DDi Tech Center

This tech tip is straight out of the SolidWorks Knowledge Database on the requirements for 2010 SolidWorks. If your just loading SolidWorks most of these will load for you, but if the program is not working correctly then it might be worth working through this list one by one and  uninstall and then reinstall.

Perhaps you define datums for your model or you select a common baseline for a set of ordinate dimensions.  Now you are halfway through the model and it turns out you need to pick a different baseline, what can you do?  Delete the entire dimension set and start dimensioning all over? 

Creating inspection reports for SolidWorks models manually takes time and creates redundant work since the CAD models themselves are capable of being toleranced. Using a Design Table to control dimensions and tolerances allows users to create an inspection report in Excel while still controlling the dimensions for the SolidWorks model.

There are times when a virtual sharp is necessary to call out certain inspection dimensions.

Defining an arc in terms of its true length can be done with a Smart Dimension…

Obviously you can create a 2D sketch on a face or a plane, but did you know you can also select an edge?

There is a technique you can use to get a double dimension in a sketch. 

The fastest way to sketch a slot shape in SolidWorks is to use the Offset Entities command.