SolidWorks 2011 Assemblies Bible - Matt Lombard [57]
Using the Layout workflow
With most functions in software of any type, you tend to get better results when you are able to use the software in the way in which it was intended to be used. Generally, the developers have a workflow in mind when they design the function itself and the interface. Working with the software is usually also easier than working against the software.
Here is the general workflow for using the Layout feature:
1. Open a new or existing assembly.
2. Click the Layout toolbar button on the Layout tab of the CommandManager.
3. Sketch on the plane in the 3D sketch to create 2D sketches representing parts of a mechanism or other assembly.
4. Make selections of the sketch into blocks representing individual parts, as shown in Figure 6.7.
5. Insert multiple instances of the blocks to represent multiple instances of the parts.
6. Use sketch relations to put the blocks together like mating parts in an assembly.
7. Test the mechanism by dragging sketches. (Blocks function like a single sketch entity, so you can drag them within the sketch like parts in an assembly.)
8. Right-click the block (from inside or outside the Layout) and select Make Part From Block (also a button on the Layout toolbar).
Note
The Make Part From Block command uses large and small icons that are slightly different. The icon shown previously is a large icon.
FIGURE 6.7
Tools you encounter when using Layout
Working with virtual components
Virtual components always exist with in-context workflows, and frequently with the Layout workflow. Virtual components are parts that are saved within the assembly. You can save a virtual component externally, and you can also make an externally saved part into a virtual component. The advantages of virtual components are that you don't have to worry about saving out additional files, and that the assembly will never lose track of any virtual component.
Virtual components are primarily intended for use as quick, temporary, conceptual tools, rather than as a way to make parts that will be a permanent element in the assembly. Some SolidWorks users also use virtual components to represent non-geometric parts such as glue or paint. Any time you choose Insert⇒Component⇒New Part from the menus and select a template and a plane to put the part on, the part is placed immediately into the assembly, and you can start working without worrying about having to save the assembly and the part. This saves a lot of time initially. Later on, when you save the assembly, SolidWorks prompts you to save the parts externally as well, or you may choose to leave the parts internal to the assembly.
Virtual components are named Part1 Assem1, where Part1 and Assem1 are default names. You can easily rename the part by clicking the RMB menu and selecting Rename Part. You cannot do this for external parts. If you make an external part virtual, the name in the assembly becomes Copy of filename Assem1 where filename is the name of the external file. The name of the assembly is always included (and cannot be removed) to ensure that if you have subassemblies that also have virtual components, you will always have unique filenames for all the parts.
Virtual components can also be accessed in their own window, which makes them easier to edit for some purposes. Bills of Materials (BOMs) and numbered balloons work correctly with virtual components.
Best Practice
It is considered best practice to save any parts that will be a permanent part of the assembly as external files. Virtual components should be limited to temporary parts or possibly non-geometry, BOM-only parts such as glue or paint.
Balancing advantages and limitations
In theory, the Layout feature has several advantages:
• You can make parts from blocks within the Layout.
• You can move parts by moving blocks in the Layout.
• It is a great way to structure your relations within an assembly.
• A single 3D sketch does not have the history concerns that multiple 2D sketches have.
• It is useful for motion analysis studies.