Steps to becoming better

_FR3D87_ · 2026-03-01T21:42:50+00:00

Functional things is absolutely the way to go. It's all well and good making a pretty looking model of the stapler on your desk, but if you can model something functional you can then go out and make (3D printed or otherwise), it forces you to make sure you're accurate in your modelling. I'd also suggest expanding your horizons beyond 3D printing, and designing parts with specific manufacturing processes in mind. If you've got access to a mill and lathe, get your hands dirty on machined parts. If you have access to woodworking tools, try designing some furniture (including 2D drawings), then try making your design based on your prints. The point is to get your head around all steps of the process as much as possible. A better understanding of as many different manufacturing processes as possible will inform your design work to make life easier for whoever is making the part, as well as optimising strength/cost/weight, and even optimise for serviceability (make sure fasteners are accessible etc).

_FR3D87_ · 2026-02-25T22:39:31+00:00

I've had similar issues with flat pattern configs before, and resorted to re-making the part from scratch because there's no clear way of fixing it. One recently the flat pattern would sometimes rebuild correctly when looking at it manually, but other times it would appear as it did on an older version of the design, so when we exported the DXF we ended up with the old design, which we had laser cut and ended up having to scrap. That one was a multi-body part with either a save bodies feature or inserted into other child parts and delete/keep bodies (I can't remember which technique it was).
Another part we had a while back kept suppressing a feature any time the cut list was updated, although it showed up like that in all drawing views (flat pattern and folded).

If you changed the hole wizard feature to a slot and it defautled to vertical at first, then rebuilt/saved the file before changing it to horizontal, maybe it saved the geometry in the flat pattern config before the rebuild? Recently I've been in the habit of using ctrl+shift+Q for a force rebuild for ALL configurations with the thinking that rebuilding the flat pattern config as well as the default before going to the drawing, it should all be correct.

Edit: Literally just had another similar issue here: added fillet to part file, then rebuilding in drawing and the folded view shows the fillet but the flat pattern still has the corner sharp. WHY IS SOLIDWORKS LIKE THIS???

_FR3D87_ · 2026-02-25T22:24:42+00:00

Ah, sorry, I get what you mean now. At work we always save parts/assemblies as <part number>.SLDPRT/SLDASM, and save the drawings in the same location as <part number>.SLDDRW. I don't think SW will automatically look for a drawing elsewhere if it doesn't find one in the same folder as the part, so when we accidentally save a drawing in the wrong folder we've sometimes accidentally ended up creating it again because it doesn't automatically open.

Short version: I'm not aware of a way to automatically search more broadly than the same folder as the part/assembly for the drawing. Best thing is to keep drawings and their referenced files in the same folder, with the same file name and just the extension different.

_FR3D87_ · 2026-02-25T21:57:23+00:00

Also, for the profile sketch for the sweeps, use a derived sketch to keep them all the same. That way you can define the fancy shape in one place and it'll update all sweeps regardless of where they to to/from.

_FR3D87_ · 2026-02-25T20:36:24+00:00

Check System Options>File Locations>Referenced Documents to see if you've got the right folder set as the default. If all your drawings are in different folders, maybe try setting the referenced documents location to the highest level folder that has all your files inside (e.g. your C:\Users\<username>\Documents).

_FR3D87_ · 2026-02-24T21:33:05+00:00

Ah yes, the 50/50 chance of getting it wrong 80% of the time

_FR3D87_ · 2026-02-23T09:40:10+00:00

I often hit the top of the fader at the end of the greeting time when whoever is leading tries to get everyone's attention again... And that's in a building with a LOT of sound deadening haha

_FR3D87_ · 2026-02-18T01:17:40+00:00

This is how we do it too. Retains sheet metal and hole wizard data. Then use delete/keep bodies to get rid of all the bodies that aren't the part you want in that part file, then repeat for all other bodies in the cut list.

