SolidWorks® 2009 Bible

Chapter 26. Modeling Multi-bodies

IN THIS CHAPTER

• Using powerful tools responsibly

• Understanding multi-body techniques

• Creating multi-bodies

• Managing bodies

• Tutorials: Working with bodies

If you only ever work with solids in SolidWorks, you could work in such a way that you would never need to use multiple bodies inside a single part. Almost everything that normal users normally do can be done with a single solid body and without any knowledge of multi-body functionality whatsoever.

However, to access some more powerful functionality, and options that offer more flexibility, multi-body modeling is necessary. In fact, if you want to move on to surface modeling, multi-body knowledge is mandatory because in surface modeling, multi-body is the default.

Multi-body modeling is the gateway from the basic, traditional type of solid modeling mainly described in the book up until now, into the more advanced functionality that follows. The gateway can lead two directions: it can lead to more power, more flexibility, more options, more advanced functionality, or it can lead to sloppy, bad habits that could get you or those who work with your data into some modeling hot water down the road. This chapter will help you tell the difference, and help you avoid the pitfalls.

Using Powerful Tools Responsibly

I find myself giving the same responsible-modeling speeches when discussing multi-bodies as I tend to give for in-context modeling. This is because multi-bodies present some of the same issues as in-context ...