA CST’s project template to help you choose the right solver. 

Computational Fluid Dynamics Simulation for Life Sciences

How to Use the Enhanced Transient Explorer In SOLIDWORKS Flow Simulation

See how Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) enables virtual prototyping across life sciences including medical, pharmaceutical, and biotechnology with example CFD applications including optimization of a microfluidics circuit, analysis of an inhaled drug delivery device, and passive cooling of electronics in a medical environment. 

How to Use the Filled Surface Command in SOLIDWORKS

Person using fully define sketch in SOLIDWORKS

The Filled Surface command in SOLIDWORKS is a tool to close holes in your models, whether they exist naturally as part of a new design, or if you are cutting out a problematic section on an existing design. In this article, we’ll show you when and how to use it.  

Design Like a Pro: Replace Face Command in SOLIDWORKS

A man is learning SOLIDWORKS with Hawk Ridge Systems.

Whether you’re looking to alter an existing design or just optimizing your workflow in a new ground-up design, the “Replace Face” command can be a valuable tool, combining powerful functionality with a simple and intuitive setup. 

How Adoption Trumps All: Maximizing Technology Investments

solidworks cad computer monitor

Once you’ve decided on an investment in technology like SOLIDWORKS PDM or PLM, you’ll want to start using the software and tools properly for the best results. Otherwise, your return on investment (ROI) will fall flat even with state-of-the-art tools, and you may experience productivity losses. 

So, how do you mitigate this risk? Adoption – you have to understand the importance of technology adoption. 

How To Use the McMaster-Carr Add-in for SOLIDWORKS

The McMaster-Carr add-in and available parts in SOLIDWORKS

McMaster-Carr has an enormous catalog of components often used in engineering design, fabrication and manufacturing. To help users navigate and use parts from its catalog, McMaster-Carr has developed its own free SOLIDWORKS add-in.  

In this blog post, we will explore the McMaster-Carr add-in for SOLIDWORKS to discuss what it does and how to install and use it. 

Automating Fasteners and Components with the SOLIDWORKS Toolbox

Different shapes and sizes of screws and nuts in SOLIDWORKS

When designing in SOLIDWORKS, often the easiest (and most comprehensive) way to include and track fasteners in our designs is to use actual CAD models. Thankfully in SOLIDWORKS, we have a dedicated way to include fasteners in our designs with a built-in tool called the SOLIDWORKS Toolbox. 

In this blog post, we will dive into what the SOLIDWORKS Toolbox really is, how it brings efficiency to our workflows, and explore how we can make use of it in our own designs. 

25 SOLIDWORKS Tips and Tricks to Optimize Your Workflows

Livestream hosts Jesse Putnam and Taylor Hoff share twenty-five SOLIDWORKS tips for engineering managers

From creating subassemblies and using selection filters to improving direct editing and working with complex assemblies, these 25 tips cover a range of important features and workflows that are essential for SOLIDWORKS users to understand. 

Case Study: Raising the Bar in the Medical and Bakery Industries with DriveWorks Solutions

Five customized Glifo writing aid for children with disabilities designed with DriveWorks Professional

The endeavor of automation, whether for simple, repetitive tasks or those more complex and less frequent, is arguably one of the most exemplary characteristics of modern engineering.   

We’ll investigate two specific case studies in which DriveWorks configuration and automation software is used in tandem with SOLIDWORKS CAD to quickly customize and produce unique design and manufacturing data in the agricultural/food processing and medical device industries. 

Solving the 5 Hardest Structural Problems with SIMULIA Cloud Simulation

A man is using 3DEXPERIENCE SIMULIA to solve his simulation problem.

Have you ever tried to run a simulation that wouldn’t work? Certain structural problems are notoriously difficult to simulate, and without the right strategies, they can often have us bashing our heads against our desks. 

Let’s run through five common challenges and how we can successfully tackle them with 3DEXPERIENCE SIMULIA cloud simulation. 

SOLIDWORKS Changes Its Licensing. What Does This Mean for You?

A desktop, laptop, cellphone, and tablet show SOLIDWORKS and 3DEXPERIENCE cloud services.

SOLIDWORKS announced business model changes that took effect in July. A blog post from Gian Paolo Bassi, Executive Vice President of 3DEXPERIENCE Works, discussed this in more detail, but we have a breakdown of key takeaways for you here.  

Let’s review what this means for you as a Hawk Ridge Systems customer.

How to Create a Transient Sensor at a Non-Selectable Location in SOLIDWORKS Simulation

Probe results of a node assembly showing the maximum temperature in SOLIDWORKS Simulation

Sensors are useful tools in simulation. They can give you results in the same location across different studies, so you can compare mesh quality, geometry changes, or effects of boundary conditions.  

 

In transient (time-based) studies, you can use sensors to plot the results at a location over time. In this example, I am going to show you how to create a sensor for a node inside a body and plot the results in that location over time in SOLDWORKS Simulation. 

How to Choose Your CAMWorks Module

A team uses CAMWorks on a tablet on the shop floor.

It’s healthy to constantly review your capabilities or analyze your shop’s limits to understand your strengths and weaknesses. 

Ultimately, you learn more about how you can improve your business based on new evolving needs. One area to consider is when to upgrade your CAM software.  

How To 3D Print a Bike Light Adapter with SOLIDWORKS

A 3D printed light adapter made with SOLIDWORKS attached to a Trek bike

Can you attach your old trusty taillight on your new fancy road bike with its own proprietary mounting system? The answer is a resounding YES – if you know your way around SOLIDWORKS and have access to a 3D printer! After all, if you’ve just spent a few thousand dollars on a shiny new bike you probably want to save some money and keep using your old lights. Read on to see how we fitted an old Lezyne brand taillight to the proprietary Blendr mounting system found on Trek bikes. 

How to Enhance Your Design Lifecycles for Consumer Electronics with SIMULIA CST

A man is enhancing the design lifecycle with SIMULIA CST.

From wearables to toasters, just about everything seems to have some level of connectivity. Most small consumer electronic devices, such as cellphones, smart watches, and smart home devices, have complex connectivity, but little room to include antennas and advanced electronics.   

This rapid growth in affordable, yet complex, devices create new challenges that simulation can help solve. 

Formlabs Is Here! SLA and SLS Additive Manufacturing Are in Our Catalog

formlabs printers

The mission statement of Hawk Ridge Systems has always been to discover and deliver world-class solutions for our customers. From digital design and simulation to full-scale manufacturing via 3D printing, each of our partners provides a comprehensive suite of tools that can help with many of the pain points involved in a product development cycle. Today, Hawk Ridge Systems is excited to announce a new partnership with Formlabs, an industry leader in both SLA (Stereolithography) and SLS (Selective Laser Sintering) Additive Manufacturing hardware.

In this blog post, we will delve into the Formlabs printers, materials, and software that are currently available

5 Tips and Tricks for 2D Sketching in SOLIDWORKS

Sketching is a fundamental aspect of SOLIDWORKS, and any time saved during the process can yield significant dividends. To that end, we have compiled a list of five tips and tricks to help you sketch more efficiently and quickly in SOLIDWORKS. 

This content was adapted from a presentation originally delivered at the Western Michigan Lakeshore SOLIDWORKS User Group (WMLSWUG) summit in December of 2022. 

How to Manage Super Large Assemblies in SOLIDWORKS: The Little Things Add Up

3d design and printing solutions

If you use SOLIDWORKS and work with large assemblies, I’m sure you have heard of Large Assembly Mode and Lightweight components. These modes are incredibly helpful we cover in more detail in our on-demand webinar embedded below.  

However, when it comes to performance when managing large assemblies, everything you can do helps, and the little things add up.  

3DEXPERIENCE Data Management: How Does it Actually Work?

solidworks computer screen

The Cloud... These days, we’re pretty much all using it in some form or fashion. However, when it comes to storing CAD data, you may not have made the jump to a Cloud solution yet. The good news is, there’s a solution that allows you to keep using the same desktop SOLIDWORKS you love, with a connection to a Cloud data management system using the 3DEXPERIENCE platform. It’s called Collaborative Designer for SOLIDWORKS. In this article, we’ll talk through some of the questions that come up most frequently when getting started in your Cloud data management environment. 

Industrial Equipment Validation with SOLIDWORKS Flow Simulation

SOLIDWORKS Flow Simulation is a powerful, general-purpose Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) package integrated directly into the SOLIDWORKS CAD environment.  

The base package of Flow Simulation includes the ability to simulate fluid flow, heat transfer, mixing of multiple fluids, and rotation. This combination of features makes it well suited for analyzing a variety of industrial equipment. We’ll look at a number of cases in this blog article and associated webinar.  

How to Perfect Copper Bus Bars with Markforged Simulation

It has been clear that the transportation industry is moving toward electrification at a pace that rivals the automotive boom of the early 1900s. As a result, custom parts like bus bars for testing in pre-production (as well as end use for aftermarket) will be required. This project will compare 3D printing a final ready-to-use bent bar printed on the Markforged Metal X, forming from a flat pattern that is 3D printed, and traditionally cut copper.  

Beyond Engineering with SOLIDWORKS PDM

cloud cad data management

Often when we think about SOLIDWORKS, our mind jumps to 3D CAD. As many of us know, however, the SOLIDWORKS portfolio offers a lot more than that. The same can be said when it comes to data management. Hearing the words “SOLIDWORKS PDM,” most people tend to think of “managing SOLIDWORKS CAD files.”  

Streamlining Complex Harness Design with Enterprise Harness

engineer using enterprise harness software

Modern design processes have a lot of complexity, with multiple design disciplines all contributing to the development of products that are routinely more complex than anything that has come before. 

One of the most common multidisciplinary intersections is between the electrical and mechanical teams, with electrical teams specifying circuits and connections to make a product work, and a mechanical team bearing responsibility for how those wires are routed throughout the system and captured in the product documentation. 

Be Certain in Uncertain Times: Gain Clarity and Maintain a Competitive Edge

engineers designing

Uncertainty in business today is a fact of life. Should we zig or should we zag? Should watch and wait, or invest and get ahead? These are complicated questions, and we won’t be so bold to suggest that we have all the answers. What we can offer, though, is clarity. Hawk Ridge Systems has a proven process to help our clients gain clarity, especially during times of uncertainty. This process really begins with three key elements. 

Exploring What’s New: CAMWorks 2023 Enhancements

camworks

For years, CAMWorks has been one of the best CAM software options for automation and SOLIDWORKS integration. The recent upgrades and updates for 2023 help uphold that reputation. We will highlight some of the more exciting and important changes added to CAMWorks 2023.

Debunking 5 Common Misconceptions About 3D Printing

3D printing has grown and changed a lot over the years, and through that time there have been common objections that we have seen here at Hawk Ridge Systems that simply are not relevant due to technological improvements over time. In today’s article, we are going to look at five common misconceptions about 3D printing. 

How to Apply a Remote Load in SOLIDWORKS Simulation

Finding the Right Engineering Design Simulation Software

When setting up a simulation study, it’s important to use boundary conditions that closely represent the real-life test conditions. Have you ever added geometry to your SOLIDWORKS model just so you could apply a load in the correct location? Or have you ever done hand calculations to figure out the equivalent force and moment for a load applied at a distance? If so, using a remote load could be a better option. 

The Differences Between 3DEXPERIENCE SOLIDWORKS and SOLIDWORKS Desktop

When you compare the two versions of SOLIDWORKS side by side it really boils down to only a handful of distinct differences. In fact, these two CAD options have more in common than they do differences. 3DEXPERIENCE SOLIDWORKS is still SOLIDWORKS; it installs locally and has 95 percent of the same functionality as traditional desktop SOLIDWORKS. The files are the same, the user interface is nearly identical, and, just like traditional SOLIDWORKS, there is a standard, professional, and premium package.

MBD, DimXpert, and MBD Dimensions: What’s the Difference?

As more organizations look to adopt model-based definition solutions to improve design and manufacturing clarity and streamline collaboration, the variety of available MBD tools and associated terminology can become rather confusing. For the uninitiated, MBD tools (generally speaking) allow designers to annotate 3D CAD models with manufacturing information directly, as opposed to using a traditional 2D drawing. This article examines three of the most commonly-used terms in the field of model-based definition, and will help you understand differences between each toolset while determining which is most appropriate for your design and manufacturing needs.

5 (More) Ways CAMWorks Accelerates CNC Programming and Machining

Like many jobs out there, CAM programming is all about time. We are always trying to reduce the time it takes to produce the parts on the machine. Quicker cycle times means more parts produced per hour. The same is true for programming time; if we could reduce the time it takes to program the part, we could program more parts per hour. Not only does the shop benefit from increased production, but we can get out of the office and home to our families sooner. It’s time to work smarter, not harder.   

Create Attractive 3D Printed Parts With AMT’s New PostPro Pure

amt postpro

At its core, the field of additive manufacturing is built around sustainability and lowering carbon footprint. 3D printed parts are typically created using only the media that is necessary to form geometry and printers such as the HP Multi Jet Fusion 5200 are even designed to print using mostly recycled material. With supply chain issues becoming increasingly prevalent, being efficient and sustainable is one of the top goals for many organizations. To assist with this, AMT has announced their FDA-approved and completely plant-based vapor smoothing solution, PostPro Pure.

How to Improve Part Quality with Markforged Bed Level Test Circles

Fused filament fabrication (FFF) or fused deposit modeling (FDM) 3D printers are known for being the easiest machines to run, calibrate, and maintain due to their simplicity. There are no UV lights, resins, or powders. Calibration typically comes down to setting the material flow, bed level, nozzle heights, and belt tension. This is true of Markforged desktop 3D printers as well, although the material flow isn’t needed as that’s already set up in the system.

Explore What’s New in SOLIDWORKS 2023

solidworks tips

October is an exciting time of year for SOLIDWORKS users and Hawk Ridge Systems because we get to showcase the latest enhancements coming to the SOLIDWORKS software portfolio. The release of SOLIDWORKS 2023 is coming in November and, as always, it features a wide array of new and improved features that are based on real user suggestions gathered throughout the year.

With SOLIDWORKS 2023 — and the expansion of the 3DEXPERIENCE portfolio — you’ll be able to work smarter and faster while collaborating more effectively.

Why 3DEXPERIENCE and Why Now?

3dexperience

Dassault Systèmes has been a trusted provider of CAD solutions since 1981 when they introduced CATIA to the world, and then SOLIDWORKS in 1997. Dassault Systèmes listens to the user community and has consistently provided software adjustments and improvements focused solely on customer feedback, streamlining design and manufacturing processes. Today, millions of SOLIDWORKS users trust Dassault Systèmes to provide their solution for 3D parametric design, simulation, data management, and collaboration.    

Top 10 Frequently Asked Questions on the 3DEXPERIENCE Platform

how to get started with 3dexperience platform

Whether you’re an avid SOLIDWORKS user or just a fan of the software, you have heard a lot about the 3DEXPERIENCE platform. But, what exactly is it? More importantly, what does it mean for traditional SOLIDWORKS users?

While the 3DEXPERIENCE platform is not new, there are still a lot of unanswered questions about the cloud-based platform. I will provide answers to some of the most common questions we get asked.

Markforged Brings Elastomers to Composite 3D Printers With TPU 95A Launch

Just like with any manufacturing process, there is no 3D printing material that fits the requirements for every single application. For example, some parts will require extreme strength to succeed in their application while others need high heat resistance. Further still, some parts may require the ability to bend and flex while maintaining chemical resistance to accomplish their intended function. To help with applications such as these, Markforged has added the new Smooth TPU 95A material to their Digital Forge. In this post, we will look at some properties of this new material and how you can use it to further take control of your supply chain.

Validating a 3D Printed Compliant Mechanism Using SOLIDWORKS Simulation

Locking pins are commonly used when assembly and disassembly are frequent and needs to be done quickly. Some common uses are vehicle hitches, adjustable scaffolding, telescoping arms, or basically anything with holes that needs a pin to align it. Traditionally, quick release pins are made up of multiple components and are spring-loaded, have a cotter pin, or a swinging wire to keep them in place. 

How to Revolutionize Your Product Development Cycle With Multiple Solutions

The product development cycle has been changing dramatically due to additive manufacturing. From gathering measurements, designing optimal parts, and rapidly creating parts for testing; additive and traditional design tools are complimenting each other to make going from idea to physical quicker than ever before.

To discuss how these changes are improving design cycles, we developed a case study that uses a combination of additive technology and CAD software to create and modify an aftermarket clip to attach to a truck bed. Two of Hawk Ridge Systems engineers discuss which tools were used and thought process that went into the development of the case study, knowing different technologies will be used. 

Choosing the Right SOLIDWORKS Data Management Solution for You

engineer and solidworks

You may have been using SOLIDWORKS for a while, or maybe you are just getting started. Whatever the case may be, there has never been a better time than now to think about managing all the files that you’re creating. Issues with missing references, incorrect revisions of drawings being used in production, or even overwritten files are all common challenges that are difficult to solve without a proper product data management (PDM) software.

Are Markforged 3D Printed Parts Airtight and Watertight?

Markforged 3D printed parts are known for looking great and being incredibly strong but are they watertight and airtight? We ended up doing a little experiment to find out the answer to this question using a series of printed pressure vessels out of Onyx material on the Markforged X7 3D printer. Each pressure vessel had different wall thicknesses ranging from 5mm down to 2mm thick. I have to admit, the results were surprising! 

Adapting to Market Trends: Introducing New Services from Hawk Ridge Systems

solidworks engineer and screen

Hawk Ridge Systems is consistently engaged with thousands of engineering and manufacturing companies across North America, all directionally trying to solve the same problems and go after similar opportunities. How they approach this, however, is very different from company to company. There are some trends that we have been tracking and adapting to, in order to help lead our clients to find success. 

Designing a 3D Printed Compliant Mechanism With SOLIDWORKS

A quick release pin is used in many designs to keep the holes of multiple components aligned. They are commonly used when assembly and disassembly are frequent and needs to be done quickly. Some common uses are vehicle hitches, adjustable scaffolding, telescoping arms, or basically anything with holes that need a pin to align it. Traditionally, quick release pins are made up of multiple components and are spring-loaded, have a cotter pin, or a swinging wire to keep them in place.  

How to Easily Master Textures With Artec 3D Scanners

Aside from their ability to capture complex geometry without any targets, one of the greatest features of handheld Artec 3D scanners is their ability to simultaneously capture color.  

Sometimes refered to as texture, color is incredibly important to create lifelike renders and identify key locations on parts. Normally, texture has to be captured seperately and then projected onto a mesh – a time-consuming process and impossible if any part of the object moves between the two different captures. Since the handheld scanners capture both geometry and texture at the same time, there isn’t any issue matching the color to the exact position it should be.

How CST Studio Suite is Improving 5G Antennae Design

Electromagnetic Simulation CST simulia

You’ve seen the commercials and heard the buzz – 5G wireless communication networks are here and promise a future where millions of people and devices share data and interact in real-time. 

With so much data flying through the air, designing 5G antennae that get these signals to the right place with minimal interference to or from the surrounding environment is an ever-present challenge. One option for predicting the behavior of these signals is to use an electromagnetics analysis software like SIMULIA CST Studio Suite, which enables users to optimize these elements in a robust simulation environment and ensure the products pass their required physical testing. 

How to Choose the Best Infill Pattern for Your Markforged 3D Prints

Selecting a proper infill structure for your Markforged 3D printed parts may not be something you have spent time considering as part of your design process. After all, the default print settings tend to be top-notch most of the time, why change it? In today’s article, we are going to look at the pros and cons of branching out to other infill patterns specifically on a Markforged 3D printer.

How To Master CAMWorks as a New User

The CAM learning journey for most of us in the manufacturing sector typically follows a similar path. You may start to learn about CAM in school, using the software that is best suited for the curriculum. Later, when you join the workforce, you will have to learn whichever CAM software is used by the employer. This can often feel like being dropped into the deep end of the pool – but you make it through because you have the basic tools to understand the new software given your experience with a previous tool. The lucky few of us have mentors to show us the tips and tricks to get the software to do exactly what we need.

It’s common that CAM programmers will find themselves at a new shop, or in a new situation, needing to learn yet another new CAM system quickly. While I am not working at a job shop, I had a similar experience when I came to Hawk Ridge Systems. My previous experience was not with CAMWorks, but I had to come up to speed quite quickly.

3 SOLIDWORKS Options Explained: Choosing Your 3D CAD Tool

3D CAD Offerings Explained

There are more options for 3D CAD than ever before – with SOLIDWORKS alone there are three distinct choices. In this article, I’ll break down these options to make your decision for a CAD solution easier.

First, let’s start with SOLIDWORKS desktop, the easy one.

SOLIDWORKS desktop has been the industry standard 3D CAD package for manufacturing since the early 1990s. SOLIDWORKS desktop offers complete 3D CAD design software that is installed locally on your computer. It is a proven solution and includes a complete design package for parts, assemblies, and drawings. This is our CAD tool of choice for most situations and design teams of all sizes.

The Landscape of 3D CAD is Evolving

3D CAD is Evolving

The world of CAD is evolving and that’s a good thing. Like with all technology, advancement is good, if it’s controlled.   

To start off, let’s take a little peek back to the beginning of CAD.

With the invention of Sketchpad in 1964, computer-aided design, or CAD as it’s widely known, was introduced to the world. 

Like any new technology, there was a bit of skepticism, and its adoption was not immediate. In the early 80s Autodesk’s 2D AutoCAD and Dassault Systèmes’ 3D CATIA entered the market. 

The Secret to Perfect 3D Scans of Difficult Surfaces

scan to cad design

Certain objects that you scan may have issues being scanned, including clear and shiny objects, or certain black colors such as carbon fiber. This is due to the capture camera failing to identify faces (in the case of clear objects) or reflects; making the scan noisy for shiny or black objects. 

To correct this common 3D scanner issue, the object needs a coating to add opaqueness to cover the difficult areas to scan. Tape can be used in a pinch, but you may compromise the geometry of the object.

SOLIDWORKS Draft Features You Need to Know

Draft is an important feature in die cast and injection mold manufactured parts. It refers to the taper of faces and walls throughout the part that allow for the demolding process to take place without damaging the part or the mold. SOLIDWORKS provides users with robust and convenient solutions to this design-for-manufacturing problem, and we’ll go through each of them in detail.

How to Install Offline Eiger from Markforged

Offline Eiger is a convenient Markforged software solution for companies that have higher security requirements such as DOD, aerospace, automotive, and certain tech sectors. This article will detail how to go about obtaining and installing an offline Eiger license so you can be printing off the cloud in no time!

Create an Online Eiger Organization

The first step as counterintuitive as it may seem is to create an online Eiger account for your organization. If you already have an Eiger organization, feel free to skip this section. It is important to select a team member to act as administrator so they can add other team members to the new organization. To do this, have the administrator navigate to eiger.io and fill in the prompts to create an account.

Tackling Quality Management Processes with SOLIDWORKS Manage PLM

Streamlining and integrating business processes across the organization is critical to improving productivity, eliminating mistakes, and ensuring your team always has access to the data they need.

While there are a number of solutions available to address specific business processes, all too often these are managed within incompatible applications, each one best suited to the task. This presents a number of problems that need to be overcome, including difficulty sharing and maintaining data between systems, and inflexible processes that cannot easily be aligned or integrated across the applications.

10 SOLIDWORKS Features to Get Your Designs in Gear

For cycling fans, the month of July signifies the Tour de France. For a race of that undertaking, nobody can conquer it on their own. A successful race depends on top-of-the-line products, a deep bench of knowledge, and a strong team behind these cyclists – and the same can be said of engineers.

In our recent live stream event, we brought together members of the Hawk Ridge Systems technical team to showcase some of their favorite SOLIDWORKS features and time-saving tips.

Predicting Lift and Drag With SOLIDWORKS and SIMULIA

solidworks and simulia simulation

Drag forces due to air resistance are a key design factor for vehicles on the ground and in the sky. Current trends toward electrification have put even further emphasis on minimizing drag as a means to extend range or increase flight time when all other things are equal. This is relevant both for the designers of airframes and chassis, as well as suppliers of exterior-mounted third party equipment.

Performing predictions of lift and drag is a very straightforward process in SOLIDWORKS Flow Simulation and can be performed early on during design. This reduces the need for iterations of scale prototypes and wind tunnel tests and provides additional confidence in a design before committing to prototyping. Design variations can be quickly analyzed by cloning Flow Simulation projects between multiple SOLIDWORKS configurations.

Isolating Bodies in Drawing Views for Multibody Parts in SOLIDWORKS

When creating drawings of multibody parts, it may be necessary to detail each of the solid bodies separately. In SOLIDWORKS, the individual solid bodies can be isolated on a drawing in a number of ways, each with different use cases. “Select Bodies” in drawing views is most common, but the other options can be handy as well.

In this scenario, the goal is to detail an assembly that was received as a multibody part. While it is possible for cases like this to be handled with saving each body as its own part, that would be cumbersome and could lead to file management issues. The options below offer fast and efficient ways to create these layouts.

How to Balance Quality With Speed and File Size for Artec and Creaform 3D Scanners

3d scanning

Handheld scanners convert millions of points of data to millions of polygons – taking up computer resources and disk space. If you work with 3D scanners, you already know that file size and processing data are the biggest limits of the technology.

By understanding how different scanners capture and process data, we can find ways to work around these limitations and optimize our scanning and processing times. This can be done in the raw data or final mesh depending on the end-goal of the project. Some software for example will let you combine different mesh and point cloud data together to increase accuracy and resolution. Others you can edit the mesh itself to show two different resolutions, increasing the polygon count in areas of interested while decreasing on simpler surfaces.

How to Achieve Custom Fiber Pathing With Markforged

For the past five years, I’ve made onsite visits to help customers implement and operate Markforged 3D printing systems. Markforged is known for their continuous fiber composite printing, and the topic of custom fiber pathing – or having multiple settings in different areas of a part – has come up frequently in my trainings. My response has always been that although there are approximately ten different fiber configuration settings that will get the job done in the proprietary software, you cannot write your name in fiber so to speak. I’ve probably told that to hundreds of customers over the past few years, but today I’m here to set the record straight.

I recently discovered a workaround that allows you to create pockets of different settings within your part, so you can in fact write your name in fiber, or have multiple settings in different areas of the part. In other words, you can create a custom conformal fiber path in any geometry you like within your part.

Markforged FX20: Functional Parts from Factory to Flight

markforged fx20

The FX20 is the most sophisticated 3D printer ever developed by Markforged, built for everything from performance tooling and fixtures to flight-ready production parts.

This large format printer can reinforce Ultem 9085 filament with continuous carbon fiber, creating a true composite that combines the material’s excellent FST and high-temperature characteristics with the strength of continuous fiber reinforcement (CFR). And although this printer brings new breakthrough capabilities like CFR in Ultem to the industry, it also delivers parts multitudes faster than any previous model with a much simpler user experience. 

Align SOLIDWORKS Drawing Entities Like a Star

Making engineering drawings look clean while still including all relevant design and manufacturing considerations can be a galactic undertaking at times. Technical drawings should be something you are proud to hand to your manufacturing team or customer while serving the functional purpose of conveying all necessary specifications. There is also a fine balance between providing a high level of detail and displaying a clean, visually palatable layout that doesn’t leave the viewer cursing the heavens above.

Bearing this in mind, SOLIDWORKS provides an array of mission critical tools to align drawing entities and make your sheets look out of this world. This article looks to showcase these capabilities and walk through some specific alignment features, all while attempting to increase awareness of how you want to organize your drawing layout. The three main types of drawing components to spatially control covered here are views, annotations, and title block notes.

Change Management in SOLIDWORKS PDM: Don’t Waste Your Best Work

data management solutions

Design changes WILL happen, it’s just a matter of time. As an engineer, wouldn’t you rather spend your time coming up with new ideas for the next generation of your design rather than trying to hunt through data to find what you need?

We’ve all been through situations where the wrong revision of a design was sent out for production, or maybe that CAD file was moved to another file location, and now you can’t find it. You can probably think of your own examples that are similar but may have had to do with a need for more powerful product data management (PDM) tools.

SOLIDWORKS PDM can help any organization focus their attention on designing better products instead of manually managing their files or the changes that need to happen with them. Here, we’ll focus on a few key aspects of SOLIDWORKS PDM that help you manage your files and change processes with ease.

3 Ways CAMWorks Can Solve Machine Shop Communication

cam shop floor

In industries that use CNC machining, there can be many team members that contribute to the production of the final product. The process starts with the designer creating the CAD model that is then sent to the programmer for CAM programming. Once the program is complete, the code is sent to the operator to set up and run the CNC machine.

Efficient communication is key to optimal production. If the machine is not producing parts, it is still considered downtime, even during the period when the programmer and operator are tying up the machine with a test of the code. With the levels of communication between all the parties involved, there are many opportunities for information to be lost or misinterpreted.

DraftSight: Modern Use Cases for 2D CAD

draftsight screen

While the global CAD industry continues to grow, industry research has consistently shown a trend toward the adoption of 3D CAD software in place of traditional 2D solutions, a trend which shows no signs of slowing anytime soon. So, with all the evidence in favor of the undisputed superiority of 3D CAD, why bother with a 2D drafting and engineering solution like DraftSight? Despite what the data suggests, there are still plenty of good reasons add DraftSight to your toolkit.

How to Utilize the 3D Printing ROI Calculator

The Hawk Ridge Systems 3DP ROI Calculator is a powerful tool for understanding the investment and payback period for additive equipment. The tool can also be used to understand the part cost and production estimates, as well as unique geometries. When considering additive equipment, it is key to understand both items to make smart business decisions. This article will explain how the calculator works in greater detail and provide insight into how to create a strong ROI using this tool.

Identify a Geometry that Has Value to Your Organization

Identifying a part file or series of part files for your ROI calculation is critical for creating a strong justification. Ideally, you want to know what it currently costs you to produce this part file, as well as understand the lead times and labor involved. Good candidates for ROI justifications are parts that have been difficult or costly to produce in the past. Perhaps parts are being produced overseas and the lead times and supply chain disruptions are causing production delays. Some parts also lend themselves well to an additive process much better than traditional manufacturing processes. Areas where you see many design revisions or if the design requires custom elements with each unit are perfect for additive manufacturing.

5 Reasons to Metal Plate Your 3D Printed Parts

The practice of metal plating or metallization of plastic parts has been in use for a long time. Many folks do not realize that thermoplastic 3D printed parts can also undergo this same process with amazing results. We have seen firsthand that this process works well with many HP Jet Fusion and Markforged thermoplastic materials.