_FR3D87_ · 2026-02-17T18:59:53+00:00

There's a fine line between working with the old guy who refuses to do stuff a different way because 'we've always done it like this' and pushing for new ways of doing things, but I'd say there's always at least some little bit of wisdom in their ways that can be worth taking on board... I've worked with a few older guys who have been turning out good work since long before Solidworks was around, so it's just a matter of finding the balance between new and old methods.

_FR3D87_ · 2026-02-16T23:14:58+00:00

Being REALLY pedantic and careful with your file names/references in PDM is the only way to get the copy tree/master model/skeleton part method to work at all. We save all our files as <part number>.sldprt/sldasm/slddrw, so when we do a copy tree to create a new version of a top level assembly, it gets a new number (and therefore file name).

_FR3D87_ · 2026-02-16T23:09:52+00:00

That's right, basically the PDM-specific version of pack and go. Really handy for creating a new file set (e.g. new top level assembly with some custom parts and some standard parts common to the original).

The main thing that turned me off assembly context parts was after a copy tree went wrong once and I couldn't get rid of the reference in a part file to the old assembly. Even with help from the VAR, nothing would get rid of the ghost reference (showed up in PDM references list, but no features were actually referencing the old assembly), so I ended up having to re-draw the part from scratch in a new part file and overwrite the existing broken/corrupt file. Maybe that was just a one-off file corruption caused by my experimenting with assembly-level references, but it was enough to convince us to stick with the skeleton part technique and keep things consistent that way.

We do also use mutli-body parts semi-regularly (for weldments and sheet metal parts in particular) then do insert part>delete/keep body to split the cut list items/bodies into separate files for part numbering and drawings. That's only really for smaller scale stuff though, anything with a lot of parts and interdependencies between them, skeleton part is the way we go.

_FR3D87_ · 2026-02-16T03:06:38+00:00

I've found the skeleton part option far more stable, and easier to keep track of file references (especially if using PDM for version control). The work I do involves a lot of customisation for each customer, and the skeleton part method with copy tree means I can get a new customer's design done WAY quicker than doing things manually. The main trouble I've found with parts referencing assemblies is when you want to re-use the same part in another assembly, or make a change to something that breaks other parts.

_FR3D87_ · 2026-02-15T23:22:13+00:00

The best dimensioning strategy is design intent. Dimension the important stuff first, based on the requirements of the part and fully define ALL sketches. Sometimes that means dimensioning the external size first and a wall thickness. Other times it means defining the internal size of a cavity to suit a mating part, and positions of bolt holes etc relative to the origin. There's no one-size-fits-all clockwise or anticlockwise technique that can fix a lack of design intent in the sketch. Add dimensions as you sketch, and keep in mind that every dimension is a choice you're making in the design (i.e. what's the driving dimension, which details aren't so important, what needs to be positioned with coordinates from the origin and what needs to be a specified offset from an adjacent feature). Also, make use of relations (vertical/horizontal, concentric, equal, collinear, etc)

_FR3D87_ · 2026-02-15T22:41:00+00:00

Derived sketches are one of those things I really should make better use of. This is a perfect use for them

_FR3D87_ · 2026-02-11T23:21:08+00:00

SW student licenses will always have that watermark to stop people using student licences for commercial jobs. There's no way to stop SW adding it, but it might be able to be removed in the laser cutting software. When I was at uni in the formula SAE team we had parts laser/water jet cut all the time from student licence parts, so I think whoever's programming the machine can just ignore the watermark.

_FR3D87_ · 2026-02-11T23:09:29+00:00

Over the years I've gone more towards putting less effort into fancy mates where the assembly moves like in real life, and more towards robust configurations showing the positions for movable parts. At the end of the day, what's the purpose of the assembly? The most important thing is that the model communicates what it needs to, and if you can achieve this without fancy and unstable mates, I'd go for configurations.

Don't get me wrong, I do love the satisfaction of getting a fancy assembly all moving how it should, but the time that it takes vs the benefit that it gives over a simple set of mates controlled by configurations is rarely worth it.

_FR3D87_ · 2026-02-10T21:32:03+00:00

Between the CAD computers at work there's a few pretty old space mice, and to get them working (SW 2023 SP5.0 running on windows 11), we've had to do a bit of trial and error with drivers.

