Chapter 26: Modeling Multi-bodies
Tip
You can use an interesting technique in this part. The features creating the smaller tool body and the Move/
Copy Bodies and Combine features can be put together into a folder, and the folder itself reordered before the
Shell feature. This means that the combined body is also shelled out, and the rib goes down inside of it. This
produces an odd error message and unexpectedly places several features into the folder, but it does work.
You may want to open this part in SolidWorks to see exactly how all this was done instead of relying on the fig-
ure illustrations. The part used for Figure 26.7 is on the CD-ROM and is named Chapter 26 – Move Body.
sldprt. n
FIGURE 26.7Reordering features
Using local operations
If you have ever had a modeling situation where you needed to shell out a portion of a part but not
the entire part, or you had a fillet that would work if only certain geometry were not there, then
you may have been able to benefit from multi-body techniques to accomplish these tasks.Flex feature .............................................................................................................
The part shown in Figure 26.8 first appears in Chapter 7, where I demonstrate the Flex feature.
This is a rubber plug for an electronic device. In order to make one side of the part flex without
flexing the other side, multiple bodies were used. The part was split into two bodies using the Split
feature and a plane. One side of the part was then twisted, and the two bodies were combined
back together. The Features folder contains the features that were used to build the original part
geometry, which could just as easily have been either native or imported.