Re: SW suitable for large machines?


matt wrote:
> Sorry, this turned out to be an extra long post, most of which is
> available in user group presentations on my website
> http://mysite.verizon.net/mjlombard/ in the User Group area.
>
> Success with large assemblies in SolidWorks is mainly dependent upon a
> combination of technique and settings.
>
> I was just working on a 2 part assembly that because of a bad technique
> I used "just to get the job done", gave me some bad rebuild times, even
> on pretty good hardware. I was able to make some settings to offset the
> effect of the bad technique.
>
> Most of the problems I see with people having trouble with assemblies is
> avoidable and self inflicted, even though most people blame the
> software. I guess that's the easiest thing to do since you don't
> generally have to learn anything to blame the software. Because of
> that, take criticisms with a grain of salt, especially impassioned
> criticism.
>
> There are a lot of things you can do to paint yourself into a corner in
> SW, and not all of them obvious. Is it the software's fault if it
> offers good and bad ways of doing things, and doesn't help you
> distinguish between them? Sources of truly reliable and comprehensive
> information are few and far between, particularly around assembly
> performance. If you know what you're doing, you don't have to pay the
> price of bad modeling techniques, but how do you get to the point where
> you know what you're doing? SolidWorks training doesn't even begin to
> cover it. Also, you have to come to grips with the fact that you are
> stuck with the limitations of the software you are using whatever it is,
> and learning how to work with/in spite of it
>
> From what I see, Pro/E has a clear advantage over SW in large assembly
> capability, but there are other things about Pro/E which make it less
> attractive. The ability in SW2006 to turn off automatic rebuilds will
> be a big step forward once I start using it.
>
> The original post was about structural steel (I read "weldments" here)
> and sheet metal. I personally love the sheet metal functions in SW, but
> I'm just a plastics guy, so I don't really know any better. Weldments
> in SW can be handled primarily as multibody parts, which may be an
> advantage and may not. Big perforated patterns in sheet metal are one
> thing that will bring SW to its knees quickly. The technique here is to
> have a simplified configuration.
>
> The sooner you realize that you're not going to work on detail parts in
> the 50,000 part top level, the better off you'll be. In large
> assemblies you will work with several ideas:
>
> - break large assemblies into subassemblies where possible to limit the
> number of mates and assembly features solved at the top level
>
> - use patterns effectively. instead of mating 10 screws, 2 mates each,
> mate just the first one and pattern the rest. using hole wizard for
> holes can help you make feature driven component patterns, even for
> irregular patterns.
>
> - limit the use of incontext features, and lock them if you can. You
> can't unbreak a broken reference, but you can unlock a locked reference.
> same performance benefit.
>
> - absolutely avoid circular references
>
> - don't mate to: assembly features, incontext parts, assembly level
> reference geometry created with some reference to a part, pattern
> instances
>
> - fix errors as they happen
>
> - avoid flexible subassemblies if possible
>
> - make use of simplified configurations in parts and assemblies.
> There's this great technique which I've never heard of anyone using. If
> your parts all have a config with a certain name like "simplified", in
> the open dialog you can create a new assy config that automatically
> references all the part configs with that name.
>
> - SW2006 has display states which are much faster than configs for
> controlling visibility
>
> - Don't scoff at lightweight. If you are using large assemblies in SW,
> you need to be using lightweight. This gets better literally with each
> new release of SW.
>
> - Don't be afraid of Large Assembly Mode. just understand it for what
> it is, a different set of performance settings that kicks in either
> automatically or manually.
>
> - Display settings are important. Use common sense.
>
> - Avoid transparency, wireframe, section views, curvature, zebra
> stripes, etc. That isn't to say "don't use" these things, just realize
> that they are going to cost you something which may or may not be worth
> the benefit
>
> - Turn off "update mass property data"
>
> - Turn off anti-virus real-time scanning. You may have to strangle a
> rabid IT person to do this. Sacrifices must be made...
>
> - Work locally. Get a PDM system to share data. It's not impossible.
> Figure it out. If you can't, hire someone who knows what they're doing.
>
> - Get a fast hard drive
>
> - Don't skimp on ram
>
> - Don't open files by double clicking in Windows Explorer - use the Open
> dialog
>
> - Turn off the back up and auto-recover functions
>
> - Realize that using Toolbox over the network is probably a performance
> mistake
>
> Large assemblies are managable in SolidWorks, but you have to accept
> that you will have to actually plan your approach. Good things won't
> happen by accident. There is no "easy button". Some useful techniques
> that you see all the time in sales demos and training classes are
> actually bad ideas. Be very careful about who you take ideas from.



Activault is a PDM which adds overhead to files coming out the server.
But, a client has 2000 parts, 400 files in a 1.2 GB assy and it takes 5
mins. to pull through the net.

.

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