SolidWorks 2010 Bible

Part I: SolidWorks Basics

Many different feature types in SolidWorks enable you to create everything from the simplest

geometry shown in Figure 1.15 to more complex artistic or organic shapes. In general, when I talk

about modeling in this book, I am talking about solid modeling, although SolidWorks also has a

complete complement of surfacing tools. I discuss the distinction between solid and surface model-

ing in Chapter 27.

Table 1.2 lists some of the most common features that you find in SolidWorks, and classifies them

according to whether they always require a sketch, a sketch is optional, or they never require a sketch.

TABLE 1.2

Feature Types

Sketch Required Sketch Optional No Sketch (Applied Features)

Extrude Loft Fillet

Revolve Sweep Chamfer

Rib Dome Draft

Hole Wizard Boundary Shell

Wrap Deform Flex

In addition to these features, other types of features create reference geometry, such as curves,

planes, axes, surface features (Chapter 27); specialty features for techniques like weldments

(Chapter 31); plastics/mold tools (Chapter 32); and sheet metal (Chapter 29).

Understanding History-Based Modeling

In addition to being feature-based, SolidWorks is also history based. To show the process history,

there is a panel to the left side of the SolidWorks window called the FeatureManager. The

FeatureManager keeps a list of the features in the order in which you have added them. It also

enables you to reorder items in the tree (in effect, to change history). Because of this, the order in

which you perform operations is important. For example, consider Figure 1.16. This model was

created by the following process, left to right starting with the top row:

1. Create a sketch.


2. Extrude the sketch.


3. Create a second sketch.


4. Extrude the second sketch.


5. Create a third sketch.