SolidWorks 2010 Bible

Part VII: Working with Specialized Functionality

Using SolidWorks Direct Edit Tools

So how does SolidWorks, a history-based system, incorporate the advantages of direct editing,

which is not history-based? What does it look like when contradictory regimes collide and start

sharing ideas? SolidWorks has taken ideas from a history-free scheme and incorporated them into

a history-based scheme.

First, I will show you how this works in a simple example. Using the part from Figure 30.14,

Figure 30.15 shows the FeatureManager and the original sketch. Notice that the original sketch has

not changed, but the part itself has. Rolling back eliminates the Move Face features, and making

changes to the original sketch changes the starting points for the Move Face features when they are

unrolled.

FIGURE 30.15

Direct edits in a history-based part

You may be able to imagine that in a part with a much longer feature tree, where the relationships

between the faces and the features are more complex, overriding that complexity by editing a face

directly could have some appeal.

Combining direct edit with history

SolidWorks has several features that do not create new geometry, but edit existing geometry only,

whether it is native or imported. These include the following:

l Move Face

l (^) Delete Face
l Freeform
l (^) Flex
l Deform
l (^) Scale