Metallization allows for targeted metal properties on lightweight and in-expensive plastics that can be printed with complex geometries that are unattainable with traditional manufacturing. In today’s blog, we are going to remove the veil look at 5 reasons to metal plate your 3D printed parts.

How to Improve Graphics and Speed by Adjusting Image Quality in SOLIDWORKS

Do you need to improve image quality, sharpen your graphics, or achieve faster speed in SOLIDWORKS? Have you ever had a SOLIDWORKS file that seemed to lag when you zoom or rotate? Have you ever noticed your edges looking too coarse?

This setting is for you!

The setting I’m referring to is the SOLIDWORKS Image Quality setting. This lives in Settings> Document Properties> Image Quality.

How to Simplify Your Wiring With Enterprise Harness

For those that must develop complex electromechanical assemblies, you know that developing the wire harness in a 3D environment has had its challenges in the past. With the development of 3D modeling tools such as SOLIDWORKS, more companies have chosen to integrate their wire harness into their 3D assemblies. Doing this, however, adds complexity to the 3D assembly and comes with its own set of issues.

Enterprise Harness and Enterprise Layout from Landmark Technologies have simplified the process of designing and documenting your wire harness in a 3D environment.

Creating Custom Knapheide Service Trucks With the SOLIDWORKS Suite

solidworks success story knapheid

Custom built to fit countless industries and unique applications, the Knapheide Manufacturing Company has become the most popular manufacturer of work truck bodies and truck beds in North America.  

But they didn’t get there overnight. For six generations, Knapheide family has helped the business evolve and grow – from craftsman wagons to becoming the large-scale manufacturer that it is today.  

SOLIDWORKS CAM Pro: Getting Familiar with CAM Configurations

Many people have been using configurations on the SOLIDWORKS side but are not aware of the possibility of using CAM configurations in SOLIDWORKS CAM Professional. Different CAM configurations can be created to program different versions of the same part or those with geometric changes.

We will review how to create a mill configuration and a turning configuration, and use the exact same part that was used in the previous configuration to be worked on.

Offline Eiger vs. Eiger Core: Choosing Your Markforged Software

markforged eiger software screen

Hawk Ridge Systems works with Markforged Eiger software daily and we believe it is truly one of the best build prep and slicing solutions on the market. Markforged continues to innovate and add features that allow for a seamless workflow, along with the background infrastructure for scaling within teams and larger organizations. The Eiger software has both cloud-based and offline offerings with distinct differences and advantages.

In today’s article, we are going to show you the difference between Offline Eiger and Eiger Core so that you can make the best software decision for your business.

Solving the Challenges of Complex Wiring and Harness Design

The world is seeing technology advance at exponential rates. Products and devices are now more integrated than ever with intelligent electronic systems. This has presented challenges to engineering teams requiring them to combine both electrical and mechanical engineering disciplines. It becomes more apparent when designs incorporate electronic components, PCBs, bundles of wires, and wire harnesses.

The Challenges of Harness and Wire Design

Products and devices are becoming more portable in an effort to be competitive and reduce the overall waste footprint. Harness design has also become a large part of the design process and understanding things like space constraints, wire routes, and connector pin outs becomes an imperative part of the design process. Unfortunately, it also typically becomes the most manual part. Creating these deliverables for harness manufacturing is critical to meet project deadlines and go to market before competitors.

How to Save Time and Money With Virtual Drop Testing

Drop testing is, by its nature, very complex and expensive. There’s the time it takes to make design iterations, plus the time to test a variety of different drops and impacts, not to mention the cost of the many prototypes you build just to end up breaking them.

The need for drop testing spans a wide variety of products and industries. We’ve seen many examples for products such as cell phones and computers, however we can easily point to the automotive and aerospace industries as perfect candidates for drop and impact testing. We are now also seeing the emergence of the need for this type of testing for drones, electric vehicles, bottles, and a wide variety of 3D printed products.

Is Automation for CNC Programming Really Possible?

cnc machine solidworks cam

It seems that with everything these days, it’s all about speed and automation. You can browse the internet for a product that interests you and with only a few mouse clicks have it delivered to your doorstep the next day. Credit card numbers can be saved, shipping preferences recalled, and recently used addresses can autofill the delivery address on an order for you.

Where In the World Is My SOLIDWORKS Explorer?

You may have noticed something interesting when searching for SOLIDWORKS Explorer in your Windows Taskbar search recently – it’s not there! What happened? In 2020, SOLIDWORKS has replaced SOLIDWORKS Explorer with SOLIDWORKS File Utilities. Luckily, they retained many of the important functions like Pack and Go, Rename, Replace, and Move with just a right-click in your File Explorer window.

Let’s make sure you already have it installed.

How to Manage Multiple Installations of SOLIDWORKS

Every year, SOLIDWORKS rolls out a new version of its software and provides Service Pack updates throughout the year for continuous improvement. A lot of these upgrades originate from customer feedback, so be sure to enter Enhancement Requests through the Customer Portal!

Thankfully, SOLIDWORKS lets you maintain multiple versions concurrently under one serial number and on one machine. This can be especially handy for version compatibility when transferring files between companies since SOLIDWORKS files aren’t backwards compatible. Additionally, maintaining the older version can soften the transition of company-wide version upgrades, where older version files need to be retained or where certain feature upgrades aren’t immediately desired.

3 Ways Advanced CAM Software Helps You “Turn Up” Your Lathe Programming

intro to solidworks cam

The old adage is “time is money.” Nowhere is that truer than in production based on CNC machining. The time it takes to produce a part (or many parts) is greatly improved using advanced CAM software such as CAMWorks. Both stages in the production process can be affected by delays, which can increase the most crucial periods of time in CNC: the programming time and the machine’s cycle time.

The programming time is increased if the programmer must review not only the printed hardcopy of the drawing for tolerances but also confirm that the 3D model matches. The machining time could suffer from extraneous moves if the tooling used is not robust enough. In the end, no amount of programming skill or efficient tooling can save the production time if an unforeseen collision causes the machine to go down to await repair.

SOLIDWORKS: What You Need to Know About Sketch Text

In design and manufacturing, applying text to parts can be a critically essential tool. From basic part numbers and functional indicators to brand decals and customized insignia, there is a wide range of necessary text functions. Understanding the capabilities of SOLIDWORKS to best utilize the letters, numbers, and/or symbols will be a very helpful skillset to put your specific design intentions into action. Whether engraved, embossed, or 3D printed, it all starts on a foundational sketch level, so let’s start with the initial setup.

DraftSight: Importing PDF to DWG/DXF

everything about draftsight

Though much of the design and engineering world has moved on to 3D CAD solutions over the last couple decades, DraftSight is often used as a collaboration tool to communicate with other departments, companies, or vendors using 2D design data, even if you yourself are working in 3D. In many cases, this design data may be provided in PDF format, making it difficult to modify and revise. Fortunately, the PDF Import functionality of DraftSight allows users to quickly convert PDF files into DWG format, unlocking all the revision, editing, and design capability within.  

How to Save High Resolution STL Files for 3D Printing

In an effort to help make your process more efficient, we want to provide recommendations for exporting a high resolution STL file from your CAD software for 3D printing. Failing to do so can cause several issues including faceting or simplification of curved geometry as seen below.

Step One | Adjusting Your STL Options

When you are ready to save your model as an STL file, first choose “save as” and select STL from the dropdown menu. Once STL is selected as the desired file type, an options menu will appear:

Mastering Your Bill of Materials and Changes With SOLIDWORKS Manage

Managing your product’s lifecycle is getting increasingly difficult as the standards for industries change and your data is spread out across many different applications. SOLIDWORKS Manage can help you reign in your data, allowing you to control and monitor the status of your projects and products.

In our recent webinar, “How to Master Bill of Materials and Changes with SOLIDWORKS Manage PLM,” our Enterprise Solutions Specialist went over how SOLIDWORKS Manage can be used to bring all your data together to simplify your products lifecycle. We go through an exercise from the start of an engineering change request (ECR) process to its completion, while modifying components and the bill of materials along the way. We’ll show you how easy it can be to manage your engineering changes.

DraftSight vs AutoCAD: Which 2D CAD Tool Works for You (And Your Bottom Line)

In today’s 2D CAD environment, there is a plethora of choices and capable tools. AutoCAD has been a staple in 2D CAD for years, but with Autodesk’s recent changes to their licensing models, it has become a tool that no longer offers versatile licensing options.

Not only did Autodesk eliminate perpetual licensing back in 2016, but over the last two years, they have slowly worked to phase out network licensing options, requiring any user that needs access to the software to have their own login. For many companies, this is not cost-effective because they do not work exclusively in 2D, so users are not working daily within the software.

For lighter AutoCAD users, Autodesk did introduce “flex” licensing, where companies can purchase tokens to pay only for days when they use the software. On the surface, this seems like a good compromise for light users, but companies need to pay close attention to their usage – the cost of daily tokens can add up quickly.

Solving Electric Vehicle Thermal Challenges With SOLIDWORKS Flow Simulation

As electronics power density continues to increase, thermal challenges become increasingly important to address. These challenges are especially pronounced today in the electric vehicle industry, as EV battery packs may require heating in cold climates and cooling under fast charging and high current draw.

In our recent webinar, our analysis pro shared how SOLIDWORKS Flow Simulation can allow rapid CAD-embedded virtual testing of thermal performance. Examples are presented in the case of liquid-cooled battery packs and general air-cooled electronics.

We also cover techniques that can help speed up solution times and get answers into engineer’s and designer’s hands faster – which can be applied broadly across any sort of thermal problem.

How to Utilize Weldment Configurations in SOLIDWORKS

solidworks weldments

When working with weldments, some features are done after the project has been welded together. When making drawings, if you want to make sure these aren’t put in before welding, you can control that with configurations. Read on if this is something you need to do!

I have a work table that I’ve already designed, and I need to add holes to the top of the frame to mount the tabletop. I know that I’m going to put these holes in after the frame has been welded together to account for any tolerance stack up or machining warpage.

How to Manage Bills of Materials and Engineering Change Processes with SOLIDWORKS

In reviewing the SOLIDWORKS Manage PLM projects our Hawk Ridge Systems Enterprise Solutions team has been involved in over the last four years, there are many variations:

  • Migrations from legacy PLM systems for companies that are already in the SOLIDWORKS CAD ecosystem
  • Upgrading from SOLIDWORKS PDM Professional because they needed more functionality
  • Moving away from a Windows file system to their first formal data management and PLM system
  • A variety of different vertical markets and industries
  • A wide array in the amount of data analytics and/or project management they want included in phase one of the project plan (phased implementation vs. big bang)
  • And much more

How to Utilize the Digital Forge for Your Additive Manufacturing

Inspection markforged software

Curous about the Digital Forge and what it is? The Digital Forge represents a platform that combines printer hardware, material, and software to help you create high-quality end-use parts directly on your Markforged 3D printer.

The software developed by Markforged is much more than just a standard slicing tool when working with a 3D printed part. It also helps:

  • Organize your part inventory
  • Track the usage of material
  • Maintain the status of your printer fleet
  • And can even perform quality inspection reports following a build

SOLIDWORKS Prices Are Going Up: Here’s What You Need to Know

At Hawk Ridge Systems, we are committed to bringing you the best in engineering tools, resources and support so that you can make world-changing products.

You may have heard by now that the price for SOLIDWORKS licenses is going up.

Starting April 1, 2022, the following licenses will go up:

  • SOLIDWORKS desktop perpetual license – five percent increase on all products except DraftSight.
  • SOLIDWORKS network licenses – 19 percent increase, including PDM.

You likely have questions – and we hope to address most of the common concerns surrounding this increase now.

Managing the Temperature of Electric Vehicle Battery Packs

Electric vehicles are a disruptive new technology that stand to change the automotive industry significantly. The global electric vehicles (EVs) market is expected to reach 92 million units by the year 2027, up from an estimated 3.2 million in 2020.

Thermal design challenges are common in all modern electronics as we look to reduce size while also increasing power. Nowhere is this issue more prevalent than the electric vehicles industry. With over 30 global companies competing for EV market share, the engineering demands to produce the best product quickly – and safely – are formidable. Some of the key challenges faced by these emerging companies include:

7 Reasons You Need an Elite Subscription Plan for SOLIDWORKS

If there’s one thing you can count on in the engineering field, it is that change is inevitable. From constant upgrades and enhancements to new technologies and economic shifts, there’s a lot of evolving that organizations (and engineers like you) must do to stay current.

While engineering solutions are steadily expanding and becoming more sophisticated, the need for quality training and technical support has greatly increased – especially in the last couple years because of the pandemic.

With that in mind, Hawk Ridge Systems reimagined Subscription services. Instead of providing basic upgrades and standard, industry-wide features, we wanted to give users everything they needed to be successful in today’s climate, including:

Assembly User Interface Overview in SOLIDWORKS

Are you struggling with getting an assembly started, or continuing an assembly that’s already been started? If so, this is the article for you. Please keep reading for steps and tips on creating an assembly from scratch, what all of the icons mean, and adding parts and subassemblies to assemblies.

I need to create a hinge assembly and add it to a door. An assembly is a collection of parts and/or assemblies in one file. I already have the parts designed, so I’ll use the New command to create an assembly. Here, I can choose the generic assembly template, or click on Advanced to specify a custom template.

5 Steps to Improving Part Design for Markforged 3D Printing

Additive manufacturing has changed the way that we think about part design and production. The constant innovation of printing technologies and materials is allowing us to continuously print stronger end-use parts. Though additive manufacturing allows for the creation of parts once deemed impossible to produce, design guides should be followed to ensure a part’s ultimate success.

Just like in traditional manufacturing processes – like machining or injection molding – small changes to a part design can drastically increase the strength, durability, and surface finish of a part. Below is a set of steps that are extremely helpful to use when designing a part for additive manufacturing on a Marforged 3D printer.

CSWA-E Certification Series – The Electrical Exam

Our certification series often speaks to mechanical engineers – but today, we’re talking to you about the things you care about. I recently took the Associate Electrical Exam and I figured you all might appreciate some pointers. Follow along!

Overview of the Exam

The Certified SOLIDWORKS Associate – Electrical Exam is designed to test your knowledge of the tools and understanding of the principles of Electrical Engineering. Some of the topics that the exam covers include:

  • Electrical theory
  • SOLIDWORKS Electrical Schematics
  • SOLIDWORKS Electrical 3D
  • Electrical design
  • Installation

Discover What’s New in CAMWorks 2022

Every year, to keep pace with the requirements and trends of the manufacturing industry, CAMWorks releases updates to their software including new features and enhancements. CAMWorks 2022 is no different – chock full of the latest innovative technology to improve your CNC programming experience, reduce cycle times, and enhance your efficiency.

New Features in CAMWorks 2022

New Support for Barrel Tools in Milling Operations

CAMWorks 2022 has added support for barrel tools for multi-axis and 3 axis milling operations. Barrel cutters offer greatly reduced cycle times in some jobs by increasing the surface area of the cutter at the point of contact. That also contributes to better surface finishes. The latest version of CAMWorks supports the most common shapes, including standard, conical tangent, tapered, lens, and advanced user-defined barrel tools.

How Markforged Composite 3D Printing is Changing the Aerospace Industry

Have you ever looked into creating 3D printed parts for aerospace and been unsure of how to navigate the endless waters of certifications and documentation?

More than ever, 3D printed parts are being used aboard aircraft and as part of the manufacturing line using Markforged composite materials. Lot traceability with aerospace-grade materials such as Onyx FR-A and Carbon Fiber FR-A are opening doors for new possibilities and applications related to flight. Printing systems are also becoming more and more sophisticated adding features such as automated part scanning for dimensional accuracy. Both materials and printed parts have granular traceability and dimensional reports as part of an automated process.

Why Can’t I Get My Electrical Schematics Done Fast Enough?

The days of drawing schematics with pen and paper, Microsoft Paint or any other general-purpose drafting tool are gone – free up your time and get projects done faster by adding these changes to your workflow.

Today, drones can deliver Amazon packages directly to your door, a piece of nano-structured glass can now store and retrieve data in 5D, but your schematic tool can’t automate repetitive tasks?

Planning for Success With SOLIDWORKS Electrical

electrical design solidworks

Today’s world is so fast-paced that you often don’t have the time you wish you had to fully plan a project. But what is this really costing you? In some cases, long ordering lead times require that you plan and have a parts list early to ensure products are delivered on schedule. Furthermore, planning allows you to identify potential points of failure early on and take the necessary steps to avoid them.

So what’s keeping you from doing this? Is it lack of resources? Or is the value simply not there? Manually creating planning documents can be a time-consuming task, and it has the potential to push back a project completion date rather than pulling it forward — especially if this work cannot be utilized to accelerate development in the next step. So what’s the solution?

5 Ways CAMWorks and SOLIDWORKS CAM Accelerate CNC Machining

manufacturing floor

As manufacturing costs escalate due to supply chain delays, as well as material and labor shortages, it’s more critical than ever to leverage tools that increase CNC programming efficiency. Integrated CAM solutions such as SOLIDWORKS CAM and CAMWorks run natively within the SOLIDWORKS design environment, providing manufacturers with many built-in efficiency advantages to make time-consuming tasks simpler.

We’ve discussed many times how changes to SOLIDWORKS native files, including Configurations within the part, can trigger automatic tool path updates from both SOLIDWORKS CAM and CAMWorks. That capability saves a lot of time with reprogramming families of parts. But did you know that by using the 3D Interconnect feature within SOLIDWORKS you can insert and associatively link many different types of native CAD data, while maintaining the same tool path associativity? Even your STEP files can drive automatic updates to your tool paths.

How Colleges and Universities Keep Their Rankings Up with 3D Printing

College recruitment is hard. With so many higher-ed options out there universities work harder than ever to differentiate themselves in a crowded playing field. Schools who attract the best students must be viewed as an innovation leader with a finger on the pulse of today’s latest trends and technologies. This is why top colleges invest in cutting edge 3D printing technology to secure their spot at the top of college ranking lists. So what exactly does 3D printing fulfill and why do savvy students across the U.S. add 3D printing to their list of “must-haves” when narrowing down their college prospects?

SOLIDWORKS Simulation: What Is Von Mises Stress?

simulia sim

One of the criteria we often use to verify part design is Stress. If we want to make sure a part doesn’t break under a given load, we need to ensure that the maximum stress in the part is below the yield strength of the material. But what does that even mean? How does SOLIDWORKS measure the stress in the part? And how can a simple comparison of stress values verify that the part isn’t failing? Let’s break it down.

Stress is simply a measurement of the internal forces in a body, as a result of externally applied loads. The units of stress are the same as those of pressure: force per unit area (psi, since you’re likely working in English units). As a result, we can roughly calculate a stress value by dividing the total force by the cross-sectional area.

Why Colleges and Universities are Investing in the Markforged Metal X

Over 5 years ago, manufacturers feared that the adoption of 3D printing technology wasn’t happening fast enough in higher education. Today we’re telling a different story because universities are investing in additive manufacturing left and right. Leading universities specifically, are not just opting for desktop units though…the most competitive schools are investing in metal.

Our Markforged Metal X is a perfect example of a 3D printer that meets the needs of even the most selective colleges and universities. With its price point, uniquely safe process, and super strong parts…this metal 3D printer is a no-brainer.

4 Steps Toward Incorporating STEM Technology in Your School

For several years now, federal and state governments have been setting increasingly higher standards for educational institutions to focus on STEM programs (Science, Technology, Engineering and Math). The programs are becoming mandatory parts of curriculum in many states – and at all levels of education.

Giving students access to traditional manufacturing tools, 3D printing technology, and CAD certifications can be a great recruiting tool if you’re a private institution. Still, this presents an opportunity for all schools to prepare their students for optimal placement at competitive universities. Ultimately, this type of exposure makes students more sought after by tech companies.

Basics of Design Automation and CAD Customization

In the not-so-distant past, the design process was exceedingly resource intensive. It took a lot of time, expertise, and effort to draft designs on paper. Those paper designs were then rendered into prototypes, which often failed and had to be reimagined and reproduced until the design was successful. The entire process was lengthy and expensive.

Clearly, this process was ripe for innovation. Then 3D CAD came along and did just that.

Now, automation has also joined the scene. With CAD customization and design automation becoming more common, the entire design process looks and feels completely different.

3 Reasons Why Your Current Electrical Schematic Design Process Is Failing You

Dreading your schematic design documentation? Unable to update your designs unerringly? Cumbersome communication methods causing a conundrum? If any of these workflow challenges sound familiar to you, your current schematic design process is failing you.

Here are three reasons why:

  • Design documentation is too time consuming and error prone
  • Critical design updates are too laborious
  • Communication among team members is not optimized

3 Ways Collaboration Enhances SOLIDWORKS Electrical Design

We live in a world where collaboration is the key to success. Without it, projects often aren’t completed on time and mistakes are much more likely to go unnoticed. Because of this, you need tools that enable a highly collaborative environment. You’ve probably used tools like Skype, Dropbox, Asana, Slack, and One Drive, but when it comes to design, you often need more than these tools can offer.

A purpose-built tool that enables sharing of data and projects, increases communication and manages project changes is surprisingly hard to come by. But I’ve got some good news: as an electrical engineer building schematics, SOLIDWORKS Electrical is just the tool for the job.

Let’s take a quick look at the top three ways that SOLIDWORKS Electrical enables collaboration within a 2D environment:

SOLIDWORKS CSWP Certification Overview: Assembly Modeling

If you’re here, you’ve probably been investigating what it takes to be SOLIDWORKS certified. If you missed the first blog in the series, “CSWP Certification Series Part One: SOLIDWORKS It Like a Pro” or the second, “CSWP Certification Series Part Two: Confident and Competent,” be sure to check those both out. In this final blog of the series, we will review how to prepare for the third segment of the Certified SOLIDWORKS Professional (CSWP) exam.

CSWP Certification Series Part One: SOLIDWORKS It Like A Pro

The moment has come. SOLIDWORKS is the best CAD system on the market and you’re ready to capitalize on its massive capabilities. To do that, you need to work it like a pro – a Certified SOLIDWORKS Professional, that is.

Tests of any kind can be intimidating, especially one that can raise your business, and your career, to new heights like the CSWP exam. That’s why we’re giving you a sneak peek at what to expect as well as some helpful hints for navigating the exam.

Why Tapping Into the SOLIDWORKS Product Portfolio Improves Manufacturing of Plastic Parts

Hawk Ridge Systems has long pride itself as the premier experts in SOLIDWORKS 3D CAD across North America, serving a huge range of customers in industries ranging from industrial equipment to medical devices. Naturally, helping these companies design and manufacture quality plastic parts has long been one of our core success stories.

While the parametric modeling features in SOLIDWORKS have always enabled designers to create complex part designs with detailed surfaces and tolerancing information, finding a way to manufacture these parts efficiently has often been a deeper challenge. Thankfully, Hawk Ridge Systems has over the years expanded to the rest of the SOLIDWORKS product portfolio and beyond to help bridge those gaps.

SOLIDWORKS Electrical Title Block Tips You Should Know: Part Two

In Part one of the series, we discussed tips and tricks for title block management, drawing parameters, as well as adding borders and logos.  The second blog in the series will be focusing on attributes along with setting up rows and columns, as well as some closing recommendations. Attributes from Project, Book, Folder, Drawing level as well as Location and Function associated with a Drawing can be used to populate the title block. This allows title blocks in a project to update automatically.  

SOLIDWORKS Electrical Title Block Tips You Should Know: Part One

solidworks electrical title blocks

In this two-part blog series, we will be looking at customizing a Title Block in SOLIDWORKS Electrical. While the default library comes with some standard title blocks in various sizes, you will likely want to customize the default title blocks or import legacy title blocks.  

The first part of this series will cover general recommendations for title block management, an overview of the Status Bar and Drawing Parameters, and tips and tricks regarding borders and logos. The second blog in the series will be focusing on attributes management along with setting up rows and columns, as well as some closing recommendations.

Post-Processing Techniques for Professional 3D Printed Parts

post-processing-techniques-for-3D-printed-parts

Do you want to take your 3D printed parts to the next level of quality and functionality? Post-processing your 3D printed parts with professional techniques is what it takes to achieve end-use strength and cosmetic finish for real world applications. Learn what can be achieved and how your parts can be improved to withstand the toughest environments, as well as gain an understanding of design methods that will better prepare your project for successful, and scalable post-processing.

Introducing SIMULIA Fluid Dynamics Engineer

Introducing SIMULIA Fluid Dynamics Engineer

In the realm of fluid flow and thermal analysis, the tool of choice has long been SOLIDWORKS Flow Simulation, which lets users create and run true CFD analyses directly from the SOLIDWORKS environment. While the ease of use and CAD integration will continue to make Flow Simulation popular for years to come, SOLIDWORKS designers now have another choice for traditional Navier-Stokes based CFD utilizing the cloud-based 3DEXPERIENCE platform.

Azure Cloud Hosted Solution for SOLIDWORKS PDM and Manage PLM

Azure Cloud Hosted Solution for SOLIDWORKS PDM and Manage PLM

The topic of cloud computing is not a new one, dominating the IT airwaves for the better part of the last decade. Relative to the rest of the application landscape, our engineering space has been a bit slower to adopt cloud infrastructure understandably due to IP protection, security/ITAR, and performance concerns of cloud versus a traditional on-premises infrastructure.

Increased Flexibility with Managed PDM Cloud Infrastructure

managed cloud infrastructure

Every day, it seems, we have more SOLIDWORKS PDM customers ask us about more flexible ways to manage their PDM environment than a traditional, physical server. Purchasing hardware is an inherently inflexible proposition and capital expenditure needs to meet future demand, meaning it will remain under-utilized for most of its life. Virtualization provides a more flexible allocation of resources but, somewhere, hardware underpins the entire infrastructure.  

Design From Any Device: Introducing SOLIDWORKS Cloud CAD

SOLIDWORKS Cloud CAD offering

Exploring cutting-edge technology is always exciting, and you can peer into the future of CAD tools like SOLIDWORKS by checking out the SOLIDWORKS Cloud Offer. This collection of next-generation CAD applications, developed by the same team that is responsible for the development of desktop SOLIDWORKS, let you take a step into a design future where you’re not chained to the desktop computer in your office – design from anywhere, on any device, and always have your data at your fingertips. 

What’s New SOLIDWORKS 2022: Linear Sketch Pattern Enhancements

Linear sketch patterns in SOLIDWORKS

If you are using linear patterns in your sketches, I’ve got some exciting news for you! There have been some great enhancements with the release of SOLIDWORKS 2022. Now, you can use a line as a direction reference (previously it would become part of the patterned entities). Also, you can pattern and copy text in linear patterns.

Easily Track Markforged 3D Printer Statistics With the Eiger Dashboard

Utilizing Markforged Eiger Dashboard Statistics

With their focus on accessibility, Markforged makes it easy for individuals to quickly get up and running with both their printers and software such as Blacksmith. Since any user can quickly start printing on a Markforged system, it could potentially be easy to lose track of administrative items such as user metrics and printer material usage across multiple machines.

Why the SOLIDWORKS Cloud Offer Gives You the Online CAD You’ve Been Looking For

Product Design with Online CAD

The pandemic has forced companies to look at more flexible software and licensing offerings to help enable their teams on executing their goals. At the same time, many are trying to reduce overhead costs. Collaboration, not just across teams and departments, but also across physical regions, has become a necessity in today’s workforce. Labor costs are rising, and IT overhead can become a challenge for all companies. 

What’s New SOLIDWORKS 2022: eDrawings Enhancements

If you use eDrawings, there have been some exciting enhancements with the release of SOLIDWORKS 2022. Now, there are options when it comes to saving custom properties of a SOLIDWORKS file, as well as some noteworthy user interface improvements.

SOLIDWORKS 2022 Upgrade: What You Need to Know

what's new solidworks 2022 upgrade

We’re really excited about some of the new developments within SOLIDWORKS 2022, as well as the performance enhancements that have been added to the latest release of the software. Explore some of the frequently asked questions surrounding the release!

How to Determine ROI With 3D Printing Equipment

How to Determine ROI with 3D Printing Equipment

I work with companies of all sizes to justify the purchase of additive equipment in price ranges from $3K to over $500K. What we have found at Hawk Ridge Systems is that the key to bringing in a new piece of equipment is creating a rock-solid justification for the purchase. At the end of the day, key decision-makers in an organization need to see the value in bringing additive technology in-house. They need to understand the return on investment (ROI). In this post we will review how to do just that by providing a blueprint for creating a strong justification.

SOLIDWORKS: Which Package is Right for Me?

choosing solidworks package for you

Whether it’s your very first time looking into CAD software, or even if you’re considering adding another license to your growing design team, we have all the information you need to make an informed decision, along with plenty of options for maximum flexibility.

Balancing Simulation Accuracy vs. Speed

accounting for extreme deformation in nonlinear simulations

In the world of finite element analysis, or FEA, many problems require nonlinear simulations to be accurate. Nonlinear stress analysis in advanced tools like SIMULIA Abaqus can account for extreme deformation and complex contact on large models, but these studies can also take a long time to solve. How can users perform these advanced simulations without sacrificing a huge increase in solve time?

What’s New SOLIDWORKS 2022: Detailed Cut Lists in BOMs

There have been some exciting enhancements with the release of SOLIDWORKS 2022 when it comes to creating weldment drawings. Now, Detailed Cut Lists are supported for all BOM types, the promote option is availanle for cut list items and balloons are supported for subweldments.

How to Master Markforged Composites

How to Master Markforged Composites

Ready to build strong parts faster? Markforged has changed the additive manufacturing game – from saving users time and money to offering a wide variety of materials and endless applications. And they’re only just beginning.

Announcing FX20: The New 3D Printing System From Markforged

Announcing FX20: The New 3D Printing System From Markforged

Markforged just added a new printing system called the FX20. This system is set to be the biggest, fastest, most sophisticated system to ever be released from Markforged. Now Continuous Fiber Reinforcement (CFR) can be added to high-temperature thermoplastic for incredible end-use performance in the most demanding applications.

Everything You Need to Know About DraftSight

Everything You Need to Know About DraftSight

As a SOLIDWORKS user, you may be wondering what you would use DraftSight for? With DraftSight you can directly prepare DXF files for a laser cutter, help manage legacy drawings in DWG format, and share licenses over a network for the occasional user to keep your software cost low.

