Explore the dynamic nature of parametric modeling and how changes in certain elements affect the volume of a 3D item. Understand the importance of regularly saving your work, especially when using process-intensive programs like SOLIDWORKS.
Key Insights
- Parametric modeling allows for changes in specific aspects of a model, such as the size of the legs in a 3D item, which impacts the overall volume of the object.
- Constantly updating the mass properties helps to calculate the latest version of a 3D item in the graphics area, reflecting changes made to the model.
- It is crucial to save your work regularly when using process-intensive programs like SOLIDWORKS, to prevent any potential loss of progress.
This lesson is a preview from our SOLIDWORKS Certification Course Online (includes software & exam). Enroll in this course for detailed lessons, live instructor support, and project-based training.
Before we close out, we're going to learn a little bit about parametric modeling by changing some of the aspects of this. Now before we do, I'd like to go back into master properties and take into account what the volume of this particular item is. In this case, we have 2663.72 cubic inches.
Great. I'm going to go in and I'm going to change these legs and we're going to see how that volume changes. We'll go to the boss extrude that selected those legs.
I'm going to click the drop down menu and let's go ahead and click the sketch and then go to this top left hand button which says edit sketch. Great. Let's take some of these legs and change the size.
We'll make that one small. We'll make this one larger. We'll make this one smaller.
Great. Let's close and save the our 3D volume has changed. Now let's go back to mass properties so we can see how that's changed.
I believe it was 2667 before. What do we have now? Okay. The volume is a lot bigger.
It's 3306.59 cubic inches and it's bigger obviously because these legs by and large have gotten larger. So our mass properties will always calculate what the latest and greatest version or 3D item is in our graphics area. Let's go ahead and close this out.
Now if you like you can go ahead and save this onto your drive by going to file and you can save in which case it'll prompt you to give it a name and a location or you can click save as and jump to it yourself. Find a place on your hard drive to save it and go ahead and call it bench experiment. Wonderful.
Click save. Now we're ready to close our file. Quick note about saving.
Because SOLIDWORKS is a process intensive program on your machine, saving regularly is going to be something you want to do and you can do that by going to file and clicking save just every few minutes or after you've created you know a few commands here in the feature tree. Just something good to consider moving forward. All right.
Thank you. In the next lesson, now that we've done some modeling, we'll talk a little bit about setting preferences. Things like hotkeys, mouse strokes, etc.
And we'll also show you how to rescue yourself if you say lose a part or accidentally hit a button that locks your ability to create more commands. We'll find our way out of that. We'll do some troubleshooting.
