Her are the different methods to make assembly and part lighter. This is an overview of the different methods.
Table of Contents:
Lightweight
This works so that the assembly only loads part of the geometry of the parts. Then it goes faster. There are almost no downsides to using Lightweight. From 2021, parts will be resolved automatically when you click to expand the item in the FeatureManager® design tree.
Feel free to set in System Options - Performance: "Load component lightweight" to always load parts in the assembly as Lightweight.
Large Design Review
This is the next step where the assembly is getting lighter than Lightweight. But the downside is, you can do less with the assembly. Use this option only if the assembly is really heavy or that you shall only take a look at it without doing big changes.
Speedpak
This makes subassemblies permanent lighter when it adds a new configuration to the assembly.
Work only on subassembly.
Right click on subassembly (in the top assembly) and click Speedpak options and select type of Speedpak:
The subassembly will now get a new configuration with the name Default Speedpak.
The subassembly icon changes from yellow to white.
Right click on the top assembly to turn off with Speedpak options and “Set SpeedPak to Parent” to deselect Speedpak or “Update All Speedpak”.
Click on “Use SpeedPak” to select Speedpak again.
Speedpak can be a little tricky to keep updated. In the history three is it a Speedpak option; Update All Speadpak.
On the Speedpak configuration is it also possible to put on a “Rebuild on save mark”. This will force rebuild on save.
Defeature
This was original made to hide internal secrets in parts and assemblies. But it can also be used to make parts and assembly lighter.
Defeature on part:
This is mostly to hide secrets in the part.
Remove internal bodies (if it exist) and remove small bodies (if it exist).
Select features to remove.
Select features to keep.
Save it as a new document. It is possible to Link to original.
Defeature on assembly:
Select method (you might click arrow left): Simplify geometry or Silhouette (Compress most).
-Simplify geometry: This is the same as for part.
-Silhouette:
Select group to convert parts into one of these simplification methods:
-Bounding Box
-Cylinder
-Polygon Outline
-Tight Fit Outline
-None (Copy Geometry)
Can be saved as new part or as new configuration. The configuration name is Default defeature. It can be smart to call the configuration for: Simplify. By then, can you open the assembly with all parts in the configuration Simplify.
Mark that the view angle is important for the result. But Defeature can be edit on configuration tap and right click on Default defeature and Edit Defeature.
Simplify
This makes a new configuration.
In the assembly, use the wizard Simplify. You find it under Tools – Find/Modify – Simplify.
The following features are supported in assemblies:
- Chamfers
- Extrudes. Boss, boss-thin, cut, cut-thin. (Base extrudes and extrudes that are not Blind or Mid-Plane are not found.)
- Fillets. Simple, multi-radius, face (without the hold line parameter), variable radius. (Full round fillets are not found.)
- Holes (Simple and Hole Wizard)
- Revolves (Volume Based only)
Assembly features are not found with the Simplify utility.
Feature Parameter: Simplifies features by feature parameter value.
Volume Based: Simplifies features based on their volume in parts and assemblies.
Click: Find Now
Here you can Suppress the selected features or All. Press Suppress to do the changes. End the wizard.
Or you can make a new configuration in every parts. Only parts that have got a suppressed feature, will get a new configuration.
The point here, is to quickly make a new configuration in every part and also make typically fillets suppressed. Fillets take a lot of resources, and it is normally not necessary for the big picture in Assembly. Go into each part and see if it needs modifications.
Mark that if the Simplify Wizard is taken on a top assembly, will that top assembly and also sub-assembly get a new configuration.
Imported parts
Defeature and Simplify might not work so good on imported parts. But imported parts might still contain a lot of surfaces and edges. All these parts and edges take time to show.
Make a solid that cover over most of these surfaces and include these in one body.
Many imported parts also have a lot of bodies. Try to delete bodies that you do not need.
Open an assembly that include this part. Use Performance Evaluation under the Evaluate tab, to see the opening time and the number of Triangles.
This might not reduce the opening time, but it will go faster to rotate, zoom and move the assembly on the screen.
You will see that to simplify parts in this way, also reduce the file size.
Open Assembly light
With this method can assembly be opened with all the parts in the configuration Simplify (if the part has this configuration).
In SolidWorks, File -open.
Select the assembly, but do not open it.
Select configuration. Here you can use the configuration “Simplify” if the assembly have been made lighter with the Simplify Wizard. Elsewhere select configuration <Advanced> and Open.
Her you have different ways of opening the assembly. To open all the parts and subassembly, select to open the assembly with: “Use specified configuration for part references when available”
The name must be the same as the name in the parts to work, default name is Simplify.
Push OK.
Save assembly as a part
Here you can save assembly as a part *.sldprt. This part will normally be much smaller. But it is not associated with the assembly. This can also be a fine way to reduce the assembly for export.
Assembly modelling training
We go through this (and much more) on the 3 days lesson we have about Assembly.
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