SolidWorks 2011 Assemblies Bible - Matt Lombard [41]
The AssemblyXpert does not identify circular references. A circular reference is a list of parts referencing other parts where the references form a loop, with one part as the start and end point. AssemblyXpert could not find this kind of reference loop.
Figure 4.19 shows the results in the AssemblyXpert dialog box. Notice that the results include the information formerly included with the Assembly Statistics: part and subassembly count, along with mates, unique parts, and so on.
FIGURE 4.19
AssemblyXpert results
The information in the AssemblyXpert is certainly useful, particularly for newer users who may not know to look for things like this already. You can use it as both a diagnostic and a learning tool.
Tutorial: Arranging Assemblies
In this tutorial, you take an assembly that is already put together, group its components into subassemblies, and then convert one subassembly into a flexible subassembly. Note that some of the commands and RMB options you are asked to select may not be shown on the truncated RMB menus. To remedy this, click the double-arrow at the bottom of the RMB menu or choose Tools⇒Customize⇒Options from the menu, and click the Show All button for both shortcuts and menu customization.
Follow these steps to learn how to effectively arrange items in an assembly:
1. Start by opening the Robot Assembly .sldasm file from the DVD.
Notice that the names for the files are long and somewhat difficult to read. This would also apply for files that use sequential numbers for the filename instead of a descriptive name.
2. To display a more readable name, right-click the name of the assembly at the top of the FeatureManager, select Tree Display from the menu, and then turn on Show Component Descriptions. Repeat these steps, and this time turn off Show Component Names.
Figure 4.20 shows the display of the FeatureManager after the change. Even the top-level assembly uses its description rather than its filename.
FIGURE 4.20
Simplifying the FeatureManager display to include descriptions
Notice that two components still use their clumsy filenames rather than easy-to-read descriptions. This is because descriptions were never entered for those two components.
3. Open the Large Cylinder Piston part by left-clicking the part in the FeatureManager and then clicking the Open icon. Choose File⇒Properties from the menu and make sure the Custom tab is active. Create a new property called description, assign a type of text, and then enter large cylinder piston for the value. Save the part (Ctrl+S is a fast way to do that) and then flip back to the assembly (the fastest way to do that is to hold down Ctrl and press Tab).
If the display has not yet updated, press Ctrl+Q to force the tree to rebuild.
4. Open the Large Cylinder Body part. In this part, choose File⇒Save As from the menu. Leave the name as is, but where it says Description, enter large cylinder body, as shown in Figure 4.21. Click Yes when asked if you want to replace the document of the same name. Flip back to the assembly when you are done. You may have to rebuild to see the change update.
FIGURE 4.21
Adding a description in the Save As dialog box
5. Press and hold Ctrl and select the large cylinder piston and the large cylinder body parts from the FeatureManager. Then right-click and select Form New Assembly Here from the menu. If your assembly template has a description, it appears in the FeatureManager. If not, the filename appears.
You have just created an assembly as a virtual component while the parts are external documents. If you switch the tree display to show filenames, you see what is shown in Figure 4.22; the name of the assembly is Assem1^Robot Assembly. So the virtual component gets a default name (Assem1) followed by the name of the parent assembly (Robot Assembly) to ensure