What You Need to Know About Eiger Fleet From Markforged

What You Need to Know About Eiger Fleet From Markforged

Markforged has just released a robust software called Eiger Fleet, which is a cloud-based software designed to help customers seamlessly scale their printing operations. This software is aimed at organizations that have multiple printers across many users who need to add high throughput workflows, business integration and custom analytics to their workflow. In this post, we’ll provide the scoop on Eiger Fleet.

Multi-Platform Placement With Automated Nesting From Materialise Magics

Multi-Platform Placement With Automated Nesting From Materialise Magics

I recently had a conference call with a 3DP service bureau in Arizona called Athena 3D Manufacturing to demo features in Materialise Magics that may be best suited for their operation. We ended up focusing on HP Jet Fusion 3D printers running high volumes of unique parts. We showed them all sorts of tools in Materialise Magics from latticing and automated labeling, to optimizing based on slice distribution.

Discover What’s New in SOLIDWORKS 2022

Discover What’s New in SOLIDWORKS 2022

It’s that time of year – the time that is highly anticipated by SOLIDWORKS users around the world. It’s October and that means it’s time to discover what’s new in SOLIDWORKS. The release of SOLIDWORKS 2022 is just around the corner and, as always, this newest release will include hundreds of enhancements and new features driven by what you, the user, want and need.

Tips for Optimizing Your Medical Device Workflows

Tips for Optimizing Your Medical Device Workflows

Businesses often look to software solutions to improve specific tasks. Although as we all know, there are a lot of stages products go through in the development process, each associated with their own unique tasks.

That’s why we put together a webinar that covers the entire process of redesigning a simple syringe to add an auto-retract mechanism that will minimize contamination risks. We go through the details of the role each product plays in a collaborative environment and how they can help you in the medical field.

What is the 3DEXPERIENCE? Let’s Find Out!

What is the 3DEXPERIENCE Lets Find Out!

Like most of us, you’ve likely heard of the 3DEXPERIENCE – the new design and business information platform from Dassault Systemes, makers of SOLIDWORKS. You likely don’t have a clear idea of what it actually does, however, and how it might affect you as a current SOLIDWORKS user. In this article, we’re going to try to change that!

Smart Schematics Trends: Are They Worth the Change?

Smart Schematics Trends: Are They Worth the Change

Smart schematics are changing the way that we design and present ideas to the world. While traditional AutoCad and DraftSight functions may support basic ideas and conceptualizations, they simply don’t work “fast or smoothly enough” in a data-rich modern landscape. To function at the top level, you’ll need automation, quicker responses – smart schematics.

SOLIDWORKS Design Automation for Free – DriveWorks Xpress

SOLIDWORKS Design Automation for Free

I have had the pleasure of using numerous CAD systems through my years in manufacturing & design. And despite the learning curve for SOLIDWORKS being the most favorable one by far, typically my learning path is always the same when approaching a new system. At first, I would simply learn how to use the tool through a mixture of formal training and on the job experience. Once I had enough experience and was proficient enough, I would always start getting curious about design automation. Every CAD system has some way to deal with low level automation, but for anything advanced you would always inevitably need to turn to API coding. This of course requires the working knowledge of a programming language such as Visual Basic or C#. In our case, when it comes to us wanting more from design automation with SOLIDWORKS you will not need to learn a programming language let alone even know what an API is period.

SOLIDWORKS Vs. AutoCAD: Which 3D CAD Tool is Right for You?

SOLIDWORKS Vs. AutoCAD

Being a SOLIDWORKS reseller, we often are asked about the differences between SOLIDWORKS and AutoCAD as a 3D CAD tool.

While we of course stand by SOLIDWORKS and all of Dassault Systèmes solutions in our product line, we will attempt to draw an honest comparison between the two tools and leave the rest up to you.

Looking For a PLM Solution? Consider SOLIDWORKS Manage

Looking For a PLM Solution

Product Lifecycle Management (PLM) has increased in demand as more industries are requiring software that coordinates all the details of their products. We’re sure you’ve seen and heard over the last few years that software is eating the world and PLM software is at the table as well. Having a PLM system allows an organization to manage resources for a project utilizing project visibility, processes, tasks and timelines.

4 Things I Wish I Had Known Getting Started With SOLIDWORKS

4 Things I Wish I Had Known Getting Started With SOLIDWORKS

I still remember my first time opening SOLIDWORKS. Staring in awe at the massive user interface, wondering where to start, quickly realizing that I was in over my head … but captivated all the while, imagining all the fantastic things I might be able to build someday. Getting my hands on a computer with the software installed was difficult enough, and then of course, I had to learn how to actually use it.

System Consolidation With SOLIDWORKS Manage

System Consolidation With SOLIDWORKS Manage

The idea of a single software ecosystem makes a lot of sense. Everything is designed to work together – a familiar, consistent UI across all applications, compatibility, simplified system administration and maintenance and so on. The applications are developed by the same people, using a common design philosophy and product knowledge. A common platform allows an organization and its users to get trained faster, work more efficiently, enhance organizational visibility, reduce or eliminate manual data entry, mitigate errors and deliver a better overall result.

Using a Design Study to Prove Convergence in SOLIDWORKS Simulation

In this blog, I am going to show you how to use a design study to run consecutive studies to refine the mesh in an area of interest and get a convergence plot. Proving that the mesh is independent of the solution is an integral part of simulation. If you are unfamiliar with mesh convergence, I highly suggest you check out this blog “SOLIDWORKS Simulation: Achieving Convergence of Results.” There are some awesome tools in SOLIDWORKS Simulation like Adaptive Meshing and Hot Spot Diagnosis that do this process automatically, but those tools are not available for all mesh and study types. With those tools, it is also hard to control the exact area of refinement, limits of the mesh sizing, and avoiding singularities. I have broken the process into five steps for easy reference and simplicity.

Building on PDM Professional With SOLIDWORKS Manage

Building on PDM Professional With SOLIDWORKS Manage

SOLIDWORKS PDM Professional is fantastic for managing your CAD workflows, revisions and history, but we often find ourselves wanting to accomplish more than just CAD file management. With SOLIDWORKS Manage, we can capture processes that go beyond the documents themselves, or do not have documents at all. We can also track and maintain additional steps to our processes that do not need to involve your typical engineering personnel. This helps us pull every department into one interface that is visible to all.

Subdivision Modeling Made Easy Using 3D Sculptor

Subdivision Modeling Made Easy Using 3DSculptor

Subdivision (Sub-D) modeling is all about making organic modeling easy. If you are a fan of push-and-pull control points (nurbs) we got you covered. SOLIDWORKS has always been an analytical parametric modeling software and that has not changed. What has changed is having the ability to develop organic shapes in-line with your mechanical designs.

Solving the Top 4 Challenges in PDM with SOLIDWORKS Manage

Challenges in PDM with SOLIDWORKS Manage

SOLIDWORKS PDM Professional provides the SOLIDWORKS CAD community a robust, highly configurable environment to manage your complex CAD documents, inform your colleagues of changes, and automate the creation of deliverables, like PDF drawings, neutral CAD formats for manufacturing, and bills of materials (BOMs) for operations and other business systems. The best business solutions focus on their specific strengths, foregoing feature sets outside their sphere of expertise. Finding the best solution for each challenge can be daunting. We will dive into a few common challenges faced by our SOLIDWORKS PDM Professional community and some solutions to tackle them effectively.

8 Influential Things You Didn’t Know Were Invented By Women

8 Influential Things You Didn’t Know Were Invented By Women

According to the U.S. Department of Labor Statistics, women comprise about 47 percent of the overall workforce. When it comes to science and engineering, however, only 14 percent of engineers are female.

While a gradual increase of women in engineering has occurred in recent decades, there are obstacles that persist for women in STEM fields today.

How to Integrate Wire Harness Design in Your SOLIDWORKS Assemblies

Wire Harness Design in Your SOLIDWORKS Assemblies

How often do you wait until you have a physical prototype in hand to start your wire harness design? Do you see revisions to your mechanical assemblies that force changes to your wire harnesses? Have you seen delays to product launches due to waiting for your wire harnesses to be designed and built? If you answered yes to any of those questions, you might want to start integrating your wire harness design into your SOLIDWORKS assemblies. This can be done in several ways.

Identifying and Preventing Wet Markforged Material

Identifying and Preventing Wet Markforged Material

Parts printed with Markforged composite 3D printers exhibit incredible print quality, dimensional accuracy and excellent mechanical properties that allow them to be used in a wide variety of end-use applications. To achieve these results from the CFF process, however, it is critical that your plastic print material is kept free of moisture. In this article, you will learn all you need to know about troubleshooting and preventing wet material in your Markforged system.

Network Licensing Still Available with SOLIDWORKS and Draftsight

The software industry is constantly changing. One of the recent trends, particularly in CAD software, is a move to named-user licensing where each individual user has a license assigned to their individual email address. This has become the primary mode of delivery for vendors like Autodesk and Adobe, and covers popular products like Inventor, Fusion, AutoCAD, Illustrator and Photoshop.

Advantages of PostPro Vapor Smoothing for 3D Printed Parts

Advantages of PostPro Vapor Smoothing for HP 3D Printed Parts

HP Jet Fusion has become one of the premier printing technologies for end-use parts that are strong and functional at incredible print speeds and low part cost. With all of these great benefits, there is an opportunity to take these parts to the next level. The surface finish of printed parts is becoming a big deal as printing systems such as the HP 5200 are bridging the gap between prototyping and injection molding. There is a need to produce parts that are smooth to the touch; matching the look and feel of injection molded parts.

Why You Should Invest in SOLIDWORKS Training and Certification

Why You Should Invest in SOLIDWORKS Training and Certification

In today’s market, there is a high demand for skilled workers (especially in technical fields). This makes 3D CAD training more important than ever – because companies can’t afford to lose employees due to lack of training.

This is where continuing your education through SOLIDWORKS training and certifications can come into play.

How and Why You Should Be Vacuum Forming Your 3D Printed Parts

Vacuum Forming Your 3D Printed Parts

Vacuum forming tools are an application that is usually overlooked when exploring production tooling using additive manufacturing. If you are looking for a quick tool to pull just a few prototypes, or if you are looking for short-run production tooling, this may be the application for you.

I have seen companies produce a printed prototype of the product they are developing using additive manufacturing and then create a blister pack by printing the vacuum form tool for the packaging of the product. This allows them to show the product as it would appear on the shelf; making a better presentation to a marketing group looking for new products.

Understanding a Compliant Mechanism Using SOLIDWORKS Simulation

Understanding a Compliant Mechanism Using SOLIDWORKS Simulation

A compliant mechanism is a flexible device that achieves force and motion transmission through elastic body deformation. A compliant mechanism gains its motion from the relative flexibility of its members rather than from rigid-body joints. The fact that a complaint mechanism uses the elasticity of the material to move makes it perfect for a linear static study. In a SOLIDWORKS Simulation linear static study, the results have to stay within the linear elastic range of the material or return to its original shape once all loading is stopped, making this the perfect domain for compliant mechanisms.

Serialization of 3D Printed Parts with Materialise Magics

3D Printed Parts with Materialise Magics and HP Jet Fusion

This blog post will reveal how you can automatically generate serial numbers for your 3D printed parts using HP Jet Fusion and Materialise Magics. In an additive manufacturing environment, traceability is a big deal. How can you monitor when a part was made? What material or what revision was a particular part? More and more, companies are moving to the digitalization of inventory to save on warehouse space and associated costs with storing physical parts. And with that movement there is a consistent need for higher volumes of “On-Demand,” “End-Use” 3D printed parts that are traceable.

IT Considerations for SOLIDWORKS Network Licensing

Considerations for SOLIDWORKS Network Licensing

SOLIDWORKS Network Licensing (or SNL for short) relies on a lightweight server component to handout licenses to client PCs. As users load SOLIDWORKS products, the appropriate licenses are checked out from the license pool. When a user closes SOLIDWORKS or unloads an add-in such as SOLIDWORKS Simulation, the license is automatically returned to the pool.

If a user knows they need to go off-network, they can “borrow” or temporarily check out a license from the license server. Borrowing a license checks out the license for the assigned period of time (up to 30 days) and removes it from the available license pool. The licenses automatically return after the borrowing period or can be manually returned sooner using the SolidNetworkLicense Manager Client.

4 Easy Steps to Create a First Article Inspection Report

4 Easy Steps to Create a First Article Inspection Report

In this article, we’ll be discussing First Article Inspection (FAI) reports and covering a basic strategy for creating them in the SOLIDWORKS Inspection standalone program. But first, what is FAI all about?

FAI utilizes an industry set of standards, it typically consists of three sections referred to as Form 1, 2 and 3. Forms 1 and 2 are populated with drawing properties such as drawing title, part name, revision, unit of measure and material, while Form 3 contains the nominal value and tolerance of each inspection-required dimension.

Getting Started with SOLIDWORKS: Registration and Installation

Registration and Installation

Now that you have your SOLIDWORKS Serial number, it’s time to create your SOLIDWORKS ID, get your products registered, and start the installation process. In this article, we’ll be covering everything you need to know for downloading the necessary files and adjusting the installation settings for a successful implementation. With that, let’s get started!

Creating a Center of Mass Reference Point in a SOLIDWORKS Assembly

Creating a Center of Mass Reference Point in a SOLIDWORKS Assembly

In the SOLIDWORKS assembly environment, you can visualize the center of mass (COM) in the graphics area and read the coordinate points, but you cannot reference the COM. In the part modeling environment, there is a Create Center of Mass Reference Point button that will make a selectable, relatable point at the part’s COM.

4 Fiber Routing Techniques for Markforged 3D Printers

Markforged 3D Printers

Have you ever been curious about how to efficiently route fiber into Markforged 3D printed composite parts? In a previous blog called “How to Select the Correct Fiber for Your Markforged Application,” we reviewed some real-world applications which make use of continuous fibers that Markforged printers can inlay into plastic parts. Today, we’ll be taking a look at some techniques that can be used to create more efficient and stronger fiber layouts.

Advanced SIMULIA Simulation Capabilities Now Available

Simulation Capabilities Now Available

SOLIDWORKS Simulation has powerful structural and thermal capabilities and puts them in the hands of everyday designers and engineers directly through the SOLIDWORKS interface. This allows them to quickly iterate through model variations while in the design or conceptual phase and select the best variant. There is a wide range of SOLIDWORKS Simulation capabilities and a super easy-to-use interface making it simple to learn and apply to your model.

3DEXPERIENCE SOLIDWORKS Explained

3DEXPERIENCE SOLIDWORKS Explained

On July 6, 2020, SOLIDWORKS released 3DEXPERIENCE SOLIDWORKS, a variant of the SOLIDWORKS 3D CAD software that is connected to the 3DEXPERIENCE platform. This new version represents a shift in the delivery and operation of SOLIDWORKS CAD software. A new offering like this often leads to a lot of questions, and we’re going to do our best to answer them.

How to Insert Internal Components With Markforged Composite 3D Printing

Components With Markforged Composite 3D Printing

Have you ever wanted to securely embed hardware and components inside your 3D printed parts? In some of our previous content, We’ve touched on how Markforged composite 3D printers allow users to pause their prints in progress in our previous blog, “6 Threading Options for Your Markforged 3D Printed Parts.” In today’s blog, we’ll be taking a deeper dive into this functionality and how you can use it to enhance your 3D prints!

How to Customize the Formatting of a SOLIDWORKS DXF or DWG File

Formatting of a SOLIDWORKS DXF or DWG File

A DXF or DWG file is the common input required for cutting machines like a laser, plasma, hot wire, or water jet cutters. Each machine is unique and likes the file formatted in a certain way to distinguish between operations like cutting, engraving, or etching. SOLIDWORKS gives you the option to map different entities (model edges, bend lines, sketches, form tools, etc.) to the required DXF or DWG formatting. You have the flexibility to change the line style and color for a variety of SOLIDWORKS entities.

How to Utilize Destructive 3D Scanning for Hidden Features

Destructive 3D Scanning for Hidden Features

Sometimes there is no way to fully scan a part that has features hidden from sight. Since optical scanners are analogous to spray-painting with light, you must have line of sight on any feature that you want to “paint.” In many of these cases, the only viable option will be to use an industrial CT scanner. The cost and facilities requirements of CT scanners can be prohibitive for most companies, however, and outsourcing to a CT service provider might delay a project or pose IP issues that take time to resolve.

Testing Airflow Through a Classic Car With SOLIDWORKS Flow Simulation

Classic Car With SOLIDWORKS Flow Simulation

I have always had a fascination with classic cars. They are fun to admire, drive and work on, but sometimes they lack the comfort of modern cars. Driving a car without air conditioning in the hot summer months has led me to test many window configurations to maintain a cool internal temperature without getting windburn on your face. I have decided to use SOLIDWORKS Flow Simulation to put my window configuration hypothesis to the test.

Adding Color to 3D Printed Parts with SOLIDWORKS

Adding Color to 3D Printed Parts With HP Jet Fusion and SOLIDWORKS

Have you ever seen a color 3D printed part and wondered how they do it? Maybe you have tried exporting a file you created with your CAD software only to discover that your part did not carry the color when sent to print.

6 Common Questions Everyone Asks When Buying SOLIDWORKS

Buying SOLIDWORKS? 6 Questions Everyone Asks

Thinking of making the switch to SOLIDWORKS? Or maybe you’re new to 3D CAD and wanting to try out the widely regarded industry-standard software for yourself.

Whatever the reason, here are answers to a few of the most common questions we get surrounding getting started with SOLIDWORKS.

Meet Nikki Stakic: A Woman Breaking Engineering Barriers

Along with the other disciplines that fall under the banner of science, technology, engineering and math (STEM), women have been vastly underrepresented in the field of engineering – with a dismal 13 percent of engineers being female.

Despite the discrepancies in numbers, there are plenty of powerful women in the sciences that are carrying significant roles and breaking barriers.

One within our own company is Nikki Stakic, a Senior Applications Engineer out of our Calgary office.

Frequently Asked Questions Regarding CAM Post-Processors

CAM Post-Processors

Many people have questions about the post-processors used in CAM systems, such as:

  • What is a post-processor?
  • Why are they frequently customized?
  • How do you get your post-processor customized?
  • How do you change the post you’re using?

We’re going to try to answer many of these common questions in this blog article.

Are You Ready for 3DEXPERIENCE World?

Are You Ready for 3DEXPERIENCE World

So, you’ve registered for 3DEXPERIENCE World 2020 in Music City. You may be asking yourself, “what do I need to know before I go?” Don’t worry. We have compiled a list of things to look out for and tips to navigate the conference that will help you have the best experience possible!

As you may already know, this is the first 3DEXPERIENCE World, formerly known as SOLIDWORKS World, and it will be at the Music City Center in Nashville. Building on the reputation of SOLIDWORKS World, 3DEXPERIENCE World 2020 is an opportunity for designers, engineers and business leaders to learn, innovate, collaborate and celebrate together! The conference will be from February 9-12, 2020.

Activate Your SOLIDWORKS Product in 5 Easy Steps

Activate Your SOLIDWORKS Product in 5 Easy Steps

Congratulations! You’ve purchased SOLIDWORKS and are on your way to creating amazing 3D CAD designs. If this is your first time with the software, however, you may be unsure on how to get started. 

Before you can get to designing, you must activate your SOLIDWORKS license. 

Hybrid Modeling With the Solidify Tool in Geomagic Design X

Hybrid Modeling With the Solidify Tool in Geomagic Design X

We’ve already covered techniques for creating models using the auto-surface tool combined with solid primitives. That approach works well for models that are predominantly free form in shape but have some critical areas that need to be expressed as proper CAD features. But what about the inverse?

Hybrid Modeling With Geomagic Design X

Hybrid Modeling With Geomagic Design X

Most CAD users are familiar with the relative difficulty of modeling organic shapes and complex curvature using traditional CAD tools. While some CAD programs and reverse engineering programs have automated surfacing techniques to better deal with these geometries, they are not conducive to downstream editing. They also typically do not create perfectly prismatic features like true planar faces and cylinders. Because they are based on splines, they also have trouble defining sharp corners. This makes them often unsuitable for expressing mating surfaces, areas with mechanical function, and other key features that require perfect definition.

Top 10 Add-Ins for SOLIDWORKS

Top 10 Add-Ins for SOLIDWORKS

If you’ve ever opened SOLIDWORKS, you likely already know that there’s more capability within the software than any individual user could hope to use in a single lifetime. Despite all of the often-untapped potential in SOLIDWORKS, however, users in certain technical fields may find that the software lacks particular industry-specific tools required for product design and documentation. That’s where SOLIDWORKS Partner Products come in!

How to Master Assembly Scanning in Artec Studio

How to Master Assembly Scanning in Artec Studio

Assembly scans are useful in several ways. They are typically more detailed and complete than single scans and can include features that would not be visible or scannable without disassembly. They are useful for viewing internal components and can even be used for diagnosing motion systems.

How to Utilize Design Tables in SOLIDWORKS

How to Utilize Design Tables in SOLIDWORKS

Working with SOLIDWORKS and Excel in the same space is very common. But what if you could use Excel tables inside SOLIDWORKS to control configurations? Or to suppress features, change dimensions and materials? Then you wouldn’t have to worry about affecting other configurations. Now, there are different ways for us to create the design tables. In this blog, we will create design tables for the net magnet part using “auto-create” and inserting a blank table.

Designing Bevel Gears in SOLIDWORKS Using Sketch Blocks and Lofts

Designing Bevel Gears in SOLIDWORKS Using Sketch Blocks and Lofts

Recently, I ran into a scenario where I had to design some custom-sized gears and found a creative way to make a beveled gear that I thought I should share. There are equations to calculate specifications of the bevel like the cone angles of the gears, tooth, face width and cone distances. I wanted to use SOLIDWORKS and do as simple of calculations as possible. The first step was to get the gear ratio I wanted and for this example, it is 20/40 or 1/2.

How to Remove Transparency From Faces of a SOLIDWORKS Part

How to Remove Transparency From Faces of a SOLIDWORKS Part

Transparency settings in SOLIDWORKS are great for clarifying the inner details of a design and gaining access to obscured areas of a part or assembly. Occasionally, however, transparency can become difficult to manage. This is especially true for face transparency, as it is not tracked in the FeatureManager Design Tree like features and bodies.

Choosing Between a Weld Bead and Weld Fillet in SOLIDWORKS

Choosing Between a Weld Bead and Weld Fillet in SOLIDWORKS

Have you ever wondered what the difference between a Weld Bead and a Weld Fillet is in SOLIDWORKS? Both methods allow the user to define welds inside of a 3D part. The decision between the two generally comes up when you’re using the Weldments tool and needing to add a new weld around a joint.

How to Explore Section Views and Drawings in SOLIDWORKS

How to Explore Section Views and Drawings in SOLIDWORKS

Creating a Section View in a SOLIDWORKS drawing is typically a straightforward process. Generally, you start by creating a drawing view, use the Section View command from the View Layout tab and place the resulting section. While easy enough to create, Section Views created in drawings do have some limitations and may not convey the exact information desired.

How to Dimension While Sketching in SOLIDWORKS

How to Dimension While Sketching in SOLIDWORKS

Tired of constantly dealing with the Smart Dimension tool? For nearly every new SOLIDWORKS user I meet, there exists a constant struggle of turning Smart Dimension on, remembering to turn it off, and making sure all your selections are correct for even the simplest of dimensions. Fortunately, there’s a better way that will have you typing in dimensions without ever leaving your sketch tool.

How to Add a Point Between Intersecting Lines in a SOLIDWORKS Sketch

Add a Point Between Intersecting Lines in a SOLIDWORKS Sketch

Have you ever wanted to quickly add a sketch point between two intersecting lines, or add the virtual sharp between two non-connected lines in a SOLIDWORKS sketch? The task is rather easy to do but may not be obvious right from the start. In this blog, we will show you how to add an intersection point with only a few clicks.

Everything You Need to Know About SOLIDWORKS Licensing Options

Everything You Need to Know About SOLIDWORKS Licensing Options

Unsure of which SOLIDWORKS license fits your needs? If you’re having trouble understanding the different licensing methods of SOLIDWORKS, that’s okay! We will review both of the major licensing options to help determine which is right for you:

  • Standalone licenses (tied to a particular computer)
  • Network licenses (float between many users and computers on a given network)

Connecting Custom Properties With the Bill of Materials in SOLIDWORKS

Connecting Custom Properties With the Bill of Materials in SOLIDWORKS

Creating a Bill of Materials for an assembly is nothing new. Traditionally, we may have used a program like Excel to create a table and manually fill out the rows and columns. This process would be very involved and would require constant editing when parts and assemblies are updated or changed.

Pass/Fail Criteria for Characteristics in SOLIDWORKS Inspection

Criteria for Characteristics in SOLIDWORKS Inspection

When creating a First Article Inspection report, it’s sometimes necessary to specify characteristics that will be inspected on a pass/fail basis. This may result from inspecting with dedicated tooling or gauges like a Go/No Go thread gauge, or by performing a functionality check with other mating components. In this article, we’ll cover a few steps that can be taken to improve inspection report generation for these pass/fail cases.

Solution-Adaptive Meshing in SOLIDWORKS Flow Simulation

Solution-Adaptive Meshing in SOLIDWORKS Flow Simulation

If you’re a user of SOLIDWORKS, you’re probably aware that Dassault Systèmes also offers a family of products that go beyond just CAD without having to leave the familiar SOLIDWORKS design environment. SOLIDWORKS Flow Simulation is one example of this, allowing any design engineer to test fluid behavior and heat transfer directly on their existing 3D models.

How to Check Interference and Range of Motion in SOLIDWORKS

How to Check Interference and Range of Motion in SOLIDWORKS

Have you ever manufactured a part only to find it doesn’t fit properly in an assembly? Or perhaps you’ve completed an assembly only to discover that components don’t have adequate range of motion for proper function. It happens to the best of us, and you likely already know how frustrating the lost time and money from ill-fitting components can be. Fortunately for us, SOLIDWORKS provides several tools for checking the form, fit and function of assembly components prior to manufacturing, helping you avoid design rework and heartache. In this article, we cover three of the most important strategies in this tool set: Visual Inspection, Interference Detection and Collision Detection, using this 1950s-style retro refrigerator design:

How to Hide or Show Components in SOLIDWORKS Assemblies

How to Hide or Show Components in SOLIDWORKS Assemblies

Looking for ways to hide and show components in an assembly in SOLIDWORKS? These tricks are especially useful when trying to apply mates or seeing what’s hidden under a component without changing its transparency. We’ll be looking at hiding and showing components with the ‘eye’ icon, Display Pane and the Tab key.

Material Properties and Uses of the Markforged Metal X

Material Properties and Uses of the Markforged

With the launch of Inconel 625 and D2 Tool Steel, the Markforged Metal X is now able to print parts in five different metals. With these five available materials, it is easier than ever for users to print parts with a metal that fits their application. In today’s blog, we’ll be taking a closer look at the Markforged metal material portfolio.

Creating NPT Threads in SOLIDWORKS Using the Hole Wizard Feature

Creating NPT Threads in SOLIDWORKS Using the Hole Wizard Feature

National Pipe Thread Taper, commonly known just as NPT, is a U.S. standard for tapered threads used on threaded pipes and fittings. This standard is widely used all over North America. Pipe thread sizes are usually based on the inside diameter (ID) or flow size. The way to read an NPT size is the nominal inside diameter and the number of threads per inch. For example, if we have a 1/4-18 NPT, that means it is a 1/4 inch inside diameter and 18 threads per inch. If LH is added to the end, it means the pipe has a left-handed thread.

Exploring Mass Properties in SOLIDWORKS

Exploring Mass Properties in SOLIDWORKS

Creating a part to be as realistic as possible allows us to make accurate models in SOLIDWORKS. If an accurate value for mass is needed, how can that be achieved? What about coordinates for center of mass, or design volume?

How to Perform a Simple Tooling Split in SOLIDWORKS

How to Perform a Simple Tooling Split in SOLIDWORKS

SOLIDWORKS features a powerful set of Mold Tools for tackling complex mold designs, but it’s not always necessary to use them. If you’re just trying to make a simple cavity and mold split, you can easily accomplish this using the procedure outlined below.

Note: You can use a similar procedure with either a multi-body approach or an in-context assembly editing approach. For simplicity sake, we will cover the multi-body approach in this blog.

Working With Scan and Mesh Data in SOLIDWORKS

Working With Scan and Mesh Data in SOLIDWORKS

Have you ever received an STL file from a customer or colleague and been asked to work with it in SOLIDWORKS? Or have you ever received data from a 3D scanner? If so, then you have probably been left wondering, “How do I work on this in SOLIDWORKS and why can I not use my regular tools and features?” In today’s article, we are going to look at three different tool sets that can be used to work with mesh data.

Create a Custom Property from a Selected Surface Area in SOLIDWORKS

Create a Custom Property from a Selected Surface Area in SOLIDWORKS

I was asked if I could take the surface area of selected faces in SOLIDWORKS and have that value be referenced in a drawing file. When this problem first came across my desk I assumed it was going to be an easy task, but boy was I mistaken.

My first thought was using the SW-Surface Area Custom Property, but that calculates the entire surface area of the part. My next idea was to create a surface body of the selected faces, isolate it in its own Configuration, and then use the SW-Surface Area Custom Property. After that experiment, I quickly recalled that the SW-Surface Area Custom Property ignores surface bodies. My next hope was to create a measurement sensor of the selected area and link that to a Custom Property.

Mastering the Measure Tool in SOLIDWORKS

Mastering the Measure Tool in SOLIDWORKS

After receiving a part, it’s sometimes necessary to test out certain dimensions in SOLIDWORKS. Maybe an angle where walls intersect needs to be verified, or the distance between two arc centers needs to be confirmed. While the Smart Dimension tool is an option, with the Measure tool, you don’t have to create permanent reference dimensions, and going into the sketch to see dimensions can be tedious if just for inspection. The solution is to explore the different ways we can use the Measure tool to measure arc distances, angles, edges and XYZ coordinates.

3 Steps to Better Lofts and Boundaries in SOLIDWORKS

3 Steps to Better Lofts and Boundaries in SOLIDWORKS

If you’ve been struggling with Loft or Boundary features in SOLIDWORKS, fear no more! Known for being two of the more complex features in the program, Loft and Boundary features often require precise selections and careful sketch management for the most accurate and attractive results. In this article, we’ll show you three simple tricks to take your Loft and Boundary Features to the next level while avoiding errors and bad geometry.

