Page 152 - Mastering SolidWorks

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Creating a Simple part 121

Figure 4.11
The Thin Feature panel
and a thin feature
extrusion

The Cap Ends option is available only when you specify a Thin Feature to be created from a
closed-loop sketch. This creates a hollow, solid body in a single step. You can also use Thin
Features with cuts, and they are very useful for creating slots or grooves.

Using Contour Selection
SolidWorks sketches are easiest to control when the sketches are neat and clean, when nothing
overlaps, and when no extra entities exist. However, when you need to use a sketch that does not
meet these criteria, you can use contour selection as an alternative method. Contour selection
enables you to select areas completely bounded by sketch entities for use with features such as
Extrude. For example, you could use a sketch like the number sign (#) where lines do not connect
at end points. You can use contour selection to select the box in the center, which is completely
bound by sketch elements. Figure 4.12 shows an extrude feature making use of contour selection
in a sketch.

Figure 4.12
Using contour selection