I am taking advantage of this quiet period to lead a small debate around the different methodologies for using SolidWorks. Everyone has their own little techniques depending on the types of operations to be performed on this complex software.
Strangely enough, I'm going to start with the drawing, which is in fact the purpose of the designer's work.
1- How do you organize the Drawings?
For my part, a file for the general assembly, then a file for each sub-assembly and finally a file for each part.
2- Drawing of multi-body parts (welded constructions)? There are 2 schools and I work with both.
The first is to start the first sheet with the nomenclature and then make plates with several sizes.
The second would be to make one sheet per body with the cartouche corresponding to the body (part number, qty, ep etc.)
3- Color of the quotations, bubbles, Nomenclatures, Annotation...
For me Rating in blue - Nomenclatures/Bubbles and Annotation in black - Remarks in red - Axis line in black.
4- Cartridge: Do you have different cartridges depending on whether it's an Ass or a Part? What information can we find there?
At home a unique cartridge with, Part number or ass, Designation of the part or ass, material, mass, finish.
1- Same as you: Head assembly - sub-assembly - part - Body
2- For me, a welded part = multibody. if it can be dismantled = Assembly. One multibody part = 1 plan files with multiple layers. If you've managed to assign body number properties in the same room, I'm all for it!
3- Using colors improves visibility and reading. But above all, it allows you to work with different layers of Layers which can be very useful!
4- I have several cartridges: Assembly, machined part, boiler part... which do not use the same properties or annotations. (example: no point in making the "matter" field appear in an Asm)
1 Idem. 3D and drawing in exactly the same place on the network. The same name between the 3d file and the 2D file.
2 We have set ourselves a rule: we don't manage more than 5 bodies in a room. Above 5 we make an assembly: it lightens the creation tree and it is often much more robust to the modification. In our mechanical assemblies (or parts) we use a pilot sketch and plans driven by the sketch (dimensions of dimensions mainly). The interest of the pilot sketch and the plans: it never bugs in Solidworks :-). The parts contained in the assembly are mostly virtual (this simplifies management and subsequent copies). Only one drawing per mechanically welded assembly (or part). Possibly several leaves in the MEP. Our mechanically welded assemblies rarely exceed 30 different parts.
We don't use welded construction at all because our assemblies are more machined than welded (so it's not really suitable). There are new features in the 2019 version: structure systems (it's worth looking at it).
3 monochrome MEP except for a layer to put important annotations or forced dimensions (normally the tolerances are on 3D). We manage the types of lines / printing thicknesses on the other hand.
4 different cartridges between the overall plan that we send to the customer and the detail plans (which remain in-house or with our subcontractors). Different nomenclatures between the overall plan and mechanically welded parts/assemblies.
FYI "icome" I transform my multibody part into a welded construction and I apply a property in the list of welded parts. This allows a numbering of the different bodies listed in a nomenclature on your MEP.
Otherwise +1 for the different cartridge according to ASS or PART.
