SolidWorks® 2009 Bible

Chapter 12. Building Efficient Assemblies

IN THIS CHAPTER

• Identifying the elements of an assembly

• Using SpeedPaks

• Using subassemblies

• Using folders

• Working with tree display options Finding useful assembly tools

• Tutorial: Managing the FeatureManager

Chapter 4 provides a brief introduction to the basics of assemblies, how to put parts together, the basics of mating, and so on. The basic process for putting assemblies together remains the same for assemblies of any size, but once the assembly passes a certain point — and this point is likely different for each user or application — the assembly will benefit from some sort of organization or management techniques. This chapter introduces you to the tools and techniques that are available to help you manage performance issues as well as general-use issues, efficiency, browse-worthiness, or searchability.

Identifying the Elements of an Assembly

From Chapter 4, you know that an assembly can contain parts and mates. However, the simple tutorial in Chapter 4 does not go beyond this low level of detail. While the tutorial may have gotten you started, it does not provide enough information to make you competent with the broad range of decisions that you must make to create efficient real-word assemblies. Real-world assemblies can become very complex.

As the assembly grows in the number of parts and design requirements, you may need to add some of the following types of assembly elements. (You may already be familiar with some of these parts from having ...