The Welded Mechanic on Solidworks. Do you work it in assembly with several parts OR only 1 piece? 2 examples
1. A veranda composed of A. Posts B. Facade C. Roof (I simplify as much as possible knowing that the roof is composed of several elements)
You make 1 PIECE Veranda OR 1 ASSEMBLY with the PARTS A. Posts B. Facade C.Roof/ASSEMBLY composed of several frames
2. A 2-quarter-turning staircase with A. Stringer 1 B. Stringer 2 C. Stringer 3 D. Wooden step E. Ramp 1 F. Ramp 2 G. Ramp 3
You make 1 PIECE Stair OR 1 ASSEMBLY with the PARTS A. Stringer 1 B. Stringer 2 C. Stringer 3 D. Wooden step E. Railing 1 F. Railing 2 G. Railing 3
The solutions are feasible but it is in the drawing that the design choice counts. I give 2 examples because I wonder if the methods can vary according to the project.
Until then, I do a lot of assembly, I find it easier for the drawing, we are less constrained for the displays. But the disadvantage is in the nomenclature which is restricted, we cannot group all the mechanically welded parts easily and quickly. Not to mention the fact that we work with external parts.
I tried to work in pieces, but I find it too restrictive to have to go through body selection to make my fab plans of a precise structure of the whole file. And even more so when for posing shots you have to hide a multitude of bodies to see only one. There is an ease of reading the bill of materials and the flow sheet but that's all.
I pass over many advantages and disadvantages. And I'm not talking about the Mycadtool tools that I don't master. I don't get SmartBom and the other one who makes debit sheets.
All this to ask you what your preferences were,what decided you for one method more than another? What are you sacrificing?
For us, a body = a part->a sheet metal part = a part = a PEM. This allows a part to be reused in any future assembly.
Then assemble the different parts.
Only case apart for tube in welded construction where a piece can contain several bodies.
Then MEP of the assembly with BOM.
And finally, export of the general bill of materials with Smartbom, which takes care of counting the number of each part in order to fill our cartridge of each plan with the quantity marked in the Smartbom bill of materials in an automated way and without counting errors.
I think there are as many ways of working on SW as there are designers...
Having recently changed companies, I saw another way of conceiving.
Before, it was a part/body and several parts in an assembly because the production tool in the workshop did not support multiple bodies.
Today, it is mainly multi-body where we "mix" welded construction and sheet metal elements. Following the design we pass our parts (multiple body) to the "mill" SheetMetalManufacturing which makes us the MEPs of the sheets in the car to which we add a page to have the list of tubes and bars. This is then done through SmartConverter to have the DXF flat on the sheets for laser cutting. CuttingOptimization is also used for tube/bar throughput.
In short, there is no real rule. You have to know what you need at the final stage (type of MEP, production document...) to take the right path and generate all this in a fluid and automatic way as possible (I'm rather lazy ;-)).
To come back to your example, the staircase will be a multiple body. The different bodies would be linked to each other, which allows the dimensions to be changed and everything to follow.
For the veranda, I will make several multiple bodies in an assembly, one for the walls (posts + infill), one for the roof...
It's up to you to find the path best suited to the final need .
An assembly welded into a single document, part whatever its constitution or size.
Bolted profile construction is one piece per profile (for these designs I first start with a preparation model and then insert each profile (welded assembly) in a new part.
This methodology allows me to better structure the bills of materials with the shipping marks while allowing me to assign properties, mass of the welded assembly, visualization cubes for the dimensions of space, etc.,
For the workshop, these welded assemblies are dissected into a drawing with detailed nomenclature.