SolidWorks 2010 Bible

Part II: Building Intelligence into Your Parts

gives you a very different part from this order:

1. Extrude


2. Shell


3. Cut


4. Fillet

The results of these different orders are shown in Figure 11.5. (The part is split and partially trans-

parent for demonstration purposes only.) You can view this part on the CD-ROM; it is filename

Chapter 11 Reorder.sldprt.

FIGURE 11.5

Parts that use a different feature order

On the part in the example shown in Figure 11.5, it is fairly simple to reorder the Shell feature by

dragging it up the design tree. As a result, the well created by the Cut feature is not shelled around

(to create a tube) if the cut comes after the shell. Also, notice the effect of applying the fillets after

the shell rather than before it. The corners inside the box are sharp, while the outside corners have

been filleted. When you apply the fillet before the shell, fillets that have a radius larger than the

shell thickness are transferred to the inside of the shell.

When you are reordering the features, a symbol may appear on the reorder cursor that says that
you cannot reorder the selected feature to the location you want. In this case, you may want to
select the Parent/Child option from the RMB menu to investigate. Sketch relationships, feature end
conditions, and faces or edges selected for features such shell, patterns, and mirror can cause rela-
tionships that prevent reordering.