SolidWorks 2010 Bible

Chapter 10: Working with Part Configurations

On the CD-ROM
If you would like to follow along with these steps to create the design table, you can use the part from the
CD-ROM with the filename Chapter 10 DTstart.sldprt. n

Figure 10.21 shows the results of starting with the new blank design table. You may notice that the

window title bar at the top says SolidWorks, but the toolbars look a lot like the Excel interface.

This is because Excel is actually running inside of SolidWorks. Clicking outside of the Excel win-

dow can cause the Excel window to close, although there are several items outside of the Excel

window that you can select without the window closing, such as features in the FeatureManager

and dimensions in the graphics window. You can also rotate and pan the view in the graphics win-

dow without closing the Design Table window. If you are very careful, you can also drag the thin

hatched border of the Excel window to adjust its size or location.

You can also edit Design Tables in a separate window, which makes editing easier, but makes add-

ing dimension and feature names more difficult. To edit the table in its own window, right-click on

the Design Table in the FeatureManager and select Edit Table In New Window.

FIGURE 10.21

The interface where you can create the design table, and the resulting blank design table

Figure 10.22 shows a fully developed design table, with some complexity. Although your first

design table does not need to be this complex, this example demonstrates what you can do with

this feature.