Showing posts with label tutorial. Show all posts
Showing posts with label tutorial. Show all posts
Tuesday, December 11, 2012
Tuesday, September 25, 2012
In this Video Damien shows eDrawings for non CAD Users, eDrawings is a free tool that can be downloaded from solidworks.com
This Video was created by Solidtec Solutions Application Engineer Damien Murphy
This Video was created by Solidtec Solutions Application Engineer Damien Murphy
Tuesday, July 17, 2012
Tuesday, May 15, 2012
Thursday, May 3, 2012
Wednesday, April 11, 2012
Tuesday, February 28, 2012
Tuesday, February 7, 2012
Wednesday, February 1, 2012
Tuesday, January 10, 2012
Tuesday, December 13, 2011
Tuesday, November 8, 2011
When adding Hole Tables to drawings the table often extends, vertically, beyond the limits or boundaries of the specified sheet size (see Pic_1). You may have tried to adjust the table font size and zeroed the Vertical Cell Padding dial to rectify this, but noticed that even though the padding dial is zeroed, there is still an amount of padding that remains around the text. This remaining padding takes up valuable space, let's see how we can reduce/shrink this cell padding to tightly hug the cell boundary.
Pic_1: The Problem
Before we continue, remember that we can only fit so much on to a single sheet before it becomes unreadable, so there is obvioulsy a limit to how many rows you will be able to fit vertically on a specific sheet size.
Click anywhere in the table to activate its properties. You will see this dialogue appear above the table:
Note where the adjustment settings are for Font Size and Vertical Cell Padding. We'll get back to that in a second.
Next, click on the number 2 to select the entire row. Hold down the Shift key and select the last row in your table (I had sixty rows all up in this example). You should now have all rows except the heading row selected. With all rows selected you can change your font size; I have used 9, which is still quite readable and then we want to adjust the Vertical Cell Padding.
You will note though, that when you dial down (using the up-down arrow toggles) you will be stopped at zero. Naturally you will think this to be the limit, but alas, we know with Solidworks anything is possible. Simply select the Vertical Cell Padding field as below...
And while we are at it, quickly click anywhere in the table, then click the black cross to the left of Column A to activate the table properties dialogue, which will appear to the left of your screen. We want to tidy things up a little before printing. In the properties dialogue select "Combine same sizes" and you will get this:
In the properties dialogue, click the green check mark to close and we're done.
You should now have your table fitting nicely onto your drawing sheet and looking much better than when we started.
Have a play with those settings and I hope that this has helped you somewhat to tidy up those Hole Tables.
Pic_1: The Problem
Before we continue, remember that we can only fit so much on to a single sheet before it becomes unreadable, so there is obvioulsy a limit to how many rows you will be able to fit vertically on a specific sheet size.
Click anywhere in the table to activate its properties. You will see this dialogue appear above the table:
Note where the adjustment settings are for Font Size and Vertical Cell Padding. We'll get back to that in a second.
Next, click on the number 2 to select the entire row. Hold down the Shift key and select the last row in your table (I had sixty rows all up in this example). You should now have all rows except the heading row selected. With all rows selected you can change your font size; I have used 9, which is still quite readable and then we want to adjust the Vertical Cell Padding.
You will note though, that when you dial down (using the up-down arrow toggles) you will be stopped at zero. Naturally you will think this to be the limit, but alas, we know with Solidworks anything is possible. Simply select the Vertical Cell Padding field as below...
Type negative 1.8 i.e. -1.8 and hit the Enter key on your keyboard. You should now be looking something like this in the settings dialogue...
and your cell text will be hugging the cell borders all nice and cosy, like this:
And while we are at it, quickly click anywhere in the table, then click the black cross to the left of Column A to activate the table properties dialogue, which will appear to the left of your screen. We want to tidy things up a little before printing. In the properties dialogue select "Combine same sizes" and you will get this:
In the properties dialogue, click the green check mark to close and we're done.
You should now have your table fitting nicely onto your drawing sheet and looking much better than when we started.
Have a play with those settings and I hope that this has helped you somewhat to tidy up those Hole Tables.
Tuesday, September 27, 2011
Sunday, June 26, 2011
Thursday, June 23, 2011
Sunday, May 22, 2011
Colour can be used to good effect in drawings to increase clarity - for example by differentiating between dimension lines, model lines and annotations. Under Document Properties, you can assign new annotations to different layers, and assign colours per layer.
However, when it comes time to print, sometimes it’s difficult to get those colours to come through in the printout. Here’s how to do it with CutePDF Writer, a program which emulates a printer in Windows, but creates a PDF file rather than a physical print out.
Firstly, download and install CutePDF Writer: http://www.cutepdf.com/
From your SolidWorks drawing:
- File >> Page Setup >> set Drawing Colour to Color/Gray Scale >> OK
- File >> Print... >> select CutePDF Writer as the printer >> Properties >> Advanced (bottom right on the Paper/Quality tab)
- Graphic >> Image Color Management >> click on ICM Method >> select “ICM handled by Host System” >> OK >> OK
- Set your other print options and then print. You will be prompted to save the drawing as a PDF file on your computer.
