SolidWorks 2011 Parts Bible - Matt Lombard [233]
The DimXpert is a tool to apply reference (driven) dimensions with tolerances to models and drawings. DimXpert employs feature and topology recognition so it can work on either native data or imported data. Use the DimXpert tab at the top of the part Feature manager, and click the Autodimension Scheme button (the first button on the left) to apply dimensions to the entire model based on selected datums. The goal of DimXpert is to comply with ANSI Y14.41, which deals with 3D annotated models. The general consensus on this is that neither the standard nor the DimXpert tools are up to the rigors of daily production use at this time. The concept seems compelling, but the implementation is not yet practical.
When you use the dimensions and tolerances created with the DimXpert in conjunction with the TolAnalyst, you are able to do simple stack-up analysis. TolAnalyst is outside the scope of this book, because it is part of the Premium package and I confined this book to SolidWorks Standard. A limitation of this system is that you can only apply location or size dimensions; you cannot apply non-dimensional geometric form tolerancing such as parallelism, cylindricity, or flatness. All controls must drive size or location, and have associated dimensions.
When you use the DimXpert on a drawing, it first places a datum at a vertex or centerpoint. After that, it automatically dimensions the entire feature in the view that is the parent of the edge you select. Figure 17.5 shows the Dimension PropertyManager when DimXpert is activated. The image on the right shows a few dimensions applied by the DimXpert, along with the datum used for the dimensions in the view.
You can choose to place the DimXpert dimensions on the drawing when placing the views either through the second page of the Model View PropertyManager or on the Import Options panel (which is closed by default). No, it's not your imagination, this is about as obscure as SolidWorks could possibly make this functionality. Apparently they didn't really expect anyone to use it. Both pages of the Model View (Insert⇒Drawing View⇒Model, or click Model View from the View Layout tab on the Command Manager) are shown in Figure 17.6. The Import Options panel is shown at the bottom of the second page, although I have cut the second page off about halfway down.
You can find this functionality in one other place: when you drag views from the View Palette in the Task Pane. This interface appears in the image on the right in Figure 17.6.
FIGURE 17.5
Dimension PropertyManager for DimXpert in drawing
FIGURE 17.6
The setting to import DimXpert annotations is buried well.
Consensus on this functionality is that it is a work in progress, and while it may offer some interesting functionality, you may not find that it is ready to save you a lot of time when you are dimensioning and tolerancing parts on a drawing. It seems that it has particular difficulty with molded or cast parts, which typically don't have parallel faces.
Annotation views
Annotation views are views in the model in which annotations have been added. You can access annotation views from the Annotations folder in the model FeatureManager. They are created automatically when you add dimensions or notes to the part. You can use the annotation view in the model to show the note or dimension in the view in which it was created or on the drawing to help parse the dimensions into views where they are easily read.
Annotation views can be inserted manually or automatically. You can access the settings for annotation views through the right mouse button (RMB) menu of the Annotations folder of the model, shown in Figure 17.7. The image on the right shows part of the PropertyManager you get when inserting a named view on a drawing. It shows that the Front and Top views of the model have annotations associated with them (indicated by the A on the view symbol).
FIGURE 17.7
The Annotations folder RMB menu and the Model View orientation panel
Driven dimension color
Driven dimensions on the drawing display in gray, and this