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Feature Statistics lists the rebuild times of each individual feature in a part. This is useful for researching features, benchmarking hardware or versions of SolidWorks, and developing best practice recommendations for different tools and techniques. Figure 12.14 shows the Feature Statistics interface.

FIGURE 12.14

Feature Statistics helps you analyze rebuild times for features.

Overall, I do not recommend relying too heavily on the data the Feature Statistics tool provides; this is not because it is inaccurate but because rebuild time is not always the best way to evaluate a model. You can certainly use the information, but you also need to keep it in perspective. A feature that takes a long time to rebuild but gives the correct result is always better than any feature that does not give the correct result, regardless of rebuild time.

Using the Curvature Comb

The Curvature Comb is a graphical tool you can apply to a spline, circle, arc, ellipse, or parabola to indicate the curvature along the length of the curve. You cannot apply a Curvature Comb to a straight line because a straight line has no curvature. The height of the comb indicates the curvature. Curvature is defined as the inverse of radius (c=1/r), so that as the radius gets smaller, the curvature gets bigger.

Figure 12.15 shows a curvature comb applied to a spline. Notice that the spline continuously changes curvature. An arc has constant curvature.

FIGURE 12.15

A Curvature Comb shows the constantly changing curvature of the spline.

When the comb crosses the spline, it means that the direction of curvature has changed. When the comb intersects the spline, it means that the spline at that point has no curvature.

Cross-Reference

The Curvature Comb is discussed in depth in the SolidWorks Surfacing and Complex Shape Modeling Bible (Wiley, 2008).

Using DFMXpress to catch manufacturability problems

DFMXpress is a free add-in to the software that may entice you to buy a higher functionality product. DFMXpress may provide some first-level manufacturability guidance for novice designers and engineers or those unfamiliar with one of the four processes that DFMXpress supports.

DFMXpress checks various rules for parts to be manufactured using the following processes:

• Mill/Drill

• Turn with Mill/Drill

• Sheet Metal

• Injection Molding

For each process, the user must establish some rule parameters. For example, for injection molding, the parameters are minimum and maximum wall thickness. It makes no mention of draft or undercuts. For Sheet Metal, you must set various thickness ratios for minimum hole diameter, bend radius, standard hole sizes, and so on. The evaluation tool requires some minimum setup, and some input from an experienced person in your operation. It is certainly not complete, or a replacement for an expert, but it offers a great first look at the geometry to check that the most obvious errors are caught before it leaves your desk.

You can activate DFMXpress from the Tools menu, and it runs in the Task Pane. Figure 12.16 shows DFMXpress in action on an injection-molded part. The results point to specific faces that fail specific rules, so when it fails, you know exactly where and why.

FIGURE 12.16

Reading results in DFMXpress

Analyzing with SimulationXpress

SimulationXpress (formerly COSMOSXpress) is a limited version of SolidWorks Simulation (formerly COSMOS Works) that is bundled with SolidWorks to acquaint users with FEA. The full version of SolidWorks Simulation does a wide range of analysis, from vibrations to large deformations. SimulationXpress is a very quick and easy wizard for simple stress analysis on stand-alone parts with simple constraints. It does simple linear stress analysis on a single part with a single material using only fixed constraints and a load. You can also use SimulationXpress to do a simple stress/weight optimization based on dimensions that you select to be altered.

You can start SimulationXpress