SolidWorks 2011 Assemblies Bible - Matt Lombard [6]
Because not everyone models with the same goals in mind, a single set of rules can never apply for everyone. You must take the best practice suggestions and apply them to your situation using your own judgment.
Because I actually use the software in my work, I viewed it from a practical standpoint while writing this book. I approached the software objectively as a tool, recognizing that complex tools are good at some things and not so good at others. Knowing the strengths and limitations of the software is helpful to you. Pointing out negatives in this context should not be construed as criticizing the SolidWorks software, but rather as preparing you for real-world use of the software. Any tool this complex is going to have imperfections. I hope that some of my enthusiasm for the software also shows through and is to some extent contagious.
Terminology
An important concept referred to frequently in SolidWorks is design intent. As a practical matter, I use the phrase design for change to further distinguish design intent from other design goals.
You will need to be familiar with some special terminology before continuing. In many cases, I use a SolidWorks vernacular or slang when the official terminology is either not descriptive enough or has multiple meanings. For example, the word shortcut can mean several things in the SolidWorks interface; it is used to describe right mouse button (RMB) menus as well as hotkeys. As a result, I have chosen not to use the word shortcut and instead substitute the words RMB and hotkey.
I frequently use RMB to refer to right mouse button menus, or other data that you access by clicking the right mouse button on an item. The word tree refers to the list of features in the FeatureManager.
Differences are frequently found between the names of features on toolbars and the names in the tool tips, menus, or PropertyManager titles. In these cases, the differences are usually minor, and either name may be used.
Most functions in SolidWorks can work with either the object-action or the action-object scenarios. These are also called pre-select and select, respectively. The Fillet feature shows no difference between using pre-selection and selection, although for some fillet options such as face fillet, pre-select is not enabled. Most features allow pre-selection, and some functions, such as inserting a design table, require pre-selection. Although you cannot identify a single rule that covers all situations, most functions accept both.
Frequently in this book, I have suggested enhancement requests that the reader may want to make. This is because SolidWorks development is driven to a large extent by customer requests, and if a large number of users converge on a few issues, then those issues are more likely to be fixed or changed. Again, the enhancement request suggestions are not made to criticize the software, but to make it better. I hope that you will join me in submitting enhancement requests.
SolidWorks is an extremely powerful modeling tool, very likely with the best combination of power and accessibility on the MCAD market today. This book is meant to help you take advantage of its power in your work and even hobbyist applications. If I could impart only a single thought to you, it would be that with a little curiosity and some imagination, you could begin to access the power of SolidWorks for geometry creation and virtual product prototyping. You should start with the assumption that there is a way to do what you are imagining, and that you should be open to using different techniques.
Because I wrote this book to help you look beyond