Search found 57 matches

by MattW
Thu Jul 25, 2024 12:44 pm
Forum: SW General
Topic: can "On Edge" mates be repaired?
Replies: 7
Views: 791

Re: can "On Edge" mates be repaired?

@AlexB I will be using that in the future, I think
by MattW
Tue Jul 16, 2024 7:57 pm
Forum: SW General
Topic: Mass vs. weight
Replies: 15
Views: 2007

Re: Mass vs. weight

I, and most people, work on the surface of the earth. Having 1 lbm exert a force of 1 lbf due to earth's gravitational field doesn't strike me as outrageous, it actually seems quite practical.
by MattW
Mon Jul 15, 2024 8:20 pm
Forum: SW General
Topic: Mass vs. weight
Replies: 15
Views: 2007

Re: Mass vs. weight

by MattW
Thu Jun 13, 2024 11:43 am
Forum: Macro Library
Topic: Help needed on 3D sketch macro
Replies: 4
Views: 868

Re: Help needed on 3D sketch macro

I got some code that could enter the values from a table, so I have that down. Now I have to work on the Siemens 840d coding. I saw somewhere that Siemens documentation makes sense to people who already understand the material.
by MattW
Wed Jun 05, 2024 5:33 pm
Forum: Macro Library
Topic: Help needed on 3D sketch macro
Replies: 4
Views: 868

Re: Help needed on 3D sketch macro

Thanks. The remarks implies that it could be related to snapping, and it behaved properly when I turned that off. When on, it would either miss circles completely, and sometimes would start drawing them with them in the wrong orientation. I don't understand this behavior, the errors are random. I co...
by MattW
Wed Jun 05, 2024 2:58 pm
Forum: Macro Library
Topic: Help needed on 3D sketch macro
Replies: 4
Views: 868

Help needed on 3D sketch macro

Greetings all- I am working on a macro that draws a series of circles in a 3d sketch. Right now, I am just working out how to handle variables to draw circles of varying centerpoints and diameters. The problem I am running into is that not all the circle persist, when I step through it creates the c...
by MattW
Fri May 10, 2024 12:22 pm
Forum: Enhancement Requests
Topic: Use same display state as original occurence
Replies: 4
Views: 1333

Re: Use same display state as original occurence

Would this do what you want?
image.png
by MattW
Mon Mar 25, 2024 6:02 pm
Forum: Kitty Dump
Topic: Watercooler Talk
Replies: 1464
Views: 234866

Re: Watercooler Talk

We had the opportunity to head a few hours south this weekend and enjoy the Texas Hill Country. It always surprises me how much a few hours drive can make in what season you are in. Our bluebonnets are just starting here in the Dallas area, but the ones down near Fredericksburg, TX are well are the...
by MattW
Thu Mar 07, 2024 8:12 pm
Forum: Kitty Dump
Topic: Watercooler Talk
Replies: 1464
Views: 234866

Re: Watercooler Talk

@AlexLachance where in Quebec are you located? I am probably going to be in the Montreal/ Laurentians area for a week or so this summer.
by MattW
Wed Mar 06, 2024 12:26 pm
Forum: How To Questions
Topic: Home screen and default templates
Replies: 12
Views: 1550

Re: Home screen and default templates

We are on 2021. Templates are in PDM, and the only location in File Locations. going to new... gets this screen. image.png The home screen is the same as the one in the first post, ie, Part, Asssembly, Drawing. Clicking on those opens the template listed in file locations, in spite of the label on t...
by MattW
Mon Dec 11, 2023 8:12 pm
Forum: Hardware
Topic: Space Mouse Issues
Replies: 6
Views: 4087

Re: Space Mouse Issues

The screen goes black or the device is unresponsive? I seem to recall my screen occasionally going out, but I don't use the screen much and haven't seen that in a while. Space Pilot pro, not Space Mouse.
by MattW
Tue Oct 24, 2023 4:21 pm
Forum: Macro Library
Topic: Macro for Toggling Transparency of Components
Replies: 20
Views: 3182

Re: Macro for Toggling Transparency of Components

I think this shows up by default when you click on a part
image.png
by MattW
Wed Aug 23, 2023 1:08 pm
Forum: SW General
Topic: Hole wizard countersinks
Replies: 5
Views: 1151

Re: Hole wizard countersinks

JSculley your link didn't work, saying there is no SPR80312, but it did lead me to this: https://support.3ds.com/knowledge-base/?q=docid:SPR803012 QUESTION For Hole Wizard hole types, how are near side and far side countersink values calculated; is it possible to customize them? ANSWER By default, ...
by MattW
Tue Aug 22, 2023 5:55 pm
Forum: SW General
Topic: Hole wizard countersinks
Replies: 5
Views: 1151