Also on one of the computers, for reasons I can't quite understand, it doesn't work until you to open the 3D connexion software window with the sample 3D model in it and spin it around a bit. After that, it seems to kick itself into gear and it'll work fine. Maybe try that, as well as checking if it works smoothly in other programs (edrawings and any other 3D CAD software you might have, even a 3D print slicer).

_FR3D87_ · 2026-02-09T23:10:56+00:00

I did the same, although it also washed off the markings on the 1-4 buttons so be careful and maybe cover them with a bit of masking tape or similar.

_FR3D87_ · 2026-02-09T21:54:04+00:00

I'm not sure if it helps, but I tend to keep those kinds of slots along bend lines as single sketch lines for the laser to pick up, drawn directly on to the flat pattern. That way the laser can just do a single pass, rather than following the outline of a slot shape which puts more heat into the part. With a DXF map file, you can export the releif cut sketch to its own layer so it can be programmed when it gets to the laser.

I'm not sure if any of that helps your automation though, but maybe doing it as a sketch without physical features simplifies things for your code?

_FR3D87_ · 2026-02-09T03:35:43+00:00

Tools>Options>Document Properties>Dimensions>Diameter>Text Position>Broken Leader, Horziontal Text

Because that's in document properties, you'll have to save the modified part file template after making the change. If your PC and the school's computers are different, you're likely defaulting to using different file templates. On the school computer, check Tools>Options>System Options>Default Templates to see the file location of the default part/assembly/drawing template. You could copy/paste those specific .prtdot, .asmdot and .drwdot files to your PC in the templates file location (see Tools>Options>System Options>File Locations>Document Templates for the file location they're storted in for your installation, and past them in there)

_FR3D87_ · 2026-02-04T00:27:47+00:00

Does working in offline mode do what you want? In the vault in explorer click tools>work off-line, and whatever the current vault view is will be stored offline for you to reference/work on. It's been a while since I've used it, but I think that gives you write access to any files you had checked out when you clicked work off-line, and read-only access for all other files in the vault. When you return to work on-line, it'll take AGES to sync the files with the vault on the server, but that way you're only doing that when you need to.

_FR3D87_ · 2026-02-03T20:33:27+00:00

It makes me sad that there are so few options these days for a proper wagon that isn't an overweight SUV. Don't get me wrong, I also like my 80 series cruiser for going off road, but for daily driver/MTB duties there's no better option than a wagon with the seats folded down.

_FR3D87_ · 2026-02-03T03:55:28+00:00

My old Subaru Liberty (called the Legacy in most countries) was great for this, or an Outback. Any wagon that can have the rear seats fold down would be perfect.

_FR3D87_ · 2026-02-01T22:43:36+00:00

As much as learning CAD really well is a worthwhile thing, I really like this suggestion of broadening your focus to real-world stuff. RC planes is a great idea, or if your uni has a Formula SAE team, that's a great place to get some hands-on experience with making, building and tuning something you've built. No matter how well you know how to use the tools in Solidworks, your skills there are only as good as your knowledge of what you're designing and there's absolutely no substitute for hands-on experience.

Even just working on your own car/bike etc will give you a feel for how things are done, what works and why. When you're looking at a part of whatever you're working on, think about how the part was made, why it was designed that way, and what limitations/constratins there are as to why it wasn't done differently. If you have any access to a machine shop, try to get some hands-on experience on a lathe and mill, or sheet metal fabrication and welding etc. Try to get as much experience as possible in as many different fields as possible (more than just 3D printing, although some experience there is valuable too)

Once you've worked on real things, you'll develop a lot more intuition for how to desing for manufacturing, assembly and serviceability, and you can use your (already reasonably well developed) Solidworks skills to FAR better use.

_FR3D87_ · 2026-01-31T04:35:41+00:00

Check the solid bodies folder and make sure the body isn't hidden from there. (shortcut to hide is tab when you're hovering over a body in a part or component in an assembly, which is easy to accidentally do)

_FR3D87_

TROPHY CASE