Creating the Fifth Feature

Next, you will create the left fin of the cylinder head. It will be created by
extruding a sketch in both the directions using the Mid Plane option. The
sketch of this feature, drawn on the Front Plane, will be dimensioned and
defined such that the length of the fin is driven by the construction arc and the
horizontal dimension. The detailed procedure of drawing, dimensioning, and
defining the sketch is discussed next.

1. Invoke the Extruded Boss/Base tool and select the Front Plane from the
FeatureManager Design Tree.

2. Use the Line tool to draw a triangle and then draw a vertical centerline that
passes through the upper vertex of the triangle, refer to Figure 8­112.

3. Invoke the 3 Point Arc tool and draw the arc, refer to Figure 8­112. Select the
arc and then select the For construction check box from the Options rollout
of the Arc PropertyManager.

4. Invoke the Add Relations PropertyManager and add the coincident relation
between the upper vertex of the triangle and the centerline.

5. Add the midpoint relation between the lower endpoint of the centerline and
the horizontal line of the triangle. Make sure that the Coincident relation
exists between the upper vertex of the triangle and the centerline. Also, add
the vertical relation to the centerline, if it is missing.

6. Add the coincident relation between the upper vertex of the triangle and the
arc.

7. Add the required dimensions and relations to fully define the sketch, refer to
Figure 8­112.

8. Exit the sketching environment and extrude the sketch in both directions using
the Mid Plane option and set the value 130 in the Depth spinner. Choose the
OK button from the PropertyManager. You will notice that the fin extends out
of the base feature at both ends. You will learn how to remove the unwanted
material of the fin later in this tutorial.

Figure 8­112 Sketch for the fin of the cylinder head

Patterning the Fifth Feature
You will pattern the fin using the Vary sketch option from the Linear
Pattern tool. On choosing the Vary sketch option, the geometry of each
instance of the pattern will vary according to the driven dimension and the
relation added to the sketch of the feature to be patterned.

1. Select the fifth feature, if it is not already selected, and choose the Linear
Pattern button from the Features CommandManager to invoke the Linear
Pattern PropertyManager; you are prompted to select the directional
reference.

2. Select the horizontal dimension with the value 6 as the directional reference
from the drawing area.

3. Set the value of the Spacing spinner to 9 and set the value of the Number of
Instances spinner to 13. Choose the Reverse Direction button, if required.

4. Expand the Options rollout and clear the Geometry Pattern check box.

5. Select the Vary sketch check box from this rollout. Select the Full preview
radio button to preview the pattern to be created.

6. Choose the OK button from the Linear Pattern PropertyManager.

The model after adding the pattern feature is shown in Figure 8­113.
Figure 8­113 Model after patterning the fin of the cylinder head
Creating the Cut Feature
The next feature that you will create is a cut feature. Rotate the solid model
using the Rotate View tool. You will observe that the fins of the cylinder head
that you patterned in the last feature extend beyond the boundary of the base
feature. Therefore, to trim the extended portion of the fins, you need to create
a cut feature.

1. Select the top planar face of the base feature as the sketching plane and press
S on the keyboard. Invoke the Extruded Cut tool from the Shortcut toolbar.

2. Draw a sketch using the standard sketch tools. The sketch for this feature will
be the outer profile of the base feature.

Tip You can draw the outer profile of the base feature using the Convert Entities
tool. To do so, select the lower flat face of the base feature and choose the
Convert Entities button from the Sketch toolbar. You will notice that the sketch
similar to the outer boundary of the base feature will be placed on the sketching
plane.

3. Exit the sketching environment and choose the Reverse Direction button
from the Direction 1 rollout and select the Through All option from the End
Condition drop­down list.

Since the side from which the material is to be removed is opposite to the
required side, you need to flip the direction of material removal.

4. Select the Flip side to cut check box from the Direction 1 rollout and choose
the OK button from the Cut­Extrude PropertyManager.