Going in Depth With the SOLIDWORKS Configure Feature Table

Going in Depth With the SOLIDWORKS Configure Feature Table

What if there was a way to control a part through a table? A table that would let you add configurations without going to the configuration manager tab or let you not worry about dimension changes. Luckily, SOLIDWORKS gives us the ability to create design tables that control materials, dimensions and configurations – making it easier to create and edit part configurations.

3 Ways to Mate in SOLIDWORKS Assemblies

3 Ways to Mate in SOLIDWORKS Assemblies

So, you’ve successfully learned how to build your part and now you’re ready to create your first assembly. Congratulations! Once you’ve inserted your components (via ‘Insert Components’, dragging and dropping, etc), let’s move on to mating. One of the great benefits of SOLIDWORKS is that there are multiple ways to accomplish the same result, and that also goes for mating! We’ll discuss how we can use the Mates menu, Quick Mates and SmartMates to get you up and running.

How to Get Rid of the Purple Funnel Icon in SOLIDWORKS

How to Get Rid of the Cursor Funnel/Filter Icon in SOLIDWORKS

Every SOLIDWORKS user has had it happen – you’re minding your business, modeling away, when suddenly and without warning: For those of you looking for the quickest tip you’ll ever receive, simply press the F6 key in SOLIDWORKS and then move the cursor to get rid of this icon. You can thank me later! For […]

5 Reasons to Upgrade to SOLIDWORKS Simulation Professional

5 Reasons to Upgrade to SOLIDWORKS Simulation Professional

When it comes to engineering, there are many factors that contribute to creating your best designs. Not using the right software, for example, can result in a more time consuming and costly design process – especially when it comes to analysis. Just like how having the right tools in your tool bag can save time and money with repairs around the house, upgrading to a more advanced version of SOLIDWORKS Simulation can help you make better design decisions.

SOLIDWORKS Simulation: Exporting Topology Results

SOLIDWORKS Simulation: Exporting Topology Results

With SOLIDWORKS Simulation Professional, one of the many study types available is Topology Optimization. The Topology study is a nonparametric optimization of parts utilizing specific goals, manufacturing constraints and all applied loads and fixtures. These studies provide amazing insight into how forces and other loading conditions are most efficiently supported by their fixtures. They can show how to reduce the mass of a part while maintaining stiffness or fulfilling design requirements, such as keeping displacement below a specified value or keeping factor of safety above a certain level. But when all is said and done, how do you utilize the results obtained?

SOLIDWORKS Simulation: Multiple Load Cases for Topology Studies

Multiple Load Cases for Topology Studies

In recent years, SOLIDWORKS Simulation Professional added a brand new study called Topology. If you have ever taken a look at the Topology study in SOLIDWORKS Simulation Professional, you may have been excited about its ability to create optimized shapes by removing material from a part. This helps reduce weight while maintaining material in critical areas needed to meet design requirements. In this post, we’ll cover how the Load Case Manager available for Topology and Static studies in SOLIDWORKS Simulation Professional can allow you to optimize a shape for multiple loading conditions.

Adding Configurations to SOLIDWORKS Visualize Renderings

Adding Configurations to SOLIDWORKS Visualize Renderings

SOLIDWORKS Visualize has been proven to be an extremely effective tool that allows designers and creators to quickly create photo-realistic renderings of their design concepts. Many designs are created with several versions, however, and SOLIDWORKS Visualize Professional makes it extremely easy for a designer to quickly create multiple different concepts of their end design.

How to Model With SOLIDWORKS In-Context Design

How to Model With SOLIDWORKS In-Context Design

Have you ever been in the process of designing a new component that is associated with an assembly and realized the need to constantly jump back and forth between that part and assembly in order to measure critical areas of where that part should be positioned? If so, you may be able to benefit from using an in-context design process.

Introduction to DriveWorksXpress

Introduction to DriveWorksXpress

Do you have designs that are similar but different? Or better yet, do you use macros, design tables and/or configurations to automate your designs? Well, DriveWorks might be your one-stop solution to automate your design process.

SOLIDWORKS: How to Rotate Drawing Views in 3D

SOLIDWORKS: How to Rotate Drawing Views in 3D

Achieving the perfect orientation in a SOLIDWORKS drawing view can be a challenge, especially for models with highly organic geometry. In this quick tutorial, we’ll show you a tool you may have never seen before. It allows you to make dynamic adjustments to standard drawing views to achieve the perfect orientation, select an obscured edge for the depth of a Broken-out View, or simply view the model in 3D temporarily.

Editing the Hole Callout Format File in SOLIDWORKS

Editing the Hole Callout Format File in SOLIDWORKS

Using the Hole Wizard tool in combination with the Hole Callout tool is a fast and efficient way of quickly detailing drawings with the set vital hole callout information. Some companies, however, may find that they may want to add additional detail to the callout in SOLIDWORKS.

How to Blend Corners in SOLIDWORKS

How to Blend Corners in SOLIDWORKS

Due to geometric conditions, while modeling in SOLIDWORKS some corners may not end up blending in a way that matches the designer’s original design intent. In these circumstances, one may have to manually create the blended corners themselves.

5 Overlooked But Powerful Shortcuts in SOLIDWORKS

5 Overlooked But Powerful Shortcuts in SOLIDWORKS

SOLIDWORKS has a lot of productivity tools to help us save time when creating models/drawings. With so many shortcuts to choose from, many of them can be overlooked and forgotten. In this blog, we are going to review five time-saving shortcuts to make you more productive.

How to Create Virtual Sharps in SOLIDWORKS

How to Create Virtual Sharps in SOLIDWORKS

Have you ever found yourself in a situation where you needed to dimension to a virtual sharp? Luckily, there are multiple ways to create a virtual sharp in SOLIDWORKS, as well as different display options.

Let’s look at creating a virtual sharp in a sketch. When inside of a sketch, hold down Ctrl, select the two sketch entities and then select the Point tool on the Sketch tab. Once it appears, you can reference it like you would any other point.

Master SOLIDWORKS Visualize with 3 Simple Tips

Master SOLIDWORKS Visualize with 3 Simple Tips

Photo-realistic renderings and professional animations of designs can provide significant value prior to manufacturing or helping to win over a quote. We will review a few tricks in SOLIDWORKS Visualize Professional that let you repurpose SOLIDWORKS motion studies to create realistic imagery, animations and virtual reality content.

Pro Tips for Using SOLIDWORKS Inspection

Pro Tips for Using SOLIDWORKS Inspection

Accurate inspection documentation is critical for manufacturing, but historically it has never been something that is quick and easy to create. As technology progresses, we are getting closer to automating this process. Here are three professional tricks for SOLIDWORKS Inspection that will allow you to utilize existing data and get you one step closer to automation.

3 Tips to Improve Your SOLIDWORKS Composer Skills

3 Tips to Improve Your SOLIDWORKS Composer Skills

Whether you are new to SOLIDWORKS Composer or you have been using it for years, sometimes it’s that one little missing trick that will help take your technical publications to the next level. We cherry-picked three of our favorite tricks in SOLIDWORKS Composer, hopefully at least one of them will be what you’re missing.

Removed Section Views in SOLIDWORKS Drawings

Removed Section Views in SOLIDWORKS Drawings

SOLIDWORKS 2019 introduces a brand new dedicated Removed Section command for the effortless creation of sliced Section views with proper alignment. In previous versions of SOLIDWORKS, creating a Removed Section required the creation of a traditional section and several additional steps, including enabling various PropertyManager options, breaking alignment and realigning with appropriate views.  We’ll cover the basics of this new enhancement so you can get back to documenting your designs.

How to Select the Correct Fiber for Your Markforged Application

How to Select the Correct Fiber for Your Markforged Application

Markforged composite printers are able to inlay continuous strands of fiber within the plastic matrix of 3D printed parts using Continuous Filament Fabrication (CFF). Depending on which fiber type is being used, this can greatly alter the mechanical properties of 3D printed parts that are created by Markforged machines. Certain Markforged printers are capable of inlaying Carbon Fiber, Fiberglass, High Strength High Temperature (HSHT) Fiberglass and Kevlar.

Easy Steps to Getting Started With SOLIDWORKS

Easy Steps to Getting Started With SOLIDWORKS

So, you just purchased SOLIDWORKS and you’ve got a job to do. Where do you start? SOLIDWORKS has a lot of useful resources to help with a variety of tasks. Take advantage of the following resources to help you get up and running in no time.

Introducing SIMULIA XFlow

Introducing SIMULIA XFlow

If you ask a group of mechanical engineers what the important factors are in the products they design, you’re likely to find a majority that bring up the behavior of fluids. From the drag coefficient of a car to the pressure drop in a hydraulic manifold, designers in nearly every industry are looking for the next breakthrough in performance. So, it’s no surprise that CFD (computational fluid dynamics) software has become an important tool to aid in the design process ever since the first code was developed at Los Alamos National lab in 1957.

Organize Your Library in SOLIDWORKS Electrical

Organize Your Library in SOLIDWORKS Electrical

One of the great features in SOLIDWORKS Electrical is the presence of customizable libraries. These classifications are a great way of organizing your library components and are helpful when searching for the desired symbol of manufacturer part. The libraries are accessible through the six managers present in the Libraries tab of the Command Manager – Symbols, 2D Footprint, Title Blocks, Macros, Cable and Manufacturer Parts. The library components are usually grouped under pre-defined classifications available in their respective managers.

What’s New in eDrawings 2019

What's New in eDrawings 2019

There are a number of great enhancements for eDrawings 2019. We want to cover new features in eDrawings standard (the free viewer) as well as graphical performance enhancements, the new ability to view SOLIDWORKS configurations on native files, and an all-new web HTML export in eDrawings Professional.

Features Basics in SOLIDWORKS

Features Basics in SOLIDWORKS

While sketches may be the foundation of a well-designed SOLIDWORKS model, features are like the bricks and mortar. Whether you’re trying to add or remove material from your part, hollow it out, or round off the corners, there’s likely a feature (or combination thereof) that can get the job done. We will introduce you to some of the most basic and widely-used features in SOLIDWORKS, exploring their various properties and applications so you can get a head start on your next project.

Your Quick Guide on Sketching Basics in SOLIDWORKS

Sketching Basics in SOLIDWORKS

Sketches in SOLIDWORKS are like the foundation of a skyscraper – without them, you couldn’t build one! Well-developed sketches are one of the major keys to creating intelligent and flexible models, and we want to introduce you to several sketching tools/techniques and provide you with the understanding you need to start creating your own.

User Interface Basics in SOLIDWORKS

User Interface Basics in SOLIDWORKS

Getting started with SOLIDWORKS can be a challenge, especially for new users coming from 2D CAD programs. We’ll cover the basics of the SOLIDWORKS user interface, giving you the tools and understanding that you’ll need in order to be prepared for your first design, tutorial or training class.

Recommended SOLIDWORKS Simulation Settings

Recommended SOLIDWORKS Simulation Settings

While some Simulation settings are simply preferential, some can have a great impact on how your studies run and how your results are presented. The settings in this blog are mostly ones we’ve seen customers have success with over the years, with the rest coming from our years instructing our Simulation training course.

Diagnosing an Engine With SOLIDWORKS Flow Simulation

Diagnosing an Engine With SOLIDWORKS Flow Simulation

I’ve spent the past year at Hawk Ridge Systems visiting customers around Southern California in my 2000 Volkswagen Beetle TDI. The ride is great, and so is the mileage. Unfortunately, I’ve noticed the car is experiencing power loss at low RPMs, something that 1.9-liter turbo diesel engine shouldn’t have an issue with.

New SIMULIA Product: Structural Simulation Engineer (SSE)

New SIMULIA Product: Structural Simulation Engineer (SSE)

In March, SOLIDWORKS started offering a new product called SIMULIA Structural Simulation Engineer. There’s a lot of marketing information out there, but not much information about how this new tool fits in with the other simulation offerings from SOLIDWORKS and SIMULIA. So let’s take a look at what SSE is and what’s different about it.

Managing Read-Only Access in SOLIDWORKS

Managing Read-Only Access in SOLIDWORKS

There’s nothing quite like the feeling of opening a SOLIDWORKS document, only to find that your last eight hours of hard work have just been wiped out by the intern. Anyone who has experienced data loss certainly knows what true pain feels like, and while SOLIDWORKS PDM is our number one recommendation for collaborative file management, proper usage of read-only options can save you quite a bit of trouble in the interim. In this post, we’ll cover the basics of using these read-only options, as well as some important differences between setting this option in SOLIDWORKS versus Windows.

How to Set Up a Planetary Gear Motion with SOLIDWORKS

How to Set Up a Planetary Gear Motion with SOLIDWORKS

Planetary gearing is a compact alternative to standard pinion-and-gear reducers and is used in a wide variety of applications to provide high torque. We are going to go over the setup of a planetary gear assembly in SOLIDWORKS that will allow us to demonstrate the motion of the three drive types of this system.

Getting the Most Out of Your Markforged Composite 3D Printer

Your Markforged Composite 3D Printer

Discover a few simple additive manufacturing practices that can help to enhance your Markforged experience, including:

  • A few tips and tricks that will change your additive manufacturing game;
  • A look at breaking up and re-assembling larger parts or assemblies;
  • And a demonstration of how these practices can impact your parts.

3MF: The File Format for the Future of 3D Printing

3MF: The File Format for the Future of 3D Printing

In the world of 3D printing, one file format has dominated the industry for decades – the STL file. It has reigned supreme and has been around since the inception of 3D printing. Developed in 1987, the STL (Stereo-Lithography) file format was created by 3D Systems for use on their first SLA 3D printers and has remained largely unchanged for over 30 years. Even though the STL format is a relic of the old days of rapid prototyping, it is still one of the most commonly used formats to save 3D mesh data for use in 3D printing.

Crank It Up: Creating Custom Drill Bit With Markforged Technology

Crank It Up: Creating Custom Drill Bit With Markforged Technology

Anyone who has ever had a pop-up camper knows how tedious it can be to raise and lower the roof.

For those that haven’t had the pleasure of completing this arduous task, there is a receptacle on the side of the camper that you plug the hand crank into and get to cranking like a kid spinning an ice cream maker – except instead of a frozen treat, the result is more standing room for your weekend.

Figuring that someone would’ve already thought of a way to complete this with a hand drill, I scoured the internet for a drill bit that would do the trick, but found nothing. Upon inspection of the hand-tool geometry and how it fit in the receiver, I discovered that the receptacle that the hand crank plugs into is a non-standard 7/8″ square – easy enough, right?

The Markforged Metal X: An Introduction to Metal 3D Printing

The Markforged Metal X: An Introduction to Metal 3D Printing

In 2017, Hawk Ridge Systems partnered with the 3D printing company Markforged. Since their founding in 2013, every product that Markforged has released follows one simple design principle: grant users access to strong, end use 3D printed parts. Now, Markforged has taken another step toward that goal with their new metal printer, which is aptly named the Metal X.

Enterprise Harness: Solving Wire Harnessing Challenges

Enterprise Harness: Solving Wire Harnessing Challenges

With today’s smart and connected products, an increasing amount of design projects involve incorporating mechanical, electrical and electronic elements – with PCBs, wires, cables and harnesses making up key elements of the design.

4 Steps for Starting SOLIDWORKS Electrical

4 Steps for Starting SOLIDWORKS Electrical

Beginning with any new piece of software is always challenging – users need to change workflows, learn new skills and get familiar with the interface, all while keeping up with deadlines and other demands of their business.

Better Manage Your Projects, Processes and BOMs with SOLIDWORKS Manage

Better Manage Your Projects, Processes and BOMs with SOLIDWORKS Manage

You wouldn’t want to make uniformed decisions about your business.

What if we told you it’s not just about accessing the right information at the right time, but that your methods of collecting data from different sources is critical to sound decision making? Let SOLIDWORKS Manage bring your distributed operational efforts together so you can make informed decisions – faster.

The Ultimate Guide to Setting Up Your Machine in SOLIDWORKS CAM

The Ultimate Guide to Setting Up Your Machine in SOLIDWORKS CAM

You’ve been through the tutorials, took a class or two and are feeling pretty good about getting programming using SOLIDWORKS CAM. But every time you fire it up, you always repeat the same steps, Machine, Tool Crib, Post Processor etc and every time you think to yourself, there must be an easier way. There sure is, and you’re in the right spot. Take a celebratory sip of your favorite brew, stretch those knuckles, as we’re about to walk you through your first steps of getting your machine and post processor setup.

How to Set Up Your Tool Crib in SOLIDWORKS CAM

How to Set Up Your Tool Crib in SOLIDWORKS CAM

So you’ve got your mill setup, you’ve ordered all of your tools, vises, and holders. Let’s not discuss how much you’ve just sunk into ‘ancillaries’ to get this venture, AKA hobby, going. Wipe that brow, take a sip of that brew, and let’s talk tooling. Whilst you can just adjust tools on the fly, from a productivity standpoint, it just makes sense to take a little bit of time to get that tool drawer synced up with SOLIDWORKS CAM. And that’s what we’re going to walk you through here.

Getting Started with SOLIDWORKS CAM

Getting Started with SOLIDWORKS CAM

So you’ve done it…you’ve sunk your life’s savings (or should that be wife’s savings) into a CNC. You’ve taken the garage door off, cut a hole in the roof, broke your back in 5 places and dropped a thousand bucks into a curse jar but you’ve got your machine in its final resting place. You’ve jogged it around, loaded up the hand-written g-code that you spent all of Sunday night writing, double checking, and testing… without crashing…much. And you’ve quickly realized that conversational programming is about as fun as explaining to your wife why she must park on the street and why your kid needs to get a job because their college fund is ‘invested’ in a big box in the garage. And let’s not forget, it means tying up the machine and being stood in the cold shop.

Explaining Rest Machining in SOLIDWORKS CAM

Explaining Rest Machining in SOLIDWORKS CAM

Inevitably when it comes to machining parts certain features may require multiple tools in order to machine swiftly and accurately. Rest machining gives the programmer the opportunity to use a large tool to remove a bulk of the material while generating a second operation with a smaller tool removing any of the remaining material.

What’s New SOLIDWORKS 2019: Measure Tool Enhancements

What's New SOLIDWORKS 2019: Measure Tool Enhancements

With each annual release, SOLIDWORKS looks to streamline their tools to make the designer more productive. One of the most commonly used tools is the Measure Tool! We can use it to measure the lengths of edges, determine the distance between planes and surfaces, and even calculate the surface area, among many other applications. Now in SOLIDWORKS 2019, the Measure Tool is available for all SOLIDWORKS for the part, assembly, and drawing files. You can use the tool even while other tools are running.

What’s New in SOLIDWORKS 2019 – SOLIDWORKS CAM & CAMWorks

What's New in SOLIDWORKS 2019 - SOLIDWORKS CAM & CAMWorks

In the modern world, most products come with an app or some degree of connectivity. You can control your house by voice activation and drive your car or feed your pet from your cell phone. Today’s products are more connected than ever, yet the multi-disciplinary teams that manufacture the products are all too often disconnected. Join us for a look at how the SOLIDWORKS Ecosystem and our partner products are helping to break down the barriers between teams and help build better products that get to market faster. We’ll take a look at the industry trends, the solution as a whole and delve into some of the enhancements in SOLIDWORKS CAM and CAMWorks 2019.

Operating SOLIDWORKS Visualize Boost Server – Part 3

Operating SOLIDWORKS Visualize Boost Server - Part 3

Let’s say the power goes out, Windows crashes, a network render fails, or something as simple as the rendering server needs to be rebooted. These common scenarios can cause hiccups for network rendering, but they don’t have to. By creating a very simple BAT program tasks such as shutdown “taskkill” and run “start” commands can be queued up instantly, eliminating repetitive tasks, and automating the rest of the render server. Additional programs can be added for GPU and CPU monitoring as well.

What’s New in SOLIDWORKS PDM 2019

What's New in SOLIDWORKS PDM 2019

SOLIDWORKS 2019 enhancements for data management have disrupted the market. Design challenges have evolved and SOLIDWORKS has too. SOLIDWORKS 2019 has streamlined your assembly process with fewer steps so that you can focus on your product design. In this webinar, we will highlight these new features to SOLIDWORKS PDM with a live demonstration that highlights its ease of use, flexibility, and robust capabilities.

What’s New in SOLIDWORKS 2019 Release Highlights – Part 2

What's New in SOLIDWORKS 2019 Release Highlights - Part 2

In this second part of our What’s New webinar series, we’ll continue to discuss our favorite features in SOLIDWORKS 2019, including great improvements in assembly performance, new workflows with touch and markup, and new surface texture features. We’ll also touch on features from the past few releases that have had a significant impact on our day-to-day usage of SOLIDWORKS, that you may have not been aware of before.

What’s New in SOLIDWORKS 2019: Simulation, Flow, & Plastics

What's New in SOLIDWORKS 2019: Simulation, Flow, & Plastics

Welcome, to our What’s New in SOLIDWORKS 2019 on Simulation, Flow, and Plastics. My name is Damon Tordini, I’m one of the project managers here at Hawk Ridge Systems, and along with me as well is Silvio Perez. He is also one of our project managers, and both of us focus on Hawk Ridge Systems simulation product suite, including SOLIDWORKS Simulation. In this webinar, we’ll review new features in SOLIDWORKS 2019 Simulation, Plastics, and Flow Simulation, specifically their topology optimization and thermal analysis enhancements.

Exploring Interference Detection with Multi-Body Parts in SOLIDWORKS

Exploring Interference Detection with Multi-Body Parts in SOLIDWORKS

Interference Detection is an essential tool that allows you to find where individual parts in an assembly interfere with each other. This helps to check that all of your components fit together before being manufactured. Previously this tool was only available in the assembly environment, leaving the users of multibody parts (such as those designing in Weldments, Sheet Metal, and for consumer products) having to use workarounds to benefit from this common SOLIDWORKS function. New in SOLIDWORKS 2019 the Interference Detection tool can now be accessed in Part documents to help get the fit right between components.

Operating SOLIDWORKS Visualize Boost Server – Part 2

Operating SOLIDWORKS Visualize Boost Server - Part 2

The better and more expensive the hardware, the faster the rendering will be. Right? Well, that is technically true but what really matters is having the right hardware, not the most expensive.

Visualize will utilize both the GPUs (Graphics Cards) and the CPUs (Processors), this allows super-fast renderings on hardware that isn’t super expensive. Even if you’re on a tight budget, professional rendering isn’t out of grasp. Don’t let the lack of professional engineering hardware get in your way.

Operating SOLIDWORKS Visualize Boost – Part 1

Operating SOLIDWORKS Visualize Boost – Part 1

Introduced with SOLIDWORKS Visualize 2018 SP3.0, the new Denoiser allows professional renderings to be made 10x faster. This new ability does require a minimum of 4gigs of VRAM (video ram), however, if you want to use it and doesn’t meet the minimum requirements, if you only have 1gig of VRAM, you can still force the software to enable the Denoiser. The steps below will explain how.  This is part of the Boost blog series but the Denoiser is available in all version of Visualize.

SOLIDWORKS: The Contour Select Tool and Contours

SOLIDWORKS: The Contour Select Tool and Contours

Has the thought to streamline the design process ever occurred? Where instead of building on top of a feature and using several sketches to build your part an alternative way could be used? The Solution to these questions is to use multiple Contours. Through the Contour select tool, we will be able to select different regions (or profiles) of our sketch to create our extrusions. This can be applied to many features including the boss and cut features.

SOLIDWORKS: Exploring Fillets

SOLIDWORKS: Exploring Fillets

In SOLIDWORKS, whenever corners of a part need to be rounded, fillets are chosen. As simple as the fillet command might seem there is a lot more depth than meets the eye.  The constant size fillet alone has the ability to use multi-radius, as well as keep or remove features.

Go from Datasheets to Results with SOLIDWORKS Flow Simulation

Go from Datasheets to Results with SOLIDWORKS Flow Simulation

If you have a need to analyze electronic products for thermal requirements, SOLIDWORKS Flow Simulation offers the most seamless way to get accurate results in less time. How can you ensure those results are based on accurate real-world data? Take a look at how Hawk Ridge Systems’ own analysis consulting engineers use the Electronics Cooling add-on module to input component and board properties directly from common datasheets or other software. This reduces guesswork while increasing accuracy.

SOLIDWORKS Visualize: The Fastest Photo-realistic Rendering Solution on the Market

SOLIDWORKS Visualize: The Fastest Photo-realistic Rendering Solution on the Market

Would you like to be able to create photo-realism imagery, video or VR interactive content within a tight deadline? Join Hawk Ridge Systems for an introductory look at the fastest, easiest to use, and most polished rendering software available – SOLIDWORKS Visualize. In this presentation, we will be covering the import of SOLIDWORKS 3D CAD models, applying materials, decals, custom environments, and exporting in various professional formats.

SOLIDWORKS: Basics of Reference Geometry

SOLIDWORKS: Basics of Reference Geometry

For basic SOLIDWORKS models, users can often complete designs by leveraging only the default planes and available model geometry. However, as the complexity of designs increases, it often becomes necessary to create and utilize reference geometry to produce models with appropriate design intent. Reference geometry includes planes, axes, coordinate systems, reference points, the center of mass, and mate preferences. In this article, we’ll cover the basics of creating planes, axes, and coordinate systems to help you throughout your design process.

Deep Dive into 3DEXPERIENCE PLM Tools for Engineers

Deep Dive into 3DEXPERIENCE PLM Tools for Engineers

Experience the next level of innovation first hand with 3DEXPERIENCE! With it’s easy-to-use, collaborative, and interactive environment makes it one of the most customizable PLM tools for your product development team. Check out Part 6 of our 3DEXPERIENCE Explain Series and see for yourself!

Synchronize Your ECAD/MCAD Designs with SOLIDWORKS PCB

Synchronize Your ECAD/MCAD Designs with SOLIDWORKS PCB

Products are now more intelligent and connected than ever before but designing these products efficiently has not exactly been streamlined. With more competition in this space, and more complex tools required to create these products is an endeavor that requires precise coordination. Look at how Hawk Ridge Systems own engineers demonstrate how to seamlessly exchange PCB and mechanical design information.

Ins and Outs on Meshing Elements for SOLIDWORKS Simulation

Ins and Outs on Meshing Elements for SOLIDWORKS Simulation

Innovation starts with someone asking, “What if?” or “Why not?” Answering these questions is often impractical with physical prototypes or hand calculations, not to mention the necessary time and cost. Hawk Ridge Systems knows that simulation provides the most value in guiding design decisions and that’s why we offer complete CAD-integrated solutions for testing a concept, optimizing a design, or correcting a real-world failure. In this webinar, see how meshing plays such a pivotal role in your structural analysis of your design.

What is Stereolithography 3D Printing?

What is Stereolithography 3D Printing?

Learn all there is to know about 3D printing with Stereolithography (SL) 3D Printers. In this webinar, Hawk Ridge Systems’ Senior Application Engineer, Luke Davis will shed light on 3D printing’s most senior technology. We will provide background on the process and showcase application studies (surface finish, material properties, quick prints, complex designs, cases studies), along with what differentiates it from other 3D Printers. Luke’s vast knowledge of 3D printing provides all attendees the opportunity to learn more about SLA technology and how UnionTech 3D printers allow you to bring this function back in-house. Learn more in our webinar below!

Exploring the Save as Command with SOLIDWORKS

Exploring the Save as Command with SOLIDWORKS

Have you ever opened apart and tried to use the SOLIDWORKS Save As command with the parent assembly already open? If so, you’ve probably seen the dialog below. While it’s tempting to choose an option at random and get on with your design, the option you choose here can have major downstream implications. In this article, we’ll examine these three options and help you understand which to choose in your scenario.

Integrate Your Engineering Changes in SOLIDWORKS PDM

Integrate Your Engineering Changes in SOLIDWORKS PDM

SOLIDWORKS Product Data Management (PDM) solutions enable your design team to get your design data under control and substantially improve the way your team manages and collaborates during the design cycle. SOLIDWORKS PDM is a full-featured data management tool for organizations large and small to help take out some of the time consuming and mundane tasks of organizing your data. Focus more on innovation with SOLIDWORKS PDM!

Explore the Power of 3DEXPERIENCE with POWER’BY

Explore the Power of 3DEXPERIENCE with POWER'BY

Welcome to the fourth episode in our series the 3DEXPERIENCE platform explained. Lately, there’s been a lot of hyperdense systems about the concept called PowerBy. As you may have heard, there are a lot of good presentations on this topic but I wanted to do a hands-on and really take a look under the hood of PowerBy. As you will see in the video, regardless of which CAD software/tool you are using, the PowerBy enables you to continue using that CAD. No more card translations are required in order to build an assembly for multiple sources. The product engineer can work in one place validating designs and building a product visually.

Explore the 3DEXPERIENCE Platform Project Management Tools

Explore the 3DEXPERIENCE Platform Project Management Tools

Are you under tight deadlines for your deliverables? Do you want to enhance your project management workflow? 3DEXPERIENCE provides the most optimized solution design engineering teams to manage all stages of the product development cycle. Whether in the cloud, or on-premise, it will give you flexibility, scalability, and the power to take your product experiences to the next level of innovation. It provides an unparalleled end-user experience for all members of your organization. Want to put us to the test? Request a custom demo today!

Deep Dive into SOLIDWORKS Hole Wizard

Deep Dive into SOLIDWORKS Hole Wizard

In SOLIDWORKS, hole features can vary in complexity from a simple Extruded Cut to a fully threaded Advanced Hole. For everything in between, however, the Hole Wizard command is an excellent choice, allowing designers to build real intelligence into products and optimize design flexibility and efficiency. In this article, we will be exploring the Hole Wizard command, and learning how to define and apply industry standard holes to a part in the simplest possible manner.

Explore the 3DEXPERIENCE Platform’s Document Management Tools

Explore the 3DEXPERIENCE Platform's Document Management Tools

Does your design or engineering team need a better document management system? Do you want to encourage more supply collaboration within your department? 3DEXPERIENCE provides a business platform that organizations of any size can easily update, manage, and communicate their technical data securely. Your OEM contact just needs to simply log in to access the unstructured nature of the platform. It can properly store and secure all of your 3D CAD Design SOLIDWORKS tools and  Dassault Systèmes Simulation tools.  With an easy-to-use single interface, the 3DEXPERIENCE platform offers new levels of flexibility and performance. From concept ideation to rapid generation of design alternatives, design anywhere and anytime.

