Blog What’s New in SOLIDWORKS 2018 Drawings Enhancements
As we continue our blog series covering what’s new in SOLIDWORKS 2018, we’re excited about drawing enhancements and expect you will be too. SOLIDWORKS 2018 drawings features allow you to quickly create part and assembly drawings from 3D designs.
In this blog we cover drawing enhancements new in SOLIDWORKS 2018 including: the ability to insert 3D model views, automatic Advanced Hole callouts, layer support for cross hatching, new trailing zero display options, broken out section view support for Section View and Alternate Position View, and an all uppercase switch capability for text in tables.
SOLIDWORKS 2018 drawings enhancements increase your productivity
SOLIDWORKS 2018 introduces some powerful new productivity enhancements for drawings. 3D model views are a great way of communicating product manufacturing information (PMI) that’s been applied directly to using SOLIDWORKS DimXpert and SOLIDWORKS MBD, however for many companies, a 2D drawing is still required as a final deliverable.
In SOLIDWORKS 2018, when adding new views to a drawing, any pre-existing 3D model views now appear in the view Palette ready for placement onto the drawing sheet. A variety of options lets you choose which annotations types to include and a simple drag and drop is all that’s required to place the new view.
Advanced Hole Callout feature in SOLIDWORKS 2018 drawings capabilities
Now you can leverage the power of model based design to help you create drawings even faster. The Advanced Hole feature is a powerful tool for creating complex, multi-step holes. In SOLIDWORKS 2018 drawings, you can now quickly and easily detail an advanced hole using the Advanced Hole Callout feature. As you place the callout, new options give you control over how the information is displayed. Now you can apply all the information necessary to document multi-step holes in an instant.
More flexibility over how drawing information is displayed in SOLIDWORKS 2018
SOLIDWORKS 2018 drawing capabilities include creating a section view by cutting the parent view with a cutting, or section line. The section view can be a straight cut section or an offset section defined by a stepped section line. The section line can also include concentric arcs.
SOLIDWORKS 2018 offers even more flexibility over how drawing information is displayed. When working with section views, layers can be used to set cross hatching visibility, style and color. Layers have been available in SOLIDWORKS for many years, allowing users to assign drawings entities to them and control many visual aspects including visibility as well as line color, thickness, and style. New in SOLIDWORKS 2018, hatches can be added to layers, providing even greater flexibility when working with cross sections or adding hatches manually.
Setting Trailing Zeroes in dimensions is easier to control in SOLIDWORKS 2018
Using a new set of options in the document setting, you can specify the trailing zero display for dimensions, tolerances, and properties independently of one another. This removes unnecessary details and makes your drawings easier to read for everyone involved.
SOLIDWORKS 2018 gives you more freedom when creating complex drawing views
Now you can create broken out sections of an existing section and alternate position views. For example, the video above shows a demonstration of this capability starting with the view of a hinge mechanism. After first defining the broken out region, the new Randomize Scale option can be used to increase clarity by mixing up the cross hatch scaling of each component.
The video demonstration also shows how moving to an alternate position view of the hinge mechanism, a pre-sketch circle can be used to create a broken out section detailing an arm and bracket fixing area. These are just a couple of examples of how you can create complex, broken out sections of more view types with minimal effort.
SOLIDWORKS 2018 features an all uppercase switch capability for text in tables
Company standards often require that all text on a drawing should be capitalized. Now in SOLIDWORKS 2018 when editing tables, a handy new option on the Table tool bar enables you to instantly switch all text to uppercase regardless of how it was typed.
These are some of the powerful new productivity enhancements in SOLIDWORKS 2018 that will help you get your designs documented faster than ever.
Learn more about new capabilities in SOLIDWORKS 2018 by checking out the related articles from this blog series below and be sure to visit your SOLIDWORKS 2018 resource center for video demonstrations, datasheets and more.
Related Articles – What’s New in SOLIDWORKS 2018 Series
About the Author
Christa Prokos is a marketing manager at Fisher Unitech. She researches and writes about the latest business trends and technologies impacting manufacturers, including 3D printing, SOLIDWORKS 3D CAD design and product data management tools, product lifecycle management, virtual reality, and the Internet of Things. Christa has worked as a high tech marketing and communications professional since 2000. You can follow her on Twitter: @ChristaProkos.