5. Use the Extruded Cut and Extruded Boss/Base tools to create the model, as
shown in Figure 8­114.
 Figure 8­114 Model after adding other extrude and cut features

Patterning the Cut, Extrude, and Hole Features Now, you need to
pattern the previously created cut, extrude, and hole features at the
lower left corner of the model.

1. Invoke the Linear Pattern PropertyManager and select the cut, extrude,
and hole features created on the lower left corner of the model.

2. Select the two directional references to pattern the features in both the
directions and set the distance values between the instances and the number of
instances, refer to Figure 8­108.

3. Choose the OK button from the Linear Pattern PropertyManager.

Creating a Tapped Hole
The last feature of the model is a hole feature. You need to create a tapped
hole by using the Hole Wizard tool and then specify the location of the hole.

1. Select the top face of the middle circular extrude feature as the plane for the
hole feature.

2. Invoke the Hole Specification PropertyManager by choosing the Hole

Wizard button from the Features CommandManager. Next, choose the
Straight Tap button from the Hole Type rollout and select ANSI Metric
from the Standard drop­down list.

3. Select the M18x1.5 option from the Size drop­down list to define the size of
the tap hole.

4. Select the Through All option from the End Condition drop­down list in the
End Condition rollout. Also, select the Through All option from the Thread
drop­down list.

5. Choose the Cosmetic thread button from the Options rollout. Also, select the
With thread callout check box.

6. Choose the Positions tab from the Hole Specification PropertyManager and
move the cursor on the top face of the middle circular extrude feature. Next
click on it to specify a point for the location of the tapped hole. This location
is not the required position to place the hole. Therefore, you need to relocate
the tapped hole concentric with the center circular feature.

7. Invoke the Add Relations PropertyManager and add the Concentric

relation between the center point of the tapped hole and the circular extruded
feature of diameter 30 mm. Now, exit the propery manager.

8. Choose the OK button from the Hole Specification PropertyManager to end

the tapped hole feature creation. The rotated final model is shown in Figure 8­
115.
 Figure 8­115 Final solid model

Tip If the graphic thread is not displayed in the tapped hole, invoke the
Document Properties ­ Detailing dialog box. Select the Shaded cosmetic
threads check box in the Display filter area.

On orienting the model in the top view, you will observe that the thread
convention is visible. Similarly, on orienting the model to the front, back, right,
or left views, you can view the thread conventions of corresponding views.

You can also hide the cosmetic thread. To do so, move the cursor on the
cosmetic thread; the cosmetic thread cursor is displayed. Select the cosmetic
thread; a pop­up toolbar is displayed. Choose Hide Cosmetic Thread to hide the
cosmetic thread.

Displaying the Section View of the Model Next, you need to display
the section view of the model. The section view of the model will be
created using the Section View PropertyManager.

1. Orient the model to the isometric view.

2. Choose the Section View button from the View (Heads­Up) toolbar.

By default, the Front Plane is selected as the section plane in the Section
View PropertyManager. The preview of the section, by using the Front
Plane as the section plane, is displayed in the drawing area.

3. Choose the OK button from the Section View PropertyManager to display

the section view of the model. The section view of the model is shown in
Figure 8­116.

4. Choose the Section View button again from the View (Heads­Up) toolbar to
return to the full view mode.
Figure 8­116 Section view of the model
Changing the Display State
To change the display state, you need to create multiple display states and
change the transparency and color of the feature.

1. Choose the ConfigurationManager button on the top of the

FeatureManager Design Tree; the ConfigurationManager is displayed with
the default display state.

2. Left­click once on <Default>_Display State1 under the Display States area

of the ConfigurationManager to select it. Next, right­click and then choose
the Add Display State option from the shortcut menu displayed; a new
display state is added.

3. Select the newly added display state, press the F2 key, and rename it as
Transparent Fins.

4. Similarly, add one more display state and rename it as Colored Fins.

5. Make sure that the Colored Fins display state is selected. Next, choose the
FeatureManager Design Tree button.

6. Expand the FeatureManager Design Tree by clicking on the arrow on its top
right corner to display the Display Pane.

7. Click once on the boss­extrude feature corresponding to the fin and left­click
on the region corresponding to the appearance of it in the Display Pane; a
flyout is displayed.

