DISQUS

Matt Lombard · 1 year ago

Thanks for posting this. I've been wondering about some of this stuff.

First, I'm a little bothered that they co-opted the name of an existing technique and made it a special part of the interface. We have been making layout sketches in SW assemblies and parts for years, but they have been 2D instead of 3D, and they were regular sketches.

Second, SW has again taken something simple and made it complicated. Why hide a sketch feature like that? It leads to stuff like the fact you pointed out about not being able to unsuppress it.

(Here's an ugly workaround for unsuppressing a suppressed Layout: add a Design Table, and auto populate it. It won't go in there the first time, so close it out and edit it , then select the STATE@Layout from the list of features. Add a second config and put a U in the column.)

3D sketches are another weak link in SW. Poor choice in my opinion. You can't put sketch pictures in a 3D sketch, and sketch pictures are an essential component of layout techniques in my experience.

One of the big advantages of this technique that you didn't mention is that in the past when you did a layout and made parts from it, you couldn't use dynamic assembly motion, you had to edit the sketch and exit it and update to see the parts in their new position. Now with the new layout functionality, you can drag the blocks and the parts move with them. This is the only really significant advance in the new functionality, in my opinion.

JM Go · 1 year ago

Mostly I use Layout Sketches to make sure that the components I plan to add to an assembly will have space to fit. For example: fitting power supply units into a chassis. It's a lot faster (and less taxing on your processor) to insert ready-made sketch blocks rather than inserting another assembly into it.

BTW though... PCB Design in SolidWorks?

solidworm · 1 year ago

the icon is a four-bar mechanism, fairly familiar for mechanical engineers who take dynamics of machines at the university. it reminds me of good old days back at the university.

Josh · 1 year ago

Thanks Matt, yeah, we've been creating layout sketches, aka skeleton sketches, assembly sketches, horizontal modeling for year. Cool that SolidWorks put it into a single function with 3D sketches, but not cool that you cannot use sketch picture and sketch patterns. Patterns get me the most because I need hundreds of attachment locations driven from a layout.

I've gotten around the inability to use sketch picture in 3D sketches by putting a picture in a part first and then inserting it into the assembly. definitely not the best way I'd like to do it.

I totally missed mentioning the dynamic motion! it's so cool too, when you have inter-related sketches/blocks in 3D and you're adjusting sketches.

Loeb · 1 year ago

I agree with Matt. The SWX implementation of Layout Sketches seems weak. I too have been using 2D sketches to drive the top-down design of parts and assemblies and don't see what this new feature adds. I only see it as a harder way to accomplish what I've been doing for years.

As far as having top-down driven parts move in an assembly, no problem.
1. Use your layout sketches (whether their just plain old sketches that you call layout sketches or they're the new SWX 2008 Layout Sketches doesn't matter) to define your parts and assembly in one position.
2. Create a copy of each part/assy that will be 'animated'.
3. I like to put the static, original versions of the moving parts into their own folder so that I can hide them all at once.
4. Remember to edit the original versions of the parts/assemblies if needed. I'm not sure what the implications are of editing a copy of a part/assy.

Ivan · 1 year ago

Nice Josh, I think I'll start trying the 2008 layout sketch more. I'm with the rest of you... we find ways to make regular sketches do the job for us. But still with pros/cons as mentioned. Ditto with Matt on the importance of using sketch pictures!

Loeb, so... you're pulling in copies of your parts and mating them all in place so you can get desired motion? Seems to me like unnecessary redundant work... BOMS will have wrong qtys unless you change component properties for all multiple parts to 'Exclude from bill of materials'... you're loading twice the parts you really need...

Josh · 1 year ago

yeah guys, I'd try it out and see how it works for your processes. The sketch patterns is the biggest bummer for me since I can work around the sketch picture by adding another part.

What Loeb is talking about is interesting. I've seen that done with spring. You could also do something similar with configurations, but you could get some complicated configurations with large assemblies.

DOG_TRAINING · 1 year ago

Correct use of the training leash is important, not only during training sessions, but at all times. Always having a loop over your thumb and your hand closed into a fist, prevents even the strongest dog from unexpectedly jerking the leash through your fingers and breaking free. Whether it's the hand-loop or a loop formed by marrying the leash over your thumb, the result is the same. Pulling on the leash merely causes your grip to tighten

Eric · 1 year ago

Wow, I haven't seen the leash feature in SolidWorks. It must be a 2009 feature.

Brian · 1 year ago

It's a Premium add-in. ;)