SolidWorks 2011 Parts Bible - Matt Lombard [162]
FIGURE 11.23
Renamed features and dimensions
On the DVD
If you would like to follow along with these steps to create the design table, you can use the part from the DVD with the filename Chapter 11 DTstart.sldprt.
Figure 11.24 shows the results of starting with the new blank design table. You may notice that the window title bar at the top says SolidWorks, but the toolbars look a lot like the Excel interface. This is because Excel is actually running inside of SolidWorks. Clicking outside of the Excel window can cause the Excel window to close, although there are several items outside of the Excel window that you can select without the window closing, such as features in the FeatureManager and dimensions in the graphics window. You can also rotate and pan the view in the graphics window without closing the Design Table window. If you are very careful, you can also drag the thin hatched border of the Excel window to adjust its size or location.
You can also edit Design Tables in a separate window, which makes editing easier but makes adding dimension and feature names more difficult. To edit the table in its own window, right-click on the Design Table in the FeatureManager and select Edit Table In New Window.
Figure 11.25 shows a fully developed design table, with some complexity. Although your first design table does not need to be this complex, this example demonstrates what you can do with this feature.
FIGURE 11.24
The interface where you can create the design table, and the resulting blank design table
FIGURE 11.25
A fully populated design table
The config names go in the first column and the feature or property names go in the second row. The first row is reserved for the name of the table. All this is automatically set up by SolidWorks.
Note
Because you are actually working in Excel when working with design tables, you can use Excel formatting, which is how the text in Figure 11.25 is rotated 90 degrees for the column headers. (To rotate text in a table, right-click the cell, group of cells, or row; select Format Cells; and then select the Alignment tab.)
In the new design table, the next step is to type in some configuration names. Because you are working in Excel, all the fill functionality is available. In the example shown in Figure 11.26, I have typed in the first three values of 001, 002, and 003, then window-selected the cells, and dragged the fill handle on the selection window to fill the number pattern to populate a larger area. To find more information about this technique, look for Fill or Automatically Number Rows in the Excel Help files.
FIGURE 11.26
Filling in configuration names
The next step is to fill in some feature and dimension names in the second row. The first thing that you do is to suppress the HexDrive feature. To make this the first feature in the list, click in cell B2, and then double-click the HexDrive feature in the FeatureManager. The name of the feature and its current suppression state are added to the design table with all the necessary syntax and correct spelling.
To rotate the text in this row vertically, right-click row number 2, select Format Cells, click the Alignment tab, and turn the orientation to 90 degrees. The word unsuppressed displays in all capitals and fully spelled out, while all you need is a U or an S. Replace the word with an S, and double-click the line between the column heading letters B and C at the top of the Excel window to condense column B as much as possible. Alternate the rest of the rows between Us and Ss to either suppress or unsuppress the HexDrive feature in various configurations. Figure 11.27 shows the current state of the design table.
FIGURE 11.27
Building the design table
Close the Design Table window, and click OK on the message box that lists the new configurations created by the Design Table. Now split the FeatureManager, set the lower pane to the ConfigurationManager, and double-click some configurations. Notice that in the configs where you specified an S, the HexDrive is suppressed and no longer