×
INTELLIGENT WORK FORUMS
FOR ENGINEERING PROFESSIONALS

Log In

Come Join Us!

Are you an
Engineering professional?
Join Eng-Tips Forums!
  • Talk With Other Members
  • Be Notified Of Responses
    To Your Posts
  • Keyword Search
  • One-Click Access To Your
    Favorite Forums
  • Automated Signatures
    On Your Posts
  • Best Of All, It's Free!
  • Students Click Here

*Eng-Tips's functionality depends on members receiving e-mail. By joining you are opting in to receive e-mail.

Posting Guidelines

Promoting, selling, recruiting, coursework and thesis posting is forbidden.

Students Click Here

Jobs

Tips on building large assemblies (30.000-50.000 total components)

Tips on building large assemblies (30.000-50.000 total components)

Tips on building large assemblies (30.000-50.000 total components)

(OP)
I'm currently working on a large part of a new installation, we 'd like to be able to show future customers and new employers a 3D view of the full installation. The assemblies designed/build by us are for instance conveyors & construktion work.

Does anyone have good tips for moddeling such assemblies?

PS. I'm using SW2005 SP3.1

Stefan Hamminga
Mesken BV
2005 Certified SolidWorks Professional
Mechanical designer/AI student

RE: Tips on building large assemblies (30.000-50.000 total components)

(OP)
I should have posted that I did read the faqs (before & again)... But thanks anyways (not being sarcastic!)

Stefan Hamminga
Mesken BV
2005 Certified SolidWorks Professional
Mechanical designer/AI student

RE: Tips on building large assemblies (30.000-50.000 total components)

Simplify, simplify, simplify.  If these models are going to be for presentations and not for assembly, there is no need to show every washer, screw or connector.  Break your assy into sub-assys with the Save As Part function.

"I think there is a world market for maybe five computers."
Thomas Watson, chairman of IBM, 1943.
Have you read FAQ731-376 to make the best use of Eng-Tips Forums?

RE: Tips on building large assemblies (30.000-50.000 total components)

If the assemblies are going to be used for production, I would recommend having two configurations for nearly every subassembly.  One configuration will be the fully detailed assembly, the second config will be an extremely simplified assembly (all non-visible and/or insignificant parts suppressed).  The simplified configuration is the one inserted into the next assembly up.  Any parts that have text, threads, or any feature that rebuilds slow, should have a simplified configuration as well.  Following these suggestions, you should be able to cut down your part count in the top level assemblies.

RE: Tips on building large assemblies (30.000-50.000 total components)

I agree with MadMango. Create simplified assys/sub-assys configs comprised of simplified part configs. The part configs should suppress chamfers, fillets, or other features which aren't absolutely necessary for mating or appearance.

http://www.3dcadtips.com/3DCADTips_External.php?site=http://www.solidworks.com/swexpress/july/200107_techtip_01.html
http://www.3dcadtips.com/3DCADTips_External.php?site=http://www.solidworks.com/swexpress/pages/jan05/TT_AssemblyDrawingPerformance.html
http://mysite.verizon.net/mjlombard/


Helpful SW websites every user should be aware of FAQ559-520
How to get answers to your SW questions  FAQ559-1091

RE: Tips on building large assemblies (30.000-50.000 total components)

(OP)
I did use the idea of using multiple configurations to control the amount of detail in most parts & assemblies I build.

I got things workable to the point that I could run one larger sub-assembly (10000 components, 134 unique parts, special conveyor) on my laptop (P-M 1.6GHz / MFGL-T2-256). I'm really curious about the performance of SW2006, too bad I can't try it yet!)

The sites CorBlimeyLimey gave do show another interesting idea (using 'blank' configs), I'm going to try and put all skeleton sketches and reference (mate) geometry in a dedicated config, then model in other configurations. That shouldn't be to hard to learn to do.

Stefan Hamminga
Mesken BV
2005 Certified SolidWorks Professional
Mechanical designer/AI student

Red Flag This Post

Please let us know here why this post is inappropriate. Reasons such as off-topic, duplicates, flames, illegal, vulgar, or students posting their homework.

Red Flag Submitted

Thank you for helping keep Eng-Tips Forums free from inappropriate posts.
The Eng-Tips staff will check this out and take appropriate action.

Reply To This Thread

Posting in the Eng-Tips forums is a member-only feature.

Click Here to join Eng-Tips and talk with other members!


Resources