8. Choose the Appearance option from the flyout; the Appearances, Scenes,
and Decals task pane with a default material is displayed on the right­side and
the corresponding color PropertyManager is displayed on the left.

9. Select a color of your choice from the Color rollout and set the parameters of
the color in other rollouts.

10. Expand the Display States rollout of the PropertyManager and select the
This display state radio button. Next, choose the OK button from the
 PropertyManager.

11. Similarly, apply the same color to the fins created by linear pattern.

12. Invoke the ConfigurationManager and double­click on the Transparent

Fins display state.

13. Click once on the boss­extrude feature corresponding to the fin and left­click
on the region corresponding to the transparent option of it in the Display
Pane; the fin becomes transparent.

14. Similarly, change the fins that are created by linear pattern to transparent.

15. Invoke the ConfigurationManager and double­click on each display state to

view the model in different display states. Figure 8­117 shows the model in
Transparent Fins display state and Figure 8­118 shows the model with
Colored Fins display state.
Figure 8­117 Model displayed in Transparent Fins display state

Figure 8­118 Model displayed in Colored Fins display state

Saving the Model
1. Save the model with the name c08_tut03 at the location given below.

\Documents\SOLIDWORKS\c08

2. Choose File > Close from the SOLIDWORKS menus to close the document.

SELF­EVALUATION TEST ANSWER THE

FOLLOWING QUESTIONS AND THEN
COMPARE THEM TO THOSE GIVEN AT THE
END OF THIS CHAPTER:
1. The __________ PropertyManager is used to view a section view.

2. A __________ is provided in the drawing area to adjust the offset distance of

a section plane dynamically.

3. The __________ option is used to create a pattern by specifying coordinates.

4. The __________ option is used to create a pattern with respect to sketched

points.

5. The __________ rollout is used to delete pattern instances.

6. To invoke the Mirror PropertyManager, choose View > Pattern/Mirror >

Mirror from the SOLIDWORKS menus. (T/F)
7. If you modify the parent feature, the same change will not be reflected in the
mirrored feature. (T/F)
8. You cannot preselect the mirror plane and feature to be mirrored before
invoking the Mirror tool. (T/F)
9. You can mirror a single face using the Mirror tool. (T/F)
10. You can pattern a patterned feature. (T/F)
Review Questions Answer the following questions:
1. Which of the following PropertyManagers is displayed when you choose the
 Mirror button from the Features tool?

(a) Mirror Feature PropertyManager (b) Mirror All PropertyManager (c)

Mirror PropertyManager (d) Copy/Mirror PropertyManager
2. Which of the following options is used to mirror the exact geometry of a
feature independent of relationships between geometries?

(a) Same Mirror (b) Geometry Pattern (c) Geometry Copy (d) Copy
Geometry
3. Which of the following patterns is created along the sketched lines, arcs, or
splines?

(a) Curve driven pattern (b) Sketch driven pattern (c) Geometry driven pattern
(d) Linear pattern
4. Which of the following dialog boxes is invoked to create a pattern by
specifying coordinate points?

(a) Sketch Driven Pattern (b) Table Driven Pattern (c) Mirror (d) None of
these
5. Which of the following planes is selected by default when you invoke the
Section View PropertyManager to view a section of the model?

(a) Right (b) Top (c) Front (d) Plane 1

6. The __________ check box is used to accommodate all instances of a pattern

along a selected curve.

7. You need to enter coordinates for creating instances in the __________ area
of the Table Driven Pattern dialog box.

8. You need to invoke the __________ to create a rib feature.

9. The __________ check box is used to transfer the visual properties assigned
to the feature or the parent body to the mirrored instance.