Hole wizard countersinks

Not countersunk screws, the edge break on the holes:
image.png
The values come from someplace, and are linked to the hole size, usually, but I can't figure out where. My experiments with 'favorites' aren't quite getting the behavior I would like.
by MattW
Fri Aug 18, 2023 12:17 pm
Forum: How To Questions
Topic: Macro for addding custom properties
Replies: 8
Views: 2019

Re: Macro for addding custom properties

Opening the custom properties tab does exactly that.
by MattW
Thu Aug 17, 2023 4:30 pm
Forum: How To Questions
Topic: Macro for addding custom properties
Replies: 8
Views: 2019

Re: Macro for addding custom properties

I don't know what you want the macro to do, but our templates have no custom properties and we use the custom properties tab and the property tab builder to control the addition of custom properties. These are customizable and will probably do what you want.
by MattW
Wed Aug 16, 2023 7:40 pm
Forum: CAM
Topic: What are you machining on your cnc today?
Replies: 5
Views: 3135

Re: What are you machining on your cnc today?

Working on my picture frame game, which needs it.
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by MattW
Wed Jun 28, 2023 2:29 pm
Forum: SW General
Topic: MakeProjectedPlanarWire.x_t
Replies: 0
Views: 1210

MakeProjectedPlanarWire.x_t

I was doodling with weldments and lofts, and this is what it looked like: image.png Then I noticed there was a file MakeProjectedPlanarWire.x_t in the folder. I didn't know what it was, so opened it up, and this is what it was: image.png It is a surface from the inside face of the box. I have no ide...
by MattW
Thu Jun 22, 2023 1:45 pm
Forum: General Engineering and Design
Topic: GD&T
Replies: 17
Views: 3556

Re: GD&T

I think your drawing is getting worse, but it sounds like you are doing what your are told.

A jig like this would verify alignment and hole minimum size and represent probably less than an hours worth of work. There might be good reasons to not do this.
image.png
by MattW
Wed Jun 21, 2023 4:48 pm
Forum: General Engineering and Design
Topic: GD&T
Replies: 17
Views: 3556

Re: GD&T

I know I am preaching to the choir here, but you say that hole alignment matters but it isn't called out at all. It sounds like you are attempting a manufacturing document and hoping that controlling the edge of one flange relative to the other will get you you the results you want, which it might. ...
by MattW
Thu Mar 02, 2023 5:30 pm
Forum: SW General
Topic: How to draw complex hole patterns
Replies: 20
Views: 2598

Re: How to draw complex hole patterns

I am wondering if some of those patterns aren't actually generated by a pattern or pattern like feature, but something more like a macro.
by MattW
Thu Mar 02, 2023 5:26 pm
Forum: SW General
Topic: How to draw complex hole patterns
Replies: 20
Views: 2598

Re: How to draw complex hole patterns

The two methods I would look at for the patterns shown would be curve driven pattern and sketch driven pattern, and I would guess for sketch driven pattern, at least, you will need a way to calculate sketch points outside SW and import them. It looks like the patterns shown use a combination of tech...
by MattW
Thu Jan 26, 2023 5:06 pm
Forum: API
Topic: McMaster Cleaning Macro
Replies: 14
Views: 1877

Re: McMaster Cleaning Macro

The biggest problem with McMaster Carr models is the visual properties are maxed out.
image.png
Setting these two sliders in the middle will cut the file size to 30% of what it is initially. Suppressing the helix will cut that in half again.

I have a macro for reducing image quality.
by MattW
Thu Nov 17, 2022 7:35 pm
Forum: SW General
Topic: Error generation delayed
Replies: 1
Views: 347

Re: Error generation delayed

In a part or in an assembly? It may not take much to create a circular reference in an assembly.
by MattW
Thu Nov 17, 2022 7:31 pm
Forum: SW General
Topic: Custom thread design - need assistance
Replies: 16
Views: 2688

Re: Custom thread design - need assistance

All fasteners from McMaster-Carr also have some other bloat stuff as well, which makes the file open slowly even if you get rid of the threads. Which is why I cycle everything I get from them through what @zxys001 has referred to in the past as a "Parasolid wash". Suppress the threads, sa...
by MattW
Wed Nov 02, 2022 1:54 pm
Forum: SW General
Topic: Order of Operations for Hole Wizard on Cylindrical Face
Replies: 5
Views: 1387