Utilizing SOLIDWORKS Configurations to Your Advantage

Utilizing SOLIDWORKS Configurations to Your Advantage

When working on a part-modifications might need to be made. Keeping the original part is desired but doing that means starting a new part from scratch. Starting from scratch just to have a variant of color or even to change dimensions will result in a loss of time. The solution to that problem is to use SOLIDWORKS’ ability to make Configurations from an already existing model. In this blog, we will be going over the steps on how to create proper Configurations and how they can be affected by changes within the different Configurations.

Preparing a SOLIDWORKS Model for 3D Printing

Preparing a SOLIDWORKS Model for 3D Printing

When preparing a model for 3D printing in SOLIDWORKS, there are a variety of adjustable settings that have a direct impact on the quality of the finished product. In this article, we’ll examine these parameters and show you how to get the best possible quality for your 3D printing projects.

SOLIDWORKS Electrical – Schematic Design for the 21st Century

SOLIDWORKS Electrical - Schematic Design for the 21st Century

SOLIDWORKS Electrical gives electrical designers new toolsets for designing, editing, and maintaining electrical schematics. With a powerful database-driven approach you can reuse previous design information, manage design changes, and even collaborate last minute with multiple design contributors, and check the viability of your electrical circuits. Join Hawk Ridge Systems, in this webinar recording, for our demonstration to see how SOLIDWORKS Electrical makes design tasks faster and more accurate.

Road to Validation with Simulia Abaqus

Road to Validation with Simulia Abaqus

In the final part of this Simulation series, Product Manager Tim Milot wraps up by analyzing the manufacture of the final design and validating needed to survive real-world loads. SIMULIA Abaqus is the industry-leading FEA solver for advanced multi-physics analysis. It is the go-to choice for multifluid structure interaction. Its realistic simulation environment provides designers with the capability to perform complex analysis by accurately predicting the part or components performance in relation to its real-world environment.

Road to Validation with SOLIDWORKS Simulation

Road to Validation with SOLIDWORKS Simulation

In part two of this three-part Simulation series, Product Manager Silvio Perez shows how the results obtained from SOLIDWORKS Flow Simulation can accurately predict stress and fatigue, optimizing the equipment for factors of safety and product life.  From the first concept to the final prototype, SOLIDWORKS Simulation enables engineers to predict the impact of stress, heat, vibration, and much more to analyze and correctly predict a real-world failure.

Road to Validation with SOLIDWORKS Flow Simulation

Road to Validation with SOLIDWORKS Flow Simulation

In part one, Product Manager Damon Tordini introduces the project and shows you how SOLIDWORKS Flow Simulation helps guide the initial design process to reduce pressure buildup, and heat transfer issues before going to manufacturing. By doing so, designers can predict and detect product failures early on in the product development cycle.

CAMWorks Packages for SOLIDWORKS – Learn Which Is in Each

CAMWorks Packages for SOLIDWORKS - Learn Which Is in Each

Designers can also program faster and machine smarter with reduced setup time, be able to address complex geometry with faster roughing, and reduced CNC programming time all within an easy-to-use user interface. CAMWorks continues to challenge traditional programming methods. Just as parametric, feature-based solid modeling revolutionized mechanical design, CAMWORKS parametric, feature-based technology is revolutionizing CNC programming by helping users reduce programming time from hours to minutes or even seconds.

Get The Most Out Of SOLIDWORKS FeatureManager Design Tree

Get The Most Out Of SOLIDWORKS FeatureManager Design Tree

Many of us have worked with a part or assembly in our SOLIDWORKS 3D CAD software without giving much thought to the window pane on the left side of the screen. This window is known as the SOLIDWORKS FeatureManager Design Tree, and within it, you will find several important items related to the active part/assembly, such as the default planes, origin, and part material (if working in a part). While most users are generally familiar with the design tree, there are several lesser-known aspects to it that can make our modeling experience significantly easier. In this article, we’ll review several of these features to help you get the most out of the FeatureManager Design Tree.

Increase Your Assembly Performance in SOLIDWORKS

Increase Your Assembly Performance in SOLIDWORKS

By making slight alterations to your assembly modeling one can drastically improve their overall modeling efficiently inside of SOLIDWORKS. In this blog, we will look at five tips that can help with just that.

Generating a Silhouette Image in SOLIDWORKS

Generating a Silhouette Image in SOLIDWORKS

Silhouette images can be a great way to show off a “teaser” of a product or design. I recently used a simple trick for generating silhouette images from SOLIDWORKS in preparation of some other blog articles I’ll be doing on my RC plane model below:

Changing File Locations Simultaneously with Edit All in SOLIDWORKS

Changing File Locations Simultaneously with Edit All in SOLIDWORKS

Have you recently upgraded your license of SOLIDWORKS only to find that all of your reference folders are set to the wrong directory? It can be a daunting task to update every referenced folder one by one to fix this issue – fortunately, SOLIDWORKS makes this task quick and painless with the Edit All tool, introduced in 2017. With a simple click of a button, users can change the file directory of any and all referenced files directly within File Locations.

Taking the Stress out of Injection Molded Parts with SOLIDWORKS Plastics

Taking the Stress out of Injection Molded Parts with SOLIDWORKS Plastics

If manufacturing strong plastic injection-molded parts is a key part of your business, you won’t want to miss this webinar recording. While the design of a mold tool has a big impact on the manufacturing process, it can also be a key contributor to costly failures in the field. Join Product Manager, Damon Tordini, for a look at an integrated process where potential weaknesses in a plastic part can be identified with a nonlinear stress analysis using SOLIDWORKS Simulation Premium by incorporating data from the molding process via SOLIDWORKS Plastics. Find out how these two tools work together to improve the quality of your design, saving you both time and money.

Learn SOLIDWORKS PDM Design Branching and Merging

Learn SOLIDWORKS PDM Design Branching and Merging

If so, join Hawk Ridge Systems’ PDM Specialist, David Lefebvre, as he explains how to take advantage of the new branch and merge functionality introduced with SOLIDWORKS PDM 2018. Learn how to become more efficient managing your design phase by creating multiple parallel design iterations, and streamlining your workflow towards a final design.

Overview of SOLIDWORKS CAM and SOLIDWORKS CAM Pro

Overview of SOLIDWORKS CAM and SOLIDWORKS CAM Pro

What if you could take the simplicity of SOLIDWORKS, and apply it to the way you program and machine your parts? In this free informational webinar by Senior Applications Engineer, Gabe Crisologo, you will learn how SOLIDWORKS CAM and SOLIDWORKS CAM Pro allows users to quickly program individual parts and configurations without leaving the SOLIDWORKS 3D CAD Environment and streamlining the parts design process. Join us for an overview of SOLIDWORKS CAM and SOLIDWORKS CAM Pro.

Selecting All Components and Subcomponents in an Assembly

Selecting All Components and Subcomponents in an Assembly

Occasionally when working with large assemblies, particularly those with several layers of subassemblies, there is a need to select many or even all components without selecting the subassemblies themselves. One great example of this can be seen when it’s necessary to adjust the material of all components at the same time. In this article, we’ll demonstrate a quick strategy to select all the components of an assembly without the limitations imposed by using Select All.

SOLIDWORKS Animation: Visualize and Composer – The Best of Both Worlds

SOLIDWORKS Animation: Visualize and Composer - The Best of Both Worlds

Video animation is one of the best ways to convey an idea or process, as it’s language-free and entertaining. An animation can be photo-realistic or more on the technical side. It may also show assembly or mechanical operation. There is a vast need for animation and it’s not always easy to identify what tool is best for the job. Join Hawk Ridge System’s Product Manager, Scott Woods, for this educational webinar where he will take an in-depth look at both SOLIDWORKS Composer and SOLIDWORKS Visualize animation and identify the strengths of both options.

What can SOLIDWORKS Costing in 2018 do for you?

What can SOLIDWORKS Costing in 2018 do for you?

Learn how to adapt SOLIDWORKS Costing to your work environment to save both time and money. Join Hawk Ridge Systems’ Technical Support Engineer, Frank Pace, for an educational webinar on the standard manufacturing templates included in SOLIDWORKS Costing and how they can be customized to meet your manufacturing needs. Don’t miss out on an in-depth look at this new feature.

SOLIDWORKS: Design Review of ImpossiBell Ornament – Part 1

SOLIDWORKS: Design Review of ImpossiBell Ornament – Part 1

As the holiday season approached, Hawk Ridge decided to host a design challenge for a 3D printed tree ornament. Everyone who submitted a design would receive their ornament after being printed on one of our HP 3D printers. All submissions were required to fit into a 2” cube bounding box and the eyelet geometry was provided to us.

See a Drop-Test Setup With SIMULIA Abaqus

See a Drop-Test Setup With SIMULIA Abaqus

Are you physically drop-testing expensive prototypes, adding to your costs and time-to-market of your products? If so, join Hawk Ridge Systems’ Analysis Services Engineer, Ryan Magruder, to see how SIMULIA Abaqus can help you validate your designs faster and with less cost. Drop tests usually include more scenarios than can be quickly and physically tested. Create more robust designs with certainty using this powerful analysis tool.

SOLIDWORKS Visualize: The Easiest Possible Photo-Realistic Render!

SOLIDWORKS Visualize: The Easiest Possible Photo-Realistic Render!

Have you ever had the inclination to show off your products? How early can that be done? After a prototype or after production? Do you need to hire a photographer or set up your own photo booth? Well, what if you had the option to create photo-realistic renderings at any time during the design phase? You could be communicating designs to customers or investors, getting images for product catalogs or even validating the aesthetics of your design. If you have SOLIDWORKS Professional or Premium and are on active subscription, then you already have access to an awesome tool to produce beautiful images of your products and designs.

SOLIDWORKS: From PDF to 3D Model

SOLIDWORKS: From PDF to 3D Model

Do you have a PDF of a drawing that you would like to bring in to SOLIDWORKS? Perhaps you have legacy data or client information that you need to convert to 3D, and all you have is a PDF. If you could just bring that information into SOLIDWORKS… it would save you a lot of time, and that would be awesome!  In this blog, you will learn a mind-blowing yet simple technique that will save you time going from PDF to 3D in SOLIDWORKS!

SOLIDWORKS Electrical: Stretch vs. Move Commands

SOLIDWORKS Electrical: Stretch vs. Move Commands

Hi everybody! In this article, I want to cover a topic that I’ve personally run into while working with SOLIDWORKS Electrical, and that’s two commands that are side by side on the Schematic menu, Stretch and Move. The questions that I’ve had are: What do these do and when do I use which? If you’ve had these same questions, please keep reading!

SOLIDWORKS: Making Subassemblies Flexible

SOLIDWORKS: Making Subassemblies Flexible

Subassemblies are an excellent method for both organizing design assets and improving assembly performance in SOLIDWORKS. Simply put, a subassembly is an assembly within an assembly, and they’re used very regularly by design professionals. But what happens when motion is required in a subassembly? If you’ve ever worked with subassemblies, you’ve likely found that by default, subassemblies do not allow for motion between their respective components, and can only move as a group (this improves system performance as SOLIDWORKS is required to perform fewer calculations). Fortunately, this is fixed in only a couple clicks by making the subassembly flexible, as I’ll demonstrate using the dump truck assembly shown below:

SOLIDWORKS CAM vs. CAMWorks – Which CAM package is right for you?

SOLIDWORKS CAM vs. CAMWorks - Which CAM package is right for you?

Have you been considering a purchase but you aren’t sure which product is best for your business? Join Hawk Ridge Systems CAM Specialist, Daniel Lyon, as he takes you through the features of the different CAM packages to decipher what each includes so you know which one is right for you.

Weldments and 3D Printing Fixturing

Weldments and 3D Printing Fixturing

SOLIDWORKS and Markforged have made some major updates going into 2018. Hawk Ridge Systems is excited to share these updates, especially to the Weldment feature along with the properties of Markforged’s material Onyx 3D Printer with the Continuous Fiber Filament (CFF).

Benefits of a SOLIDWORKS Subscription Service and Free Certification codes!

Benefits of a SOLIDWORKS Subscription Service and Free Certification codes!

In today’s blog, we’ll be diving into some of the main benefits for SOLIDWORKS Subscription Service customers. In addition, we’ll go in-depth on how Subscription Service customers can access their Certification offers and begin taking their free exam! Lastly, if you’re not a Subscription Service customer, no worries!  We’ll talk about how you can join us to reap the rewards.

An In-Depth Look at SOLIDWORKS Topology Optimization

An In-Depth Look at SOLIDWORKS Topology Optimization

Many times, creating a new design model, can be difficult because a Designer needs to optimize a design while still meeting multiple other design criteria. In this webinar recording, Silvio Perez, Simulation Product Manager, will take an in-depth look at how a Topology study will allow you to set a design goal. This will help you find the best strength to weight ratio, minimize the mass, or reduce the maximum displacement of a component. This webinar is for anyone who has had to optimize a design while satisfying a given optimization goal and geometric constraints. Find out how SOLIDWORKS Simulation solves this problem for you.

SOLIDWORKS Simulation: What's New 2018 – Import Study Features

Import Study Features

Hello everyone! In this article, I want to show off another great new feature in SOLIDWORKS 2018 found in the Simulation add-in. That feature is the ability to import study aspects from part or sub-assembly studies into the parent assembly study, saving you time by not having to define things twice.

SOLIDWORKS: Trim Surface, Split, & Split Line – What’s the Difference?

SOLIDWORKS: Trim Surface

Trim Surface, Split, and Split Line – these three powerful SOLIDWORKS commands belong in every surfacing user’s utility belt, but learning when to use each and the (often subtle) differences between them can be a challenge. In this article, we’ll identify the unique functions of these commands and take a look at some proper use cases for each. While Split and Split Line are also applicable to solid bodies, this article examines them in the context of surface modeling. Each command can use a mix of plane, surface, face, sketch, and curve selections, and all three were used in the design of this glass bottle, shown below:

SOLIDWORKS: Improving Assembly Performance with SpeedPak

SOLIDWORKS: Improving Assembly Performance with SpeedPak

Do you have trouble with the performance of your assemblies? Is it sometimes difficult to rotate or zoom in and out? Are you often stuck waiting for that loading bar to figure out what it’s doing? One main concern for many SOLIDWORKS users is the performance of large or complex assemblies. A great way to increase performance while working in assemblies (or drawings of assemblies) is to create SpeedPak configurations. SpeedPak configurations are graphical representations of assemblies and subassemblies that only retain information needed for making selections (i.e. mates) and measurements.

SOLIDWORKS: Tab & Slot Business Card Holder Design

Slot Business Card Holder Design

The business card holder below was created as an example to illustrate the benefits of the Tab & Slot feature. An additional goal of the design was to create a finished product cheap enough to be used as giveaway items for marketing events.

Programming Live Tooling Lathes in CAMWorks

Programming Live Tooling Lathes in CAMWorks

Join Hawk Ridge Systems in this webinar recording to learn how to program live tooling lathes, otherwise known as multi-tasker or mill turn machines in CAMWorks. Mill turn machines are becoming more popular, and are a great addition to any shop. Daniel Lyon, CAMWorks Applications Engineer, will review some basic programming fundamentals. You will learn the first steps to fine tune your programs to maximize your machining capabilities, including how to how to set up sub spindle transfers for a variety of common transfer situations.

SOLIDWORKS: Changing Serial Numbers

SOLIDWORKS: Changing Serial Numbers

Have you ever wondered, “How in the world do I change my SOLIDWORKS serial number?” Perhaps you have an evaluation license installed, and need to input your new permanent serial number. Maybe you were assigned a new serial number by your company that you need to swap out. How do you get up and running so that you  have full access to the proper tools and features? In today’s blog, we’ll be going over how to do just that!  

SOLIDWORKS: Reusing Deleted Drawing View Labels

SOLIDWORKS: Reusing Deleted Drawing View Labels

For many users, drawings are a critical aspect of the design documentation process. When creating drawing views, SOLIDWORKS automatically applies labels to the new views with respect to the assignedSystem Properties. By default, these labels are not reused once a labeled view has been deleted. As such, inconsistent lettering is often a problem when deleting and/or replacing views. In this article, we’ll take a quick look at a simple fix for this behavior, which is shown below:

SOLIDWORKS Visualize: Creating an Animated Fly Through Video in Visualize

SOLIDWORKS Visualize: Creating an Animated Fly Through Video in Visualize

Occasionally when creating renderings it is helpful to combine a visual animation with your stationary rendering. In SOLIDWORKS Visualize we will use the flyover view to help emphasis certain areas of our part. Once the model has been loaded and appearance have been applied, simply open the cameras tab and create a copy of the view you are currently in. Once the copy has been made right click on the new view inside of the camera pane and click Add KeyFrame.

SOLIDWORKS Electrical: Revisions

SOLIDWORKS Electrical: Revisions

Hi everybody! Have you ever wondered how to revise drawings and projects in SOLIDWORKS Electrical? If so, then read on. If not, maybe you’ll want to continue reading just in case you ever need to do this!

 

HawkLive 2018 – Module 3: SOLIDWORKS Assemblies & 3D Interconnect

HawkLive 2018 – Module 3: SOLIDWORKS Assemblies

Every year, Hawk Ridge Systems offers live launch events for its customers to introduce the new enhancements of that year’s release. What if you were unable to make one of the 2018 live sessions? Don’t worry – we have you covered! We recorded the live stream of our first Launch Event for 2018, and separated them into 8 modules so you can easily digest What’s New in 2018! Even if you’ve attended a launch in another city (besides Palo Alto, where this one was recorded), it’ll be different and exciting content! In today’s blog article, we’ll continue wrapping up Module 3, diving into some of the enhancements to assemblies and 3D Interconnect! Here are some of my favorites:

SOLIDWORKS: Tips for Creating Organized Title Blocks

SOLIDWORKS: Tips for Creating Organized Title Blocks

There’s a lot that goes into creating SOLIDWORKS drawing templates – sheet formats, linked custom properties, document properties, and more. With all of this, one topic that often gets overlooked is how to keep your title blocks neat and organized. Here are some tips to help.

SOLIDWORKS: Continuity and Curvature Part II

SOLIDWORKS: Continuity and Curvature Part II

In Part I of this series, we looked at how the smoothness of curves can be analyzed and controlled. Now we’ll be taking a look at some additional analyses tools to further evaluate our surfaces as well as ways to improve our curvature continuous connections.

Common SOLIDWORKS Composer Importing Errors and How to Fix Them

Common SOLIDWORKS Composer Importing Errors and How to Fix Them

SOLIDWORKS Composer can sometimes encounter speed bumps when changes happen in a CAD Model. In this webinar recording, you’ll learn the best practice on approaching missing components, resolving CAD files that are not importing as you expected and reloading any missing BOM data from your 3D CAD Model. Mike Starr, our highly qualified Technical Support Engineer, will demonstrate how to quickly navigate through SOLIDWORKS Composer on these subjects so you can be on your way to a final product in less time.

SOLIDWORKS Flow Simulation: Solving the Bucket Challenge

SOLIDWORKS Flow Simulation: Solving the Bucket Challenge

For all the SOLIDWORKS designers and engineering enthusiast out there, I’m sure you have seen something like this come across your social feeds at one time or another cause I know I have. The question is which bucket will fill up first if water is poured continuously into the first bucket.

SOLIDWORKS: Improving Assembly Performance with Simplified Components

SOLIDWORKS: Improving Assembly Performance with Simplified Components

Hawk Ridge Systems customers have a 99% satisfaction rating with their Subscription Services. Did you know there is a long list of benefits that come with subscriptions? Join our Director of Subscription Services, Barry Borrilez, to get the overall scoop on the endless benefits at your fingertips. Learn what opportunities can be just at your fingertips. Barry will go over each benefit and how to get the most out of Hawk Ridge Systems Subscription Services.

HawkLive 2018 – Module 1: SOLIDWORKS 2018 Overview

HawkLive 2018 – Module 1: SOLIDWORKS 2018 Overview

Every year, Hawk Ridge Systems offers live Launch events for its customers to introduce the new enhancements of that year’s release. What if you were unable to make one of the 2018 live sessions? Don’t worry – we have you covered! We recorded the live stream (HawkLive 2018) of our first Launch event and separated it into 8 modules so you can easily digest what’s new in SOLIDWORKS 2018! Even if you’ve attended a launch in another city (besides San Jose, where this one was recorded), it’ll be different and exciting content! In today’s blog article, we’ll introduce some of the main topics we covered in Module 1, which includes a brief introduction to Hawk Ridge Systems, what to expect from the upcoming modules, and SOLIDWORKS customer’s we’re using to demonstrate the new enhancements of SOLIDWORKS 2018.

A SOLIDWORKS Holiday Ornament Design Challenge is On

A SOLIDWORKS Holiday Ornament Design Challenge is On

Hawk Ridge Systems engineers were put to a challenge – who could design the most interesting Holiday Ornament in SOLIDWORKS 2018. Check out the following ornaments and let us know your favorite.

The parameters: The design must fit within a 2 inch cube, hold together as a single structure, not require any assembly, and be designed in SOLIDWORKS 2018.

What's New in SOLIDWORKS 2018: How to Set the Material for Individual Bodies of a Multi-Body Part

How to Set the Material for Individual Bodies of a Multi-Body Part

There are numerous benefits for creating your part design as a multibody part ranging from performance to file management in SOLIDWORKS. However if you have tried to apply a material to a multibody part you will notice that the materials folder of the feature manger will apply the same material to every single body in your design.  This works fine if you have a weldment structure which is all made out of steel, but most designs use a combination of materials to accomplish their design goals. In this example for a conveyor belt, there could be aluminum, steel and even rubber. One material could be applied to the entire design, however our mass property and simulation results would be inaccurate.

Useful Keyboard Shortcuts and Workflow Customizations in SOLIDWORKS

Useful Keyboard Shortcuts and Workflow Customizations in SOLIDWORKS

Using the standard SOLIDWORKS tools and features from the CommandManager is already an extremely efficient method to quickly bring concepts into a three dimensional model. However, many users prefer to leverage a variety of both standard and custom shortcuts through hotkeys or context menus for an even faster workflow. This article covers many of the most impactful default keyboard shortcuts in SOLIDWORKS, and describes how to customize them for maximum time savings.

SOLIDWORKS: Continuity and Curvature

SOLIDWORKS: Continuity and Curvature

I like nice curves and I cannot lie. And in SOLIDWORKS we can control exactly how smooth our curves are. When it comes to curves in SOLIDWORKS, there is a difference between what is smooth and what looks smooth. This blog will discuss how we can analyze our curves and control how smooth they really are by using surface evaluation tools and different spline tools.

What's New in SOLIDWORKS 2018: Touch/Pen Input for Sketching

New in SOLIDWORKS 2018: Touch/Pen Input for Sketching

Hi everyone! In this blog, I’m going to showcase a brand-new feature available in SOLIDWORKS 2018 to help you design faster! Have you ever had an idea and either not had a mouse or wanted to sketch it freely rather than using a mouse? With this new release and your Windows 10 touch-enabled device, now you can live out those wants with Touch Based sketching.

SOLIDWORKS Suite Recommended Hardware Requirements

SOLIDWORKS Suite Recommended Hardware Requirements

The experts at Hawk Ridge Systems have developed the perfect hardware configurations for workstations to meet the needs of our SOLIDWORKS and SOLIDWORKS Suite users/customers. Learn how SOLIDWORKS and applications in the SOLIDWORKS Suite utilize computer hardware, determine how to optimize hardware configurations for different SOLIDWORKS applications and see Hawk Ridge Systems’ best practices for troubleshooting on hardware/software incompatibilities.

SOLIDWORKS: Utilizing Equations to Help Automate Your Design

SOLIDWORKS: Utilizing Equations to Help Automate Your Design

Maintaining good design intent is critical to the overall success of your project, however it is often easy to overlook. Equations can often help maintain your original intent by making sure that your design adheres to a particular set of rules. In our example, we will be working with this conveyor belt where the ultimate goal is to create multiple configurations depending on the overall length. For this particular design, no middle support is required if the total length is less than ten feet.

What’s New SOLIDWORKS 2018: 3D Interconnect Imports Custom Properties and Material

3D Interconnect Imports Custom Properties and Material

New enhancements to 3D Interconnect in SOLIDWORKS 2018 allow for the import of custom properties and materials of third-party CAD Files. For those that don’t know, 3D Interconnect is an awesome tool added in SOLIDWORKS 2017 which makes it possible to work directly with third-party CAD files, rather than using the standard import and translation methods. 3D Interconnect allows SOLIDWORKS to directly read these parts and assemblies without translation, removing the possibility of translation errors that Import Diagnostics would need to fix. It also creates a parametric link to the original part or assembly file, allowing it to update if the file is changed in its third-party CAD software. Finally, 3D Interconnect maintains face and edge IDs so that when the file is updated, any mates or additional features added inside of SOLIDWORKS are preserved. File types that currently work with 3D Interconnect are:

What's New SOLIDWORKS 2018: Mesh Modeling Workflow

New SOLIDWORKS 2018: Mesh Modeling Workflow

SOLIDWORKS 2018 introduces a number of enhancements for working with imported mesh designs such as .STL and .OBJ files.  These files are most commonly imported into SOLIDWORKS as Graphics bodies, which have seen a variety of new enhancements this year as well – please see our existing blog article and video for a detailed look into these new capabilities.

What's New SOLIDWORKS 2018: Measure Tool Enhancements

New SOLIDWORKS 2018: Measure Tool Enhancements

With each annual release, SOLIDWORKS looks to streamline their tools to make the designer more productive. One of the most commonly used tools is the Measure Tool! We can use it to measure the lengths of edges, determine the distance between planes and surfaces, and even calculate the surface area, among many other applications. In 2018, SOLIDWORKS made it even better. Now in SOLIDWORKS 2018, the Measure Tool has been enhanced to include a larger selection window, the ability to quickly copy and paste measurements, adjust the font size for easier reading, and allows the Measure Tool to be pinned!

What's New in SOLIDWORKS 2018: Embed A SOLIDWORKS Model on Your Website

New in SOLIDWORKS 2018: Embed A SOLIDWORKS Model on Your Website

Have you ever wanted to post your 3D models on a website for your customers to view? Or better yet – have an interactive 3D model where your customers can fully grasp your design? SOLIDWORKS allows this capability through 3DContentCentral via eDrawings. Below is an example of a 3D model.

What’s New SOLIDWORKS 2018: Color-Coded Folders in FeatureManager Design Tree

New SOLIDWORKS 2018: Color-Coded Folders in FeatureManager Design Tree

We’ve had the ability to add folders to the FeatureManager Design Tree for quite some time now. If you’re not familiar with this practice, folders can be added to your FeatureManager Design Tree to help you organize features or components in part and assembly documents. In a part, you can create folders to group a set of sequential features that are used for a specific part of your design. For example, creating a folder to group machined features. In an assembly, you can group components, hardware, mates, etc.

What's New SOLIDWORKS 2018: Temporarily Hiding Faces When Selecting Mates

New SOLIDWORKS 2018: Temporarily Hiding Faces When Selecting Mates

Ahoy matey! Hop on board and take a look at one of the new mate enhancements this year.

Adding mates in SOLIDWORKS has always been, dare I say it, fun! And now with one of the new SOLIDWORKS 2018 enhancements, adding mates has become easier than ever. With this enhancement, we are now capable of hiding faces while adding mates.

SOLIDWORKS Simulation – Methods of Applying a Thermal Load to your Structural Analysis

Methods of Applying a Thermal Load to your Structural Analysis

Learn about the different ways to optimize your design by doing a structural analysis with thermal loads. Join SOLIDWORKS Simulation Product Manager Silvio Perez, as he discusses the different methods of incorporating a thermal load into a Thermal Stress Analysis. Whether you have linear static studies or the full-analysis suite, you’ll have a better understanding of how to incorporate thermal conditions to your structural analysis.

What’s New SOLIDWORKS 2018: Graphics Body Enhancements

New SOLIDWORKS 2018: Graphics Body Enhancements

SOLIDWORKS 2018 brings a number of enhancements to working with graphics bodies in SOLIDWORKS, which are documented in this blog and companion video. Graphics bodies result from importing a mesh file type into SOLIDWORKS. Mesh file types such as .OBJ or .STL are most commonly associated with 3D printing and 3D scanning, but may also come from other modelling software.

What’s New SOLIDWORKS 2018: Layers and Colors for Hatches

New SOLIDWORKS 2018: Layers and Colors for Hatches

Layers have been available for many years in SOLIDWORKS, allowing users to assign drawings entities to them and control many visual aspects including visibility as well as line color, thickness, and style. New in SOLIDWORKS 2018, hatches can be added to layers, providing even greater flexibility when working with cross sections or adding hatches manually. In this article, we’ll cover how to create layers, assign hatches to them, and control hatch color. For added flair, we’ll be working with the deadly, motorized fidget spinner shown below.

What's New SOLIDWORKS 2018: Tab and Slot Feature

New SOLIDWORKS 2018: Tab and Slot Feature

Get the latest news on SOLIDWORKS CAM. With the release of SOLIDWORKS 2018, CAM is now fully integrated with SOLIDWORKS. Join Hawk Ridge Systems CAM Specialist, Daniel Lyon, as he demonstrates the process of milling and turning sample parts. You’ll learn about high-speed material removal, fixture avoidance in assembly machining and many more of the integrated capabilities in SOLIDWORKS CAM.

SOLIDWORKS PDM: Data Management – Methods of Synchronization

SOLIDWORKS PDM: Data Management - Methods of Synchronization

SOLIDWORKS does not synchronize property values between models and drawings on its own. For example, if a drawing note or field uses the $PRPSHEET method to link to a model property, the value present at the time the drawing is saved is cached inside the drawing.  This is viewable in eDrawings.  If the linked model property is changed while the drawing is closed, the new value will not be viewable in eDrawings.  The eDrawings viewer can only access the properties of the immediate document it is viewing.  To get these model properties to stick in the drawings we either need to make sure we always have the model and drawing open and editable at the same time, or employ an outside method of synchronization.

See What’s New in SOLIDWORKS Simulation 2018

The 2018 release of SOLIDWORKS is iminent, and Symmetry has been showcasing all of the latest and greatest features at our rollout events over the course of October. At yesterday’s main event, Frank Pace and myself went over some of our favorite enhancements that Simulation is offering, and for those that missed it I’ve summarized them below. Remember that an overview of all the new features in Simulation (and the rest of SOLIDWORKS) for any version can be found in SOLIDWORKS Help Menu > What’s New

What's New SOLIDWORKS PDM 2018: Revision Table Integration

New SOLIDWORKS PDM 2018: Revision Table Integration

The new SOLIDWORKS PDM 2018 is packed with enhancements, but one of the most interesting is the revision table integration. Gone are the days of workarounds to both update the revision table in SolidWorks and to limit the amount of rows on that Revision table.

