4 Replies Latest reply on Oct 15, 2014 7:37 AM by Umberto Zanola

    Link solid bodies, surfaces etc. in assembly context (fomer NX user)

    Umberto Zanola
    Umberto Zanola Oct 9, 2014 5:54 AM

      Hello,

       

      I have worked with NX for more than 7 years and now I have to use SW2014 to design a new component.

      Good news is that SW is a multibody environment like NX, the bad one it seems that lacks a lot of flexibility I got used to.

      In NX assembly context, I used to "link" inside a part (in associate/unassociative way) external bodies (solid, surfaces), faces or edges from other parts.

      This is called in context modelling and make extensive use of linked entities (surfaces, eges imported as curves and solid bodies) to have reference geometries for the part you are modelling.

       

      How can I achieve something similar in SW?

       

      Copy/move body doesn't allow me to copy the body I need inside my model.

      Save bodies, allow me a copy inside the same file or a new one, but it doesn't allow me to copy the solid body inside another part of the assy...

       

      The assy I'm working on has a structure like this

       

      ASSY0

      |___my part

      |___assy1

                 |__part < i want to link a copy of solid a face from this one in my part

                 |__assy2

                      |__assy3

                               |____part <i want to link a copy of solid a body from this one in my part

       

      Thanks in advance

      • 5398 Views
      • Categories: Assembly, SolidWorks, Top Down
      • Tags:
        • Re: Link solid bodies, surfaces etc. in assembly context (fomer NX user)
          Mark Olsen
          Mark Olsen Oct 9, 2014 2:54 PM (in response to Umberto Zanola)

          I do something like this all the time.  To link a face(s) from the part into your part, open assy1.  Edit 'my part'.  Then, Insert, Surface, Offset, select the face, set the offset to 0.00 (notice the title changes from 'Offset Surface' to 'Copy Surface'), and the hit enter.  The face will be in 'my part' and will be linked to the original part.  For solid bodies, it's not quite as easy.  One way to do it is to use the Join feature.  Once again, edit 'my part' in assy1.  The, Insert, Features, Join, and select the component with the solid that you want.  Now the bad part.  If there are multiple bodies in the part the solid is from, they will all be brought in and the extras will need to be deleted. 
          Also, if the join isn't the first feature in the tree, the solids will be 'joined' into one solid.  Another alternative (the one that I use all the time), is to open 'my part', and then Insert, Part, and insert the part with the solid.  You can insert solids, surfaces, sketches, etc. and get to choose which entity type(s) that you want.  However, you still will get all of the entity type, so in a multibody part, you get all the solids and have to delete the 'extras'.  But at least the solids don't get 'joined'.

           

          Hope that that was somewhat helpful.

           

          Edit:  Forgot to mention that when you insert a part, you also get to mate it in 'my part', so there is added flexibiltiy.  I attached an assembly showning the techniques.