SolidWorks 2011 Assemblies Bible - Matt Lombard [136]
FIGURE 16.3
Using a different format for the first page and subsequent pages of a drawing
To make it easier to manage a large package of drawings, most multi-sheet drawings use the same size sheet for every drawing. However, every company has its own standards, conventions, customs, and needs.
To make a page two template from a page one template, follow these steps:
1. Open a new drawing using the sheet format that you would like to make into a page two format.
2. Right-click inside the sheet, but off of other items such as predefined views or the actual format, and select Edit Sheet Format from the menu.
3. Edit the format to suit your needs. This might include removing, moving, or adding lines to the border, removing linked notes, resizing or moving a logo or other items.
4. It is recommended to use a note linked on the drawing showing that the current page is Page X of Y. Both X (current sheet) and Y (total sheets) are available as properties you can link to the drawing from notes.
5. When you have the format the way you want it, save it to a special location in your library for drawing formats. You should avoid putting customized documents in folders in the SolidWorks installation directories or in default folders created by SolidWorks. For example, you can put your format documents on the D: drive (a physically separate drive from where the Windows operating system is installed) in a folder called D:\Library\Formats\. This ensures that installing or uninstalling SolidWorks or the operating system does not delete or overwrite your customized documents.
On the DVD
If you would like to study examples of formats, refer to the DVD material for Assembly Drawing Formats.
Using Views with Special Assembly Functions
SolidWorks has some drawing view types that have special functionality when used with assemblies. The main ones that come to mind are alternate position views, exploded views (although an exploded view is not so much a function of the drawing), broken-out section views, and section views with alternating hatching.
Using the Alternate Position View
The Alternate Position View is only available for views of an assembly and shows the assembly in two different positions (not from different viewpoints; this requires an assembly that moves). This is another view type that does not create a new view, but alters an existing view. Figure 16.4 shows the PropertyManager interface for the Alternate Position View, a sample view that it creates, and the way that it is represented in the drawing FeatureManager.
FIGURE 16.4
The Alternate Position View
To create an Alternate Position View, ensure that you have an assembly on the active drawing that can have multiple positions, and click the Alternate Position View button on the Drawings toolbar, or choose Insert⇒Drawing View⇒Alternate Position and then select the Alternate Position View.
Next, click in the drawing view to which you want to add the alternate position. The PropertyManager shown in Figure 16.4 prompts you to select an existing configuration for the alternate position or to create a new configuration. If you choose to create a new configuration, then the model window appears, a new configuration is created, and you are required to reposition the assembly. The alternate position is shown in a different line font on the same view, from the same orientation as the original.
Tip
The best way to create this view is to either create two configurations used exclusively for the Alternate Position View or to have two configurations where you know that parts will not be moved, suppressed, or hidden. The main idea is that you need to ensure that these configurations remain in the same position or are changed