Sunday, May 15, 2011
Sunday, May 1, 2011
How much is your SolidWorks data worth to your business? Chances are it has a significant worth, and this is why backing up that data to insure against loss is so important. Let’s begin by looking at SolidWorks backup options.
Tools >> Options >> System Preferences tab >> Backup/Recover
You can see a screenshot of my suggested backup options above.
Auto-recover
I have this turned off for a number of reasons:
Be aware that SolidWorks is working to address these issues, so this recommendation may change in future.
Backup
This feature saves a copy of your files to the specified location every time you save your files (File >> Save or CTRL+S).
Each save will create a new version of the file, up to the number specified – e.g. if number of copies is 5, after saving a file 5 times, the first backup is overwritten. This provides a series of rolling revisions, and means that if you accidentally save a file but then wish to undo some changes, you can recover the previous version (you may need to sort out some file reference issues in doing so).
Change your backup directory to something you can remember and access easily (i.e. not the default directory). If your normal SolidWorks data is saved locally, consider setting the backup directory on a network file server, or vice versa. If you don’t have this option, set the backup directory to save to a different HDD to your normal data drive, in case one drive fails.
I would recommend setting the number of backups to between 3 and 5. You can also clear out files older than a certain time period - I’d suggest between 7 and 30 days. In both cases, the values you choose will be a trade off between the ability to revert back to older files, and HDD space limitations.
Save Notification
The Save Notification option provides a notification in the bottom right corner of SolidWorks after either a time period or a certain number of changes. I prefer the changes option as I often leave SolidWorks open while working on other things. Make sure you get into the habit of saving when you see the notification pop up!
Backing up your data
Once these options are set, you need to consider your data backup plan. Rather than ask how often you should backup, ask yourself (or your boss) how much data they are willing to lose. If you backup once a week, in a worst-case scenario you may have to redo a week’s worth of work.
If you save files to a file server, and the server is maintained by IT staff, the data should already be backed up. You should check how often this happens, and occasionally verify the backed up files are OK – there are endless IT horror stories of “bulletproof” backup plans that failed because, for example, a certain piece of hardware had failed 6 months ago and nobody realised.
If you maintain your own file server, or only save data on your local machine, make sure you have a schedule for regular backups – most backup software can automate this. You can find a comparison of backup software here.
Ideally you should then keep a copy of the latest backup on-site for easy access, plus off-site copies of previous backups, should your office go up in smoke, or your laptop get stolen, etc. In this regard, online backup services can take the hassle out of remembering to take backup media (DVD’s, tapes or HDD’s) home with you every night.
Tools >> Options >> System Preferences tab >> Backup/Recover
You can see a screenshot of my suggested backup options above.
Auto-recover
I have this turned off for a number of reasons:
- It gives you a false sense of safety, and means you are less likely to save often
- In the past, it has caused “Failed to save” errors
- It only recovers data if SolidWorks crashes a certain way – not if it freezes, etc.
- The auto-recover data often cannot be opened directly if SolidWorks crashes and does not provide the recover option
- It can save files at inopportune times (in parts with long rebuild times)
Be aware that SolidWorks is working to address these issues, so this recommendation may change in future.
Backup
This feature saves a copy of your files to the specified location every time you save your files (File >> Save or CTRL+S).
Each save will create a new version of the file, up to the number specified – e.g. if number of copies is 5, after saving a file 5 times, the first backup is overwritten. This provides a series of rolling revisions, and means that if you accidentally save a file but then wish to undo some changes, you can recover the previous version (you may need to sort out some file reference issues in doing so).
Change your backup directory to something you can remember and access easily (i.e. not the default directory). If your normal SolidWorks data is saved locally, consider setting the backup directory on a network file server, or vice versa. If you don’t have this option, set the backup directory to save to a different HDD to your normal data drive, in case one drive fails.
I would recommend setting the number of backups to between 3 and 5. You can also clear out files older than a certain time period - I’d suggest between 7 and 30 days. In both cases, the values you choose will be a trade off between the ability to revert back to older files, and HDD space limitations.
Save Notification
The Save Notification option provides a notification in the bottom right corner of SolidWorks after either a time period or a certain number of changes. I prefer the changes option as I often leave SolidWorks open while working on other things. Make sure you get into the habit of saving when you see the notification pop up!
Backing up your data
Once these options are set, you need to consider your data backup plan. Rather than ask how often you should backup, ask yourself (or your boss) how much data they are willing to lose. If you backup once a week, in a worst-case scenario you may have to redo a week’s worth of work.
If you save files to a file server, and the server is maintained by IT staff, the data should already be backed up. You should check how often this happens, and occasionally verify the backed up files are OK – there are endless IT horror stories of “bulletproof” backup plans that failed because, for example, a certain piece of hardware had failed 6 months ago and nobody realised.
If you maintain your own file server, or only save data on your local machine, make sure you have a schedule for regular backups – most backup software can automate this. You can find a comparison of backup software here.
Ideally you should then keep a copy of the latest backup on-site for easy access, plus off-site copies of previous backups, should your office go up in smoke, or your laptop get stolen, etc. In this regard, online backup services can take the hassle out of remembering to take backup media (DVD’s, tapes or HDD’s) home with you every night.
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