Page 357 - Mastering SolidWorks

|
330 CHAPTER 10 USIng EqUATIOnS

Linking to External Equations
You can use externally saved equations to share equations between models. To export an
equation, click the Export button on the right side of the Equations dialog box, as shown in
Figure 10.15. To link the current model to the externally saved equation, make sure the Link To
External File option is checked at the bottom left of the Equation Export dialog box, as shown in
Figure 10.16.

Figure 10.16
Saving an equation to an
external file

The equation is saved to a simple *.txt file. The default name for the external equation text
file is equations.txt. You can change the name if you like, but remember that if you use
Windows Explorer to change the name or change it with the referencing file closed, SolidWorks
will not know that the filename has been changed. At the bottom of the Equations dialog box is a
path for a linked equation file. You can link to only one equation file at a time.
To link to an existing equation from a SolidWorks model, use the Import button in the
Equations dialog box. Also be aware that only equations and global variables can be shared
in this way.
TIP Having the equations in multiple parts linked by an external text file is a nice technique for creat-
ing families of parts without the need of an assembly or a configuration table.

Tutorial: Using Equations
Get some practice with using equations by following these steps:
1. Start from the part with the filename Chapter10 Tutorial Start.sldprt in the down-
load materials, shown in Figure 10.17.