Re: SolidWorks

At 07:20 PM 6/27/01 -0700, Fitch R. Williams wrote:

>How are legacy drawings maintained? Will old drawings load into the
>new version of the program?

Oh, yes, old files will always load. SW gives a message "file will be
converted when saved" when you bring in an old model.

In SW, drawings per se are a byproduct of the solid model. You don't do a
drawing directly. After you have your solid model built (extrudes,
revolves, lofts, cuts, chamfers, fillets etc) the program can make a
drawing with the standard 3 views, projected views, sections, etc. All
dimensions are linked back to the model, so if you change a size on the
model it will be reflected in the drawing. When we go out to vendors, we
generally give them the solid model (or an IGES of it) and a PDF of the
drawing.

We just had a batch of molded plastic parts quoted. The molds were
extremely reasonable, especially given that they were nice P20 steel and
all. When we met with the molder and moldmaker to give them the purchase
order, but they told us they'd need to requote. We found out later that,
although they had both the model and dimensioned drawing, they imported the
file somehow as centimeters into their CAM program (i.e. they thought a
part was 10cm wide instead of 10 inches) The revised quote came in a lot
higher, and they lost the bid. I had a really good laugh about that,
thinking about the Stonehenge scene from "Spinal Tap" movie...

Best regards,

Randy "the problem may have been, that there was a Stonehenge monument on
the stage that was in danger of being crushed by a dwarf"

Randy Gordon-Gilmore ,----.___________ ______________ _________________
ProtoTrains // = = === == || == == == = || == == == = == =|
Rio Vista, CA, USA /-O==O------------o==o------------o==o-----------o==o-'
zephyrus@... http://www.rickadee.net/~zephyrus