Hello

I volunteer at a "maker space". We upgraded two of our computers to Solidworks 2016.

I was assigned to teach a workshop on designing plastic parts and printing them on a fff 3D printer.

I watched some number of videos on Solidworks but I never took a class because it wasn't available.

I took classes on Autodesk products before so I know what 3D cad is.

There are some questions that I have about the overall design process of this umbrella mechanism that should make a woodworking center finder that goes on a pencil.

I know that it mechanically makes no sense.

01)

First question is not even about the model. I want to create a rotor with a staggered pattern of groves/holes for a prototype I was asked to build.

Do I have to select all instances by hand to join (subtract) them from the main body?

If I increase the number of instances from 12 to something else, do I need to manually select new instances?

01 Select by hand.JPG

01 SW16 manual selection routine - YouTube

Do I really need to select them by hand or is there a smarter way to enter them into a box?

02)

Pencil ctr finder.SLDASM and pencil middle finder.SLDPRT

Gaps and tolerances of parts

I want to define all gaps and tolerances with universal variables. Global variables never worked for me in SW2015.

I don't even recognize menus in 2016. Very little information is available.

02 SW16 tolerance gaps in plastic parts - YouTube  - gaps that I can change universally

03)

03 SW16 clwanup routine - YouTube

Cleanup routine.

When I make sketches, I have to clean them up by hand. Is it possible to convert all parts of circles, rectangles and other complete geometric objects into "construction" instead of deleting them, to preserve constraints and make it easier for drawings to preserve their geometric shapes?

I want to automate this process just like selecting bodies.

04)

How do I deselect a tool when I am sketching? I hit a button for line, I draw lines. Than I have to hit escape to withdraw the line command and not have lines drag after my mouse. Double click or right button don't work. What should I do?

efficiency and diselection - YouTube

Am I being efficient? Is there a faster way to draw this?

Answers to those 4 questions would allow me to design things better.

Thank you.

It may be that I wasn't able to find an answer because

a) this feature didn't change between SW15 and SW16 so new videos weren't made

b)I don't know the appropriate terminology to search YouTube for the right tutorials.

I would greatly appreciate links to relevant tutorials. Thank you.