SolidWorks 2011 Assemblies Bible - Matt Lombard [174]
Figure 20.22 shows the Weld Bead PropertyManager and the preview it applies to a weldment part.
FIGURE 20.22
The Weld Bead feature shows up in the Weld folder and as a cosmetic display on the part.
The Weld Bead feature does not show up in the part or assembly FeatureManager as a feature (even though you access the command at Insert⇒Assembly Feature⇒Weld Bead), and it doesn't create geometry that adds mass. It does produce a cosmetic weld bead on the part, and creates a new folder in the FeatureManager right below the Annotations folder. The entries in the folder show how many weld beads of what length are applied to the entire weldment. Fillet beads do not add anything to the Weld folder. As a result, the type of information you need to have in your model will help you determine if you want to use the Fillet Bead or Weld Bead feature. If you need to show welds in an assembly, you have to use the cosmetic display of weld beads.
The Weld Bead PropertyManager also gives you the option to define the ANSI weld symbol before the feature is complete. The interface for defining the weld symbol is shown in Figure 20.23. Use the Define Weld Symbol button in the Settings panel of the Weld Bead PropertyManager to access this interface.
FIGURE 20.23
Assigning a weld symbol in the Weld Bead feature
In the long run, these changes are for the best because they offer a standardized display option between parts and assemblies without adding such a burden of added parts to the assembly. The 2011 changes have also vastly improved the interface for weld beads.
Creating Weldment Drawings
Weldment drawings have a couple of special features that distinguish them from normal part drawings. The first is obviously the cut list. Like a BOM in an assembly, you can place the weldment cut list on a drawing by choosing Insert⇒Table⇒Weldment Cut List. Figure 20.24 shows a sample cut list on a drawing. In this case, the blank rows represent non-structural components, being the footplates and the gusset. You can manually add data for these parts either directly into the table or by adding it to the properties of the corresponding folder in the cut list in the model document.
FIGURE 20.24
A cut list on a drawing
Figure 20.24 also shows an auto-ballooned isometric view of the entire weldment. This works the same way that assembly auto-ballooning works, and it also corresponds to the cut list in the same way that the assembly corresponds to the BOM.
Weldment drawings can also include views of individual bodies. You can do this by making a Relative view, selecting both faces from the same body, and then using the PropertyManager of the Relative view in the window of the solid model to control whether the view shows the entire part or just selected bodies. The Relative View PropertyManager is shown in Figure 20.25.
When you place a drawing view of a weldment, you can also link a cut list to a particular view. This might help you with putting multiple weldments on a drawing or laying out the process for fabricating a weldment, showing the weldment in various stages of completion.
FIGURE 20.25
The Relative View PropertyManager
To access the Relative View PropertyManager interface, follow these steps:
1. Click the Relative View button on the Drawings toolbar or choose Insert⇒Drawing View⇒ Relative To Model.
2. Right-click a blank space on the drawing sheet and select Insert From File. Browse to the part file.
3. Identify the faces to be shown in the particular orientations, and specify whether the entire part or the selected bodies should be shown in the view.
Tutorial: