Solidworks 2013 Bible

Chapter 30: Creating Assembly Drawings

IN THIS CHAPTER

Merging parts and assemblies in one drawing

Using page two formats

Working with drawing views with special assembly functions

Applying color to individual parts in the assembly window

Working with drawings of large assemblies

Most of the actual tools that you might use for part drawings are the same for assembly drawings, with a few exceptions. This chapter covers these exceptions along with some special techniques that might make assembly drawings easier or clearer.

Combining Parts and Assemblies on the Same Drawing

Every company seems to do things differently when it comes to assembly drawings. Some use the drawings for Bill of Materials (BOM) illustration, some to manufacture assembly instructions, and some to dimension assembly-based features that are applied only after the individual components are assembled.

There is nothing to prevent you from putting parts and assemblies on the same drawing or even in the same sheet. Some users place an exploded view of the assembly on the first sheet and then start detailing each part on the same sheet, using multiple sheets, so the single drawing file documents several individual parts and the assembly. This is usually the case only for simple parts. An assembly made from several complex plastic parts couldn't be done this way, because a single complex plastic part often requires multiple sheets on its own.

Dimensioning assembly features

One of the more difficult questions you must ...