10. Select the __________ check box from the Section View PropertyManager
to create a section by using an invisible plane normal to the eye view as the
section plane.
EXERCISES
Exercise 1
Create the model shown in Figure 8­119. The dimensions of the model are given
in the same figure. (Expected time: 1 hr)
 Figure 8­119 Views and dimensions of the model for Exercise 1

Exercise 2
Create the model shown in Figure 8­120. The dimensions of the model are given
in Figure 8­121. (Expected time: 1 hr)
 Figure 8­120 Solid model for Exercise 2

Figure 8­121 Views and dimensions of the model for Exercise 2

Exercise 3
Create the model shown in Figure 8­122. Next, create the section view of the
model using the Right Plane. Figure 8­123 shows the section view of the model
whose dimensions are given in Figure 8­124. (Expected time: 45 min)
Figure 8­122 Solid model for Exercise 3
Figure 8­123 Section view of the model
 Figure 8­124 Views and dimensions of the model for Exercise 3

Exercise 4
Create the model shown in Figure 8­125. Next, create the section view of the
model using the Front Plane. Figure 8­126 shows the section view of the model
whose dimensions are given in Figure 8­127. (Expected time: 45 min)
Figure 8­125 Solid model for Exercise 4
Figure 8­126 Section view of the model
 Figure 8­127 Views and dimensions of the model for Exercise 4

Answers to Self­Evaluation Test 1. Section View, 2. drag handle, 3. Table

Driven Pattern, 4. Sketch Driven Pattern, 5. Instances to Skip, 6. F, 7. F, 8.
F, 9. F, 10. T
Chapter 9

Editing Features

LEARNING OBJECTIVES AFTER COMPLETING THIS

CHAPTER, YOU WILL BE ABLE TO: • EDIT FEATURES.
• Edit the sketch plane of the sketch­based features.
• Cut, copy, and paste features and sketches.
• Delete features and bodies.
• Suppress and unsuppress features.
• Move or copy bodies.
• Reorder features.
• Roll back the model.
• Rename features.
• Use the What’s Wrong functionality.

EDITING THE FEATURES OF A MODEL

Editing is one of the most important aspects of the product design cycle. Almost
all designs require editing during or after their creation. As discussed earlier,
SOLIDWORKS is a feature­based parametric software. Therefore, the design
created in SOLIDWORKS is a combination of individual features integrated
together to form a solid model. All these features can be edited individually.

For example, Figure 9­1 shows a base plate with some drilled holes. To replace
the four drilled holes with four counterbore holes, you need to perform an
editing operation. For editing the holes, you need to select the hole feature and
right­click; a shortcut menu will be displayed. Choose the Edit Feature tool
from the shortcut menu to invoke the Hole Specification PropertyManager.
Alternatively, select the hole feature and do not move the mouse; a pop­up
toolbar will be displayed. Choose the Edit Feature tool from the pop­up toolbar
to display the Hole Specification PropertyManager. Set the new parameters in
the Hole Specification PropertyManager and end the feature modification; the
drilled holes will be automatically replaced by the counterbore holes, as shown
in Figure 9­2.

Figure 9­1 Base plate with drilled holes

 Figure 9­2 Base plate with counterbore holes

Similarly, you can also edit the reference geometry and the sketches of the
sketch­based features. When you modify the reference geometry, the feature
created using the reference geometry is also modified. For example, if you create
a feature on a plane at some angle and then edit the angle of the plane, the
resulting feature will be automatically modified. In SOLIDWORKS, you can
perform editing tasks using various methods, which are discussed next.

Editing Using the Edit Feature Tool In SOLIDWORKS,

the Edit Feature tool is the most commonly used tool for
editing. To edit a feature of the model using this tool,
select the feature from the FeatureManager Design
Tree or from the drawing area. Next, right­click on it to
invoke the shortcut menu and choose the Edit Feature
tool from it, as shown in Figure 9­3; the Property
Manager will be invoked depending on the feature
selected. Alternatively, select the feature and do not move
the mouse; a pop­up toolbar will be displayed. Choose
the Edit Feature tool from the pop­up toolbar to display
the Property Manager. You can modify the parameters of
that feature using the Property Manager. The Property
Manager has the sequence name of the feature, as shown
in Figure 9­4. After editing the parameters, choose the
OK button to complete the feature creation; the feature
will be modified automatically.