SolidWorks 2011 Assemblies Bible - Matt Lombard [137]
To delete an Alternate Position View, select it in the drawing FeatureManager, and press Delete.
Creating views of an exploded assembly
Assemblies are often depicted with the parts pulled apart in a structured way to illustrate disassembly or more simply, the parts within the assembly. Exploded assemblies can be shown on assembly drawings using balloons with numbers corresponding to a BOM table.
Here is the workflow for creating an exploded view:
1. Open an assembly.
2. Click the ConfigurationManager tab at the top of the FeatureManager area.
3. Activate the configuration you want to explode, right-click the configuration, and select New Exploded View from the menu. Figure 16.5 shows the PropertyManager for the Explode command.
FIGURE 16.5
Starting to create an exploded view of an assembly
4. Select a component to explode away from the rest of the parts. Usually parts move axially if mated with a Concentric mate, and perpendicularly away from the other parts if mated with a flat to flat Coincident. Select the parts to be exploded together (in one move) in a group in the Settings selection box.
Selection in the Settings box is less fussy than selection for mates or other purposes. It doesn't matter if you select a face or an edge; SolidWorks understands you want to select the part.
5. If you need to move the parts in a direction other than the assembly X, Y, or Z, use the Explode Direction box immediately below the bigger Components To Explode selection box in the Settings panel. In Figure 16.6, the Explode Direction box contains a temporary axis.
FIGURE 16.6
Selecting rivets to explode
6. With the rivets selected and the direction established, drag one of the arrows on the triad that appears in the graphics window, or type a number in the distance box in the PropertyManager. This brings up a ruler along which you can judge the explode distance.
This action produces the first Explode Step in the Explode Steps box in the PropertyManager. You can edit and delete the explode step, but you can't change its name. The expanded explode step and exploded assembly are shown in Figure 16.7.
FIGURE 16.7
Examining the explode step and exploded parts
7. To make edits, right-click an explode step and select Edit Step. This enables you to change anything you used to create the step. Immediately after releasing the drag of the component, you are no longer able to edit the component, and if you want to make changes, you have to edit the Explode Step, or you can use the small blue arrow that attaches itself directly to the part and may be hard to see. You can use this small arrow to change the explode distance. Typing in a number is better because it doesn't immediately move you out of the command, although you do have to select a direction first, using the colored triad.
Figure 16.8 shows a completed explode for the assembly.
FIGURE 16.8
The completed explode for this assembly
8. When you are done with the Explode command, click the green check mark icon to accept the results.
The completed results of an explode are displayed as an exploded view indented under the configuration you started the explode from, as shown in Figure 16.9. Each configuration can have only one exploded view. If you want more than one exploded view, you have to attach a second view to another configuration.
To collapse an exploded view, right-click it under the configuration and select Collapse. This allows you to toggle back and forth between a collapsed and exploded view. Another option is Animated Explode/Collapse. This option uses the order in which the explode steps appear in the ConfigurationManager and a default speed.
FIGURE 16.9
The result of the exploded view in the ConfigurationManager
Note
After using the Animated Explode/Collapse option, make sure to turn off the Animation Controller that appears in the upper-left corner of the SolidWorks window. This controller allows you to control and save the animation, but