1 2 3 … First Previous 1,187 Replies Latest reply on Mar 13, 2019 4:43 PM by Scott Bell

What do your co-workers do with SOLIDWORKS that makes your blood boil?

Jim Sculley May 4, 2017 4:31 PM

So, we have this discussion about impressive SW tricks:

What are your most impressive tricks of solidworks, Please spread.

Let's make another thread to capture the little things your co-workers/clients/customers do with SOLIDWORKS that bring thoughts of violence. Extra points if there's nothing technically wrong (see item 2 below) with what they've done but if you were in charge of the universe it would earn them a one-way trip into another dimension. Here's a few to get the ball rolling:

Create a sketch of sketch points for hole locations and then make a hole wizard hole where the positions sketch is a bunch of points coincident with the sketch you just drew. See here for details.
View...Hide/Show...Hide All Types. I have a hot-key for displaying temporary axes. Hide All Types makes it useless.
Dimensions to hole centers on drawings. Call me old-school, but the dimensions go to the center marks not the hole center:

I have many,many more. Let's see if we have any in common.

1. Re: What do your co-workers do with SOLIDWORKS that makes your blood boil?

Ryan Dark May 4, 2017 4:38 PM (in response to Jim Sculley)

Two words:

Save As.
Like Show 25 Likes(25)

Actions
2. Re: What do your co-workers do with SOLIDWORKS that makes your blood boil?

S. Casale May 4, 2017 4:40 PM (in response to Jim Sculley)

One must be careful with not just what, but how they write what is posted on this thread as it is public.

A big pet peeve of mine is the lack of understanding for design intent anywhere, it is everywhere!
Like Show 15 Likes(15)

Actions
3. Re: What do your co-workers do with SOLIDWORKS that makes your blood boil?

S. Casale May 4, 2017 4:41 PM (in response to Jim Sculley)

Duplicate file names.
Like Show 20 Likes(20)

Actions
4. Re: What do your co-workers do with SOLIDWORKS that makes your blood boil?

John Stoltzfus May 4, 2017 4:46 PM (in response to Jim Sculley)

One of the Past Famous - that worked here, decided that once a project cleared prototype, he saved over the files or completely deleted a portion of the assembly.

Opening a file that has 5 or more configurations that are in context to a non-existent model...

BLUE LINES - make me shudder....
Like Show 11 Likes(11)

Actions
5. Re: What do your co-workers do with SOLIDWORKS that makes your blood boil?

Glenn Schroeder May 4, 2017 4:55 PM (in response to Jim Sculley)

I do your #1 all the time, although I generally use construction lines instead of sketch points in the independent sketch.
Like Show 8 Likes(8)

Actions
6. Re: What do your co-workers do with SOLIDWORKS that makes your blood boil?

John Stoltzfus May 4, 2017 4:56 PM (in response to Glenn Schroeder)

We must be the only guys on the planet that actually sees and knows the benefits of doing it our way, kind a funny
Like Show 8 Likes(8)

Actions
7. Re: What do your co-workers do with SOLIDWORKS that makes your blood boil?

John Stoltzfus May 4, 2017 4:58 PM (in response to Jim Sculley)

My guess is your really hoping your co-workers take a peak here, right... you can share this topic..
Like Show 7 Likes(7)

Actions
8. Re: What do your co-workers do with SOLIDWORKS that makes your blood boil?

S. Casale May 4, 2017 5:02 PM (in response to John Stoltzfus)

Construction lines are awesome!
Like Show 10 Likes(10)

Actions
9. Re: What do your co-workers do with SOLIDWORKS that makes your blood boil?

Jim Steinmeyer May 4, 2017 5:03 PM (in response to Jim Sculley)

Jim, four first one is a method I learned form the impressive tricks thread, and one I happen to like so I guess one of us gets extra points. However I am in total agreement with #2
1. not centering the part or assembly on the origin. Especially if the part is symmetric. Think of a square tube or such.
2. taking an autoCAD drawing and mirroring it for an opposite handed version.
3. opening an assembly (or several) then not closing their W session before going on vacation. We do not use PDM yet.
4. Placing items in an assembly and locking them in position, no or few mates.
Like Show 14 Likes(14)

Actions
10. Re: What do your co-workers do with SOLIDWORKS that makes your blood boil?

Dave Dinius May 4, 2017 5:04 PM (in response to Jim Sculley)

I try not to look at what they are doing. Unfortunately we are not using a vault (or fortunately depending on which way the parts are moving) so I don't have to use their parts.
Sketches that are NOT symmetric when it can be.
Editing their sketches that show every relation and sketch end point.
Creating planes or axes when there is a planar face or temporary axis to be had
Like Show 10 Likes(10)

Actions
11. Re: What do your co-workers do with SOLIDWORKS that makes your blood boil?

Roland Schwarz May 4, 2017 5:07 PM (in response to S. Casale)

There's a magical thing that happens to an unconstrained line in a sketch that is closed--NOTHING! Nothing happens to it. It stays put.
Like Show 8 Likes(8)

Actions
12. Re: What do your co-workers do with SOLIDWORKS that makes your blood boil?

Jim Steinmeyer May 4, 2017 5:19 PM (in response to Roland Schwarz)

now thems fightin words!
Like Show 7 Likes(7)

Actions
13. Re: What do your co-workers do with SOLIDWORKS that makes your blood boil?

Jim Sculley May 4, 2017 6:57 PM (in response to S. Casale)

You should probably direct your hatred toward SOLIDWORKS on this one. Every file in the file system has a unique path. There are no duplicate file names. SW chooses to ignore the path and *that* is the source of your misery.
Like Show 7 Likes(7)

Actions
14. Re: What do your co-workers do with SOLIDWORKS that makes your blood boil?

Dave Laban May 5, 2017 3:07 AM (in response to Jim Sculley)

I mean really, 8 separate annotation notes, manually having to type the numbers out (rather than numbered list), PITA to align everything. Raaaaage.
Like Show 33 Likes(33)

Actions