Creating an exploded view in SolidWorks can greatly enhance the understanding of a product’s assembly and disassembly process. This powerful feature allows designers to showcase the individual components of a product in a visually engaging way. In this tutorial, we will explore how to create an exploded view in SolidWorks step by step.
Step 1: Open Your Assembly
First, open your assembly file in SolidWorks. Ensure that all the components are properly inserted and mated together.
Step 2: Activate the Exploded View Tool
To begin creating an exploded view, navigate to the “Configuration Manager” tab on the left-hand side of your screen. Right-click on “Configurations” and select “Add Configuration”. Name this new configuration “Exploded View”.
Step 3: Add Explode Steps
In the newly created “Exploded View” configuration, locate and activate the “Explode” tool from the toolbar at the top of your screen. This will launch the “Explode PropertyManager” dialog box.
Note: The explode tool allows you to define sequential steps for moving components away from their original position.
3.1 Select Components to Explode
In the “Explode PropertyManager”, select all the components you want to include in your exploded view. You can either use the selection tools or manually select each component by clicking on them.2 Define Distance and Direction
After selecting your components, specify their movement distance and direction using either numerical values or graphical manipulators provided by SolidWorks. These options allow you to precisely control how each component moves relative to others in your assembly.3 Add Explode Steps
Once you have defined the movement for your selected components, click on the “Add Explode Step” button in the “Explode PropertyManager”. This will create a new step in the explode sequence.
Note: You can add multiple explode steps to create complex movements for your components.
Step 4: Edit Explode Steps
If you need to make changes to any existing explode steps, simply select the step from the “Explode PropertyManager” and modify its distance and direction values. You can also delete or reorder steps as needed.
Step 5: Preview and Finalize Your Exploded View
To preview your exploded view, click on the “Preview Explode/Collapse” button in the “Explode PropertyManager”. This will show you how your components will move in the final exploded view.
5.1 Adjust Component Positions (if necessary)
If you are not satisfied with the positions of any components in your preview, select them individually and drag them to their desired location. SolidWorks provides snap tools to help align components accurately.2 Finalize Your Exploded View
Once you are satisfied with the positions of all components, click on the green checkmark icon in the “Explode PropertyManager” to finalize your exploded view configuration.
Step 6: Activate Your Exploded View
To activate your exploded view, go back to the “Configuration Manager” tab and select the newly created “Exploded View” configuration. SolidWorks will update your assembly display accordingly, showing all components in their exploded positions.
Step 7: Save and Share Your Exploded View
Finally, save your assembly file to preserve the exploded view configuration. You can now easily share your design with others, allowing them to understand the assembly and disassembly process more effectively.
Note: Exploded views can be saved as separate files or included in drawings to provide clear documentation of the assembly sequence.
In Conclusion
Creating an exploded view in SolidWorks is a straightforward process that can greatly enhance the understanding of complex assemblies. By following the steps outlined in this tutorial, you can create visually engaging exploded views that effectively communicate product disassembly and assembly processes. Remember to experiment with different distances and directions to achieve the desired visual impact.