Solidworks, - working in assembly mode - how to draw parts around an organic shape 2

[DoctorGonzo]

Hello
I am modeling a part for commercial/advertising purposes and the final goal is that it looks good on the promotion sheet.
This part is a gaming controller that is placed around operator's hand.

So I take a model of human hand as a base

http://grabcad.com/library/human-left-hand

and I want to make extruded parts that go around the fingers. (an organic shape)

I cannot tell Solidworks to let me create parts (controller) over an existing (hand) model.
I need a plane to sketch on but I cannot create a new plane before I start a new part.
Sounds silly but it appears to me like it is a vicious cycle.

I would greatly appreciate links to the right Youtube videos to teach me how to model a design like this.
This is better than telling me what buttons to click.
Thank you.

 

[Eltron]

There are a couple of ways to do it. You can look up "in context design" or you can do it with multibody parts. For in context design there are plenty of tutorials and examples out there, including in the Help. I prefer tackling this kind of design with multibody parts. This can also be called "master modeling technique". Insert your hand model into an empty part file (insert/part) and model directly in part mode.

Dan

http://www.eltronresearch.com

Dan's Blog

 

[CorBlimeyLimey]

One method;
Insert the hand into a new part.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8Fu-XNBqG7M

Extrude a non-merged rectangular shape over the fingers.
Use the Combine tool with the Subtract option to remove the volume of the hand from the rectangle.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lMfUNK9fsek

Use the Split tool to create a separate body for each finger.
Cut away what you don't need from the finger body.

Another method;
With the hand part open, use offset, trimmed & thickened surfaces to create the controller parts for each finger.