Kubotek to SolidWorks... the struggle...

Looking for help, I know SolidWorks is capable of greater speeds but I just can't seem to conform to the style.


I came from a Kubotek 6.3 environment, and getting used to starting everything in a 2d environment is tough... struggling with all these constraints that Solidworks seems to have. When I sketched in Kubo, it was freespace solids sculpting, didn't really matter where I drew solid features in space because I always could easily just move stuff around to where I wanted it and do the appropriate function once I got it there. It seemed a much more efficient way to get stuff created quickly and correctly... I guess I want to know if there is a simple solid move command in Solidworks similar to the move command in Kubotek.


Right now I have an un-restrained solid out in free space in SolidWorks, but I can't seem to get it to go where I need it onto the body I want to add it to. I've tried the move/copy bodies function but everytime I go to place it using the mate settings, it just doesn't seem to have the right idea of what I need it to do. Do I have to change planes to get it to move in 3d space?


In Kubotek, if I had 2 solids sketched in different spots, I would simply get the move command, click on the part I was moving, click where my base position was on that solid, go to the solid I was moving it to, and click which point I was moving it to. (like say, midpoint to midpoint) And the solids would not "merge" when they got there either, I'd have to union them. This is probably a function similar to what is in AutoCAD, but always seemed to work just fine.


Like I said... it's a struggle going from a free universe of solids sculpting to what would seem to be a super-conformed 2d to 3dsketch hell. I'm looking at a part that used to take me 5 minutes, now it takes me an hour or two just clunking along trying to define my full "design intent" before I get those sketches cranking. I know Solidworks has to have more to it than this when it comes to solid creating, locating and editing.(it just seems so clunky to me right now) I know it's powerful, guess I just need some expert guidance.I am scheduled for training soon... but I just wanted to know if anyone else has experienced the same withdrawal issues.


Any help with this will be appreciated.


Thanks ahead of time!
Edited by: fastbowtie

I have no experience with Kubotek, but it sounds like a boolean environment, which is not the approach SolidWorks takes.


As far as your unrestrained solid question- is this in an assembly? or do you have a multibody part? Are you trying to merge the solids in the multibody part?


Have you tried the "online tutorial?" Click Help > SolidWorls Tutorials. The tutorials will take you far in becoming familiar with the SolidWorks environment.


Sorry to answer your question with yet more questions...


Peter

A single solid is good anyweare if is SINGLE. So, you can't use mates in PART. For use mates make an ASSAMBLY. (SW menu - NEW - ASSEMBLY -...) You can insert in this assembly 2, 3, 4, ... parts or only ONE ( your solid ). After that you are able to use MATES for positioning your solid. If is SINGLE use mates between the solid and the defaults PLANES ( FRONT, TOP, RIGHT ).


About the sketches... fix ONE elementar element in the sketch plane ( or space ). For example a LINE can be fixed in a sketch PLANE with its MIDDLE POINT (right click the line and SELECT MIDLE POIT) COINCIDENT with the ORIGIN + a direction (usually VERTICAL or HORIZONTAL line) + a dimension (the length of the line). And try to fix this element quickly, when you just begin to design the eketch. If an element is FULL CONSTRAINED it's color turns to black. And your frustation has no reason: is grater to know if your sketch is ALL ok ( all the elements are black) or youomited some dimensions in the design.


It is a very good idea to use SW TUTORIAL.


Sorry for my poorly english.

It sounds like your problem is you are trying to use Solidworks like your old program. You need to take the time to learn Solidworks or you will never be happy with your results. Tutorials are great but classes are better check with your local community college many offer cheap classes that will really get you turned in the right direction.

I do have classes set up for October... just trying to gauge what I'm actually up against. It's really not that bad, I am creating some pretty decent parts but I guess it's more or less the "old dog, new tricks" issue.


I am just learning the assembly trick, and the derived sketch thingy (real tech speak there! ) so it is starting to open up to me a bit more.


I am getting looks of disgust from my buddy when I go sketching individual solid attributes out in la-la land and then move them to, and combine them to the main body. He's used to sketching directly at the place where it's needed... I just feel cluttered when I'm sketching in a sea of constuction lines and dimensions.


It has created solids from my under-defined sketches... but I do know a little more about the relations and constraintsnow.


We had a neat discussion last night during one of my sketches... I drew a profile of a future revolve and it involved a tangent scenario... well, when I moved one of the lines on the sketch... the whole thing went wacky because something was unrestrained. (I found it... eventually) I basically tried to tell him that in Kubo, there is no way any of that stuff would have jockeyed around like that... when you draw it, it stays until you tell it to move. (like a good dog) Kinda freaks me out tochange one thing on a pretty intensesketch and it just goes crazy like that... Amen for undo!


By the way... is there some sort of quick hotkey toggle to turn on and off visible dimensions in sketch mode?


Guess I just need more trigger time really.


Thanks for the help, I'm sure I'll be stopping in again soon!

I'm not one that uses allot of hot keys but there is quite a bit of on/off capability under the view menu.


One really nice thing about drawing in place is that as you dimension and constrain your drawing the lines will turn from blue to black and this will let you know that your drawing is fully constrained. That way you don't get any of those surprises.


You can also draw off to the side and constrain your drawing to itself and then move it. (I do this sometimes) However, since the lines won't change colors it will be harder to know when you are fully constrained and therefore safe to drag.