{"id":3102,"date":"2015-04-20T10:46:57","date_gmt":"2015-04-20T09:46:57","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.solidapps.co.uk\/blog\/?p=3102"},"modified":"2015-11-03T15:43:11","modified_gmt":"2015-11-03T15:43:11","slug":"solidworks-modeling-challenge-remove-all-holes","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.solidapps.co.uk\/blog\/2015\/04\/solidworks-modeling-challenge-remove-all-holes\/","title":{"rendered":"SOLIDWORKS Modeling Challenge \u2013 Remove All Holes"},"content":{"rendered":"

The best way to learn a software is to continually challenge yourself in new ways. To help aid that process, I\u2019m going to begin posting some SOLIDWORKS obstacle courses for you to test your modelling skills on. The first challenge is to figure out the fastest way to remove all the holes from this imported (i.e. featureless) model. You can download the 2015 SOLIDWORKS model here<\/a>\u00a0to try it for yourself, or you can scroll down to find numerous answers below.<\/p>\n

\"photo<\/a><\/p>\n

The reason challenges like this are so useful is because they force you to explore many possible solutions. The more you find, the more you\u2019ll have at your disposal for future challenges. They\u2019re all great options, but only one is the fastest (and fair).<\/p>\n

FeatureWorks (20 seconds)<\/h1>\n

FeatureWorks<\/a> (available in every seat of SOLIDWORKS Professional and Premium) is a tool used to automatically build a parametric feature tree for imported geometry. It\u2019s often a useful way to manage and modify legacy CAD files that were originally modeled in another CAD application. In this case, we can use it to recognize the holes as features and then suppress them. Here\u2019s how:<\/p>\n

    \n
  1. Right click on the model > FeatureWorks > Recognize Features<\/li>\n
  2. In the PropertyManager, uncheck all options under \u2018Automatic Features\u2019 except \u2018Holes\u2019<\/li>\n
  3. Click \u2018OK\u2019<\/li>\n
  4. Select the first hole feature in the FeatureManager<\/li>\n
  5. Hold the SHIFT key while selecting the last hole to select all of the hole features<\/li>\n
  6. Click the \u2018Suppress\u2019 icon in the top left corner of the context sensitive pop-up menu<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

    Defeature (15 seconds)<\/h1>\n

    Defeature<\/a> is a tool used to eliminate the level of detail associated with your part or assembly model. Some purposes of the tool include creating an ultra-efficient version of your model to be used in assemblies, or to remove proprietary information from your model before you share it with your customers\/vendors. In this case, we can use it to remove all the holes by following the steps below:<\/p>\n

      \n
    1. Select Tools > Defeature (or search for it in the command search in the top right corner of your interface)<\/li>\n
    2. Select at least two of the inside planar faces for the \u2018Features to Keep\u2019 selection box. Otherwise, the Defeature command will take it one step too far and fill the entire volume with solid material.<\/li>\n
    3. Click the blue \u2018Next\u2019 arrow to view a preview of the resultant geometry<\/li>\n
    4. Click the \u2018Next\u2019 button one more time<\/li>\n
    5. Optional: You can save a copy of the simplified model<\/li>\n
    6. Click \u2018OK\u2019<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

      Power Select \/ Delete Face (10 seconds)<\/h1>\n

      Power Select<\/a> (available in every seat of SOLIDWORKS Professional and Premium) is a very convenient yet seldom-used tool. In fact, all of the alternative selection tools available on the selection drop-down list are very underrated and underused. In this case, the Power Select tool can be used to quickly select all of the cylindrical faces (or, if they weren\u2019t perfectly cylindrical, all of the non-planar surfaces).<\/p>\n

      \"photo<\/a><\/p>\n

      Delete Face<\/a> is a simple surfacing command that is the secret behind many solid modelling tricks. In this case, you can delete all of the pre-selected cylindrical faces and patch over them in one swift command.\u00a0 Here\u2019s how:<\/p>\n

        \n
      1. Activate \u2018Power Select\u2019 from the selection drop-down menu<\/li>\n
      2. Select \u2018Faces\u2019 in the \u2018Select what\u2019 section of the Power Select\u2019s Task Pane tab<\/li>\n
      3. Select \u2018Surface type\u2019 in the \u2018Filters and parameters\u2019 section<\/li>\n
      4. Select \u2018Cylinder\u2019 below that<\/li>\n
      5. Click the \u2018Search\u2019 button to make the selection<\/li>\n
      6. Click the \u2018Close\u2019 button to accept it<\/li>\n
      7. Activate the \u2018Delete Face\u2019 command on the \u2018Surfaces\u2019 tab of the CommandManager<\/li>\n
      8. Select the \u2018Delete and Patch\u2019 mode<\/li>\n
      9. Click \u2018OK\u2019<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

        Cheating (5 seconds)<\/h1>\n

        With any competition, you always have to keep an eye out for cheaters. In this case, sneakily prepping the model by adding a Selection Set could be a major competitive advantage. Selection Sets<\/a> (new in SOLIDWORKS 2015) are used to save common selections of all types of geometry for repeated future use. In this case, here\u2019s how you can beat everyone else in your office with this challenge:<\/p>\n

          \n
        1. Expand the \u2018Selection Sets\u2019 folder at the top of the FeatureManager Design Tree<\/li>\n
        2. Select the \u2018All Hole Faces\u2019 selection set<\/li>\n
        3. Run the \u2018Delete Face\u2019 command in \u2018Delete and Patch\u2019 mode (If you made a bet, add the \u2018Delete Face\u2019 and the \u2018OK\u2019 commands as Mouse Gestures<\/a> for super-fast access)<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

          \"photo<\/a><\/p>\n

          I\u2019m sure there are many more creative ways to conquer this challenge in SOLIDWORKS.<\/p>\n

          Originally posted by\u00a0Jordan Tadic in the SOLIDWORKS Tech Blog<\/a>.<\/p>\n

          \"DoubleRedArrow\"<\/a>\u00a0Find out more on SOLIDWORKS<\/a>
          \n          \"DoubleRedArrow\"<\/a>\u00a0Contact Sales<\/a>
          \n          \"DoubleRedArrow\"<\/a>\u00a0Request a Demo<\/a><\/p>\n

          \"REP_SWInspection_FeatureArticle_728x90_ENG\"<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

          The best way to learn a software is to continually challenge yourself in new ways. To help aid that process, I\u2019m going to begin posting some SOLIDWORKS obstacle courses for… <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":3103,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[5],"tags":[25],"class_list":["post-3102","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-solidworks","tag-solidworks-2"],"post_mailing_queue_ids":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.solidapps.co.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3102","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.solidapps.co.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.solidapps.co.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.solidapps.co.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.solidapps.co.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=3102"}],"version-history":[{"count":6,"href":"https:\/\/www.solidapps.co.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3102\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":3697,"href":"https:\/\/www.solidapps.co.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3102\/revisions\/3697"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.solidapps.co.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/3103"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.solidapps.co.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=3102"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.solidapps.co.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=3102"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.solidapps.co.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=3102"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}