SolidWorks 2011 Parts Bible - Matt Lombard [202]
You can resize the image by dragging the handles in the corners and move it by simply dragging it. The bottom image in Figure 14.5 was taken from the Print Preview window. I included it here to show that the outline around the image that displays while you are working in SolidWorks does not print out.
FIGURE 14.5
Placing an image
Managing text
SolidWorks allows you to make a text box of a specific size that causes text to wrap. This is particularly useful in drawings. The upper image in Figure 14.6 shows a new annotation being added. The lower image shows the same text box after the corner has been dragged.
FIGURE 14.6
Adding an annotation and wrapping the text
Tip
When dragging the text box, it may seem intuitive to drag the middle handle on the end, thinking that shortening the box will cause it to wrap. However, that only works if the box has some space on the bottom to wrap. SolidWorks does not automatically reduce the text box down the way PowerPoint does. You are better off dragging the lower-right corner handle of the text box to get the wrap to work.
Using custom properties
The most important part of the drawing format is the custom properties. While the rest of the format is just for display, custom properties use automation to fill out the title block using matching custom properties in either the model or the drawing document. Custom properties can pull items such as filenames, descriptions, materials, and other properties from the model associated with the sheet, or they can pull data from the drawing itself, such as the sheet scale, filename, sheet number, and total sheets. If you are seriously looking to automate drawings, you cannot overlook custom properties.
Entering custom property data
Custom property data entry happens at the part or assembly level. This information is then reused in the drawing format and in tables such as BOMs (Bills of Materials) and revision tables, as well as searches using the FeatureManager filter, and all PDM (Product Data Management) systems make use of SolidWorks custom properties. You can enter the data several ways, but the two most prominent ways are through the Summary Information dialog box and through the Custom Properties Tab in the Task Pane.
Using the Summary Information dialog box
Figure 14.7 shows the Summary Information dialog box. This functionality has existed in SolidWorks for several releases. You access this dialog box by choosing File⇒Properties from the menus. You can select Property Names from a drop-down list or type in your own, assign types of data, and enter in a specific value for the property. The Value/Text Expression column also has a drop-down list from which you can select several preset variables, such as mass, density, and even link values used in the part.
FIGURE 14.7
The Summary Information dialog box
This is a perfectly functional way of entering data, but the fact that it is somewhat out of the way, hidden in the menus, means that it does not get used as much as it should. So SolidWorks came up with another way of entering data.
Using the Custom Properties tab
The Custom Properties tab of the Task Pane enables you to quickly and easily access and assign custom properties within a document. Figure 14.8 shows the process of building your own Custom Properties tab. You can start the Custom Property Tab Builder by either clicking the Create button on the Custom Properties tab or choosing Start⇒Programs⇒SolidWorks⇒SolidWorks Tools⇒Property Tab Builder from the menus.
FIGURE 14.8
Using the Custom Properties Builder and Custom Properties tab
Cross-Reference
Chapter 11 contains more detailed information on the Custom Property Tab Builder and how to create, use, and share Custom Property tabs.
The interface enables you to add drop-down lists, toggles, and text entry boxes. This gives you a lot of flexibility with custom property data entry and is a very nice addition to the software.
Displaying property links
Figure 14.9 shows the existing custom property formatting in the default format being