SolidWorks 2011 Assemblies Bible - Matt Lombard [98]
FIGURE 10.24
Setting in-context colors
4. Expand the Table Top part in the Assembly FeatureManager, select the Front plane, and open a new sketch on it. Notice that you cannot select the edges of the transparent parts through the transparency, even if the Select Through Transparency option is selected (Tools⇒Options⇒Display/Selection). This setting applies only to faces, not to edges. Instead, change the display mode for the entire assembly to Wireframe.
5. Now select the 16 hole edges on the legs. It does not matter whether you select the top edges or the bottom, or even a combination of top and bottom. Use the Convert Entities command to project the edges into the sketch plane as circles, as shown in Figure 10.25.
FIGURE 10.25
Converting entities in-context
6. Create a cut that goes Through All. You may have to change the direction of the extrude to get it to work. Leave Edit Component mode using the Confirmation Corner and save the tutorial assembly.
7. Now open the file named Tutorial Machine Assembly.sldasm. Notice that the Table Top part in this assembly is using the Wireframe display state, which is assigned in the Display pane.
8. Right-click the part and select Edit Part from the list, or select the part and click the Edit Component button on the toolbar. A warning displays that the part has features that were created in the context of another assembly. You can edit the part, but you cannot add any more external references (in-context features) to it.
9. Toggle off the Edit Component button on the Assembly toolbar to leave Edit Part mode.
10. Choose Tools⇒Options⇒External References and select the Allow Multiple Contexts for Parts When Editing in Assembly option. Now try to edit the Table Top part again in the context of the assembly. This time, no warning message displays.
11. Make sure that you are editing the Table Top part. It does not change colors as specified in the Tools⇒Options⇒Colors settings because it is using the Wireframe display mode. Ensure that the status bar in the lower-right corner displays Editing Part rather than Editing Assembly.
12. Open a sketch on the Front plane, and convert the four edges of the holes, as shown in Figure 10.26.
FIGURE 10.26
Creating holes in-context
13. Cut the holes using the Through All setting. Again, be aware of the direction of the cuts. Toggle out of Edit Component mode and press Ctrl+S to save the assembly. Figure 10.27 shows the finished assembly.
14. Open the Machine Base Bracket part in its own window by selecting Open Part from the RMB menu. The part is shown in Figure 10.28.
FIGURE 10.27
The assembly as of Step 13
FIGURE 10.28
The Machine Base Bracket part, ready for mirroring
15. Select the Front plane and choose Insert⇒Mirror Part. This creates a new part and opens a new PropertyManager interface, as shown in Figure 10.29.
In this case, select Solid bodies and click the green check mark icon.
FIGURE 10.29
The Mirror Part PropertyManager
Note
Notice that you used the Insert⇒Mirror Part command, but the PropertyManager says Insert Part. The Mirror Part functionality uses the Insert Part function, but adds a feature to mirror the body once it is inserted. Notice all the entity types you can transfer, and the fact that you can break the link to the original part. Also note that the template used for this part was chosen based on the settings at Tools⇒Options⇒Default Templates⇒Always Use These Default Document Templates or Prompt User To Select Document Template.
Cross-Reference
For more information on the function of the Mirror/Insert part, see Chapter 9.
16. Notice that the new part is indeed a mirrored copy of the original. You can see that the “MADE IN USA” text on the bottom is backwards. Fortunately, a configuration exists specifically for this purpose. Change the configuration by selecting For Mirroring in the Configuration