SolidWorks 2011 Assemblies Bible - Matt Lombard [125]
You'll start with the toolbar at the top of the Design Library, right under the main title. The four icons on the toolbar are Add to Library, Add Location, Add Folder, and Refresh.
Adding to the library
Multiple methods exist to add a part to the library. First, you'll learn how to use the Add to Library button on the Design Library toolbar. When you click the Add to Library toolbar button, the PropertyManager shown in Figure 15.3 appears.
FIGURE 15.3
Adding to the library using the Add to Library toolbar button
Even though the list box at the top of the PropertyManager has a name that implies you can add multiple items (Items to Add), and it is large enough for more than one entry, it only allows you to add one part to the library at a time.
Here is the workflow for using the Add to Library PropertyManager:
1. Click the Add to Library button on the top bar of the Design Library in the Task Pane.
2. With the Items to Add list box selected, select a single component.
3. Change the filename in the first box of the Save To panel.
4. Select the Design Library folder in the list.
5. Type a description in the Options panel.
6. Click the green check mark icon at the top of the Add to Library PropertyManager.
Add to Library is also available on the RMB menu for a part (right-click either a part in the graphics window or a component in the Feature Manager). When you choose this option, the same Add to Library PropertyManager appears as when you use the button at the top of the Design Library.
You can also save a part directly to a Design Library folder using the Save or Save As function. When you do this, you have to use the Refresh on the Design Library toolbar to display the newly added items in the preview area.
You can also drag and drop a part or assembly from its own window into the Design Library. To add a part this way, you have to drag the name of the part or assembly from the top of the FeatureManager into the preview window in the bottom half of the Design Library. If you drag from the graphics window, or drag a part from an assembly, the addition does not work.
Caution
When you copy a part to a library folder and then make changes to the copy in the library, remember that your assembly is probably still referencing a part that is not in the library. When you frequently see the message, “A part with this name is already open, would you like to use that one,” this may mean that you have multiple copies of the part, which may have differences between them. Good file management practices are necessary when dealing with library components.
Be aware that if SolidWorks sees that you have multiple versions of library parts (the part in the assembly is different from the part in the library), SolidWorks does not preview the library part when you drag it onto the screen.
Adding a file location
File locations create new folders in the Design Library, as shown in Figure 15.4. Notice that the paths established in Tools⇒Options⇒File Locations (from Figure 15.2) each correspond to another stack of books icon in the Design Library.
Notice that the folders in the lower Design Library panel also display in Windows Explorer below the location specified in File Locations.
FIGURE 15.4
Adding file locations affects the folders in the Design Library.
Some folders require special identification. For example, if you want to use the items in a Design Library folder as assemblies or sheet metal–forming tools, you have to identify the folders for those particular uses. To accomplish this, just right-click the folder in the upper panel of the Design Library, as shown in Figure 15.5, and select the appropriate option.
FIGURE 15.5
Assigning special use folders in the Design Library
Creating a new folder
You can create a new folder under a top-level folder in multiple ways. The easiest