Feature Recognition in SolidWorks 2004
Feature Recognition in SolidWorks 2004
(OP)
I was wondering if anyone would like to share their experiences of the feature recognition tool in Solidworks 2004. I get a lot of data from a multitude of systems in all sorts of formats (IGES, STEP, Parasolid, Pro/E, ACIS to name but a few). I need a system that will let me bring these models in (a lot of time they are surfaces), turn them into a solid and then do some feature recognition so that I can change things like hole sizes, face drafts and round edge dimensions.
Is SolidWorks 2004 a reliable tool to do this? The guy who demonstrated it to me made it look so easy but he was a bit reluctant to try it on my own data.
Any shared experiences, good or bad, I'd love to hear them.
Thanks .....
Is SolidWorks 2004 a reliable tool to do this? The guy who demonstrated it to me made it look so easy but he was a bit reluctant to try it on my own data.
Any shared experiences, good or bad, I'd love to hear them.
Thanks .....






RE: Feature Recognition in SolidWorks 2004
RE: Feature Recognition in SolidWorks 2004
Parasolid - This the first form of translation I recommend, because Parasolid is SW native language.
STEP – This is my second recommendation. This translation comes in most of the time, but it varies between packages.
IGES – This is my third choice. In this translation I see more problems and more surfaces errors in this form.
ACIS – This is my last recommendation – I hardly see any of these files because usually one of the 3 above does a better job.
Featureworks will read anything as long as its a solid, but there is no guarantee that it will get all the features.
Regards,
Scott Baugh, CSWP

http://www.3dvisiontech.com
http://www.scottjbaugh.com
FAQ731-376
RE: Feature Recognition in SolidWorks 2004
RE: Feature Recognition in SolidWorks 2004
Some features can not be recognized quite the way we need to represent them. One example is cuts through a formed curl (we design hinges) in sheet metal. The cuts can be recognized as extruded cuts in the axial direction only. Most of the time, it has been more time-effecive to reconstruct models in SW.
We deal with a lot of CATIA data, which is prone to skewing surfaces that should be perpendicular or parallel. This is usually enough to trash the entire feature recognition process. I consulted a CATIA expert on this issue. His findings were interesting. It seems CATIA has a higher tolerance for recognizing non-parallel surfaces as parallel even in its native formats.
Still, if you are interested, get your VAR to give you a trial. It may work for you.
http://www.EsoxRepublic.com
RE: Feature Recognition in SolidWorks 2004
RE: Feature Recognition in SolidWorks 2004
RE: Feature Recognition in SolidWorks 2004
I would not waste your time on anything goemetrically complex.
John Richards Sr. Mech. Engr.
Rockwell Collins Flight Dynamics
There are only 10 types of people in the world - those who understand binary and those who don't.