Mechanical Design

Modern Machine Shop, April, 2001 by Elizabeth M. Gruber

The company introduces SolidWorks 2001, the latest release of the company's Windows-based 3D mechanical design software. It provides more than 150 major customer-driven enhancements and innovations; ease-of-use; and a simple, comprehensive migration path from a 2D to 3D design environment. The software offers major enhancements in the areas of user interaction, sheet metal creation, feature and part development, assembly design tools, drawing performance and Internet collaboration tools.

Users will find the new features can automate common, tedious design tasks. From the new heads-up user interaction to mirrored components, flexible subassemblies and the DWG Import Wizard, the software contains functionality that can cut design time in half. SolidWorks 2001 also incorporates several new Internet collaboration tools that are said to make design communication and collaboration even more powerful and fast.

A comprehensive set of visual display and mouse-driven control capabilities reduce design steps, minimize the need for dialog boxes and decrease visual clutter. Key features include Context-Sensitive Callouts and a graphical display that automatically appears within the model or drawing to assist the user in building new designs and interpreting existing designs.

The software includes the ability to create dynamic shaded graphical previews of features. These previews allow users to clearly see the results of different commands before committing to them. The PropertyManager is an intuitive design editor that puts all design properties and parameters within easy reach, replacing the need for dialog boxes. It automatically appears adjacent to the model when designing, which reduces the amount of time spent searching through various windows and toolbars to find the appropriate commands.

With more than 50 enhancements in assembly creation capabilities, the program enables users to easily reference surrounding geometry. There is no need to export parameters or build equations. The relationships between parts in an assembly are associative, making changes fast and easy.

Internet-based tools make design collaboration easier and more efficient by improving communication throughout the extended design team. These include 3D Instant Web site--a new tool that lets users instantly create and publish live Web pages with models and drawings--allowing faster reviews of product designs anytime, anywhere. Web Folders is a new tool that allows multiple users to share and work on parts, assemblies or drawings as well as other file formats across the Internet. Folders can be shared on the Internet in a manner similar to sharing folders on a local network. 3D Meeting is a function built on Microsoft NetMeeting technology that enables users to view and collaborate in real-time on SolidWorks models and drawings over the Internet.

System enhancements include a new, html-based help system providing greater flexibility through hyperlinks and animations. The help system includes new online tutorials, a design portfolio with how-to instructions and a complete glossary to help users become proficient more quickly.

Microsoft Visual Basic for Applications (VBA), for customizing the software to the user's design and manufacturing needs, provides advanced macro capabilities for both programmers and non-programmers.