solidworks tips Don't yous merely beloved the magnificent spectacle of an exploded assembly in SolidWorks? It'due south like everything in the world has been revealed and facial pilus has become a thing of the past. And permit me tell ya, when you're exploding stuff you want every bit niggling facial pilus as possible crusade that'due south merely gonna distract aerodynamics and there'due south the whole grooming matter.

While information technology'southward adequately common to make exploded views of assemblies, in that location's also a way to practise it in parts, and it doesn't require an angle grinder and 2 lbs of highly flammable Thermite pulverisation. Here's how.

If you remember dorsum a few tips, one really slick technique you can employ to build models relatively chop-chop is Bodies-as-Parts Assemblies. This is basically a part with certain features carve up upwards. Every time you create a feature yous can choose to merge the feature to the other features or keep them split up.

However, did you e'er recollect you could create exploded views of these parts? Are the wheels are turning? Well, it really only requires a couple boosted steps and a lilliputian forethought. Here's the process with all the steps laid out. If you're impatient, you can skip down to the video.

exploded-part-assy.jpg For an example, lets say we're creating a simple model for some chunks of metal to weld together. Exciting.

  1. Think of how you want y'all part to explode
    Not too easy sometimes, only remember of how you'll put information technology together. And so rewind information technology backwards… then forrard, then backwards, then forwards… until you picture it in your mind and wake up screaming with nightmares about it.
  2. Create your first characteristic
    This could be what everything else is connected to.
  3. Add the second feature
    Here'southward the secret. Instead of calculation a relation where the sketch attaches to the first feature, add a dimension. A really tiny one, like .001. Extrude the feature like the first i, except uncheck Merge Results just beneath the Distance setting. Select OK. Can y'all guess what's adjacent?
    Annotation: For Circular type stuff that you lot want to show exploded, it's works better to make it every bit a revolve. See attached example beneath.
  4. Add a Configuration
    This is so we tin can show an exploded version and an unexploded version. Select the configuration tab on the FeatureManager, correct click the part name and select Add Configuration… Now, just name it "exploded" and select OK.
  5. Explode the function
    Get dorsum to the FeatureManager, double-click on the last characteristic you added. Double click the .001 dimension. The dimension dialogue box comes up. Alter the dimension to 1.00" and in the configurations pull-downwards, select This Configuration.

Now you can switch betwixt configurations and see the difference betwixt the two. There are limits of course. Information technology may be a little more ho-hum since you're non able to select multiple parts similar in assemblies and it's not the best for showing exploded views of hardware.

What yous can do is create an exploded part and utilize the exploded configuration in an assembly that adds hardware. Hither's the example file with some extras and below you lot'll see the video.

Exploded Part Assy.zip (400k)