SolidWorks Configurations
Configurations enable you to have one file, which is a basic part,
which can have variations such as:
• Different length shafts
• Different sized washers
• Extra or hidden features
• Different materials
You can have both parts and assemblies with different configurations.
Creating a Configuration
The example for this is a shaft, 80 long,
Φ3.
• Click on the Configuration Manager
icon.
• Right-click on the top line Part1
configuration, and select Add
Configuration.
• Type a name for the configuration –
in this case Short Shaft, and click
the green tick to finish the
command.
• You will now see two configurations
listed – Default and Short Shaft.
• You can select the active
configuration for editing by
double-clicking on one of
them
Changing the Length of an Extrusion
• Go back to the Design Tree,
which lists the Features of the
part.
• Right click on Boss-Extrude1,
and click on the Edit Feature
icon.
• At the bottom, select This
Configuration, then change the length
of the extrusion from 80 to 60. OK the
command.
• If you go back to the Configuration
Manager and toggle between the two
configurations, you will see the
different lengths of the two
configurations.
Changing a Dimension in a
Sketch
• Right-click on the Sketch and
select Edit Sketch.
• Double-Click on the number of the
dimension defining the circle
diameter.
• Click on the down arrow of the symbol just to the right of the dimension number,
and select This Configuration
• Change the shaft diameter to 2, and OK the dialogue box
• When you toggle between the configurations, you will see the shaft now has
different diameters in each configuration.
Hiding/Showing Features
• In one of the configurations, add a disk to one
end of the shaft.
• Right-Click on the new Feature, and select
Configure Feature.
• You will now see a dialogue box, where the
Feature is suppressed in one
configuration, but not in the other.
• If you switch back to the other
configuration, you will see the new
feature greyed out.
Choosing a configuration in an
Assembly
• Insert the component into an
Assembly
• Right-click on the part – either in the
design tree or in the graphics area.
• At the top of the list, it will say
Default.
• Click on the pull-down arrow to
select the configuration you want.
• If you change it, don’t forget the to
click on the Green Tick to finish the command.
• Note that in the same assembly you can have
one copy of the part in configuration A and
another copy in configuration B, etc.
Choosing a configuration in a Drawing
• Create a drawing and add the views you want.
• Select one of the views by left-clicking on it.
• The Drawing View dialogue box will open up at
the left.
• Near the top is Reference Configuration. Select
the configuration you want.
• You can have different configurations on a single
drawing sheet if you want.
Materials
• If you right-click on
materials, you get a
Configure Materials
option.
Configurations_A4.docx PBB 22-Apr-2020
