Chapter 11: Editing and Evaluation
l (^) Use multi-body modeling for various techniques within parts; it is not intended as a
means to create assemblies within a single part file.
l (^) Cosmetic features — fillets, in particular — should be saved for the bottom of the design
tree. It is also a good idea to put them all together into a folder.
l (^) Use the Tools ➪ Options ➪ Performance ➪ Verification on Rebuild setting in combination
with the Ctrl+Q command to check models periodically and before calling them “done.”
The more complex the model, or the more questionable some of the geometry or tech-
niques might be, the more important it is to check the part.
l (^) Always fix errors in your part as soon as you can. Errors cause rebuild time to increase,
and if you wait until more errors exist, troubleshooting may become more difficult.
l (^) Troubleshoot feature and sketch errors from the top of the tree down.
l Do not add unnecessary detail. For example, it is not important to actually model a
knurled surface on a round steel part. This additional detail is difficult to model in
SolidWorks, it slows down the rebuild speed of your part, and there is no advantage to
actually having it modeled (unless you are using the model for rapid prototype or to
machine a mold for a plastic part where knurling cannot be added as a secondary pro-
cess). This is better accomplished by a drawing with a note. The same concept applies to
thread, extruded text, very large patterns, and other features that introduce complex
details.
l Do not rely heavily on niche features. For example, if you find yourself creating helices by
using Flex/Twist or Wrap instead of Sweep, then you may want to rethink your approach.
In fact, if you find yourself creating a lot of unnecessary helices, then you may want to
rethink this approach as well, unless there is a good reason for doing so.
l File size is not necessarily a measure of inefficiency.
l (^) Be cautious about accepting advice or information from Internet forums. You can get both
great and terrible advice from people you don’t know, along with everything in-between.
Sometimes even groups of people can be dead wrong. Get someone you trust to verify
ideas, and as always, test them on copied data to determine if they’re effective.
If you are the CAD Administrator for a group of users, you may want to incorporate some best
practice tips into standard operating procedures for them. The more users that you manage, the
more you need to standardize your system.
Cross-Reference
Best practice development is covered at length in the SolidWorks Administration Bible (Wiley, 2009). n