SolidWorks 2010 Bible

Part IV: Creating and Using Libraries

Library parts

The Design Library can also store commonly used library parts. One of the advantages of using the

library for parts is that on placement into the assembly, if configurations are available in a part,

then a window pops up, enabling you to select which configuration to place into the assembly.

Note
In many cases, using the Design Library for library parts is considered an acceptable replacement for the auto-
mated function of Toolbox. If you use Toolbox to make the parts and populate them with configurations, and
then save the parts out of Toolbox and into the Design Library, many options, including naming conventions,
and a more flexible use of custom properties that are not available through Toolbox become available. n

Figure 18.6 shows the configuration selection window. Note that the configurations are alphabeti-

cally listed and you can type in the box to go to the configuration that you want.

FIGURE 18.6

Inserting library parts with configurations

Parts inserted from the library parts folder can also take advantage of the Mate References function-

ality in the same way as Toolbox, by allowing parts to snap into place.

Sheet metal forming tools

I only mention sheet metal forming tools here as a part of the library. They work much like other

library features, but they do so within the specialized functions of sheet metal parts in SolidWorks.

I discuss sheet metal forming tools in Chapter 29. Forming tools folders have special properties. If

you want to use the parts in a folder as forming tools, you must right-click the folder in the Design

Library and choose Forming Tool Folder. The only other library type that needs special folders is

library assemblies.

Assemblies

You can use library assemblies in SolidWorks in the same ways that you use library parts because

they are inserted into the top-level assembly as a subassembly. For subassemblies that require

motion, such as universal joint subassemblies, you can set the subassembly to solve as flexible or

simply dissolve the subassembly into the upper-level assembly, through a RMB option.