SolidWorks 2011 Parts Bible - Matt Lombard [247]
Creating complex shapes across bodies
When creating a part such as a computer mouse, you encounter complex shapes that span several parts. It makes the most sense to model the entire shape as a single part, and then to break it up into separate bodies, making parts from the bodies, adding detail to individual piece parts, and then bringing the parts back together as an assembly.
Cross-Reference
This method also uses the Master Model techniques discussed in the SolidWorks 2011 Assemblies Bible (Wiley, 2011).
A part that uses this technique is shown in Figure 19.1. This part seems to contradict what I said earlier about not being able to use exploded views with multi-body parts, but this part uses the Move/Copy Bodies feature to move bodies within the part. This function remains in the part as a history-based feature in the FeatureManager and is much more labor-intensive to create than an assembly exploded view because each body is moved by a separate feature.
FIGURE 19.1
A multi-body part with a complex shape across bodies
The part shown in Figure 19.1 is not complete, but the starting point for each part has been formed. This part was created from surface features that are discussed in detail in Chapter 20. The part is named Chapter 19 – Mouse Base Part.sldprt and is located on the DVD. You may find it interesting to open the part to see how it has been modeled.
From here, each body is saved out to individual parts to complete the detailing, and then the parts are brought back together to create an assembly. The separate bodies in this case were created using the Split feature, which enables you to use surfaces, sketches, or planes to split a single body into multiple bodies. This is described in more detail later in this chapter.
The entire process for creating a finished assembly of finished parts is detailed in Figure 19.2. This flow chart shows conceptually how the overall shape created as a single part has moved from a single part/single body to a single part/multiple body to individual parts to an assembly of individual parts.
FIGURE 19.2
A Master Model workflow
The image to the left in Figure 19.3 depicts how this part was modeled. The first step was to create the shape as a single body within the part. As shown in the FeatureManager, this is all contained inside the Overall Shape Features folder. This folder is presented here as a black box because surface features were used to create the part. It really doesn't matter at this point how the part was created, and these features are not discussed until Chapter 20.
The image to the right in Figure 19.3 shows transparent surface bodies that were used to split the model into separate bodies using the Split features shown in the tree. Using this technique, you can create the overall shape as a single piece and then split it into separate parts. It is also possible to apply this technique in the context of an assembly, but this method is far more direct.
To go from the multi-body part created here to a set of separate parts uses a Master Model function, which is described in the SolidWorks 2011 Assemblies Bible (Wiley, 2011).
FIGURE 19.3
Splitting the part into bodies
Using tool bodies and Boolean operations
Some features require multiple bodies within a part, such as the Indent and Combine features, among others. Using one body to create a shape in another is a common use for bodies within a part.
Using the Indent feature
The Indent feature is covered briefly in Chapter 8 before multi-bodies are introduced, so it is fitting that I revisit it here so that you can better understand the multi-body aspect of its use. The Indent feature indents the target body with the tool body. It can also use another part in the context of an assembly as the tool. The indentation can exactly fit the form of the tool, or there can be a gap around the tool. You can also control the thickness of the material around the indent. A further