Chapter 14. Evaluating Geometry
IN THIS CHAPTER
Using model quality evaluation methods
Using shape and continuity evaluation methods
Using plastics and machining evaluation methods
Using model quality evaluation methods
Tutorial
When you are modeling complex geometry with the intent to manufacture through any process that requires expensive hard tooling, you have to do some evaluation and analysis. Evaluation tools are also indispensable in situations where you are having trouble getting features to complete properly. Fortunately, SolidWorks has some nice tools to help you evaluate models, find errors, analyze draft and thickness, and look for undercuts and typical design for manufacturing mistakes.
Some of the evaluation tools are subjective, offering only visual cues about the results, and some are objective, offering actual numbers. Many times the subjective results are all that you need, because any changes that you make are only going to be subjective changes anyway. For example, Zebra Stripes is a visual evaluation tool, and helps you see curvature and changes in curvature in a different way, making it easier to spot small disturbances in smooth surfaces. In this case, numbers would not help you to adjust a spline or tangency weighting on a loft.
Using Model Quality Evaluation Methods
It is always important to make sure that the model you are building does not have geometric flaws that the normal geometry checking tools of SolidWorks may have overlooked. Geometry problems can be the ...
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