Re: Order of Operations for Hole Wizard on Cylindrical Face

For some reason, it doesn't want to let you make your hole locations coincident from within the hole wizard. You can, however, just put some hole locations on the surface, then exit the hole wizard, and then go back into the 3d sketch and make the points coincident.
by MattW
Thu Oct 20, 2022 1:02 pm
Forum: SW General
Topic: Appearance Issue
Replies: 28
Views: 3813

Re: Appearance Issue

I suspect the appearance is applied at the body level. Your appearance hierarchy is showing appearance at the feature level, but I think that is coming from it being an imported part. If you click on a face, you should be able access an appearance hierarchy display like this: image.png and it will t...
by MattW
Tue Oct 18, 2022 1:11 pm
Forum: SW General
Topic: Appearance Issue
Replies: 28
Views: 3813

Re: Appearance Issue

That doesn't look like features as such, it looks like a bunch of imported bodies, and the appearance is applied at the body level. It looks like there is much more to the part than what you are showing. If you can share the part, I will take a look.
by MattW
Thu Jul 21, 2022 7:56 pm
Forum: API
Topic: How SolidWork records file open time?
Replies: 8
Views: 2078

Re: How SolidWork records file open time?

JSculley wrote: Thu Jul 21, 2022 3:11 pm Assembly Open Progress Indicator:

image.png
Didn't have that one listed, but there was one listed for "Drawing open Progress Indicator". That seems to have done it.
by MattW
Thu Jul 21, 2022 3:01 pm
Forum: API
Topic: How SolidWork records file open time?
Replies: 8
Views: 2078

Re: How SolidWork records file open time?

mike miller wrote: Tue May 24, 2022 10:09 am I don't know how SWX records it, but I know it can be way off the deep end sometimes.

2022-03-10 15_14_53.jpg

I could use this information now, and I have apparently dismissed this message. I am not seeing it my dismissed messages in System Options. Anyone know what this is called?
by MattW
Tue Jul 19, 2022 6:06 pm
Forum: SolidWorks FAQ
Topic: Best practice for creating library feature
Replies: 7
Views: 2829

Re: Best practice for creating library feature

I suppose it depends on what you want to accomplish. I would start by saying do not put horizontal or vertical relations in your sketch, make them parallel and perpendicular, minimize external relations in the sketch, and make sure external relations you do use are not consumed by feature.
by MattW
Mon Jul 11, 2022 8:13 pm
Forum: SW General
Topic: Global coordinate system
Replies: 11
Views: 1878

Re: Global coordinate system

If you can, I would contact them and ask, because it is a good question. I wouldn't be surprised if the answer is along the lines of "we have always done it this way." The other reason I could think is if they use a macro that looks for a CS, since maybe you can't refer to the default sinc...
by MattW
Wed Jun 29, 2022 3:19 pm
Forum: CAM
Topic: Woodworking CAM software
Replies: 5
Views: 4129

Re: Woodworking CAM software

I am currently using something else, but considering you probably already have Solidworks CAM, I would think it is worth turning it on and seeing if it would work for your needs.
by MattW
Mon May 23, 2022 1:49 pm
Forum: How To Questions
Topic: How do I select all transparent components?
Replies: 3
Views: 1393

Re: How do I select all transparent components?

image.png Select All-> and then Change Transparency. My limited testing shows that this will set everything to Transparent or not. Before finding out that that would work, I set up an Advanced Select (at the bottom of the list above) image.png you have to save the name of the search. Go to the Mana...
by MattW
Wed May 11, 2022 2:26 pm
Forum: How To Questions
Topic: 3 way mold
Replies: 23
Views: 2675

Re: 3 way mold

I have only done composites on a simple hobbyist level, but I haven't seen a mold approached this way. I don't know the scale of the part, but that tab looks like a problem if you are planning on using cloth, unless you are going to make that separately and then bond it in. Given the amount of work ...
by MattW
Mon Apr 25, 2022 6:55 pm
Forum: SW General
Topic: When to fillet
Replies: 19
Views: 4114

Re: When to fillet

If you are making lots, then that would be true. I am not a moldmaker, but I think the reality is all surfaces will be be surface machined anyway.
by MattW
Wed Apr 06, 2022 7:31 pm
Forum: 3D Scan
Topic: Help - Converting STL to something usable
Replies: 24
Views: 7787

Re: Help - Converting STL to something usable

I am guessing what you really want is good solid model of the part. Ed Eaton gave a good presentation on using scan data to build a model at SWW a couple of years ago. https://dimontegroup.com/solidworks-world-2017-using-3d-scan-data-effectively-model-curvy-stuff/ I tried just doing the base-revolve...
by MattW
Wed Mar 02, 2022 8:05 pm
Forum: SW General
Topic: Toolbox- torx
Replies: 2
Views: 577

