As the world demands products to be designed faster, companies are always looking to find ways to create a more efficient modeling process. There is one overlooked and super simple trick in SOLIDWORKS that can help meet these demands: Custom Templates.
Custom Templates
In SOLIDWORKS you have the ability to create custom templates for all three file types: Parts, Assemblies & Drawings. Typically people use SOLIDWORKS templates to customize settings such as Document Properties, but the functionality doesn’t stop there. Designers can produce models much more efficiently by utilizing the full power of SOLIDWORKS custom templates.
See It In Action
In order to demonstrate this functionality let’s take a look at automating an undercut sketch. Product designers can use reference sketches with pre-defined relations and dimensions in Part templates. A variety of different products can then be produced using this reference sketch.
Similarly, Global Variables and Equations are leveraged to further automate templates. In this example, every critical dimension was driven with Global Variables. Therefore, modifying the model becomes extremely efficient.
Once the reference sketch is defined it can be saved out as a Part template using the .prtdot extension.
Next time you open a new file in SOLIDWORKS take a look at harnessing the power of custom templates to automate your design process for more efficient modeling. Who knows, this one simple trick may be the time saver you need to meet your high demands.