SolidWorkds - Sweep

Sweep is a common feature in most of the CAD software to produce a solid. As mentioned before (see here), to make the sweep feature, you would need a "sweep profile" and a "sweep path". In SolidWorks, the sweep path need not coincide the sweep profile.

Compared to other CAD software, SolidWorks sweep feature offers a lot additional options.

Options

The first options on the feature shown is very useful for creating twisting solid. For demonstration, you could see the picture below. The shown solid is created by choosing "Twist Along Path" for 3 turns.

Guide Curves

Guide curve function allows you to have the sweeping profile to follow the guide curve in addition to following the sweeping path. User can select more than one guide curves to create complex solids.

Start/End Tangency

The Start/End tangency allow you to have the starting or ending profile of the swept solid to be tangential to either the sweeping path or another specified directional vector.

Thin Feature

Same like extrude and revolve, sweep function also allow user to have thin-feature option to make a hollow solid.

Gallery - Range Rover Classic

The Range Rover Classic is the second car I model after the Nissan 370Z Fairlady. Compared to my first car model, I feel that this is a much better model. Having much more details, all the surfaces are smooth, no abrupt transition between adjacent surfaces. Took me around a month to complete (averaging two hours per day).

The main assembly itself consists of:

• The body shell (including all the doors and windows)
• Wheel (the tire and the rim)
• Headlights and fog-lights.

Not a very realistic assembly tree (I need much more powerful computer to make realistic assembly tree!), but nonetheless, it looks quite a like the real thing though =)

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UPDATE

Further project, I would like to make the assembly looks more real, Probably to separate the side mirror with the body shell assembly so that I can have it folded =)

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The full assembly - shown with the guide curves and sketches.

Head light, fog light, and front grill.

The wheel - one part that I think really look alike the actual one.

Front air intake

Side mirror - Still in one piece with the body shell.

Gallery - Watch

This model was amongst my first few models when I was learning CAD modeling. Was done using SolidWorks, All the components are  created by Extrude and Revolve function only.

The biggest challenge of this model is that the chain that is not exactly flat, but at some certain radius. Nevertheless, it could be done using a simple revolve cut.

If you are interested to download the raw files, you can download it here.

The hook - not that easy to model a fully functioning hook

Overall Assembly

One of the most difficult section to model back then.

The other end

Back-side of the chain

SolidWorks - Revolve

Same like the extrude function, the revolve function is also divided into two category, the Revolved Boss/Base and Cut-Revolve. To understand the basic operation of revolve function and the difference between boss and cut, refer here.

Accessing the Function
Similar like the extrude function, you could access the revolve function from the ribbon.

Alternatively, you can go to Insert > Boss/Base > Revolve for Revolved Boss/Base. For Revolved Cut, you can click Insert > Cut > Revolve.

Revolved Options

Just like Extrude function, the Revolve function also has few options. The interface of the function is shown in picture below.

Revolve Type

Under Revolve-Type option, there are few options could be chosen, which are Blind, Up To Vertex, Up To Surface, Offset From Surface, and Mid Plane. By default, it is set to Blind. All these options has its own advantages, depending on its application.

Thin Feature

Just like Extrude, you can also have Thin Feature option on Revolve. The Thin-Feature option would create an offset to the selected profile. The offset distance is determined by the user. Thin-feature is extremely useful for doing a piping modeling.

The effect of Thin-Feature is seen in figure below, where a revolve angle of 270 degree, Thin-Feature with offset distance of 5 mm is determined by the user. The result would be a 3/4 revolution of hollow pipe.

Selected Contours

When there are more than one closed loop contours, user can choose which contours they wish to revolve. This works the same way as Selected Contours in Extrude function.

SolidWorks - Extrude

There are two types of extrude in SolidWorks, Boss-extrude and Cut-Extrude. The main difference between these two is that Boss-extrude is used to add material, and Cut-Extrude is to remove material (read more about add and remove material here).

Accessing the Function

The easiest way to access these two functions is through the icon on the ribbon.

Alternatively, these functions could be accessed by clicking Insert > Boss/Base > Extrude for Boss-Extrude or Insert > Cut > Extrude for Cut-Extrude.

Extrusion Options

Opening up the menu, there are few features that you can play with. 

Starting Condition

The starting condition defines where the extrusion would start. By default, it would be from the sketching plane. However, you could select other options such as from specified surface, or by defining an offset distance from the sketch plane.

Starting Condition Options

End Condition

The end condition options allow you to determine how you are going to terminate the extrusion feature. The default is on blind, where you specify the depth of the extrusion. You could use a surface to specify the depth of the extrusion in the event where the desired depth is not known.

End Condition Options

Draft Angle

The draft-angle option allow you to create a draft angle along the extrusion instead of having it perpendicular to the sketching plane. For example, applying draft angle on a circular sketch would result in a conical shape as shown below.

Draft Angle Option

Thin-Feature

The thin-feature function allow you to create a hollow solid with certain wall thickness.

Thin-feature option 

You can have cap-ends function as well to have the center section to be end-capped. The thickness of the cap is user defined.

Effect of having end-caps option

Selecting Contours

In the event where there are more than one closed-loop region in the sketch, you could select which region you want to extrude using the selected-contours option. For illustration, there are four closed loop region shown in figure below, and two are selected to be extruded.

Selected Contours option

This operation would result a solid which looks like this:

Resulted Solid

SolidWorks - Orienting the View

In all CAD software, there are three most fundamental view orientation could be done: pan, rotate, and zoom. In each software, how to navigate the view can varies. Here is how you can navigate your view in SolidWorks.

Pan

To pan the view, you need to hold down the ctrl key and the mouse scroll button while moving your mouse to the direction you want to move.

Rotate

Rotate view can be achieved simply by holding the mouse scroll button, and move your mouse to the direction you want to rotate. Rotation could be achieved by using the arrow keys as well.

Zoom

To zoom view, you could scroll up your mouse to zoom out, and scroll down to zoom in the view. There are another method that you could use using the button in view setting region.

   Zoom to fit - clicking on this icon would zoom the model to fit the window.

   Zoom to area - to zoom in to an area that you select. Clicking this icon would prompt you to select the area which you want to zoom in.

   Previous view - to display the previous view state.

Other than using this options, SolidWorks also have very useful tool to orientate the view accurately. The orientation menu could be trigerred by pressing space bar. 

On the orientation menu, there are view options you could choose by double-clicking on the view name. For example if you select front, SolidWorks would automatically orientate the view such that user would view the front of the model. To use the *Nomal To view, a surface should be selected in advance.

You could also save certain view that you want by clicking on the New View icon.

SolidWorks - User Interface

For basic operation, new user should be familiar with the most basic SolidWorks interfaces. The basic interface of Solidworks is shown below:

- Workspace

Workspace is where your 3D model is displayed.

- Function tree

Function tree contains all your building features in order from the earliest on top, to the latest below. For assembly, the function tree contains all the parts that form the assembly.

The topmost of the function tree is always occupied by default features such as the top, front, and right plane; and origin.

- Ribbon

Ribbon contains the shortcuts to the most commonly used functions. The ribbon itself contains few tabs such as features, sketch, evaluate, etc. User could customize what tab they want in the ribbon.

- View Setting

The view setting contains some options regarding the view of the model. Some options that could be chosen such as section view, view orientation, view display, background scene, zoom, etc.

- Library

The library contains some pre-defined function of standard components such as bolt, nut, washer, and others.

- Customizable toolbar

If you feel that the ribbon is not enough to contain all the shortcut you want to use, you can customize your own toolbar. In the picture shown, I am putting selection filter in the toolbar.