Part VI: Using Advanced Techniques
Note
In both the Split/Create Assembly and Save Bodies features, when an assembly is created, SolidWorks may
rebuild the tree of the part as many times as you have bodies to save out. This may take some time for a com-
plex model with a lot of bodies. n
- After finishing Step 3, open the reconstructed assembly. Right-click one of the parts
and select Open Part to open it in its own window. Notice that the Stock feature has
again been used to push a single body into the part. - Right-click the Stock feature and select Edit In Context, which takes you back to the
master model. - Save and close all of the files.
Summary
Each of these four functions has strengths and weaknesses. Because of this, there is no one feature
that is clearly superior to the others in all respects. Most of the weaknesses have to do with the
types of data that they can work with, the ease of creating an assembly, and access to children from
the parents. Unfortunately, I cannot offer a single solution that addresses all the problems and
retains each of the strengths.The most important strengths, in my view, are the Insert Part and Insert Into New Part functions’
capabilities to deal with both solids and surfaces. If you are working with surface bodies, you are
forced into using one of these two functions. In particular, the Insert Into New Part function
enables you to be selective about which bodies to pull into the child document. The other most
important strength belongs to the Save Bodies feature, which makes the child accessible from the
parent and identifies the assembly in the parent.Why the various strengths of these tools cannot be consolidated into one or at most two different
features or even how it’s gotten to the point where so many different functions do approximately
the same thing is a mystery to me.