SolidWorks® Administration Bible

Chapter 11. Establishing Libraries

IN THIS CHAPTER

• Creating parts for libraries

• Using features from a library

• Getting content from 3D Content Central

• Using Dissection results

Establishing libraries in SolidWorks is essential to being efficient in production modeling environments. Libraries enable you to reuse data from work you have already done and use work other people have already done, as well as help promote consistency. Libraries are not just for parts; they are also for features, sketches, annotations, assemblies, styles (favorites), blocks, and many other types of data that take time to create in SolidWorks. If you can remember that you have already created certain data, you can save time by not creating it again. The best way to do that is to have standardized places where you store things that you might want to reuse later. Libraries save you time and money if you work on your own, but especially if you work with other people.

In addition to the default libraries installed along with SolidWorks, which are located by default at C:\ProgramData\SolidWorks\SolidWorks 2010\design library, you can establish locations for custom library folders at Tools

Another side of having much stored data is being able to access it. The SolidWorks Search functionality might be an important time-saver in this regard. Browsing for filenames is not always the best way to make data accessible when you ...