SolidWorks 2010 Bible

Chapter 19: Using Smart Components ........................................................................................

Getting started with a simple Smart Component

In this assembly, you first place the electrical connector part in the assembly, mate it in place, and

then apply Smart Components. You can apply Smart Components by clicking the Smart

Component icon that appears on the part in the graphics window when you select it. SolidWorks

then prompts you to select the inside and outside faces of the sheet metal part (the hardware refer-

ences the outside and the cut-out feature references the inside). SolidWorks then creates the cut-

out as an in-context feature that it places in the sheet metal part.

When you create the Smart Component, a new folder is added to the FeatureManager of the com-

ponent. This folder contains all the required information about the other elements, such as the in-

context feature, any other parts that go with the Smart Component, the “training assembly”

location, and the face references to locate everything. Figure 19.2 in the image to the left shows

this folder in the connector part that is used in this example. The image to the right shows what is

added to the assembly FeatureManager when you add a Smart Component. The only thing that

existed in the design tree shown in Figure 19.2 before the Smart Component was the Test Box

sheet metal part.

A star appears on the part symbol at the top of the FeatureManager, indicating that the part is a

Smart Component. You can place this Smart Component by following these steps:

1. Create an assembly, and add the target part to it. The target part is the one that the
   Smart Component will be mated to and the one that will have the in-context cut-out
   inserted into it. In this case, the target part is a sheet metal box.

Caution
It is a good idea to save the assembly before you add the Smart Component to it. If the Smart Component is
placed before the assembly is saved, the assembly has a tendency to forget that it has not been saved, and
bumps the in-context feature to out-of-context when the name is changed from whatever the default name is
(for example, Assem1.sldasm) to the name that you assign to it. n

2. Put the Smart Component into the assembly. You can do this in the same way that you
   would add any normal part, including from the Design Library. If you use a part fre-
   quently enough to make it into a Smart Component, then you are probably going to want
   to have it in the Design Library for quick access. In fact, you can add a Smart Component
   to an assembly without using any of the Smart Component options.


3. Mate the Smart Component in the assembly. In this case, it was done with a face-to-
   face coincident mate and a pair of distance mates.


4. Next, apply Smart Components by clicking the Smart Component symbol on the
   part. If this symbol does not appear, then select the part in the FeatureManager. Figure
   19.3 shows the Smart Component symbol on the part. If you have inserted many
   instances of a Smart Component, then each instance has the option to apply the Smart
   Component features and associated components.