Page 229 - Mastering SolidWorks

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200 CHAPTER 6 GettinG More froM Your SketcheS

Figure 6.18 shows the Sensor PropertyManager. You can create sensors for measurements,
simulation data, or mass properties. I included sensors in this chapter due to the measurement
options, which enable you to select a dimension and set a range of values or criteria for which
you want to be notified. The dimension can be a driving (black) sketch dimension, a driven
(gray) dimension on a sketch, or even a driven dimension placed directly on solid geometry.

Figure 6.18
The Sensor
PropertyManager

Figure 6.18 shows what happens when a sensor finds a condition that you asked it to notify
you about.
In addition to turning sensor alarms on or off, you can suppress sensors when they are no
longer needed or to improve performance.
Sensors are a great way to keep an eye on particular values, such as wall thickness or clear-
ance between parts. You can use a sensor to monitor any value you want to monitor but don’t
drive directly.

Using Metadata for Sketches
Metadata in SolidWorks is nongeometrical text information attached to geometrical data.
Metadata is particularly helpful as keywords in searches, in Product Data Management (PDM)
applications, or as custom properties in drawing and tables. If you don’t use metadata within
your CAD documents, it can be easy to forget that it is there at all.
You can use the following items as metadata in SolidWorks files:
◆ Sketch and feature names
◆ Sketch and feature comments (access comments via the RMB menu)

◆ Custom properties
◆ Design Binder documents
◆ Tags for features (located in the lower-right corner of the status bar)
Metadata searches can be particularly useful in large assemblies or parts with long lists of
features that you need to find or search through. You can conduct searches for metadata through