SolidWorks 2010 Bible

Chapter 9: Using Equations

You can use custom and file properties to drive equations. If you right-click your Equations folder

and select Show Properties, you see that the default file properties already exist in the list:

Global Variable

Custom Property

Default File Property

In the equation editor shown on the right in Figure 9.12, you can expand the list of global,

custom, and default properties for easy selection and placement into equations. Any custom

properties you add that are of the type “number” are automatically added to this list and can be

used in equations. Notice that the custom property “cost” is a property saved in my template and

gets picked up for use here.

FIGURE 9.12

Equations and properties

Using Expressions

Expressions, unlike all the previous variables, values, and equations, can be entered directly into

dimension dialog boxes in the Modify dialog box and PropertyManager value boxes. The expressions

have to be composed of numbers and mathematical operators. An expression such as

2.375+(4.8/3) -1.1