What's New SOLIDWORKS 2018: Mirroring 3D Sketch Entities

New SOLIDWORKS 2018: Mirroring 3D Sketch Entities

Today we will be looking at a great new enhancement that has been rolled out with the new release of SOLIDWORKS 2018; the ability to mirror 3D Sketch entities. While mirroring 2D sketch entities has been possible for well over a decade, it can be invaluable in the way a designer goes about creating a model. 3D sketch entities, on the other hand, have remained impossible to mirror – until now. New in SOLIDWORKS 2018, 3D sketch entities can be mirrored, drastically improving the way parts are created using 3D sketches.

What’s New SOLIDWORKS Composer 2018: Importing SOLIDWORKS Appearances and Textures

Importing SOLIDWORKS Appearances and Textures

For quite some time now, SOLIDWORKS Composer has been dangling a juicy carrot in front of us in regards to a new model import option.  We have always wanted the ability to not only import SOLIDWORKS models with their applied appearances intact, but with any applied textures coming across as well.  Since SOLIDWORKS comes with a very robust appearances tool and extensive library, it has always made sense to wish to apply these directly at the modeling level.

SOLIDWORKS Flow Simulation 2018: What's New – Free-Flowing Liquids Come to SOLIDWORKS

New - Free-Flowing Liquids Come to SOLIDWORKS

For customers of Hawk Ridge Systems, one of the most popular uses of SOLIDWORKS Flow Simulation has long been predicting the performance of hardware and industrial equipment – things like valves, manifolds, and piping systems. Engineers commonly use Flow Simulation while designing such components to ensure a certain fluid delivery rate, minimize pressure resistance and select the right pumping equipment- even including certain processes like heat transfer or mixing of fluids.

Which SOLIDWORKS CAD Package Is Best for You?

Which SOLIDWORKS CAD Package Is Best for You?

Good things always come in threes. Ever since the invention of fast food we have been conditioned to think of everything in terms of three – small, medium and large or good, better and best. Which is why it only makes sense that this concept would extend into the SOLIDWORKS product family.

Tips, Tricks and Fixes for Common SOLIDWORKS Issues

Our dedicated technical support team at Hawk Ridge Systems work with hundreds of customers every day. Watch this webinar recording to hear the most commonly asked questions for Tech Support – and more importantly, the answers. Learn the tips, tricks and workarounds that are sure bets to make you and your team more productive in SOLIDWORKS.

What’s New SOLIDWORKS 2018: Callouts for Advanced Holes

What’s New SOLIDWORKS 2018: Callouts for Advanced Holes

The Advanced Hole command made its debut in SOLIDWORKS 2017, allowing users to create complex multi-step holes in a single feature. Despite already being an impressive time saver in the design process, the command has seen significant improvements this year. New in SOLIDWORKS 2018, callouts can now be added to Advanced Holes with minimal effort. In this article, we’ll investigate how to add these annotations to an existing model. It should be noted that Advanced Holes created in SOLIDWORKS 2017 will not be capable of generating callouts, and must be recreated in SOLIDWORKS 2018.

SOLIDWORKS 2018: What's New – Rotate with Linear Pattern

New - Rotate with Linear Pattern

Have you ever wanted to create a pattern of an object in an assembly, but also have every instance slightly rotated from the last? In models such as a spiral staircase, it can be time consuming to create all the features separately to achieve one simple task. For example, first a circle would have to be sketched. Then, a Helix and Spiral would be needed to create the curved shape.  After that, a Curve Driven Pattern could be used as the final step.  Now with SOLIDWORKS 2018, an enhancement to the Linear Pattern feature in assemblies has been created that allows this to be done in one step!

SOLIDWORKS Composer: Introducing the Animation Library

Introducing the Animation Library

SOLIDWORKS Composer is a powerful technical documentation tool for showcasing your 3D designs. In this webinar recording, Applications Engineer, John Slipec, will dive into showing you how to take a simple 2D asset and shave days from the technical documentation process. Learn how to use annotations, arrows, exploded lines and more to best showcase your 3D design by using SOLIDWORKS Composer. You end up with a great looking, concise, easy to understand deliverable showcasing your 3D designs.

What’s New SOLIDWORKS 2018: Bounding Box

New SOLIDWORKS 2018: Bounding Box

The bounding box is an indispensable piece of reference geometry in SOLIDWORKS, representing the smallest area or volume in which a design can fit. While available in weldment and sheet metal models for many years, creating a bounding box for a standard part has required convoluted workarounds – until now. New in SOLIDWORKS 2018, bounding boxes can be created for standard parts with just a few clicks, enabling you to quickly find the maximum dimensions of your design and use the automatically-generated file properties as needed. To emphasize the utility of the bounding box, an organic shape will be used.

SOLIDWORKS: Be in the Clear with your Assemblies, using Dynamic Clearance

Be in the Clear with your Assemblies, using Dynamic Clearance

If you’ve ever worked with assemblies in SOLIDWORKS, you’re probably familiar with some of the tools to evaluate the functionality of a design. There’s Collision Detection, which helps identify collisions between selected components during dynamic assembly motion. Interference detection is used to check for any interferences between static components. And Clearance Verification, which determines the minimum clearance between static components. But what if you needed to check the clearance between components while they’re moving? For example, the clearance between the piston and the cylinder head.

SOLIDWORKS: Maximize Design Time with the Display Pane

Maximize Design Time with the Display Pane

When working with parts and assemblies, we can change display settings such as what’s hidden or shown in the graphics area, display styles, appearances, and the transparency of solid bodies or components within an assembly. There are a few ways to do this in SOLIDWORKS, but one method that I feel is underused is using the Display Pane.

SOLIDWORKS: Putting the Style in Dimensions

Putting the Style in Dimensions

We all know using document templates with set properties such as units and precision can save you time and ensure that you adhere to company standards, but what do you do when you have a specific set of dimensions that you want to modify? How can you make sure that the same changes are made to all the dimensions in question? That’s where the use of Styles comes in.

Manage Non-CAD Documents in SOLIDWORKS PDM

Manage Non-CAD Documents in SOLIDWORKS PDM

SOLIDWORKS PDM is a powerful tool for managing your CAD data, but how does it handle other types of documents like Engineering Change Orders (ECOs), specifications, images, and more? The same powerful tools for managing CAD files via workflows, revisions and file history can be used for your non-CAD documents as well. Did you know that you can create links from your CAD model to the associated documents and keep BOMs updated in SOLIDWORKS PDM? Learn how SOLIDWORKS PDM can help you to manage your full product design cycle from CAD models to ECOs and BOMs. Watch this webinar recording to see the full potential of SOLIDWORKS PDM at work.

SOLIDWORKS Visualize: Standard vs. Professional Part 2

SOLIDWORKS Visualize: Standard vs. Professional Part 2

Now, say you’ve created your conceptual renders and standard marketing materials, but wanted to take it one step further and create even more visually appealing content – what does Visualize Professional offer? Visualize Professional includes everything Standard has and more:

3D Printing Case Study: Shift Koncepts

Shift Koncepts

Hung Ngo is a pricing analyst at a law firm by day, but spends his spare time out developing and finding ways to leverage technology. His passion for road racing and experience in the auto-motive industry exposed a gap in the automotive aftermarket. On DCTs (Dual Clutch Transmission), paddle shifters sit behind the steering wheel and allow drivers to easily switch gears without needing to reach down for the clutch, sort of like the gear shift on a bike. They are usually relatively short, so while easy to manage in everyday driving, shifting while going around tight turns in a race can be tricky. Impressed by the strength of Markforged 3D printed parts, Hung created Shift Koncepts and start-ed making paddle shifter extensions for racers.

Digging into the UPG to write Post Processors with CAMWorks

Digging into the UPG to write Post Processors with CAMWorks

Post processing is a critical part of any CAM system, and one that many CAM users don’t know how to manipulate effectively. Join our CAMWorks Technical Expert, Daniel Lyon, for an in-depth look at how you can customize your post processor to optimize machining performance and prevent costly mistakes and rework. You will learn how to create your own CAMWorks post processor using the Universal Post Generator and EC Editor and witness how the different post files interact with each other. Watch this webinar recording to dive under-the-covers of CAMWorks Post-processing and take control of your machining.

SOLIDWORKS: Flatten Bent Square Tubes Part I

Flatten Bent Square Tubes Part I

This topic came from a recent customer question of how to get a flattened or unbent version for bent square pipes. Their goal was to get an unbent length to work with as well as locate holes along the tube. The easiest way to achieve this for both native SOLIDWORKS and imported parts is by using the Insert Bends Sheet Metal tool to flatten the major bends.

SOLIDWORKS Simulation: Using an Edge Weld Connection

Using an Edge Weld Connection

Building structural members with SolidWorks is simple and easy, but the final piece of the design can be elusive and ambiguous if you are not familiar with welding and welder codes. Choosing the correct weld size can just be a rule of thumb or guessing game but with SolidWorks Simulation there is an analysis tool that does just that and it is called the Edge Weld Connector.

SOLIDWORKS: Representing Paint and Coatings

Representing Paint and Coatings

Many parts are finished with coatings such as paint or plating, or intended to be covered by an exterior protective layer such as insulation. Often times it’s sufficient to represent a coating with a specification callout on an engineering drawing or as an appearance within the CAD model for rendering purposes. In some cases though, it may be desirable to have a separate body representing the coating in CAD, which allows predicting the volume or weight of the coating. In this blog and the accompanying video I’ll detail a technique for accomplishing this using the Surfacing commands in SOLIDWORKS.

7 Reasons Why Best-In-Class Companies Provide Virtual Prototyping to Their Designers

7 Reasons Why Best-In-Class Companies Provide Virtual Prototyping to Their Designers

Are your designers and engineers surrounded by whirlwind of activity caused by the need to differentiate your product all the while trying to beat competitors to market?  There is a lot of stress that goes along with shortened cycles and high stakes which is why designers and engineers are finding themselves in complex environments; attempting to predict product behavior and meet deadlines. To add to this stress, many find themselves in the unenviable position of waiting for physical prototypes and relying on hand calculations only to find they are met with costly setbacks and rework, putting their design right back at the starting line.

Designing Electronics with SOLIDWORKS PCB

Designing Electronics with SOLIDWORKS PCB

SOLIDWORKS PCB is a powerful end-to-end printed circuit board design tool, built on 30 years of PCB design software technology from Altium. In this webinar recording, we’ll take a circuit board project from start to finish, by building a schematic, generating and adjusting the PCB layout, and producing all the necessary outputs for manufacturing and assembly. Join our SOLIDWORKS PCB Product Manager, Scott Davis, to see the power of SOLIDWORKS PCB, and learn how it can shorten the design cycle for electronic assemblies.

SOLIDWORKS Simulation: Testing the Validity of a Coin Bridge

Testing the Validity of a Coin Bridge

I was on the internet and saw this image of a coin bridge. It looked really impressive and I wondered if it is stable under its own weight or if some sort of adhesive was used. I don’t really have a steady hand so building my own coin bridge in would be frustratingly impossible but I could easily simulate one inside of SolidWorks and use a Motion Study to see if it will collapse under its own weight.

List of SOLIDWORKS Keyboard Shortcuts & Advice

If you got here looking for a list of SOLIDWORKS keyboard shortcuts, I’m by no means surprised, it’s a common request. I will oblige and give you the default SOLIDWORKS keyboard shortcuts at the bottom of this blog. The more you use SOLIDWORKS the more you will customize it and that includes your keyboard shortcuts. Your shortcuts will deviate from the default, they’re going to deviate from mine, and will likely deviate from your own co-workers. Because of this, do not rely on the default keyboard shortcuts list too much. I advise you to print out, save or otherwise display your own keyboard shortcuts.

SOLIDWORKS: Reverse Engineering Using a Sketch Picture

Reverse Engineering Using a Sketch Picture

Are you dedicated to creating your designs by hand? Whether it’s on a napkin or a sheet of paper, some people prefer to draw out their designs before starting it in SOLIDWORKS. In this blog, we’ll show an example of how to insert a picture and use it to create a 3D design.

SOLIDWORKS Composer: Preparing Your Models for Asset Generation – Selection Sets

Preparing Your Models for Asset Generation - Selection Sets

In today’s blog, we’ll be looking at how Selection Sets in SOLIDWORKS Composer help you prepare your SOLIDWORKS assembly before creating your views! Selection Sets allow users to easily select a group of parts, even if they aren’t in the same assembly. We’ll show you exactly how to create them, what you can do with them, and how to add actors to the Selection Set after it’s been created.

SOLIDWORKS: File Locations – Creating Custom Templates

Have you ever wondered how to create and use your own custom templates in SOLIDWORKS? Or maybe you’ve created your own custom templates, but can’t figure out how to get SOLIDWORKS to show them as options when creating a new file? Well, this article is your solution to figuring out how to customize your own templates as well as have SOLIDWORKS give you the option of selecting them.

Top 4 Reasons Why You Need SOLIDWORKS Data Management in Your Life

Top 4 Reasons Why You Need SOLIDWORKS Data Management in Your Life

What business doesn’t want to be more efficient and in turn make more money? I certainly cannot think of one and I am pretty sure such a business does not exist. That is why I am going to share with you the secret to improving your design and engineering efficiencies so that your company will be more innovative throughout the product lifecycle. Let me introduce to you SOLIDWORKS PDM.

SOLIDWORKS Simulation: Finding Accurate Stress Results with Singularities Part 1

SOLIDWORKS Simulation: Finding Accurate Stress Results with Singularities Part 1

Stress singularities are an unavoidable occurrence in any theory of elasticity regardless if the calculations are done by hand or simulated using software. An artificial stress concentration occurs in areas where a sharp corner is created and is sometimes unavoidable no matter what simplifications you do to the geometry.  In this blog I am going to show you a method to determine the reach of the stress singularity and a safe distance when you can begin to trust your results.

Data Management: Managing Legacy Data with SOLIDWORKS PDM

Data Management: Managing Legacy Data with SOLIDWORKS PDM

As a PDM administrator, the most time-intensive task you’ll be faced with as you set up your vault is cleaning up your existing data so you can start with a clean slate. In this article, I’ll be highlighting some of the tools and techniques available in SOLIDWORKS PDM Professional to help you clean up and make your SOLIDWORKS files more accessible.

SOLIDWORKS PDM – Managing Legacy Data

Do you have legacy CAD data lying around on your network drives, servers and even local desktops? How do you manage importing that legacy data from Windows Folders into PDM as well as make sure the revisions match with the PDM revision? In this webinar recording, we will discuss general strategies for importing legacy data, how to map existing revisions using the Set Revision feature in SOLIDWORKS PDM, as well as other important tips and tricks for managing legacy data in SOLIDWORKS PDM.

Designing Liquid Cooled Components with SOLIDWORKS Flow Simulation

Designing Liquid Cooled Components with SOLIDWORKS Flow Simulation

Thanks to its integrated fluid and heat transfer capabilities, SOLIDWORKS Flow Simulation can be used to quickly optimize the design of liquid cooled components or even an entire closed-loop cooling system. Join Senior Applications Engineer Ryan Navarro for a look how Flow Simulation performs this type of analysis on products in the fast-growing industry of high powered electronics.

SOLIDWORKS: Controlling the Roll

SOLIDWORKS: Controlling the Roll

Have you ever prayed for a specific number while rolling dice? I know I have. With lots of role-playing games using dice of various shapes and sizes, I decided it would be fun to model some dice and see if I can manipulate the center of mass to roll the specific number I desired. I chose a D20 because it has a unique shape and is used very frequently in D&D.

Modifying View Label Tags in your SOLIDWORKS Drawings

Modifying View Label Tags in your SOLIDWORKS Drawings

Most companies, no matter how small or large, have their own set of preferences or standards regarding how and what they want to communicate in their 2D drawings. Some nice enhancements to view labels were made in SOLIDWORKS 2014, making it easier to manage and maintain consistency across all documentation throughout your company. These view labels are important in communicating not only the names of the views but also the scale they’re set to. Sometimes the default option for the view label tags may not be exactly how you want them – not a problem! Let’s take a look at how to edit the view labels.

SolidWorks: Modifying Line Fonts for Components in Drawings

SolidWorks: Modifying Line Fonts for Components in Drawings

When creating drawing views in SOLIDWORKS, it may be desirable to display assembly components or certain edges of a model using different line styles, thickness, or colors. Maybe you want to emphasize some part of the design or make the drawing easier to read. For whatever reason, here’s one way to do it.

SOLIDWORKS: Skipping Pattern Instances with Window Select

SOLIDWORKS: Skipping Pattern Instances with Window Select

For years, SOLIDWORKS users have been forced to skip pattern instances by manually clicking each instance they’d like to remove, leading to frustration paralleled only by rush hour traffic. This tends to be especially infuriating for very large patterns with many instances to skip. I’m happy to announce that SOLIDWORKS 2017 now includes the ability to skip pattern instances with a window or lasso selection, and the new functionality is just as straightforward and polished as you could have hoped.

SOLIDWORKS Rollback Bar: More Than Just A Price Cutter

SOLIDWORKS Rollback Bar: More Than Just A Price Cutter

A rollback bar is a tool that is often overlooked. It has many uses, such as suppressing features, reducing rebuild time, and showing how a model was created. It also allows us to add features anywhere on our FeatureManager design tree. In this blog, we will take a look at how the rollback bar can be utilized during the design process.

SOLIDWORKS Sheet Metal: A Beginner’s Guide

SOLIDWORKS Sheet Metal: A Beginner's Guide

SOLIDWORKS 3D allows you to quickly create sheet metal part designs using a simple design process, saving you time and development costs, thanks to specific sheet metal features. We can use these features to create sheet metal designs with several different methods. We will focus on the flange method, where a sheet metal part is created in the formed state using specialized sheet metal features.

SOLIDWORKS Simulation: Introduction to Motion Analysis

SOLIDWORKS Simulation: Introduction to Motion Analysis

Thanks for stopping by! The goal of this article is to give you an overview of time-based motion analysis. Motion analysis is a powerful tool that’s available if you have SOLIDWORKS Premium or Simulation Standard, Professional and Premium. Motion can simulate moving or dynamic systems and will give outputs to size your design. Some of the outputs are:

SOLIDWORKS: Adding Text to Drawing Dimensions

If you have ever dimensioned a drawing within SOLIDWORKS, you know how simple a task it is. Whether you are using the Model Items tool or manually inputting the dimensions with the Smart Dimension tool, SOLIDWORKS provides many easy-to-use tools to dimension a drawing. Despite this, there may be times where you want to add additional information to your dimensions to further clarify the notation. Today, we will see how we can add text to our dimensions.

SOLIDWORKS Composer: Importing CAD Models Part 1

SOLIDWORKS Composer: Importing CAD Models Part 1

The most important step when working within SOLIDWORKS Composer is the first step, importing your models correctly. This blog will help smooth out the edges when it comes to the best way to import any CAD model.

SOLIDWORKS: Lost Dialog Windows

Many of us have multiple monitors for our computers, but if you are like me and sometimes need to travel and go from multiple monitors to just a single screen you may have run into an issue with not being able to see dialog windows in SOLIDWORKS. Dialog windows can be anything from System Options to the Material Library and their locations are stored in the SOLIDWORKS Registry. If you are like me and sometimes drag dialog windows onto monitors other than your main screen then those locations are saved and may still be used when you transition back to fewer screens, making accessing those windows impossible. Below are the steps required to edit the SOLIDWORKS Registry and reset the position of all dialog windows.

SOLIDWORKS: A "New Window" to Productivity

A New Window to productivity

We all know that each document that’s open in SOLIDWORKS is displayed in a separate window. But have you ever wanted to view the same part, assembly, or drawing file in multiple windows at the same time? Well, SOLIDWORKS gives us the ability to do just that. This is especially useful when working with drawings that have multiple sheets as it allows you to view different sheets in separate windows.

SOLIDWORKS: Export Sketch in Location (3-dimensional)

SOLIDWORKS: Export Sketch in Location (3-dimensional)

Not long ago I had students in a SOLIDWORKS Essentials class that worked in the manufacturing department of a large shoe company. During the class, they asked for help with exporting IGES files from SOLIDWORKS to their laser cutter. What they needed to produce was a sketch path for their laser cutter to etch text onto parts for their manufacturing rigs. The problem was that they needed more than just a sketch, they needed the exact 3-dimensional location of that sketch on the part where it would be etched.

Markforged: 3D Printer Setup and First Major Print – Part 2

Markforged: 3D Printer Setup and First Major Print – Part 2

Thanks for joining us in Part 2 of this content series! In Part 1, we covered the initial setup of our Mark Two, which included loading material and walking through the cloud based Eiger software. In this part, we will be covering the design and final outcome of our Markforged tool caddy, which was our first major print!

Markforged: Printer Setup and First Major Print – Part 1

Markforged: Printer Setup and First Major Print – Part 1

Earlier this year, Hawk Ridge Systems announced a partnership with Markforged, which is a 3D printing company that manufactures hardware capable of printing end use parts. In this first part of our content series, we will be covering the setup and configuration of our Mark Two, which is a printer that has the ability to inlay parts with continuous fiber filament. After the printer is set up, we will also be showing how a file can be prepared for printing in Eiger, which is the cloud based slicing software developed by Markforged.

SOLIDWORKS Simulation Quick Tip: Prescribed Displacements – Part 1

SOLIDWORKS Simulation Quick Tip: Prescribed Displacements - Part 1

When setting up an analysis in SOLIDWORKS Simulation, we typically think of applying forces or other loads and calculating the resulting stresses and displacements as our outputs. However, in situations where the forces may not be known, an expected displacement can effectively be used as the “load” input to the analysis.

SOLIDWORKS: DXF/DWG Export

SOLIDWORKS: DXF/DWG Export

This article and companion video cover key options and workflows for exporting parts and drawings from SOLIDWORKS as 2D DXF and DWG files.

SolidWorks: Deform It – Surface Push Method – Part 3

SolidWorks: Deform It - Surface Push Method - Part 3

Hi everybody! Welcome to the third and final part in my 3 part series on a tool to add complex distortions to your solid or surface parts called the Deform tool. In the first part of this series, I introduced the tool and went through one of the ways to use it, the point method. In the second part, I went through the Curve to Curve method. If you haven’t read either of them yet, you can get to them by clicking on these links: Part One. Part Two.

SOLIDWORKS: Deform It – Curve to Curve Method Part 2

SOLIDWORKS: Deform It - Curve to Curve Method Part 2

Hi, everybody! Welcome to the second part in my 3 part series on a tool to add complex distortions to your solid or surface parts called the Deform tool. In the first part of this series, I introduced the tool and went through one of the ways to use it, the point method. If you haven’t read it yet, you can get to it by clicking on this link.

SOLIDWORKS Electrical: Advanced Harness Drawings

SOLIDWORKS Electrical: Advanced Harness Drawings

If you’ve been using SOLIDWORKS Electrical, you know it’s a useful tool to use schematics to create harnesses in 3D automatically. However, you might be wondering how to create a standard harness drawing in 3D and exporting that back into your 2D project. And if you are, then keep reading, because that’s exactly what I’m going to discuss in this article!

SOLIDWORKS: Bring Your Drawings to Life!

SOLIDWORKS: Bring Your Drawings to Life!

It’s easy to understand the range of motion of an assembly when you’re working with a 3D model. But how can one communicate this effectively in a 2D drawing environment? Well, the Alternate Position View makes quick work of this by allowing you to indicate the range of motion of assembly components by showing them in different positions.

SOLIDWORKS: Instant3D and Instant2D

Do you use Instant3D and Instant2D when modeling in SOLIDWORKS? If you’re not sure, you’re not alone. Many experienced SOLIDWORKS users aren’t exactly clear on what these tools do AND when it can be helpful to turn them off, so here’s an overview.

SolidWorks: Icon Colors are Back!

SolidWorks: Icon Colors are Back!

As many of us know, when SOLIDWORKS 2016 was released late last year, there was a big change in the user interface. Some icons were updated to give them a cleaner, more professional look and, more obviously, the color scheme of the user interface was changed from predominantly yellow and green to blue and gray. It’s important to note the reasons that these changes were made in the first place which includes the need to support high-resolution monitors and the modernization of the user interface in general. While these changes were welcomed by many, there have been many users clamoring for the return of the old green and yellow color scheme that they have grown to love over the years.

7 Steps to Creating Effective Design Tables in SOLIDWORKS

Creating Effective SOLIDWORKS Design Tables in 7 Steps

How many of you have been using configurations? Show of hands? Well, did you know that you can set up multiple configurations and modify several parameters at once with a Design Table? If not, this is your lucky day because this article is a look at Design Tables in SOLIDWORKS.

SOLIDWORKS Electrical: Customizing Ducts and Rails

SOLIDWORKS Electrical: Customizing Ducts and Rails

Welcome back to another blog! Hopefully, you are familiar with inserting ducts and rails in SOLIDWORKS Electrical 3D, but what if you want to do something custom besides what’s in the database? In this article, I’m going to show you how to create your own ducts and rails. I’ll be using a duct, but the process is the same for rails. Want to hear more?

SOLIDWORKS Electrical: Manually Add Wire Lengths

SOLIDWORKS Electrical: Manually Add Wire Lengths

Welcome back to another one of my blogs! If you are familiar with the capabilities of SOLIDWORKS Electrical Professional and SOLIDWORKS Electrical 3D, you know that if you need wire lengths in your wire length report, they will be automatically populated after the wires are routed in 3D. The big question is, what if you don’t have access to Electrical 3D? I’m going to cover that for you today in this article.

Design an Overmolded Part with SOLIDWORKS Plastics

Design an Overmolded Part with SOLIDWORKS Plastics

Do you need more than one material to make your next great design? Many of our SOLIDWORKS customers are considering Plastics with its Insert Overmolding capabilities to utilize more than 2 materials to create breakthrough designs. SOLIDWORKS Plastics includes the capabilities needed to optimize the part and mold design for some products, ensuring sufficient bonding and high part quality. Join us in this webinar recording for an overview of the capabilities that make SOLIDWORKS Plastics a vital tool for part and mold design.

How to Monitor SOLIDWORKS Memory Usage

How to Monitor SOLIDWORKS Memory Usage

In this article, we will see how to use the Windows Performance Monitor to keep track of SOLIDWORKS memory usage. This is a really great tool that is installed with Windows and will give us a more accurate look at how much memory SOLIDWORKS is using as well as how much residual memory has built up during our current session of SOLIDWORKS. Remember that as you open and close documents in SOLIDWORKS residual memory will build up and the only way to get it all dumped is to restart SolidWorks, the Performance Monitor is one way to check if it may be time for a restart. The steps for setting this up are easy and if you save your settings as shown in the end you will only have to do this once!

SolidWorks: Find/Modify Features – Changing Multiple Features at Once

SolidWorks: Find/Modify Features - Changing Multiple Features at Once

Ever need to change multiple fillets at once? Sometimes you may find yourself trying to create a huge group of edges and faces into a single fillet feature, that way you can edit them all at once and save a bunch of time, right? Well, what do you do when that huge group gets too huge and becomes unmanageable? Or what if you just cannot get all of those fillets into the same feature but still want to change them quickly while ensuring you didn’t forget one?

SOLIDWORKS: How to Get a Non-Standard Drawing View

SOLIDWORKS: How to Get a Non-Standard Drawing View

Many times a drawing view must be created that is not part of the available standard views. The relative view command allows you to use faces or planes in your model to define a specific orientation. This is a great way to create views normal to angled faces of your model that you may need to dimension out or show detail on without having to have the reference drawing view that an auxiliary view requires.

SOLIDWORKS: Keeping Track of Design Data

SOLIDWORKS: Keeping Track of Design Data

In modern design it’s important to keep track of any important data or documentation, however it is often easy to misplace a particular file on your computer. With the use of Design Binders in your SOLIDWORKS projects you can help prevent misplaced or lost information. Design binders give you the ability to link any important design or documentation data directly to the part or assembly file in which the data is needed.

Knurling in SOLIDWORKS

Knurling in SOLIDWORKS

Knurling is a type of surface finish commonly desired on precision tools and other instances where additional hand grip is required on a machined part. In practice, knurling is achieved by pressing a dedicated knurling tool into the rotating workpiece. For this reason, it may not be necessary for manufacturing purposes to model the knurling explicitly in CAD- many times a simple callout on a drawing for a knurled surface may suffice.

SOLIDWORKS: Creating Sketch Offsets on 3D Geometry

SOLIDWORKS: Creating Sketch Offsets on 3D Geometry

Creating 3D sketches of offset edges of complex faces or surfaces can be quite challenging and time-consuming. Let’s say we want to create a feature on the back of this helmet to match the contours of the highlighted faces.

Search Your Tree at the Speed of Light with # Tags

I think most SOLIDWORKS users will agree – searching for the right information in your designs can be a pain. Whether you’re working on a complex part with a hundred features or a large assembly with a thousand components, finding what you need quickly isn’t always the easiest task. By now you’re probably already familiar with breadcrumbs, and you probably already know how to search your design tree for features by name. However, many users remain unaware of the ability to add an unlimited number of tags to their design elements. These tags allows for rapid searching of very long design trees, even if features have non-descript names or are inaccessible from the graphics area.

SOLIDWORKS: Removing the Fluff with the Defeature Tool

SOLIDWORKS: Removing the Fluff with the Defeature Tool

Welcome back to another Hawk Ridge Systems blog! In this article, I’m going to cover something that I get a lot of questions from both students and customers about. I’ll start by asking YOU the question, “Do you ever run into a model that is overly complex for what you need? Have you ever wanted to simplify it so that it doesn’t bog down your computer?” If your answer is yes, then the Defeature tool is your new best friend.

How SOLIDWORKS Flow Simulation Can Prevent Piping Failures

How SOLIDWORKS Flow Simulation Can Prevent Piping Failures

As any engineer or analyst working in the field of process piping would know, it’s necessary to ensure your design meets the local code requirements. Doing so may prove to be tedious or time-consuming when you aren’t using the right tools. Of course, SOLIDWORKS has a variety of integrated stress analysis capabilities that help any designer predict failures such as yielding, fatigue, or even cracking- from the first concept to final candidate.

