2012 Modify Dimension Box
Since I started talking about this, I should be more complete. The SolidWorks 2012 Modify box for dimensions has a lot of new functionality. It en
compasses equations, global variables, and link values.
Equations can be entered into the main value box by just typing an “=”, and then the expression. As a part of the expression, you can use global variables, functions, or properties from the part.
You can enter a global variable (with the name in quotes after the equal sign). After that, the global variable will be available from a drop down list.
After you enter a global variable, there is a little globe next to the value. If you click the globe, it toggles to show the variable name, and then back to show the value.
Because there was a lot of overlap between link values and global variables, link values are being eliminated. I think this is a good decision. You really don’t need two functions that are so close to one another.
After you enter an equation, a big Sigma appears and you can toggle between the equation and the value.
Another nice touch is that the interface is color coded. If the equation turns red, it means something is wrong. Also a check mark shows at the end of the value entry box, and is green if the equation is good to go, or gray if it needs something else. Blue is for dimension names, variable names, and properties.
One thing that’s wrong with this interface is that if you want to enter a variable, function or property name that isn’t right after the =, then you’ve got to mess around to do it. For example, if you wanted to say “Dia@Sketch1“/”sin(“Angle@Sketch1“)”+.05, you would have trouble getting the sine function in the right place unless you made the equation out of order, entered the text manually, or cut and pasted. There is no way to access the lists of functions unless you are immediately after the =.
You gotta admit, this is pretty nice stuff, compared to the way it used to work. Equations have long been one of the most neglected areas of the software, and the interface has been horrible for a long time. This is a change users have been beating on SW for a long time.
The field above the value that has the dimension name in it can be used to change the name of the dimension. This is much handier than the old methods for changing dimension names. It makes me much more likely to use dimension names now.
There are also some things that have been in there for a while but people don’t tend to use, like the spin increment setting. You can have several increments set and change between them on the fly with the +-? button. If you want to set a default, click the Make Default option first, then click the increment value.
And while we’re talking about increments, don’t forget that the spin wheel just below the value box will increment the value. Of course the bug persists that when you use the spin wheel with a dual monitor arrangement, your cursor will fly to the right end of the right screen (maddeningly annoying). But on the good side, Ctrl dragging the wheel multiplies the increment by 10 and Alt drag divides the increment by 10. Those are really nice options.
Another one that is mostly ignored is the button on the right at the bottom. This is to mark dimensions to be imported to the drawing. I personally hardly ever use model dimensions on drawings. It just requires too much cleanup, and I rarely use dimensions to model a part that I need to use for a manufacturing drawing.
Of course the one in the middle with the blue and black arrow is for reversing the direction of a dimension. This is very handy sometimes.
And then there is the one that is nice sometimes and not so nice other times. I mentioned this in the videos from a prior post. SolidWorks remembers the values you’ve entered into the value box, and lists them in a drop down. I personally don’t like this. I worked at a bank for about a year doing proof and encoding, working my way through college. My 10key skills are a little rusty, but still there. I can fly on the num pad. Interrupting entering in a set of numbers to fumble with a mouse and select from a list isn’t much of a help. Plus, the list obscures the controls such as Ok, Cancel, Rebuild, and so on. They could lose this drop down, and I for one wouldn’t miss it.
Are there any that I missed? Got any special ways to use these that you like and want to share?
This is slightly askew, but Matt’s statement regarding the hotkey take-over reminded me of something I’ve had difficulty with for a long time (but in reverse), perhaps since v2007.
I use number-pad keys for most of my hot-keys, but there are times when they are deselected by default. If I do anything where a dialog box fills the Feature Manager, one of the blanks in the dialog box is arbitrarily selected to fill in numbers (ignoring my hotkey, and ignoring the fact that I’ve not selected a blank in the dialog box to fill in). This bites me most when I use my hotkey for Offset Entities, and instead, will assign a value of 4 (from my number pad hotkey) to all the entities currently selected, even if that doesn’t make any sense.
To solve this, I’d most prefer things to go back how they were before v2007 (or whenever the change actually happened), since toggling an arbitrary location of a dialog box is rarely efficient. But in a close second, it would be nice to assign “priority” status to either the hotkey command or the dialog box somewhere in options or hotkey settings.
I agree buddy. This was a major deal. Also nice that the dialog box is adjustable so you can make the entry longer for those more involved equations. Also like the Measure option for doing equations so I don’t have to pre-dim with reference dimensions first prior to launching equations. I wrote more about this feature as well. http://solidworksheard.com/blog/2011/9/23/sw2012-equation-manager-1-in-my-book.html
@Matt
Matt, you stated: “I personally hardly ever use model dimensions on drawings. It just requires too much cleanup, and I rarely use dimensions to model a part that I need to use for a manufacturing drawing.”
Have you tried inserting model items in SW 2011 or 2012? I found out that the new auto-arrange dimension function does a pretty good job.
The new interface is very powerful, especially combined with the new equation manager, and ease of setting values for global variables by equations. I tried a few models making heavy use of this functionality, and encountered performance anomalies, however. The wall clock build time was much longer than indicated by the evaluate->statistics analysis, and the VB applications server process used lots of CPU time. Heavy use means 19 global variables, many set by equations with several terms, and setting values for 50 smart dimensions with equations referencing the global variables.
@Steve
I can’t reproduce it now either. Hmm. It was definitely happening, because it took me 3-4 tries to figure out why I couldn’t enter the number I was trying to enter. Hmm. I’ll have to get back to you on that. Thanks for testing.
The “m” issue you mentioned in your previous post and in the comment above does not affect me in SW2012. I set “M” key there to measure as a test, and it lets me type in mm no problem.
The part was in inches. I tried typing in 100mm into the dimension box in the sketch it worked. When extruded, and typing into the instant 3d modify box, it allowed me type in 150mm no problem.
@Josh Tiffin
Yeah, good one. Forgot to mention that.
@Rick McWilliams
yes, it does mixed units still – with one exception: In the sketch offset command, if you enter in “mm” and you have a hotkey “m” for say, Measure, it will fire the hotkey instead of entering mixed units. That’s a frustrating one.
But no, it doesn’t remember expressions other than equations. You could make a global variable called “mm” and another one called “in”. Awkward workaround, but it would remember your mixed unit math.
A very nice improvement over SW2007. Does it allow mixed units such as 17mm + 0.025″? Does this expression stay the way I type it? Does it retain full accuracy of irrational dimensions like 19/23? Can I enter e or pi? When are dimension formulas evaluated?
Another thing you can do is use the equal sign and then select another dimension in the sketch or part and it will automatically put the selected dimension name in the equation box. It’s handy for making two dimensions equal or making one dimension equal another divided by 2.