Improved 3D PDF Dimensions and Annotations

One of my favorite enhancements is the improvement in the display of our dimensions and other annotations. These are now viewable in the 3D views and viewports, with no data loss. This also applies to 3D PDFs showing component dimensions, feature dimensions, and DimXpert annotations.

Modify Datum for Auto Dimension Schemes

It is very common to use the Auto Dimension Scheme when you’re starting your MBD project. This tool gives us plenty of options, including Plus and Minus or Geometric Tolerancing types. For this prismatic part, we can define the datum planes by model faces. For the primary Datum, we use these four top faces together as a group. The side and bottom faces of the model will round up the selection of the Secondary and Tertiary Datums.

Next, we need to identify the model features that we want to define the tolerancing of. We do this by selecting the faces of the cuts, extrusions, and other features. Once complete, SOLIDWORKS indicates which faces are adequately toleranced with green shading.

Now, we need to modify the part design to add a boss in the middle. Looking at our tolerance status after this change, SOLIDWORKS isn’t highlighting the new geometry in green like the rest of the model.

Now, in SOLIDWORKS MBD 2023, we can edit features of items like our previously created datums. This makes it easy to add the top face of this new extrusion to the existing group of faces that represent the Primary Datum.

SOLIDWORKS MBD Wedge Feature Support

Let’s look at the cut-out at the top edge of this part. Here, we have two opposing nonparallel faces. I have some great news for you. SOLIDWORKS MBD 2023 now supports wedge features! We can use wedge geometry to define a geometric tolerance or even create a wedge datum.

Added ISO Standard Symbols

It is well known that SOLIDWORKS has a massive library of symbols. In 2022, SOLIDWORKS added additional Tolerance symbols. Well, SOLIDWORKS MBD 2023 takes this to a whole new level. You can now apply ISO 14405-1:2016 standards-based symbols to dimensions and tolerances. You can easily add these symbols straight from the symbol library, or from the Tolerance Modifier section in the DimXpert Property Manager.

MBD Helps with “Hanging” Dimensions

Here is another excellent enhancement to SOLIDWORKS MBD 2023. This machined part contains holes in overhanging geometry. It is easy to define a locating dimension to call out the vertical position of this hole. Once placed, the annotation can be difficult to interpret due to the dimension’s extension line terminating out in space.

Now, in SOLIDWORKS 2023, we have a new setting that controls the display of the dimension in this situation. In the DimXpert section of our Document Properties, we have several Display Options.

Enabling this new option for “Connect Dimension Extension Lines to Model” can make this annotation much easier to understand.

I hope this part of the What’s New series gives you a better understanding of the new features and functions of SOLIDWORKS 2023. Please check back to the CATI Blog as the CATI Application Engineers will continue to break down many of the new items in SOLIDWORKS 2023. All these articles will be stored in the category of “SOLIDWORKS What’s New.”

Greg Buter
Application Engineer Manager
Computer Aided Technology

What is Design Innovation Month?

DESIGN INNOVATION MONTH 2022 – Live Events, Webinars, Virtual Showroom, Contests

Design Innovation Month is CATI’s “What’s New in 2023” event for SOLIDWORKS, 3DEXPERIENCE, and 3D Printing & 3D Scanning technology. This year we’re going back to the future to bring you in-person events, live and on-demand webinars, demonstrations, in-depth blog posts, and prizes! Best of all, it’s free of charge! Check the DI Month Hub for all the details and to sign up for your nearest live event.

“There is no information that you can put in a Drawing that you can’t put in a 3D model”

I know that will get a reaction and some of you may cry foul. It has long been commented by those opposing MBD that a Drawing is needed to completely document a part for manufacturing. The Drawing contains the standard notes, title block information including Part Number, Revision, signed approvals (authorization), dates , material specs, even a proprietary legal statement. But we can document them without a Drawing.

So can we have a single file that would integrate all the data you would but into a Drawing and the contain the 3D model? Yes, you can. You can embed all the information from a Drawing into the 3D model and have a single source of the truth for manufacturing and quality – the SLDPRT. And all the information is consumable in a in the free viewer eDrawings. The ability to document a physical part, create the toolpaths needed to manufacture, and create inspection documentation can all be had in the one SLDPRT file type. Not that I like to draw comparisons to ancient Drafting software, but this is kind of like the old days where one file had paper space and model space to define a part.

We all know that SOLIDWORKS has DimXpert to dimension a model in 3D space. I always tell people that we model for Design Intent, and we break a model into features to make it easy to edit. That means that our sketch dimensions aren’t necessarily what the manufacturing people need to see. We can document those dimensions in the 3D model with DimXpert. But that is a pretty well known capability.

So let’s focus on some of the lesser known capabilities SOLIDWORKS has to offer here like all the important information that goes into the title block. The ability to embed a Title Block came out with the introduction of MBD way back in 2015, but you don’t need a MBD license to use this function. That Title Block is going to look and behave just like you would expect. It will contain approvals, dates, and model metadata. For those of you using PDM, all the approvals and metadata will interact with 3D Title Block the same way it would on a drawing. When you couple that with the ability to add your standard note block, there is no information missing that would necessitate a Drawing. Here is what it would look like when opened in SOLIDWORKS. The Title Block and standard notes are associated with the “Notes Area” annotation view which can be set to “Show on Open”, ensuring the information is not hidden.

From a licensing standpoint, it is functionality that is embedded in all levels of SOLIDWORKS so you can experiment with this using the license you already own. The MBD license gives you the ability to organize all this data into easy to consume 3D Views. Much like the old paper Drawings had a Front, Top and Right view we can create 3D Views that have the same information in them. You can see in the screenshot above that I have multiple view icons across the bottom to represent and give quick access to those views.

All this information is consumable in the free Version of eDrawings as well. Including access to the predefined 3D Views.

I think it goes without saying that I am an advocate for Model Based Design. In fact, check out a CATI podcast where Nick, Bryan and I discuss the value of drawings and whether or not we need them in the modern world.

Just to fess up though, there are a couple of shortcomings with MBD that involve tables that can’t go into a 3D Model. The Weldment CutList, Punch List and the Hole Tables are not available for insertion into 3D. The Weldment Cutlist can be had by using a BOM though. Indented BOMs with a “Detailed Cut List” option will have the proper info as long as there is a Length column.

Hopefully, I have piqued your interest enough to investigate MBD as an option. I think you’ll see it is a comprehensive option for documenting your models without the need for a secondary file. Even SOLIDWORKS Inspection can create reports directly off the 3D!

Jay Pinheiro
Manager, Strategic Solutions
Computer Aided Technology