SolidWorks 2011 Assemblies Bible - Matt Lombard [113]
Using Reload
Reload is a command that acts as a shortcut for exiting the current document without saving, and then reopening. Reload is available for parts and assemblies but is not available for drawings. You can find Reload in the File menu, or add it to your toolbars from the Standard category in Tools⇒Customize⇒Commands.
Figure 13.20 shows the dialog box that appears when you invoke the Reload command. Notice that this dialog box gives you the option to load Read-only if available, and includes other file management options that you need to be aware of, especially if you are working on an assembly with other SolidWorks users.
Reload is very handy when you make a change to your part or assembly that you don't want to keep, but you cannot use the Undo command to get rid of it. Reload is useful if you are trying out a technique and don't want to save the results.
A command that you can use in conjunction with Reload is the Check Read-only Files command. This command is only available from a toolbar icon that is not on the Standard toolbar by default but is listed in the Tools⇒Customize⇒Commands list.
FIGURE 13.20
Reloading an assembly to discard changes
The Check Read-only Files tool checks to see if any read-only files have been changed, or if new versions exist in the folder you are working in. If new versions exist, this tool brings up the Reload tool.
Summary
You might create your work once in SolidWorks, but you are almost guaranteed to spend more time editing it than you did creating it. Because of that, you need to be even more adept at editing and evaluating your SolidWorks assembly than you are at creating it. SolidWorks has a lot of tools to help you do this.
Part III: Creating and Using Libraries
In This Part
Chapter 14
Using Toolbox
Chapter 15
Working with Libraries
Chapter 14: Using Toolbox
In This Chapter
Learning how Toolbox works
Exploring the Hole Wizard
Gaining experience with the Hole Wizard and Toolbox tutorial
Toolbox is a hardware configurator that enables you to select from a wide range of styles and sizes to populate assemblies with standard hardware. It has many functions that allow you to automatically place and size fasteners.
Toolbox is integrated with the Hole Wizard through a database of fastener and hole sizes. The Hole Wizard is a function that applies mainly to parts but also has some relevance for assemblies. The Hole Wizard can create either holes in-context, or assembly feature holes.
Most of this book deals exclusively with SolidWorks Standard. Toolbox is part of SolidWorks Professional and so is not included in SolidWorks Standard. One way to know if you have Toolbox is to go to Tools⇒Add-ins, and if you see Toolbox in the list, then you have it.
Understanding Toolbox
To get the most from the automated functions in Toolbox, you need to configure it, and you may need to alter the goal of using an automated library to some extent. If you are planning to implement Toolbox, but don't already have a clear idea of what it is or does, then this chapter is a good place to start.
There are as many different ways of implementing Toolbox as there are companies who have implemented it, but they all have one thing in common: you need to have direct experience with the software or some very good help to make the right choices. The bottom line is that if you make the wrong choices (and the wrong choices are all but hard-coded into the default installation), you could put yourself in a situation where your assembly data is at risk.
If you are using Toolbox on your own and not sharing data with others, the default Toolbox settings are fine. However, if you are among a group of users, you will need a dedicated implementation effort.
This book primarily covers Toolbox from the end-user perspective. If you are looking for information from the administrative perspective, you should read SolidWorks Administration