Learn what’s new in SolidWorks 2015
Continuing on in our ‘New in SolidWorks 2015’ series we’re switching focus to the Assemblies section of Update Training 2015. Be sure to watch the free Profile Center Mate video tutorial below. The SolidWorks 2015 Update Training course from SolidProfessor shows users how they can take advantage of new functionalities while leveraging industry best-practices and time saving techniques. Update Training 2015 for Solidworks is packed with 46 unique lessons covering topics including, Fundamentals, Sketching, Parts and Features, Assemblies, Drawings & Detailing, Sheet Metal, and Weldments.Update Training – Assemblies
All SolidWorks assemblies are composed of 2 or more components mated together. After we cover Parts and Features, we’re ready to learn all of the new assembly features, enhancements, and workflows that will allow you to create assemblies in SolidWorks 2015. In the Assemblies section of Update Training for SolidWorks 2015, you’ll learn about the new Chain Pattern assembly feature, new workflows for creating assemblies from multi-body parts, and the new Exploded view option. We also go over the Angle and Width mate enhancements, as well as the new Profile Center mate. We’ll also take a look at the new workflow enhancements, such as replacing failed mate references in a single step, saving components from within an assembly, rotating components before placing them in an assembly and much more! In previous editions of SolidWorks, perfectly centering one component on another involved multiple mates and could be tricky to accomplish. In SolidWorks 2015, a new mate type, called the Profile Center Mate, lets you align the centers of common component types, such as components with circular or rectangular profiles, in one easy step. The Profile Center mate options can either leave components free to rotate or fully define them, and can even include an offset. In this tutorial video we’ll take a look at a few different ways the Profile Center mate can be applied. To get started, select “Mate” from the Assembly toolbar, and under “Advanced Mates” select “Profile Center.” In the tutorial video we’ll select the bottom face of the pipe, and the top face of the blue plate. you’ll see that the pipe is automatically centered on the plate. If necessary, we can enter an offset, and even flip the direction of the offset. Clicking on the Green Check will complete the mate, you’ll notice that the pipe is still free to rotate. We can leave it like this, or edit the mate and select “Lock Rotation” to fully define the pipe. If you want to center two rectangular components, you’ll also have the option to change the component orientation. For example, to center the slot component of the drilled plate in the tutorial video, we’ll select the top face of the slot and the top face of the drilled plate to mate. Once again we’ll select “Profile Center” mate. If the faces don’t align the way you expect, you can change the component orientation using the orientation arrow icons. In the tutorial video, when we clear the offset, and click the green check to complete the mate, you’ll notice that the slot can’t be rotated. If we edit the mate again, you’ll see the “Lock Rotation” checkbox is greyed out. This is a result of the shape of the slot part, it can only be centered in two direction, so it isn’t able to freely rotate. Before we wrap up, it’s important to note that this mate type won’t work with more complex geometry, such as components with elliptical, spline-based, or other irregular profile shapes. Our next stop in this series is Drawings & Detailing. Stay-tuned for more free SolidWorks 2015 tutorial videos! Did you miss Parts & Features yesterday? Or Fundamentals and Sketching earlier this week? Check out these linked articles! Existing Members can log in and access the full course. Don’t have a SolidProfessor account yet? Sign up today!