SOLIDWORKS: Ch-ch-ch-ch-changes! Using a Drawing Revision Table

SOLIDWORKS: Ch-ch-ch-ch-changes! Using a Drawing Revision Table

Hi everyone and welcome, welcome, welcome again to another blog from me! In this article, I’m going to cover something that is pretty near and dear to me. It’s called a revision table and it’s something that I used to create manually on my drawings. Thankfully, SOLIDWORKS has a great feature to do this for us. I will go over the basics to use revision tables in your own drawings.

Change the SOLIDWORKS Language

Change the SOLIDWORKS Language

If you have ever needed to easily change the language for SOLIDWORKS without changing your system language, the process is easier than you may think. All you have to do is get the install language folders and then rename that folder “English”. This must be in the correct file directory where SOLIDWORKS is looking for the language folders. Don’t forget to rename the original “English” folder name as well to complete the process of tricking SOLIDWORKS!

Sketching Enhancements in SOLIDWORKS 2017

Sketching Enhancements in SOLIDWORKS 2017

It’s time for the new version of SOLIDWORKS! There are always many great enhancements, but I’m always excited to see what SOLIDWORKS implements to the tools that we all use the most. In this article, I’m going to cover the top enhancements now in sketching.

Cabinetry in SOLIDWORKS – Part 2

Cabinetry in SOLIDWORKS – Part 2

The previous article discussed capabilities of SOLIDWORKS useful for the woodworking industry on an example of a set of frameless cabinets. This article and companion video will discuss the design of framed cabinetry in SOLIDWORKS as well as some additional modeling details, on an example of a simple set of drawers:

What’s New in SOLIDWORKS 2017: 3D Interconnect – Part 3

In the last part of the blog series, we’ll explore how we can import an assembly created natively with Siemens Solid Edge then we can break the link to the original 3rd party CAD file and utilize Feature Recognition, without having to wait for the vendors to fix the geometry on their end. We’ll proceed with opening a Solid Edge motor drive assembly this time by doing an ‘Insert Components’ into our existing assembly. After adding some coincident and concentric mates, we’ll find that the holes don’t line up!

Making a 3D Parametric Model from a 2D Drawing

Making a 3D Parametric Model from a 2D Drawing

In this video, one of our Applications Engineers goes through the process of creating a 3D parametric model from a 2D drawing and highlights some of the benefits of parametric modeling that have made it the industry standard.

Key Enhancements to the Wrap Feature in SOLIDWORKS 2017

Key Enhancements to the Wrap Feature in SOLIDWORKS 2017

This time of year is really exciting. Not only has a new year begun, but the latest and greatest version of SOLIDWORKS is now available for download. With each new release, there’s always a handful of new features and enhancements that get implemented to help save you time or create your designs with more easily. One of these great enhancements is to the Wrap feature.

Cabinetry in SOLIDWORKS – Part 1

Cabinetry in SOLIDWORKS – Part 1

Many designers in the woodworking industry are traditionally accustomed to working with 2D CAD tools. One of the recent driving forces to move to 3D comes with the availability of simple, easy to use photo rendering tools that can produce high-quality images for marketing or project proposals. SOLIDWORKS Professional includes such rendering capabilities, used to render the image below.

What’s New in SOLIDWORKS 2017 – Costing

What’s New in SOLIDWORKS 2017 - Costing

Hi, everybody! Every year, SOLIDWORKS rolls out a new version with many great enhancements, and this year is no different. In this article, I’m going to show you some of the top enhancements to the costing module in SOLIDWORKS 2017. In case you aren’t familiar with Costing, it’s a tool to get accurate manufacturing costs of your part and assemblies available in SOLIDWORKS Professional and Premium, respectively. Let’s take a look at some of this year’s improvements. I’ll show them using this Torso Frame.

SOLIDWORKS: Custom Material Library

SOLIDWORKS: Custom Material Library

Materials are an important way to gain extra insight into your design. This could be through analyzing weight, the center of gravity or possibly as part of a simulation. None of these things are possible without assigning your parts material properties. But what do you do if the built-in SWX library doesn’t have the material you are looking for or the property values that your vendor sent you don’t match up with what is in the software? Well, it’s time to go and make some custom materials.

SOLIDWORKS Plastics: Common Injection Molding Defects

SOLIDWORKS Plastics: Common Injection Molding Defects

Injection molding is a complicated process and it can be difficult to predict when defects will occur. Troubleshooting is often required to address issues discovered after an initial trial run. Unfortunately, the mold has already been manufactured by this point so adjustments are limited and costly.

SOLIDWORKS Simulation Quick Tip: Solver Generated Contacts

SOLIDWORKS Simulation Quick Tip: Solver Generated Contacts

Whenever multiple components are to be analyzed in a SOLIDWORKS Simulation study, contact interactions become a concern. SOLIDWORKS Simulation has some great ways of automatically defining contact, and also to the ability to visualize the existing contact interactions.

Packaging Design in SOLIDWORKS

Packaging Design in SOLIDWORKS

Consumer expectations have risen over the years to expect high-quality packaging for all types of retail goods. The type of packaging used may have a significant effect on brand perception and marketability of the product. Packaging can also be a significant contributor to overall Cost of Goods. For these reasons, it makes sense that packaging design should be given priority as part of the core product design process, rather than an afterthought near a product launch.

What’s New in SOLIDWORKS 2017: 3D Interconnect – Part 1

What’s New in SOLIDWORKS 2017: 3D Interconnect - Part 1

Have you ever hoped that one day, there would be a way for you to utilize your 3rd party CAD data into SOLIDWORKS without having to go through the process of saving it out as a STEP file or some other neutral format? SOLIDWORKS 2017 has introduced a step in that very direction with 3D Interconnect! In this 3 part series, we’re going to explore 3 workflows we’ll see 3D interconnect best utilized:

Tech Alert: SOLIDWORKS 2017 Network License Error

Tech Alert: SOLIDWORKS 2017 Network License Error

It has come to our attention there are some time out issues with the 2017 Network Licenses. You try to open SOLIDWORKS or PDM and receive an error similar to this. This will also present itself in other ways that you are connecting to the license server. Like adding the connection port during install or viewing the License Usage on the client license manager.

Adjusting the Trim Order of Weldments

SolidWorks users who work with weldments often spend a significant amount of time creating and applying the proper corner treatment to structural members that meet at a common vertex. Applying corner treatment is a fairly straightforward procedure for structural members of the same group, and can be adjusted through the structural member Property Manager. However, when multiple groups meet at the same vertex, a trim order is established, with the second group automatically trimming with respect to the first group, the third group with respect to both the first and second groups, and so on. This trim order can be adjusted to force groups to trim simultaneously, allowing for the creation of complex corner treatments and greater flexibility in designs.

Modifying the Border of a Detail View in SOLIDWORKS

Modifying the Border of a Detail View in SOLIDWORKSMany users are unaware that the standard circular detail view sketch can be overridden with any other type of sketch geometry in order to capture only the desired information in a detail view. This articl

Many users are unaware that the standard circular detail view sketch can be overridden with any other type of sketch geometry in order to capture only the desired information in a detail view. This article covers how to override the circular detail profile and ensure that the display matches appropriately.

How to Use Mounting Boss in SOLIDWORKS

How to Use Mounting Boss in SOLIDWORKS

The following blog is the process of how to use the Mounting Boss command on your model. This is the perfect feature for a plastic injection molded part, or any part requiring geometry for your hardware mounting system. Why model a complex extrusion for your hardware, when the mounting boss command can automate this process for you?

How to Use Lip/Groove in SOLIDWORKS

How to Use Lip/Groove in SOLIDWORKS

The following blog is the process of how to use the Lip/Groove command on your model. This is the perfect feature for the overlapping edges in any plastic injection molded part. Why model a complex edge extrusion with draft when the Lip/Groove command can automate this process for you?

Quick Tip: How to Batch Run Multiple Plastics Analyses in SOLIDWORKS

Quick Tip: How to Batch Run Multiple Plastics Analyses in SOLIDWORKS

The weekend is fast approaching and you need to run several different Plastics analyses. You’d rather not come into the office or VPN from home to click the “Run” button every time an analysis finishes. What can you do? In this edition of Plastics Quick Tips, I will show you how to use the Batch Manager to batch run multiple Plastics analyses.

Dirty file? Clean it up, with the SOLIDWORKS Simulation Cleaning Utility

Dirty file? Clean it up, with the SOLIDWORKS Simulation Cleaning Utility

With every SOLIDWORKS installation, there are a set of additional tools that get installed along with the software that can be very useful. Most of you may not have known any of these tools existed unless you’ve been introduced to it, or discovered it while digging through the SOLIDWORKS installation folders, and who wou.ld do that? The tool I want to introduce today is the SOLIDWORKS Simulation Cleaning utility.

An Overview of ScanTo3D

An Overview of ScanTo3D

Starting in 2016 for SOLIDWORKS Professional (Premium for 2015 versions and older), there is a great add-in that works for those who need to transfer physical objects into a 3D model. The add-in is called ScanTo3D. For users who need to create organic shapes where it would be really difficult to model from scratch, ScanTo3D will help in importing scan data into SOLDIWORKS to convert the mesh to a surface or solid model.

Turbocharger with SOLIDWORKS Simulation

Turbocharger with SOLIDWORKS Simulation

In this blog I will be studying the characteristics of a turbocharger designed for a small high performance vehicle with the help of the amazing SOLIDWORKS Flow Simulation CFD (computational fluid dynamics) tool.

How to Register Your SOLIDWORKS Customer Portal Account

How to Register Your SOLIDWORKS Customer Portal Account

With the release of another version of SOLIDWORKS, you go to get the download so you can start checking it out. Maybe see what all the new enhancements can do to help speed up your work. You log into the portal and see there are a bunch of locks on all the links including the Downloads. What do I need to do to correct this you ask your self.

SOLIDWORKS 15 Min. Bookcase: Top-Down Assembly Modeling Part 1

SOLIDWORKS 15 Min. Bookcase: Top-Down Assembly Modeling Part 1

This blog and accompanying video series will illustrate some very simple methods for creating a basic parametric bookcase that is easily configurable into many shapes and sizes with minor adjustments to just a few dimensions. In Part 1 we will create the bookcase using Top-Down Assembly Modeling technique. Part 2 will use a multi-body part environment to create the book case, and utilize the cut-list generated from the Weldment Feature. The concepts that will be discussed are basic but will illustrate some very powerful techniques using SolidWorks.

Oktoberfest Part 2: Layouts & Equipment Selection

Equipment Selection

In this series, I will use SOLIDWORKS to design a keezer for use in delivering cold homebrewed beer from several kegs at a time. The goal is to design and eventually build the best delivery system possible to meet our requirements. One could even say that we will be following an adventure in beer engineering.

Limit Your Angles, Not Your Designs in SOLIDWORKS!

Limit Your Angles, Not Your Designs in SOLIDWORKS!

You have your design assembled in SOLIDWORKS and you go to move components to test the functionality. Then you notice that some of the components are not constrained properly as they’re allowed to move in a way that results in intersecting geometry (see image below). This obviously wouldn’t happen in real life. What now? There are a few mate types that allow you to restrict the motion of these components to simulate real world motion. One of these mates is the Limit Angle Mate.

Changing Sketch Color – SOLIDWORKS 3D CAD

Changing Sketch Color - SOLIDWORKS 3D CAD

The following blog is about how to change your sketch color. What are some of the reasons that you may want to change your sketch color? Well, perhaps black is just too bland for you, or more realistically, you are trying to trace an image in your design that has black lines.

Save Time Working in Assemblies Using Copy with Mates!

Save Time Working in Assemblies Using Copy with Mates!

I’m often asked by students in my SOLIDWORKS classes if there is a quick and easy way to create copies of components in an assembly, and mate them where they need to be. They always get excited when I tell them there is indeed a tool that allows them to do just that. The tool I’m talking about is Copy with Mates.

Rebuild Vs. Forced Rebuild in SOLIDWORKS?

Rebuild Vs. Forced Rebuild in SOLIDWORKS?

Have you ever called into Hawk Ridge Technical Support and sometimes the issue was resolved with a ‘CTRL+Q’, what we would call a Forced Rebuild? Today, we’ll discuss some of those terms so you have a better understanding of what’s going on in the background!

Link a Note to a Feature Dimension in SOLIDWORKS!

Link a Note to a Feature Dimension in SOLIDWORKS!

A question that often gets asked in Support is how a designer is able to link a note to a dimension of a feature, and that’s what we’ll take a look at today! As a designer, changes are constantly being made to the part and ECO’s (Engineering Change Orders) issued. By being able to link a note to a part feature dimension, it’s one less thing for designer to have to remember to change!

Position Components with the Triad and Keyboard Keys

Position Components with the Triad and Keyboard Keys

If you’re coming over to SOLIDWORKS from another CAD program, you’ve probably recognized the navigation with the keyboard and mouse is a little different. No problem! One of the advantages of SOLIDWORKS is that you’ll find there are numerous ways to achieve the same result, and today we’ll dive deeper into some navigation tools at your control!

Which Is Better: SOLIDWORKS Simulation vs. SIMULIA Abaqus

SOLIDWORKS Simulation vs SIMULIA Abaqus

You may or may not be aware that Hawk Ridge Systems provides two types of stress analysis tool and technical service to companies we work with – the SOLIDWORKS Simulation range of stress analysis packages, which provide comprehensive stress analysis capabilities within the SOLIDWORKS CAD interface, and SIMULIA Abaqus, an incredibly powerful standalone analysis environment with a dizzying array of mesh, material, and analysis type options. These options offer solutions to problems that are outside the capability of SOLIDWORKS Simulation, or that would be significantly more time consuming to solve using that tool.

What is 3D Content Central?

What is 3D Content Central?

While you were exploring SOLIDWORKS you may have noticed a section in the Library Task Pane for 3D Content Central. If you have never used it before you are probably wondering what it is there for.

Borrow SOLIDWORKS License from the Network

We have several times been asked how to borrow a license from your network so you can work from home or on the road. There are also some times errors that happen if you do attempt and did not do it correctly. So we decided to put together some information on the correct way to borrow your license.

Creating and Using Sketch Blocks in SOLIDWORKS

Creating and Using Sketch Blocks in SOLIDWORKS

Ever since I made the jump to SOLIDWORKS, my need for blocks has been almost entirely replaced by simply reusing 3D models, like those from the Toolbox. However, blocks still have a place in the 3D world, and you can make and use them easily with SOLIDWORKS.

Maintain Appearances When Applying Materials in SOLIDWORKS

Maintain Appearances When Applying Materials in SOLIDWORKS

So you just finished an awesome design that took you quite a bit of time to model, and you are feeling pretty proud of it. That’s usually right about the time I realize I forgot to apply a material to this part so that I can get an approximate weight. If you did, you just witnessed part of your beautiful appearances disappear, or be replaced rather.

Free SOLIDWORKS Certification Exams

Free SOLIDWORKS Certification Exams
  • Coupons allow each user at the company to purchase the applicable exam(s) for free.
  • Each coupon can be redeemed once by each user from the eligible company.
  • Coupons are posted twice a year – January 1st and July 1stof each calendar year

To obtain the free coupons, you will need a SOLIDWORKS ID registered with a SOLIDWORKS license on active subscription services. (Note: The SOLIDWORKS ID may differ from your SOLIDWORKS Certification Center login.)

Feeling a Draft – Part 2 – Exploring Options in Draft Analysis

Feeling a Draft - Part 2 - Exploring Options in Draft Analysis

Hey everyone, welcome to my second article in a series on Draft Analysis. In this series, I’m going over the basics of a tool that is helpful to anyone working on cast or molded parts. This second article will set up the analysis and show off the different options. If you need to, you can read my first article here: 

Feeling a Draft – Part 1 – Introduction to Draft Analysis

Feeling a Draft - Part 1 - Introduction to Draft Analysis

Hey everyone, welcome to my first article in a series on Draft Analysis. In this series, I’m going to go over the basics of this tool that is helpful to anyone working on cast or molded parts. This first article will be an introduction and overview to what this tool does.

Tech Tip – Mirrored Sheet Metal Parts in SOLIDWORKS

Tech Tip - Mirrored Sheet Metal Parts in SOLIDWORKS

When designing sheet metal parts, it’s very common to have an asymmetric part that requires an exact opposite hand (mirrored) version. SOLIDWORKS has always had a great part mirroring function that accomplished this in no time, eliminating the need to completely create the new part from scratch. However, if the part was made with Sheet Metal features, the manufacturing information was not transferred to the mirrored part. This information is critical when documenting the mirrored part on a production drawing. Introduced in SOLIDWORKS 2015, when creating mirrored versions of sheet metal parts it is now possible to transfer the sheet metal and flat pattern information from the original part to the mirrored part, saving you a huge amount of time during the drafting phase.

Compare Features using SOLIDWORKS Utilities

Compare Features using SOLIDWORKS Utilities

In a previous blog, we used the Compare Geometry tool to analyze two versions of the same part to quickly identify any geometric similarities and differences. This time around, we’re going to take a look at the Compare Features tool. The Compare Features tool works very similarly to the Compare Geometry tool, but instead identifies the differences in actual solid features, including appearance properties.

SOLIDWORKS: OpenGL, RealView, PhotoView360

SOLIDWORKS: OpenGL, RealView, PhotoView360

In today’s blog, lets uncover some of the methods of Visualization SOLIDWORKS has to offer, take a more in-depth look at RealView, and then we’ll take a look at which option will suit you best!

Shaping a Sheet Metal Edge Flange

Shaping a Sheet Metal Edge Flange

When you come to a sheet metal part with an odd shaped or partial edge flange you might realize that the usual select and size approach it not going to work. You are stuck trying to decide if you should just use a normal rectangular edge flange and then cut away the excess and drill a hole or attempt to use that mysterious Edit Flange Profile button, if you have been alert enough to notice it by now. What is the difference?

What’s New 2016 – Thread Tool

What's New 2016 - Thread Tool

Creating Threads as a true Feature in SOLIDWORKS prior to 2016 was something of a litmus test – if you could accomplish this in a reasonable amount of time with a few sketches and didn’t manage to ruin your model, you could probably be hired at any company using SOLIDWORKS and hit the ground running. Unfortunately, or perhaps thankfully for some, the skill of manually creating thread features may soon be on its way to becoming an esoteric CAD art-form known only to a select few, echoing the fate of the elusive hand-drafters that still lurk in forgotten cubicles in various industries. Why, might you ask? Well SOLIDWORKS quietly added a new tool to the software for 2016, called the Thread tool.

How to Use SOLIDWORKS Treehouse

How to Use SOLIDWORKS Treehouse

SOLIDWORKS Treehouse is a useful tool that is unknown and unexplored by many users. It is useful for assembly structure planning and viewing existing assembly structure. After the structure is completed, the structure can be exported to SOLIDWORKS.

How to Find the Volume of a Hollow Body

How to Find the Volume of a Hollow Body

A question that I have been asked many times by SOLIDWORKS users who have modeled a part that has an internal volume is, “Is there a feature that can show me the volume inside my hollow part?” Luckily, SOLIDWORKS has many great tools where we can easily find the mass and volume of bodies from our Evaluate section, but does not directly tell us the volume inside a part that has been shelled. In order to make this happen, we need to somehow create a body that will fill in the hollow volume where we can then measure the volume for it.

How to Use The SOLIDWORKS Configuration Publisher

The Configuration Publisher is a SOLIDWORKS tool that filters through configurations using defining properties. On insertion, instead of choosing a configuration’s name, the Configuration Publisher prompts the user to choose parameters that filter which configuration is needed. This is particularly useful for parts and assemblies with many configurations that are used frequently. Configuration names that are of part numbers or are not descriptive enough to accurately determine which one is needed can also benefit from setting up a Configuration Publisher.

Proper Renaming of Files in SOLIDWORKS

In your installation of SOLIDWORKS, there is a basic file management utility called SOLIDWORKS Explorer that goes a long way in helping you ensure that if files are renamed or moved, those references are still maintained! The reason SOLIDWORKS documents can’t easily be renamed by right-clicking in Windows Explorer and clicking ‘Rename’ is because of references.

Treehouse Part 2

Treehouse Part 2

When using SOLIDWORKS Treehouse, it is even possible to have multiple configurations of a part referenced in your tree.

Compare Geometry Using SOLIDWORKS Utilities

Compare Geometry Using SOLIDWORKS Utilities

For those of you who are not familiar with Utilities, it is one of the many useful Add-Ins that is now available in ALL versions of SOLIDWORKS 2016. Utilities contains a set of tools that allow you to analyze solid models, modify them, and compare them with one another. One of these tools is the Compare Tool, which can be used to compare two different SOLIDWORKS documents, drawings, BOMs, Features and Geometry between two versions of the same file, and identify the differences between them.

Importing Files with Existing Revisions into an EPDM Vault

Importing Files with Existing Revisions into an EPDM Vault

When working with SOLIDWORKS files outside of any PDM system, it is very common to want to manage the revisions of your files by manually setting the custom property values. However, when importing SOLIDWORKS files into EPDM, the database needs to be taken into consideration as EPDM does not automatically sync the custom property values to the database unless you build in the logic to do so. For instance, if you just added legacy files with existing revisions to your normal production workflow, EPDM would treat them as any new file, ignore any manually set revision, and then when it came time to stamp the revision, it would simply start at the beginning.

Large Displacement for Static Studies in SOLIDWORKS

Large Displacement for Static Studies in SOLIDWORKS

I am sure that many of us who have run a simulation static study have come across this warning message, where an excessive displacement warning was generated and asked us to continue running the current study or enable the Large Displacement option to improve the accuracy.

Applying decals and using an image mask file in SolidWorks!

Applying decals and using an image mask file in SolidWorks!

Did any of you assemble those small model airplanes or cars when you were younger? Remember how much of a pain it was to apply the logo stickers and keep them straight? Luckily in SolidWorks, it’s very easy to apply any logo as a decal and we have many different options to control how it looks. I will be discussing a few of these options.

What's New – CircuitWorks now in SOLIDWORKS Professional

New - CircuitWorks now in SOLIDWORKS Professional

An important decision when purchasing a license of SOLIDWORKS is which version is right for your company’s needs. After pouring over a matrix for hours it typically boils down to one or two features that determine the correct license type. One of the features of SOLIDWORKS Premium that has always attracted users is CircuitWorks.

SOLIDWORKS Flow Simulation: Electronics Cooling Module

SOLIDWORKS Flow Simulation: Electronics Cooling Module

Thermal analysis of electronics is one of the most common applications for SOLIDWORKS Flow Simulation. Flow Simulation’s user friendly approach to CFD makes it easy to gain design insight and improve cooling performance. If you currently use or are considering Flow Simulation for electronics cooling analysis, you may be wondering, “Do I need the Electronics Cooling Module?”

Slow SOLIDWORKS Performance on the Network? Speed It Up!

Working on a network is great, and in today’s age it’s basically required. Unplugging from the network could solve a lot of issues, but usually isn’t feasible. The problem is that so much stuff is looking to the network it can sometimes slow down SOLIDWORKS. There can be a ton of reasons for this, some can be fixed! Here’ are a few tips to make your performance a little better while working with SOLIDWORKS.

Excel Based Bill of Materials in SOLIDWORKS

Setting up and using an Excel Based Bill of Materials can be frustrating if the rules are not known between Excel and Solidworks. You may have run into a couple of error messages in the process, or even ran out of memory with enough failed attempts. Following are the rules for successfully utilizing an Excel Based Bill of Materials in SOLIDWORKS.

SOLIDWORKS PDM Recycle Bin

Have you ever deleted a file from the SOLIDWORKS PDM vault and wish you had it back? Do you share files and when you’ve removed the last shared instance the icon still shows that it is shared? Hint: the deleted files needs to be destroyed.

Wrapping Text Onto A Conical Face in SOLIDWORKS

Text wrapping is a fairly simple tool to use within SOLIDWORKS part modeling when you are applying a wrap to a flat face or around a cylinder, but when you run into a part with a changing radius and a rounded face, the wrap feature becomes a little more complex.  For this example, we will wrap text onto a conical feature.

Attention: Drawn… to SOLIDWORKS 2016!

SOLIDWORKS Model Based Definition has been out a little while now and may well be a game changer for many customers’ detailing and design workflows. But, for those of us not yet ready to adopt this product, we’re still using traditional drawing files. MBD may be the new kid in town, but SOLIDWORKS 2016 definitely comes with plenty of new tools for drawings. Here’s my top five, many of which were brought about because of enhancement requests by users like you!

Re-Naming Your Features or Files in SOLIDWORKS

Like all things SOLIDWORKS, there are several ways to do the same thing.  Like renaming files or features.  When you create a new feature in Solidworks the default setting uses the feature name followed by a number.  This indicates how many of the same features you have and in a small part it does not amount to be much of a problem.  When you part has several of the same feature names followed by a different digit it begins to get harder keeping which feature is what.  This is where you can rename the feature to give you a better idea of what the feature was for. So without further delay, the below steps are different ways to make changes to the name of a feature or file.

Don't Get Shortsheeted – Multibody Sheet Metal Parts

Multibody Sheet Metal Parts

Making a multibody sheet metal part is easy and useful. Some reasons you would make this type of part is if you are working with different gauges and different materials of sheet metal within the same part. Also, if the bodies are within the same part, if you change a dimension or relation of one part, everything will change accordingly. This insures that your parts fit together when you are done with your design.

3D Sketch Basics

3D Sketch Basics

Sketching in 3D can be challenging, but it is a very powerful tool once you understand the basics. It is especially useful when creating weldment parts like this workbench. This example will demonstrate how to create a 3D sketch that will govern the overall size of this welded frame workbench.

New to SOLIDWORKS 2016: Underconstrained Bodies

Figuring out why a model is unstable is sometimes easier said than done. SOLIDWORKS has come out with a new tool to find if and where there are bodies that aren’t fully constrained. Having an unconstrained model is a common issue that will prevent a SOLIDWORKS Simulation study from running.

Creating SOLIDWORKS Custom Report Templates

Creating SOLIDWORKS Custom Report Templates

Since SOLIDWORKS Inspection was released in April of last year, the number one topic of technical support calls has been custom report templates. Whether the issue relates to getting attributes to map properly or making every characteristic fit in the table, there are several tricks I have learned that can make template creation pain free. Follow these steps on the next template you generate for Inspection.

Setting Up an EPDM Dispatch Script to Rename SolidWorks Files

Setting Up an EPDM Dispatch Script to Rename SolidWorks Files

Dispatch is a very powerful EPDM tool which can be used for a variety of file specific operations. A very common need for the Vault would be an easy way to rename large amounts of SOLIDWORKS files based on certain data card values, and/or user inputs. This can be very easily accomplished with the use of a dispatch script. In the following example, I will explain the logic behind creating a working script to rename SOLIDWORKS files based off of a data card value.

Sheet Metal: Understanding K-Factor

understanding-k-factor

SOLIDWORKS sheet metal tools are relatively straight forward, but may not be clearly understood. In sheet metal, there is a powerful bend constant known as the K-Factor. It ultimately allows you to estimate the amount of stretch without knowing what type of material you are bending. In practical terms, it’s just a generic bend allowance to use when you don’t know the process or machine that is going to be used to bend the sheet. I’d like to review K-Factor and how K-Factor applies to your sheet metal designs.

How to Create a Block from a Part or Assembly

How to Create a Block from a Part or Assembly

I have a passion that is not based in a technical world like my passion for SolidWorks and Design is. It is a lifelong artistic passion of playing drums, beginning at age 6. So, naturally, it only makes sense that at some point the two paths would cross. The result is me spending my weekends “nerding out” on modeling my drums in SolidWorks.

How to Make SOLIDWORKS Inspection Templates

How to Make SOLIDWORKS Inspection Templates

SOLIDWORKS Inspection does come with several very nice existing templates to use for projects but if you need to customize it there are ways to make that a saved one as well. So the first step is to turn on the add-in and open a file. This process is similar for both the add-in and standalone versions, you will need to start with an existing project. So you can either open one you have already created or create a new project using an existing template.

Using Splines in SOLIDWORKS

Using Splines in SOLIDWORKS

Often when I start talking to SOLIDWORKS users about splines they cringe, squirm, or announce how much they dislike them.  I assure you splines have feelings too – and get a bad reputation when they are poorly tamed.  I think they are awesome and are actually quite amazing.  I’d like to share a few ways to work with splines that will help wrangle them in – so it doesn’t feel so much like herding cats.

Creating Custom Rails and Ducts in SOLIDWORKS Electrical

Creating Custom Rails and Ducts in SOLIDWORKS Electrical

We do not have only one size of rail or duct, so when we use the default rail/duct in SOLIDWORKS Electrical, it doesn’t always match what we’re looking for. However Change Length of “Rail” or “Duct” is a very useful tool, that doesn’t seem to exactly cooperate with any rail/duct shaped part file. Additionally Insert as horizontal/vertical rail/duct is a useful feature in SOLIDWORKS Electrical that saves us an extra mate to be added in.

Importing DWG Files Into SOLIDWORKS

Importing DWG Files Into SOLIDWORKS

I have come across several customers having issues with bringing in DWG data into SOLIDWORKS. There a few different ways to handle the data and it depends on what you want in the end. So when you start the opening of the DWG file in SOLIDWORKS you are presented with a couple options.

Select Some of the Entities…Repeatedly!

Select Some of the Entities...Repeatedly!

As we add more features into our models, they naturally become more complex, and it is up to us to keep tabs on all the goings-on of our design. SOLIDWORKS has some tools to aid in the managing of our models, a couple of which are meant to help save us clicks when performing operations on multiple entities. A new enhancement that came to the 2015 version goes even farther with this by introducing us to Selection Sets.

SOLIDWORKS Modeling Practice 1

I have, many times, heard that people would like to practice either their SOLIDWORKS modeling skills after our Essentials class or before the class to get a running start.

Dispelling Firewall for SOLIDWORKS

When we work collaboratively over the network, we must make sure that the required ports for communication (between the clients and the server) are open. Unless those ports are open we cannot use the SOLIDWORKS Licenses we need to do our jobs.

Bicycle Frame Design Using SOLIDWORKS Simulation – Part 2

Bicycle Frame Design Using SOLIDWORKS Simulation - Part 2

Part 2: Tube Shape Optimization 1– This section deals with modeling the tubes of the frame. I’ll be using surfacing techniques within SOLIDWORKS to do so. There are some design elements that I’ll incorporate, such as a rear wheel cut-out and a tapered head tube.

