SolidWorks 2011 Parts Bible - Matt Lombard [258]
Some export filetypes will export all the bodies without warning. Thus the easiest way to make sure that a file does not have extra bodies for the export is to just add a delete bodies feature that removes the extraneous bodies that are not included in the final part. Also, always make sure to re-import any exported bodies to make sure they were exported correctly.
Renaming bodies
Notice that the bodies that you see in the folders have been named for the last feature that touched a given body. That naming scheme is as good as any, except that it means that the body keeps changing names. If you deliberately rename a body, it will retain the name through future changes. You should follow the same rules of thumb for naming bodies as you do for naming features. It is not necessary to rename every body, but if you will use one body frequently and need to select it from the FeatureManager, renaming it is very useful.
Using Multiple Bodies with Sheet Metal, Weldments, and Molds
Various types of special SolidWorks documents require that you work with multi-body data. Those are sheet metal, weldments, and molds. Sheet metal and Weldments are SolidWorks files with special properties, and the molds are simply created from a separate set of specialized Mold Tools.
Introducing multi-body functionality in weldments
Weldments are a special type of SolidWorks document that require the use of multiple bodies. Each structural member in a weldment frame is created as a separate solid body. So if you are getting involved in using the Weldment tools in SolidWorks, you will need to also master the multi-body tools.
Introducing multi-body functionality in sheet metal
SolidWorks sheet metal parts do not require the use of multiple bodies, but they do allow it, which is useful when you have sheet metal parts together with welded parts or special fasteners as a part of an inseparable subassembly, such as PEM fasteners. SolidWorks added the multi-body functionality to sheet metal mainly to accommodate weldments. Sheet metal is covered in Chapter 21, and the details of multi-body modeling as it relates to sheet metal are also covered there. Again, I include the multi-body capabilities of sheet metal in this chapter as an introduction to the idea. Weldments are covered in the companion to this book, SolidWorks 2011 Assemblies Bible (Wiley, 2011).
Introducing multi-body functionality in molds
Creating mold geometry using SolidWorks Mold Tools is another multi-body function. Other mold creation software that works within SolidWorks uses assemblies to do this, but SolidWorks has chosen to use bodies. You can also do the same kind of work without using the specialized tools if you choose, and can even work exclusively in solids or in a hybrid solid and surface workflow. Unless you choose to create geometry for various types of molding or casting manufacturing methods using assemblies, you are probably going to need to do it using multi-body parts. SolidWorks Mold Tools are discussed in the companion book SolidWorks 2011 Assemblies Bible (Wiley, 2011).
Tutorials: Working with Multi-Bodies
This tutorial contains various short examples of multi-body techniques in order from easy to more difficult.
Merging and local operations
This tutorial gives you some experience using the Merge Result option and using features on individual bodies to demonstrate the local operations functionality of multi-body modeling. Try these steps:
1. Start a new part, and sketch a rectangle centered on the origin on the Top plane. Size is not important for this exercise.
2. Extrude the rectangle to roughly one-third of its smaller dimension.
3. Open a second sketch on the Top plane. Hide the first solid body by right-clicking it in either the FeatureManager or the graphics window.
4. Show the sketch for the first feature,