Solidworks ....

[RustBuket]

Well I got a free copy through my school (taking Mechanical Engineering at the U of Saskatchewan) and I'm trying to teach myself how to use it. I don't know if this is the right place to post but seeing as I'm one of "unpaid" peasants around here I don't have much for choice.
Anyways, I was just wondering if anyone had any experience with this program that could help me out. I've figured out much of it myself but I'm having trouble with a few features......especially the damn wrap function! It'd also be a good converstation peice. I know there are some out there!

 

[jolane]

I use SolidWorks daily

Hello,
What version are you using? Service pack? I would upgrade the most current service pack first, if you have not done so already (that is, if you can). Did you go through the tutorial to get to where you are now? If you don't know, under the "Help" menu is "Online Tutorial". After going through all of the tutorial, you should be able to do most of anything you might need. The help is also very good, unlike most software.
The help shows how to use most of the functions, including Wrap. I personally have not used this feature, but after looking at the help on it, it appears to be straight forward. Just make sure that the sketch profile is closed.
Sorry I can't be of any more help. If you have something specific though, feel free to ask.
Joshua

 

[tx_sub]

since you are taking it at school, ask for help in the engineering department. it's their job to educate you. then ask other students. and finally, a solidworks book is a good resource. i started to learn with pro engineer many years ago, then switched to solidworks for a big project a year ago. now that i'm working, we use pro engineer again. keep with it, its a good skill to have.

 

[RustBuket]

I was trying to design a tread for a tire. Like design a small peice then wrap it and do a pattern. But I can't seem to get anything to work.

 

[RustBuket]

We only took a short section of it. Just really basic stuff. I'm not sure why but its not required that mech eng students take it but geo and civil do Well I'll keep trying.

 

[jolane]

Tire Thread

Modeling a tire tread, around a circular undeformed tire, should not be to hard. I am not sure a wrap is the best way to model it. I would approach it by:
1. Revolve the sidewall and unthreaded portion. This will allow you to make it hollow and give it the correct profile including rim bead, sidewall bulge, etc.
2. Create a surface that is the OD of the tread. This can be either a revolve or an extrude. I would probably revolve it also.
3. Offset a plane that is parallel to a major plane (such as front) and tangent with the outside of the untreaded tire. Actually, I would offset it slightly more just because just so it isn't perfectly tangent. Tangent may work fine, but sometime it can give fits due to zero thickness.
4. Draw the thread on the new offset plane.
5. Extrude the thread sketch "up to surface" and "up to next". The up to surface goes towards the OD of the tire surface, and the up to next goes to the original sidewall revolve.
6. Use a circular pattern to repeat the thread.

Depending on what the thread looks like, this may give you a weird look because the thread is drafted in a linear direction. It may be good enough. If not, maybe adding draft will make it look slightly better. If not, this is where I would try the wrap function. There is also an indent function you may want to play with.

I hope this helps some. It is hard to explain how to draw stuff sometimes. As a final method (if none of the others produce something you like), you can extrude each tread across the tire. You would have to create more planes, or loft profiles, etc.

Joshua

 

[Beast388]

I would follow Jolane's advice, that is probably how i would do it too.

I have been using Solidworks almost daily since 1997 when version 97 came out. I have trained the 3 guys under me in my department so if you have any other questions just ask or PM me.

Is your student version 2006? That latest version was released to those with the UAP about a month or so ago.