Modify SOLIDWORKS SolidNetWork License for New Serial Numbers

There are several reasons why you may need to add a serial number to your SOLIDWORKS SolidNetwork License Manager. One could be you add a new product to your licenses like Composer or Simulation Professional. Another may be that you are upgrading to 2015 and would like to include EPDM in the same License Manager.

My SOLIDWORKS Assembly Disappeared!

So you’re working on an assembly. Everything is inserted and all of your mates are set. You’re just about done and looking things over when *poof* the entire assembly disappears. You zoom to fit: nothing. You try zooming to a component: nothing. You do a Ctrl-Q: Still nothing. You close the part and re-open it: Nope, still gone. You’ve checked in the AssemblyXpert to make sure parts aren’t too far from the origin: everything is fine. All the parts are still there and you can edit the components and mates, but nothing but the background is in the graphics area.

Machining Chamfers in CAMWorks

Machining Chamfers in CAMWorks

Using Automatic Feature Recognition (AFR) to define the features to be machined and program your parts is just one of the many great features of CAMWorks that can save you time and increase efficiency when you are programming your parts. There are instances, however, where it is required to define features manually.

SOLIDWORKS Night School – Assembly Techniques for All!

SOLIDWORKS Night School - Assembly Techniques for All!

The first Night School of 2015 is right around the corner! Following up on my colleague’s preview blog, there have been some questions about whether or not you’d benefit from attending. I’m personally a questions guy myself, and I find most engineers are the same way. With that said, these next few questions (and answers) should give you more of an in-depth look of what this Night School will be all about!

Composer Quick Tip – Measurements

Composer Quick Tip - Measurements

Let’s face it, not everyone is a wizard when it comes to looking at standard views shown on a drawing, picturing the part or assembly and on top of that understanding the accompanying dimensions. I often take for granted the training I’ve received in school.

SOLIDWORKS Simulation: Stress-Strain Data

SOLIDWORKS Simulation: Stress-Strain Data

If you were to hook my brain up to a projector and start scanning for things I remembered from engineering school, stress-strain curves would probably pop up. Once upon a time I (probably) recreated one or two of these curves in a materials lab, but nowadays I settle for giving the every-man definition: a stress-strain curve is a collection of data describing how resistant a material is to stretching.

Demystifying SOLIDWORKS Enterprise PDM API – Part 1

API Stands for “Application Programming Interface”.  The EPDM API allows a programmer to hook directly into EPDM to automate just about anything you can dream up. It is possible to create the perception of new functionality into the software that does not exist today.  For example, let’s say we want to rename a file in EPDM but we realize that we have a field on the data card that is linked to the file name when the file was originally created.  If we renamed the file, we would then need to check out the file and update that new name in the data card field.  One could use the API to automatically update the field in the file data card so the user is able to do this in one operation.   Either method gets the job done, but automating it via the API makes sure the data card gets updated and also reduces the chance of human error.

Chain Component Pattern Tips for SOLIDWORKS – Pt. 2

Chain Component Pattern Tips for SOLIDWORKS - Pt. 2

Inside SOLIDWORKS, there’s a unique and powerful type of assembly component pattern available for setting up patterned components along an open or closed path. This is perfect if you want to dynamically simulate roller chains, cable carriers, and power transmission systems. Previously, we created a generic energy chain. In this article, we’re going to take a look at a few special use-case scenarios.

Telling the Story – Path and Label Tricks in SOLIDWORKS Composer

Telling the Story - Path and Label Tricks in SOLIDWORKS Composer

SOLIDWORKS Composer is all about telling a story, whether the story is how an assembly gets from a pile of parts on the floor to comfortable furniture, or how to identify the correct replacement part for your engine. This is an entirely different job from the detailed technical drawing work done in SOLIDWORKS Drawings, but many of the tools carry over. Exploded line sketches, labels and balloons, dimensions and section views are all tools that look familiar from the SOLIDWORKS environment but give us a variety of new capabilities in Composer.

CAMWorks Quick Tip – Using Work-In-Process Model for Toolpath Simulation

CAMWorks Quick Tip - Using Work-In-Process Model for Toolpath Simulation

The ToolPath Simulation in CAMWorks is an easy-to use tool to check your toolpath for several problems such as collisions, gouging, or under-machining. Proper use of the Toolpath Simulation tool should be incorporated into every CAMWorks workflow. One thing you may not know is that in CAMWorks 2014 and later you can start the simulation from a work-in-process rather than from the raw stock. This is extremely useful for simulating operations that depend on previous operations to avoid a crash.

Chain Component Pattern Tips for SOLIDWORKS – Pt. 1

Chain Component Pattern Tips for SOLIDWORKS - Pt. 1

SOLIDWORKS has a unique and powerful type of assembly component pattern for setting up patterned components along an open or closed path to dynamically simulate a roller chains, cable carriers, and power transmission systems. This new feature was introduced in SOLIDWORKS 2015.

So… Why Should I Get Certified in SOLIDWORKS?

So... Why Should I Get Certified in SOLIDWORKS?

I am often asked about the SOLIDWORKS Certification program, primarily about the benefits of being certified. Since SOLIDWORKS World starts this week, and since everyone who registers to attend SOLIDWORKS World 2015 gets the opportunity to take a complimentary certification exam alongside other SOLIDWORKS users — at no charge — I thought I’d take this chance to tell you why I think you should get certified in SOLIDWORKS – or at least consider it.

Advanced Sweep Feature Techniques in SOLIDWORKS

Advanced Sweep Feature Techniques in SOLIDWORKS

If you have been paying attention to my blogs (it’s okay if you haven’t), you’ll recall that I wrote an article on the basics of creating a sweep in SOLIDWORKS. Since I’m sure you’ve mastered this, let’s move on to some more advanced sweep feature functions. I will be focusing on the swept boss/base feature, but this can also apply to a swept cut.

Basics of the Sweep Feature in SOLIDWORKS

Basics of the Sweep Feature in SOLIDWORKS

If one just looks at the name “sweep feature”, it’s not readily apparent what this actually is. In my mind I hear “Sweep the leg!” from the first Karate Kid, which can’t possibly be correct. In all seriousness, the sweep is a powerful tool to create useful geometry when a regular boss won’t work. Using a sweep isn’t as confusing as it seems. The spoke of this wheel is an example of a swept boss/base:

CNC Boring an Engine Block with CAMWorks

CNC Boring an Engine Block with CAMWorks

If you’re a pistonhead like me (that’s a gearhead to you North Americans), chances are you have or will be trawling the for-sale ads in the forums, eBay, or Craigslist at some point in your life. I was on the hunt for a “new” engine for my project car and found what I thought was a great deal, so I jumped on the phone and arranged a meeting for that weekend.

I was curious to find what’s involved with CNC boring an engine. Mine was only a “four banger” but I thought it would be more interesting to see how we’d go about programming a V8 in CAMWorks.

SOLIDWORK Simulation: Managing Contacts

SOLIDWORK Simulation: Managing Contacts

Managing contacts is something that comes up constantly when working on customer projects in Simulation. I recently had a project that involved a large and complex assembly with numerous contacts to be defined. There were three tools and plots in SOLIDWORKS and SOLIDWORKS Simulation that I used to visualize and check the contacts in my analysis: Interference Detection, Contact Visualization Plot, and Contact Pressure Plots.

SOLIDWORKS Electrical Design Rule Checks – An Introduction

SOLIDWORKS Electrical Design Rule Checks - An Introduction

Since the advent of CAD software in the design and engineering world, one of the main advantages touted by developers and users has been the ability to check for errors and mistakes during the design process. Discovering and fixing design flaws, honest mistakes, and little bugs before a product reaches the production phase and consumers is an obvious way for a company to reduce costs, waste, and protect themselves both from lawsuits and a bad reputation.

SOLIDWORKS Composer: Publishing Images

SOLIDWORKS Composer: Publishing Images

Publishing images seems like it should be a super simple task – and it really is easy, but I put it on the list for good reason: it’s really, really important. Understanding how to correctly publish images and link them with various deliverables is critical for the entire operation. If you don’t “get” publishing images, the whole thing can fall apart.

CAMWorks Quick Tip – Backing Up and Restoring your TechDB

CAMWorks Quick Tip - Backing Up and Restoring your TechDB

Anyone who has experienced computer issues ranging from a full-blown machine meltdown to mysterious “lost documents” understands the importance of creating backups of valuable documents. Your customized CAMWorks Technology database (or TechDB) is certainly one of those files that you don’t want to lose. Thankfully, the backup and restore process is really quite harmless and normally takes only a few minutes.

SOLIDWORKS EPDM 2015 – Our Favorite New Features

New in EPDM 2015 is the Web2 client. This is exciting news for a lot of EPDM customers! EPDM has always had a web client, but it only worked with Internet Explorer and had some inherent limitations. Now, however, with 2015, there is a new Web2 client that is ASP.net based!

SOLIDWORKS Quick Tip – How to Create a Custom Weldment Profile

SOLIDWORKS Quick Tip - How to Create a Custom Weldment Profile

Sometimes the vast library of weldment profiles included with SOLIDWORKS just doesn’t have the special profile I need for my project. I was mocking up a layout of a conveyor system for a shop the other day that I planned to use a purchased conveyor system for the design, and wanted to figure out the amount of conveyor rails I would need.

SOLIDWORKS API: Easy Macros – Tree Display Keyboard Shortcut

SOLIDWORKS API: Easy Macros - Tree Display Keyboard Shortcut

There is a huge amount of capability available to the user from the SOLIDWORKS APIs. Basically, most everything we have available in the graphic user interface (GUI) is also available through the API interface… Rather than trying to spend a lot of time up front trying to understand everything about programming and COM, the intent of this article is to jump head first into the shallow pool by showing the steps to write a simple macro using Visual Basic for Applications (VBA).

SOLIDWORKS Composer: The Transform Tab

This is the first in a 5-part series for the Top 5 Things You Should Know About SOLIDWORKS Composer. This post covers the important features in the Transform Tab. The entire video series can also be found on our YouTube channel.

Go Paperless! Model Based Definition (MBD) and What it Means for You

Every time I address a group of engineers about the idea of “going paperless” at least one (if not all) will sneer and say, “Hah, there is NO WAY you can get rid of the paper (2D) drawing”. In the words of Nobel Prize winner George Bernard Shaw I will reply, “Those who say it cannot be done should not interrupt those who are doing it”.

SOLIDWORKS Simulation 2015 – Shell Manager Magic

Fall is always a great time of year. Football is in full swing, the World Series is around the corner, there will be snow in the mountains soon, and, of course, new features in SOLIDWORKS Simulation are unveiled. This year, SOLIDWORKS 2015 has a new tool called Shell Manager which will drastically reduce the time it takes to define shells and simplify the modification of them in your next simulation.

SOLIDWORKS 2015 – The Buzz Is Real

As the Product Manager for SOLIDWORKS 3D CAD, every year Todd works closely with the Launch presenters to develop an overview that covers as many enhancements as possible. I still find it really incredible that all of these enhancements are driven by customer requests – hundreds of updates and improvements so that everyday users can do their jobs better and faster.

Choosing the Right SOLIDWORKS Installation Method

Choosing the Right SOLIDWORKS Installation Method

If you’re the sole user of SOLIDWORKS at your company or you’re a solo operator, choosing an installation method is straight forward: install SOLIDWORKS through the SOLIDWORKS Installation manager. But once you add a few more users or multiple sites into the mix, you really have to start thinking about the other methods that are available:

1. The SolidWorksSOLIDWORKS Installation Manager
2. Command line installation
3. NVIDIA GRID VCA

SOLIDWORKS: Insert Components into Assemblies

SOLIDWORKS: Insert Components into Assemblies

As you know, SOLIDWORKS is very good at giving us many options for performing certain tasks. A perfect example of this is when it comes time to insert components into our assembly models. Before reading further, do you know how many DIFFERENT ways there are to accomplish this? Test your knowledge and see how many you knew!

CAMWorks Corner – CNC Machining a Turbo Impeller

With media coverage of the World Cup dominating news and sports sites, you may have missed some other major sporting events, such as the Le Mans 24hr and the Nürburgring 24hr. Whether it’s nostalgia and the opportunity to see some of motor racing’s elite at the French race, or the attraction of camping in a forest listening to cheesy Euro pop while slurping copious amounts of high quality beer at the German event, both provide an incredible experience for a motorsport fan. Given that the Porsche 919 Hybrid was sponsored by DMG Mori, it just made sense to have it related to machining a turbo impeller. So what’s involved?

Seek & Destroy: Under Defined Sketches in SOLIDWORKS

Search Filter is a tool that will allow you to search through your whole feature tree by name; it is located at the top of your Feature Tree. This is very useful when you’re working with complex parts or assemblies with a large tree.

Let Your Fans Do the Work in Flow Simulation – A Night School Preview

Let Your Fans Do the Work in Flow Simulation - A Night School Preview

If there’s one thing I’ve learned from immersing myself in simulation tools for the last several years, it’s that the phrase “work smarter, not harder” is a pretty good advice. Of course, working hard is always admirable – but using our brains can make that hard work go a lot further. I think the maxim applies especially well to any kind of simulation, where the hard work is being done by your computer’s CPU (and it of course can only do so much).

SOLIDWORKS Routing – One and Two-Hole Flange Orientations

SolidWorks Routing is a powerful add-in included with SolidWorks Premium. Routing has a wealth of useful tools to improve your efficiency when designing routes that contain electrical components, tubes, and pipes. I love how the software starts a route for me the moment that I drop a fitting or connector into an assembly.

Common Modeling Shortcut Commands in SOLIDWORKS

Common Modeling Shortcut Commands in SOLIDWORKS

There are so many great shortcut commands in SOLIDWORKS that even the most common shortcuts often go unnoticed. Familiarization with onscreen navigation, and getting a better idea of what you’re looking at is key. I decided to compile a list of the commands that help me when I’m creating a SOLIDWORKS model. How many of these do you already know? Scroll to the bottom for a printable infographic!

SOLIDWORKS Electrical: Update and Replace Part Data

SOLIDWORKS Electrical: Update and Replace Part Data

Typically an engineer may spend countless hours manually reviewing and updating previous projects every time a new part is released. In SOLIDWORKS Electrical, you can reduce this tedious process to a rapid workflow that only takes a few minutes. Update and replace part data using one of two tools: the “Update data” tool or the “Replace data” tool, both located under the Process Tab as illustrated below.

Planning Your SOLIDWORKS Simulation Study – Services Spotlight

Planning Your SOLIDWORKS Simulation Study - Services Spotlight

Have you ever started an analysis that you thought was pretty straightforward, but after 6 months (including several missed deadlines and scope changes) ended up right back where you started? Well, you aren’t alone. One of the main topics we teach in our Analysis Mentoring sessions is how to properly plan your analysis before you start, which will increase your productivity and minimize headaches down the road.

SolidWorks Weldment Profiles: Now Configurable!

SolidWorks Weldment Profiles: Now Configurable!

SolidWorks Weldments has added an excellent enhancement for the 2014 release. The weldment profiles of structural members are now configurable! Previously, weldment profiles were managed on a file-by-file basis.

Using Virtual Sharps in Your SOLIDWORKS Dimensioning Workflow

Using Virtual Sharps in Your SOLIDWORKS Dimensioning Workflow

A common task for us is dimensioning to a point that exists where two edges, lines, arcs, and/or curves would intersect if those entities were extended. This is called a Virtual Sharp in SolidWorks and is a useful reference in drawings and sketches.

Previously, the way to create these points was perhaps a bit hidden to the user unless you had attended an in-depth SolidWorks training course.

SolidWorks Hidden Commands

SolidWorks Hidden Commands

When I began using SolidWorks every day at work, I started picking up all of these extremely useful hidden commands. Then I started to wonder: What other, less obvious SolidWorks hidden commands were out there, and could I be using them to save time and accomplish my different tasks? Listed below are some of the most useful SolidWorks hidden commands that I’ve come across.

SolidWorks: Speed Moves for the CSWP Exam

SolidWorks: Speed Moves for the CSWP Exam

While these are written for people who are preparing to take the CSWA (Certified SolidWorks Associate), CSWP (Certified Solid Works Professional), CSWE (Certified Solid Works Professional) or some other exam, it can (AND SHOULD) be used by anyone who wants to be fluidly proficient in SolidWorks.

SolidWorks Quick Tip – Global Variables and Equations

SolidWorks Quick Tip - Global Variables and Equations

Global variables and equations are a great way to capture design intent and add intelligence to SolidWorks models. If you’re new to global variables and equations in SolidWorks, here’s a quick intro. And if you’re already a pro, check out the NEW items. Both the 2013 and 2014 versions of SolidWorks introduced new functionality for equations.

Using SolidWorks Drawings in SolidWorks Electrical Projects

Typically, we work with our schematics in our 2D application and our 3D assemblies in SolidWorks, while accessing the same database. In this example, we will create our electrical cabinet in a SolidWorks drawing document and add that to the electrical database.

SolidWorks Routing – Custom Components and the Piping & Tubing Database

SolidWorks Routing - Custom Components and the Piping & Tubing Database

Living in the oil and gas industrial landscape of Alberta, Canada, I use SolidWorks Routing almost as often as I dream of hot summer days (quite often).

However, almost all of my experience with the SolidWorks Routing tools are built on using the default piping and tubing library installed with SolidWorks. Even though this library has a large selection of components with extensive configurations, no library is ever complete and there are many different options for piping and tubing standards throughout the world. So, we must create a custom library.

NVIDIA GRID VCA: Using SolidWorks in the Cloud

NVIDIA GRID VCA: Using SolidWorks in the Cloud

It was 12:30AM, and I was on my way home from an indoor soccer game. (I know what’s going through your mind: “Why is this guy playing soccer at 12:30AM?” Well…it’s just the way this league works – and yes, it makes it tough to be at work at 8AM the next day. ) Anyways, before hitting the hay I decided to check my email.

What did I find? Only an SOS from one of our Simulation customers. They had a design review at 9AM, their simulation wouldn’t run and they were hoping I could get it working so that they would have something to show at their meeting. No problem! Still wired from soccer, I had a couple hours until I’d be ready to go to sleep. Unfortunately, I didn’t bring my laptop home with me. Now what? Should I just drive to the office?

SolidWorks World 2014

SolidWorks World 2014

Whether you’re a seasoned SolidWorks Simulation veteran, new to the software, or even just evaluating how it would fit into your design process, you’ve probably asked one or both of these questions about SolidWorks Simulation: “Can I _______with SolidWorks Simulation?”

Maybe you want to know how to idealize a bearing in SolidWorks Simulation, or whether Flow Simulation can predict vortex shedding. Whatever your question, the HRS Simulation team is looking to give you answers live at SolidWorks World 2014.

Avoiding Sink Marks with SolidWorks Plastics

Avoiding Sink Marks with SolidWorks Plastics

Sink Marks are areas in a molded part where the surface is deformed into a depression. The depressions typically occur in areas of thick geometry and are caused by uneven cooling of the injection material. Potentially problematic geometry would include areas where features such as a rib or boss meet the wall, areas of rapidly changing thickness, or large solid regions. Luckily, there are many ways to alleviate issues cause by sink marks, including modifying the geometry.

SolidWorks Electrical Quick Tip – Numbering Wires

During the design of an electrical project, we typically need to add marks to call out our wires. This can be done through a predefined numbering scheme. SolidWorks Electrical has built in tools to quickly label all of the wires in the project. We’ll examine a few of these tools.

Curvature Based Mesh Advantages in SolidWorks Simulation

Do you typically use the Standard mesh, or the Curvature based mesh when preparing to run a study? I personally tend to favor the Curvature based mesh over the Standard mesh when setting up studies in Simulation. I’m often asked what the difference is between the two and why I prefer the Curvature based method. While the topic of discretizing or meshing can get highly technical and easily cover several whitepapers, I wanted to highlight a couple of main points in this article.

SolidWorks Quick Tip – Using the Intersect Tool

SolidWorks Quick Tip - Using the Intersect Tool

Now you can combine surfacing and solid modeling techniques using one powerful and convenient tool. The Intersect tool takes intersecting surfaces and solid bodies and uses them as boundaries to create an enclosed volume or cavity.

Quality Control – Using the Right Type of Mesh in SolidWorks Simulation

Quality Control – Using the Right Type of Mesh in SolidWorks Simulation

One of my usual tasks here at Hawk Ridge Systems is conducting our SolidWorks Simulation training classes, which hopefully most readers out there using Simulation have had a chance to attend. Not only do students learn valuable information from the “where’s that button” category, it’s a chance to have a discussion about some mechanical and FEA theory, and what Simulation settings will give you the best results (the latter probably being a lot more interesting).
An option that anybody who has taken this class should be familiar with is the Draft Quality Mesh option underneath the Create Mesh property manager.

CAMWorks Quick Tip – Simple 3 Axis Introduction

When programming a part in CAMWorks, I always set up my machine and choose the stock size that I will use first. To get started programming a 3 Axis part I’ll discuss the Multi Surface Feature.

SolidWorks Flow Simulation: Parametric Studies

SolidWorks Flow Simulation: Parametric Studies

Anyone who has used SolidWorks Simulation for some time probably knows about the Design Study functionality, and maybe even the Optimization functionality found in Simulation Professional. Users of Flow Simulation have been asking for similar functionality, but all we had to work with was a single-parameter optimization study. I can finally say that now with SolidWorks Flow Simulation 2013, we can run multiple what-if scenarios while changing multiple variables!

SolidWorks Quick Tip – Complete Uninstall Made Simple

SolidWorks Quick Tip - Complete Uninstall Made Simple

The Complete Uninstall of SolidWorks: some of you have done it and know the hassle; others don’t even know what it is. Fortunately for both groups, SolidWorks has greatly simplified the process. Here is the background: Similar to most Windows programs, a SolidWorks installation is not simply contained to a single location on the hard drive. The installation also creates files, folders, and registry entries throughout the computer. If you are experiencing serious issues with SolidWorks, you may need to completely uninstall the program and all associated files and registry keys since they may be the root cause of the problem.

SolidWorks Simulation – Force Balance with Statics

SolidWorks Simulation - Force Balance with Statics

A customer of ours, Jon from Weldco-Beales Manufacturing, recently came to us with question that reminded me of my Mechanical Engineering Statics class. His company designed a mechanism that clamped onto a tire, using a hydraulic cylinder to provide the clamping force. He wanted to know the relationship between the force being exerted by the hydraulic cylinder and the clamping force exerted on the tire. We as users should always question the results we get from an analysis. SolidWorks Simulation has technical papers which look at standard NAFEMS(National Agency for Finite Element Methods and Standards) problems and compares results, but often we want to verify the setup and results of OUR geometry, not a hypothetical NAFEMS problem. One way to do this is with hand calculations. For Jon, I wanted to take our hand calculations and compare them with what SolidWorks Simulation predicted.

SolidWorks – Exploded Views with Multi-Body Parts in 6 Steps

SolidWorks - Exploded Views with Multi-Body Parts in 6 Steps

When designing in SolidWorks, at times it may be beneficial to create parts that have more than one solid body, in applications like weldments, sheet metal, or mold tools. It may also be necessary to show how those parts go together using an exploded view. While it is possible to save the individual bodies as separate part files in an assembly and perform an exploded view there, it may be easier and quicker to perform the exploded view in the multi-body part.

Nesting & Assembly Machining with CAMWorks

Assembly Machining with CAMWorks

CAMWorks Nesting is a true-shape nesting program that creates fast and efficient nested layouts of 2D flat patterns and 3D parts. Being the first CAM gold partner for SolidWorks has its advantages also. The program allows you to use either SolidWorks files or imported geometry (such as Parasolid, STEP, IGES etc), in either part or assembly format and works with multi-body parts (a commonly used modelling practice for sheet metal and welded components).

Commonly Used Interfaces in the SolidWorks API – Part 4

In the previous post, we discussed the SolidWorks Object Model and how its hierarchical structure impacts the way you access API functionality. But how do you find what you need within the hundreds of interfaces and functions within the API? Fortunately, you don’t need to know all – or even most – of the API in order to start doing useful things. Here are some commonly used interfaces and functions that will get you up and running:

SolidWorks API Building Blocks – Part 3

SolidWorks API Building Blocks - Part 3

In the previous post of this blog series on the SolidWorks API, we discussed the four lines of code that get generated automatically whenever we start a new macro. So where do you go from there? Most commonly, we’ll then connect to the active SolidWorks document or open a new or existing SolidWorks document.

Getting Started with the SolidWorks API – Part 1

Getting Started with the SolidWorks API - Part 1

For most engineers, automation is the key benefit of using API. Are there things that you do repetitively during a normal workday – defining custom properties or saving documents as DXF or STEP files, for example – that may only take a few moments to complete? Imagine reducing that process from four or five clicks down to one keyboard shortcut or mouse gesture. Not only do you save those few seconds or minutes, you also get to look away from your monitor and take your hands off the keyboard for a bit. Taking the mindless, repetitive tasks out of your workflow allows you to save that mental energy for the mindful, meaningful ones – like modeling and designing.

SOLIDWORKS Simulation: Thermal Expansion

SOLIDWORKS Simulation: Thermal Expansion

Recently, one of our customers contacted the technical support team for some help with a validation example that he had set up in order to better predict what would happen with a more complex real-world model. He wanted to make sure he was using conditions that would match the hand calculation he had performed in order to gauge the discrepancy (as in any scientific field, the more evidence you have, the better).

SolidWorks EPDM – Tip #1: Templates for Multiple Serial Numbers

Templates for Multiple Serial Numbers

I was at the Pacific Design and Manufacturing show in Anaheim this year helping out in the SolidWorks booth and while there, I was approached by an Enterprise PDM user who had an interesting situation. Basically, his company has a couple different types of “Projects” and when a new project comes in, they would like to use a template in EPDM to create the folder structure and some start documents for that specific project. As we know, the templates in EPDM are a fantastic tool for doing this however they had one major issue, multiple serial numbers.

Auto Login with SolidWorks EPDM

Auto Login with SolidWorks EPDM

One of the great advantages of Enterprise PDM is that it can be linked to Active Directory accounts for user authentication purposes. This means that users will have the same login for EPDM as they do for their computer and with just 1 login to remember, there is generally less confusion and the vault looks more transparent to users. In an effort to make the vault as transparent as possible, you also have the option to enable Automatic Login. If enable, when the users browse to the vault, they will be automatically logged in with the windows credentials used to log into the computer. This makes it a seamless experience for them to use the vault.

SOLIDWORKS Simulation: Achieving Convergence of Results

SOLIDWORKS Simulation: Achieving Convergence of Results

Have you ever sat at your desk, digesting the results of your most recent Simulation study, and wondered: “Is this right?” If you’re like most engineers, the answer is, (and probably should be), yes.

While incorrect Simulation results can be caused by anything from a typo in your pressure load to bogus material properties, by far the most common issue is an inadequate mesh…

SolidWorks Simulation – Curvature-based vs. Standard Mesher

SolidWorks Simulation - Curvature-based vs. Standard Mesher

For the new Simulation user (and even for the experienced user) meshing an assembly model can be a real headache. Real-life assemblies, are complex, have detailed areas, and often have thin or small parts that need to be incorporated in the mesh. While SolidWorks has one of the most robust meshers I’ve ever had the pleasure of working with, the act of converting your geometry to mesh can still be a challenge.

Tips for Auto Logoff in SolidWorks Enterprise PDM

Tips for Auto Logoff in SolidWorks Enterprise PDM

Recently one of my colleagues was speaking with SolidWorks on the topic of Auto Logoff in EPDM and we learned a few things that we didn’t know before about how the process worked that I think are worth passing on.

The standard explanation is that after 30 minutes of “inactivity”, that user can be bumped by another user trying to log into the vault if all licenses are taken. If not all the licenses are taken or if no one attempts to log in, that user will not be bumped.

Did you know you have a Tolerance Analysis Tool in SolidWorks?

Did you know you have a Tolerance Analysis Tool in SolidWorks?

Customers ask me if there is a tolerance analysis tool for SolidWorks. The answer is… “There is, and you may already own it.” Anyone who has SolidWorks premium has an add-in call TolAnalyst that is included with this package. This tool leverages information put in by the free DimXpert tool within SolidWorks. DimXpert for parts automatically puts in manufacturing or inspection dimensions, with tolerances, based on rules and datum you input.

SOLIDWORKS FEA – Simulation Analytics: 3 Golden Rules

I was inspired to write my own list: through technical support, training, and interacting with Hawk Ridge Systems customers, I see a lot of customer models, and see a lot of customers (and Hawk Ridge engineers too, including myself) making the same mistakes, so I hereby present my “Three Golden Rules for Analysis in SolidWorks Simulation”.

SOLIDWORKS EPDM: Improve Performance

SOLIDWORKS EPDM: Improve Performance

First and foremost, I have to thank Chris Cook of Hawk Ridge Portland for introducing me to this incredibly valuable tip.

If you are seeing poor performance (very slow or crashing) when using the “Get Latest” operation in PDM it might be easy to blame the network connection however there is a simple fix involving a group policy that might solve the issue. The fix is as follows:

Preparing to migrate your data in SolidWorks Enterprise PDM – Part 1

When clients are considering the move to SolidWorks Enterprise PDM one of the questions I am always asked is “What do we do with our legacy data?”

Unfortunately there is not one universal, all encompassing answer to that question as it’s highly variable depending on each client’s situation. There are however a few common situations that I would like to talk about in my next 3 posts over the coming weeks. These situations are: people moving from a network based folder structure, people moving from SolidWorks Workgroup PDM and people moving from another PDM tool. In the SolidWorks user base, over 70% of companies are running without a PDM system, so it makes sense to talk about folder structure based migration first.

SolidWorks Simulation – Automatic Plot Digitizer

SolidWorks Simulation - Automatic Plot Digitizer

When running different types of analysis, I frequently find myself entering blocks of data to define curves of various types. Whether it be a fan curve or a pressure drop curve for a filter, in SolidWorks Flow Simulation, a stress-strain curve for SolidWorks Simulation, or a Power Spectrum Density curve in a random vibration study in SolidWorks Simulation Premium, this can often be a tedious task.

SolidWorks Simulation – Unrestrained Models

SolidWorks Simulation – Unrestrained Models

Welcome to my first blog post for SolidWorks Simulation. I want to try to use this blog as a forum to introduce tips and tricks that you can use when running SolidWorks Simulation and SolidWorks Flow Simulation, spotlight users doing interesting and novel things with SolidWorks Simulation, and to discuss happenings and news from elsewhere in the analysis software industry.

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