Help with drawing a part

[epyfathom]

Hi guys,

I'm trying to draw this part in solidworks, but I'm having a lot of trouble.

I just don't know how to make the inner big part. My approach is to create the bottom three sides then use the arc for the top portion, but then I can't set the dimensions to how i want it..


http://www.imageupload.org/download.php?id=56957&type=2



thanks




Edited by: epyfathom

 

[Mihail]

I can't see any trouble to draw this sketch.
I haven't SW installed, so only an advice:
Draw whole part with NO dimension. After that start to add dimensions ONE by ONE until (and NO more ) your sketch become black (that means FULLY DEFINED).
Hope this is a help for you.

Good luck !

 

[joelewinski]

Personally, I would have to disagree with Mihail. I would sketch and dimension the OUTER shape only, THEN add the internal features as, well, features. Trying to sketch EVERYTHING at one time can be quite harrowing, especially for a beginner.

Doing it THIS way will make it MUCH easier to that first shape fully defined.

That large inner portion COULD be sketched by first laying out the four 1" diameter corners. Make an arc across the the top using tangent constraints and applying the proper dimension and finally add tangent line segments for the sides. Trim away what's not needed and your done.

This is just ONE way it could be done. There are a number of ways to accomplish this part.

Good luck

 

[Mihail]

I agree Joelewinski ! I think is much easier as you say. But with increased number of features. This slowly the rebuild. Of course, for THIS part is not a problem.

 

[joelewinski]

I agree Joelewinski ! I think is much easier as you say. But with increased number of features. This slowly the rebuild. Of course, for THIS part is not a problem.

Agreed! I guess there are basically two schools of thought on this (maybe more). I come from a machinists background so everything I do is based on starting with a solid block of material (the basic shape of the part = sketch) and remove material by drilling, milling, cutting, etc (features = Extrude Cut). Of course I ADD material be extrudes, not welding! <G>

This is especially true, at least for me, when teaching noobs. I find it MUCH easier to explain the "machinists way" than trying to teach them to fully constrain complicated sketches without their sketch entities flying out around space.

But a TRULY GREAT POINT you make about rebuilds. It's just something that everyone has to take into consideration when preparing drawings. If everybody had whiz-bang computers, it wouldn't be an issue.