Output 4 - Solidworks Parts, Assembly, Drawings & eDrawings
What should be in Output 4?
Files
Part files (if you get these right the rest is fairly straightforward)
Assembly
eDrawing
- Make sure your files are organised as required, have a look at the diagram on the right to check. It'd be silly to lose marks here. Give each file a suitable name, ie, Bottle Cap instead of Part1.
Part files (if you get these right the rest is fairly straightforward)
- Create at least 5 part files
- All sketches defined (they should be black when editing the sketch)
- Have you used mirroring, pattering, offseting, and contour selection where possible creating the part? Take time to get this right.
- Are all the features & sketches renamed? ie, change "extruded part 3" to "main body of bottle" (easy marks)
- Have you chosen a suitable colour? (it only takes a second)
Assembly
- Start making the assembly as early as possible, it will show up errors in your parts.
- If stuff isn't fitting correctly go back to the part files and fix it. Using a sectional view is very helpful here.
- Is everything mated correctly - try to drag a part with the mouse to check if it moves. (undo to put it back)
- Everything MUST open correctly for the examiner, use the Pack and Go feature shown below to save all the files to the final folder for the examiner.
- Often people do a great CAD model but are sloppy in the assembly, don't leave it too late!
eDrawing
- This literally takes 60 seconds (see below for details). Almost free marks, just make sure to name it correctly.
Marking Scheme (2013)
Methods of Creating a Computer Mouse in Solidworks
The curves in the computer mouse a significant challenge, there are several different methods of creating these curves:
In either method, you can create the most complex outer curves first and then copy the sketches or use the outer body as a cutting part to form the lower half of the mouse. Internal features can then be added as required.
- Measure the XYZ coordinate of several guide points and use these to build a spline to model the curves
- Measure the XY and XZ coordinates of the guide points and combine the sketches to form a 3D curve
- Take plan and elevation photographs of the mouse and visually match up the curves needed.
In either method, you can create the most complex outer curves first and then copy the sketches or use the outer body as a cutting part to form the lower half of the mouse. Internal features can then be added as required.
Using photos to create the curves
This method avoids a lot of tedious measuring by importing photos of the mouse and using them to create the splines. (For more information on how to adjust splines, click here). Follow the tutorial on the right to get an idea of how this method works. Click on the photos below to download them for your model.
Tip: When taking a photo of your mouse, hold the camera away from the mouse and zoom in. This minimizes any distortion of the image from a wide angle lens.
I found a few difficulties with this tutorial when it can to lofting the surfaces at 13:00, my version of Solidworks was refusing to select a portion of a spline and instead selected the entire loop, preventing the loft from being created. I was able to work around this by creating another sketch on the vertical plane and using the Convert Entities tool to copy the portion of the curve I needed. It's a very useful tool. Some tips:
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Using XY and XZ coordinates to create the splines
This tutorial uses fixed coordinates to create the splines. It's straightforward to measure the coordinates with a height gauge or vernier calipers but it's less clear how to obtain the defining dimensions needed for the splines.
Even if you are using the photo method, this video is useful to see how to fully define a spline. |
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How-To
Renaming Features - click to highlight and then press F2 to rename.
Define Sketches - This ensures that every dimension in your sketch is fixed
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eDrawings
An eDrawings is a 3D model of a part of assembly that can be shared easily. Anyone with the (free) eDrawing software can view the 3D model and rotate it through all the various views. If there are exploded views saved in an assembly these can also be viewed.
Creating an eDrawing takes about 30 seconds and it'd be madness to miss out on some of the easiest marks in the project by leaving it out. Creating an eDrawing file
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There is also a very cool iPad version of eDrawings for €1.79. This allows you to open an eDrawing and view it normally or in an exploded view. I've found the iPad version nicer to use than the computer version.
There is a very cool Augmented Reality (AR) feature that projects the drawing on top of what the camera sees. Click here to buy on the app store. |