Re: Toolbox- torx

Thanks for checking. We are on 2021, but I seem to recall checking earlier and not finding it. I'm wondering if it is because we have toolbox in PDM and it justs get updated and not reinstalled and so doesn't have the new standard.
by MattW
Wed Mar 02, 2022 7:04 pm
Forum: SW General
Topic: Toolbox- torx
Replies: 2
Views: 577

Toolbox- torx

There are some blog posts when SW2018 came out detailing how Torx fasteners were now included in toolbox in the ISO standard. We have ISO standard in our toolbox, but I am not finding the hexalobular folder. Has this been removed or is there a problem with our installation?
by MattW
Thu Feb 24, 2022 5:46 pm
Forum: How To Questions
Topic: Sketch Constraint Size
Replies: 10
Views: 1312

Re: Sketch Constraint Size

Do you mean the hiding and showing of constraints? Or do you mean the display size? Hiding and showing. The issue is, seeing constraints can be useful. But they can also be in the way a lot, especially if you find them too big. So a quick toggle to turn them on when you need them and off when you d...
by MattW
Thu Feb 24, 2022 3:20 pm
Forum: How To Questions
Topic: Sketch Constraint Size
Replies: 10
Views: 1312

Re: Sketch Constraint Size

I'm not answering your question directly, but I have a mouse gesture to toggle constraint display and it gets used a lot.
by MattW
Tue Feb 22, 2022 5:56 pm
Forum: CAM
Topic: IMPORTING TOOL AND HOLDER MODELS
Replies: 6
Views: 1986

Re: IMPORTING TOOL AND HOLDER MODELS

Late to the party, but- if you have a solid model, a sketch can be extracted pretty quickly. If you have a model (or dxf) post it up.
by MattW
Mon Jan 24, 2022 2:04 pm
Forum: CAM
Topic: Looking for a specialty machine shop
Replies: 4
Views: 1581

Re: Looking for a specialty machine shop

I can't help with your request, but I am interested in hearing how this comes out. Doesn't your cylindricity callout greatly exceed your straightness callout? Making a guess, I would not be surprised if breathing on this part will cause it to go out of spec.
by MattW
Thu Oct 28, 2021 3:10 pm
Forum: How To Questions
Topic: Sketch Block Mirrored
Replies: 12
Views: 2717

Re: Sketch Block Mirrored

SPerman wrote: Thu Oct 28, 2021 2:44 pm I tried mirroring the block. It didn't work.

Can you share the block? Mine mirror fine.
by MattW
Thu Oct 28, 2021 2:13 pm
Forum: How To Questions
Topic: Sketch Block Mirrored
Replies: 12
Views: 2717

Re: Sketch Block Mirrored

I think I will just recreate the block with the sketch oriented properly. I was hoping there was a simple fix. You can mirror the block like any other sketch entity. If you go through the mirror command first, there is an option for the mirror to be a copy, or not. Otherwise, you can just delete th...
by MattW
Wed Oct 20, 2021 7:49 pm
Forum: CAM
Topic: What are you machining on your cnc today?
Replies: 5
Views: 3135

Re: What are you machining on your cnc today?

It holds a transducer. I have the good fortune of mostly cutting parts I designed, so any problems are my fault. The electrical guy I am working with on this project is saying scary things, like 200V at 20 MHz IMG-4313 r.jpg IMG-4314 r.jpg IMG-4316 r.jpg All the pics originally showed up upside down...
by MattW
Tue Oct 12, 2021 12:59 pm
Forum: SW General
Topic: Weird STEP import phenomena
Replies: 6
Views: 893

Re: Weird STEP import phenomena

I would like to see a sample .step if you could share one.
by MattW
Wed Oct 06, 2021 9:10 pm
Forum: SolidWorks FAQ
Topic: Feature Library best practices
Replies: 16
Views: 3355

Re: Feature Library best practices

Eliminate as many external references as you can. If dimensions are important, setup some contstruction geometry and dimension that, and then align the construction geometry to whatever features you want. Pre aligning isn't possible as far as I can tell, it is going to follow whatever orientation th...
by MattW
Thu Sep 16, 2021 8:14 pm
Forum: SW General
Topic: Sketch Offsets are Cursed
Replies: 18
Views: 3239

Re: Sketch Offsets are Cursed

I just wish it were easier to use. Why isn't there a "follow tangent" option? Why can't I select using a window? I have to select each line segment individually, and hope I don't accidentally click on something that causes it to screw up. There is a 'Select Tangency' in the right click menu