With the enormous popularity of SOLIDWORKS as the go-to CAD software for many end-users, online retailers and manufacturers have taken to supplying their parts in a SOLIDWORKS format to help customers build assemblies. In this Video Tech Tip, we show you this is an amazing tool that allows you to create flawless bills of materials.

You may have noticed when building an assembly based on downloaded parts that it just doesn’t open and rebuild as fast as one you build yourself. Maybe there’s some lag when you try to spin the model or input new parts, maybe your laptop fans kick on overdrive to cool your computer down, or you might even experience crashing.  This is a common issue when many downloaded parts are used; luckily the solution is easier than you might think.

When we teach SOLIDWORKS, the driving principle is design intent. This holds true for assemblies as well, what is the intent of the part?  If the nuts and bolts are simply there to get an accurate bill of materials and part numbers, as is the case most of the time, do we need these sweeps?  The simple answer is no, and we should annihilate them.  All joking aside, it’s very simple to suppress the sweep or swept cut, and this alone will often cut your rebuild time by 90%.   

Using the simple tips outlined in this video can save you time on rebuild at the very least, and perhaps even allow you to work on an assembly that was otherwise too cumbersome to tackle without breaking it up into sub-assemblies (although this is also a good solution!)  As always, call our tech support team if you have any questions!

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