SolidWorks 2010 Bible

Part I: SolidWorks Basics

You can expand or collapse subassemblies by clicking the assembly symbol at the top of the tree,

or you can disable the color display by clicking the color gradient scale. Value bars can also be

displayed to show the relative value of each assembly component.

Figure 5.22 shows a model of a bicycle sorting subassemblies by mass. The gray value bars are

superimposed on the text in the FeatureManager area. You will have to open an assembly on your

computer and try this for yourself to see the color display.

FIGURE 5.22

Assembly Visualization offers several ways to sort and display the components in an assembly.

You can access the Assembly Visualization tool on the Evaluate tab of the CommandManager when

an assembly is active. The toolbar icon is with the Tools icons, and you can find it by choosing

Tools ➪ Customize or through the Tools menu in an assembly.

Tutorial: Applying Visualization

Techniques

Visualization is a key factor when working with SolidWorks software. Whether it is for a presentation

of your design to customers or management or simply checking the design, it is important to be able

to see the model in various ways. This tutorial guides you through using several tools and techniques.

1. If the part named Chapter5Sample.sldprt is not already open, open it from the
   CD-ROM. If it is open and changes have been made to it, choose File ➪ Reload ➪ OK.


2. Practice using some of the controls for rotating and zooming the part. In addition to
   the View toolbar buttons, you should also use Z and Shift+Z (Zoom Out and In, respectively),
   the arrow keys, and the Ctrl+, Shift+, and Alt+arrow combinations.


3. Use the MMB to select a straight edge on the part, and then drag it with the MMB.
   This rotates the part about the selected entity. Also, apply this technique when selecting a
   vertex and a flat face.