SolidWorks 2011 Assemblies Bible - Matt Lombard [114]
The standard workflow for using Toolbox is as follows:
1. Turn on Toolbox and Toolbox Browser through the Tools⇒Add-Ins dialog box.
2. Open an assembly with parts containing holes.
3. Open the Design Library tab in the Task Pane, and browse to find the particular type of fastener you want to place in the assembly.
4. Drag the fastener to the hole where you want to place it, and select a length.
Other workflows exist for more automated functions such as using Smart Fasteners to populate a large selection of holes automatically, or using Hole Series (part of Hole Wizard) to place holes in the assembly and automatically populate the holes with fasteners immediately.
Comparing configurators and libraries
Toolbox creates fasteners and other hardware components on the fly or reuses existing parts when possible. Technically, it is not a library, but a configurator. Libraries store existing components, while configurators build them on the fly from a template of information and selections supplied by the user.
One advantage of using a configurator is that the parts start out very compact because there is only the default size template, and the size data is efficiently stored in a database, with each specific-size SolidWorks file being created only when needed. The downside of using a configurator is that the parts do not exist before they are created. That sounds obvious, but when you have a new Toolbox installation matched up with a long legacy of SolidWorks assemblies, it could mean the loss of all of your fastener data from existing assemblies that you thought were safe.
The advantage of a library is that it enables you to simply plug in the parts. Before most users become familiar with using configurators, all they really want is a static, straightforward library of parts that they can use anywhere, at any time. Anything more than that is only beneficial if it offers some improvement over a simple library of existing parts without introducing any risks or setbacks.
Taking a look at how Toolbox works
No one asks how a staircase works, because it does not work; it simply exists and people use it. An escalator, however, is a different issue. With an escalator, there is a complex installation, and then to use it, you have to know how to get on and get off and what to do if it stops working. The end results of using the staircase and using the escalator are the same (you start at the bottom and arrive at the top), but the complex automation of the escalator is supposed to save you some effort.
That is one way you can look at Toolbox. The end product is supposed to be the same as using a static library of parts, but there is some mechanism behind the scenes that has to be set up and maintained properly for it to work in the way you expect. Most SolidWorks books, tutorials, or training materials are going to ask you to accept what happens inside Toolbox as a “black box” and to just assume that the end results are exactly what you need and intend. This section supplies you with information about how Toolbox works, so you can decide how useful it will be for you and adjust how it works so that it meets your specific needs.
Looking at the database
Toolbox has three major components:
• Default parts of one size, with named dimensions and features
• A database containing all size information for all parts and Hole Wizard holes
• A software application with settings and an interface
These major components of Toolbox are shown in Figure 14.1.
FIGURE 14.1
A simplified representation of the components of Toolbox
When Toolbox is installed, it starts as a set of SolidWorks parts with named features and dimensions, some suppressed features (depending on the settings), some executable programs (dlls), and a database (swbrowser.mdb). The parts have a single Default configuration, which is typically either the largest or smallest.
The database starts out at about 95MB and includes all the size information for all the parts,