Anyone who has ever tried creating weldment structures knows that it can be a time-consuming process. Instead of battling several 3D sketches, I will walk you through how to use SOLIDWORKS 3D CAD to create weldment structures from a solid body.

In this Video Tech Tip, I demonstrate how to make a gazebo structure out of solid geometry by extruding a basic shape, converting edges into a 3D sketch, deleting the solid body and then creating weldment and structural members.

Starting with a top plane, I modify my dimensions and add a chamfer to create a solid body. Once I have my structure, it’s just a matter of highlighting the edges and converting those entities into a 3D sketch. Once a 3D sketch is created, I can delete the solid body, so all that is left is a space frame.

Learn more ways to create welded structures with standard structural members by signing up for our SOLIDWORKS Weldments Training.