What does ( ) mean in Solidworks assembly?

What does (-) mean in SOLIDWORKS?

ago. Additional comment actions. The (-) means its not fully constrained/defined.

What does the feather mean on SOLIDWORKS assembly?

When a component is lightweight, a feather appears on the component icon in the FeatureManager design tree. When a component is lightweight and out-of-date inside a folder, the folder appears as in the FeatureManager design tree.

What does assembly mean in SOLIDWORKS?

You can build complex assemblies consisting of many components, which can be parts or other assemblies, called subassemblies. For most operations, the behavior of components is the same for both types. Adding a component to an assembly creates a link between the assembly and the component.

How do I fix a part in a SOLIDWORKS assembly?

To fix or float an assembly component:

1. Right-click the component in the graphics area or the component’s name in the FeatureManager design tree.
2. Select Fix or Float.
3. In assemblies with multiple configurations, select This Configuration, All Configurations, or Specified Configurations.

Why is my sketch under defined?

In this tech tip we’ll answer the common question: Why is my SOLIDWORKS Sketch Pattern Under Defined? The reason is because the sketch instances can rotate. You could previously Fully Define the instances by adding a Horizontal or Vertical relation on one of the construction lines tied to the instances.

What is a contour in Solidworks?

A Contour is simply an enclosed shape. We see them all the time in circles, rectangles, and squares. The more closed contours we add into our sketch, the more complex it becomes. These multiple Contours create regions in our sketches as seen below.

What does lightweight mean in Solidworks?

Both parts and subassemblies can be lightweight. When a component is fully resolved, all its model data is loaded in memory. When a component is lightweight, only a subset of its model data is loaded in memory. The remaining model data is loaded on an as-needed basis.

How do you make a lightweight part in Solidworks?

For a single component, right-click the component and select Set to Lightweight. For an entire assembly, right-click the top level assembly icon and select Set Resolved to Lightweight. For a subassembly and its components, right-click the subassembly icon and select Set Resolved to Lightweight.

How do you turn off automatic loading of lightweight parts in Solidworks?

Click Tools > Options > System Options > Performance. Under Assemblies, select Always for Resolve lightweight components.

What is a virtual assembly in Solidworks?

SOLIDWORKS Video Tech Tips

Virtual components are used for assembly modeling in SOLIDWORKS and they are special parts because they are saved internally in the assembly file instead of in a separate part or subassembly file. This means they only exist inside the assembly and not physically on the hard drive somewhere.

How do you create a virtual assembly in Solidworks?

To make externally saved components virtual while inserting them into an assembly:

1. Do one of the following: …
2. In the PropertyManager, under Options, select Make Virtual.
3. Under Part/Assembly to Insert, select or browse to a component and click to place it in the graphics area. …
4. Click OK.

What is virtual sub assembly?

When you make a subassembly virtual, you can make all of its child components virtual at the same time. Conversely, when you save a virtual subassembly to an external file, you can save all of its child components to external files at the same time.

Can you replace a part in an assembly SOLIDWORKS?

You can replace components in an assembly. You can replace a part with a subassembly or vice versa.

Why is a component fixed in SOLIDWORKS?

It is recommended that at least one assembly component is either fixed, or mated to the assembly planes or origin. This gives a frame of reference for all other mates, and helps prevent unexpected movement of components when mates are added. A fixed component has a (f) before its name in the FeatureManager design tree.

How do you replace a part in an assembly?

To replace one or more components:

1. Do one of the following: Click Replace Components (Assembly toolbar). Click File > Replace. …
2. Set options as described below, then click . The selected component instances are replaced. If you chose Manually select, choose the configuration to open in the Configurations dialog box.