Page 48 - Mastering SolidWorks

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16 CHAPTER 1 IntroduCIng SolIdWorkS

Table 1.2: feature types
Sketch Optional (uses No Sketch
Sketch Required faces or edges) (Applied Features)
extrude loft fillet
revolve Sweep Chamfer

rib dome draft
hole Wizard Boundary Shell
Wrap deform flex

In addition to these features, other types of features create reference geometry, such as curves,
planes, axes, and surface features (Chapter 32); specialty features for techniques like sheet metal
(Chapter 34, “Using SolidWorks Sheet Metal Tools”); and plastics/mold tools (Chapter 38,
“Using Plastic Features,” and Chapter 39, “Using Mold Tools”).

Understanding History-Based Modeling

In addition to being feature-based, SolidWorks is also history-based. The process history is shown
in a panel to the left side of the SolidWorks window called the FeatureManager. The
FeatureManager keeps a list of the features in the order in which you have added them. It also
enables you to reorder items in the tree (in effect, to change history). Because of this, the order in
which you perform operations is important. For example, consider Figure 1.11. This model was
created by the following process, left to right starting with the top row:

1. Create a sketch.
2. Extrude the sketch.
3. Create a second sketch.
4. Extrude the second sketch.
5. Create a third sketch.

6. Extrude Cut the third sketch.
7. Apply fillets.
8. Shell the model.
If the operations used in the previous part were slightly reordered (by putting the shell and
fillet features before Step 6), the resulting part would look slightly different, as shown in
Figure 1.12. You can find this part in the download materials for this chapter.