2012 SolidWorks Help! 2

[georgie32]

Hi guys, my name is Georgie and I am new to the forums and to SolidWorks 2012. I have recently installed it on my Mac using Parallels and it works great except for a few things. I am unable to figure out how to pan the view using the mouse and for some reason now many tools in the Sketch menu are shaded and I can't use them. I know this must be something really basic but I appreciate your input.

Thanks and best regards,


Georgie

 

[raneu]

Hold down the ctrl and middle mouse button to pan. Sounds like you are not editing the sketch, if the sketch tools are greyed out.

 

[Updraft]

Georgie,

Since you are new to SWX you would do yourself a huge favor by investing in a little time to work through ALL the SWX tutorials. Go to Help -> SolidWorks Tutorials.

- - -Updraft

 

[CorBlimeyLimey]

Assuming you are using the mouse and software correctly, it could be a mouse/driver or graphics/driver problem.

What graphics card is installed?

 

[kellnerp]

Macs have one button mice. Do you have a three button mouse?

So many things in SWX use the three button mouse. RMB menus are a big deal.

TOP
CSWP, BSSE

http://www.engtran.com

http://www.niswug.org

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Phenom IIx6 1100T = 8GB = FX1400 = XP64SP2 = SW2009SP3
"Node news is good news."

 

[georgie32]

Thanks guys for all the posts. I have been busy and haven't had the chance to reply. The issues I have gone around to find middle ground so in short, Parallels won't allow my middle button to work that easily so I need to get more info on that. The sketcher works fine but still there are some things for me to figure out. The only thing that bugs me with solidworks is that its difficult to add a reference to a drawing as easily as it is in Pro E where you go to the Sketch reference menu > Reference and thats it. Any ideas?

Thanks again.

 

[CorBlimeyLimey]

Please explain what you mean by "its difficult to add a reference to a drawing". Do you mean linking a note/text to a model property?

 

[georgie32]

Hey there. What I'm trying to do is assign a reference to a particular feature in a drawing, say an edge or a radius for another part to be a child of a main feature. Hope I'm expressing myself correctly. Thanks for looking!

 

[CorBlimeyLimey]

Now I'm more confused. Are you talking about the features in a 3D model or a 2Ddrawing?

Perhaps an image or three would explain better.

 

[georgie32]

3D. Are you familiar with Pro E? Because pro E has this ability under the menu Sketch > Reference and I don't see this in sw.

 

[CorBlimeyLimey]

Unfortunately, I am not familiar with Pro/E. That's why I am having trouble understanding the terms you are using; especially when you refer to a model as a drawing.

SW may have the function you are looking for, but it will probably have a different name and toolbar location.

 

[raneu]

Try using convert entities, using the existing sketch in one part and converting the edge in a sketch in another part.

Example. Part A has a pocket. In the assembly, edit part B and create a sketch. Select the edge of the pocket, or the pocket sketch in part A and convert entities. This will copy the edges to your sketch in part B and when you edit part A, the sketch in part B will change.

Not sure if this is what you want, but it is how I am reading it.

 

[kellnerp]

SW is not Pro/E. Parent Child relationships are not explicitly controlled in that way.

If you RMB on a feature, be it a sketch, face or body you can get a Parent/Child dialog to come up to see what is going on.

To control parent child relationships in SW the one method I have found requires suppressing everything below the parent and then creating new features.

Pro/E is pretty complicated in this regard compared to SWX.

TOP
CSWP, BSSE

http://www.engtran.com

http://www.niswug.org

http://www.linkedin.com/in/engineeringtransport

Phenom IIx6 1100T = 8GB = FX1400 = XP64SP2 = SW2009SP3
"Node news is good news."

 

[jassco]

Hi, georgie32:

You do not need to define explicit references in Solidworks as you would do in Pro-E. Unlike Pro-E, all entities in SW are available for you to reference in your assembly. You do not need to create an reference.

I recommend that you read through SW tutorials on "bottom up" and "top down" assembly techniques.

Best regards,

Alex

 

[naveedm1]

i need help guys I have got a part with a round cavity in between and a smaller square part that i need to put inside the cavity.

but the gaps i want to fill with a glue and then i wnat to test the strenght of the join and analyse it further.

( this is just a basic model i want to try to learn the process)

the overall goal is to insert my human elbow prosthesis inside the human ulna and humeral bone and then test the prosthesis to see where it keeps on faili

Help is needed!

 

[SnowCrash]

naveedm1, you need to start a new thread, not hijack an existing discussion.

--
Hardie "Crashj" Johnson
SW 2011 SP 4.0
HP Pavillion Elite HPE
W7 Pro, Nvidia Quaddro FX580

 

[mjcole]

Macs have one button mice. Do you have a three button mouse?

Untrue, Macs have touch sensitive mice with options on whether to use the right side of the mouse as right click or not. They also have pretty sweet Roller wheels and side buttons if you have that type. You can use Logi or other USB tech mice as well. In Fact right now I'm using a Mac Mouse on my Windows PC for SolidWorks of course I'm using AutoHotKey to customize my Arrow Keys into Middle and Right button because my Mac mouse is from an older system and is the 1 button variety.

CAD_Test.ahk
#IfWinActive, SolidWorks
XButton1::Send {Escape} ;Left side scroll button 4
XButton2::Send {Enter} ;Right side scroll button 5
Left::LButton
Up::MButton
Right::RButton
DOWN::Enter
MEDIA_PLAY_PAUSE::Mbutton

http://www.autohotkey.com

AutoHotkey is a freely downloadable tool That allows customizing WWindows to your liking.

For Sketch References in SW Convert entities is how you go about it Wildfire 5's CTRL+Sel entities RMB constraints list was borrowed from SolidWorks as they drastically tried to improve the UI you can now make ellipses that can be rotated at angles other than 90degrees. SolidWorks has also had this capability for years.

ProE's Intent Manager can't be matched by SolidWorks but if you use Convert Entities you can just turn the Ref into construction to use as reference and not for geometry. SolidWorks Sketch expert is best in Manual mode for us ProE users out there.


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Boston, MA
CSWP, CSWI, CSWTS
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@ TrajPar - @ Shweep
= ProE = SolidWorks

 

[naveedm1]

sorry snowcrash my bad!!