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| absorbed | A feature, sketch, or annotation that is contained in another item (usually a feature) in the FeatureManager design tree. Examples are the profile sketch and profile path in a base-sweep, or a cosmetic thread annotation in a hole. |
| align | Tools that assist in lining up annotations and dimensions (left, right, top, bottom, and so on). For aligning parts in an assembly |
| alternate position view | A drawing view in which one or more views are superimposed in phantom lines on the original view. Alternate position views are often used to show range of motion of an assembly. |
| anchor point | The end of a leader that attaches to the note, block, or other annotation, Sheet formats contain anchor points for a bill of materials, a hole table, a revision table, and a weldment cut list. |
| annotation | A text note or a symbol that adds specific design intent to a part, assembly, or drawing. Specific types of annotations include note, hole callout, surface finish symbol, datum feature symbol, datum target, geometric tolerance symbol, weld symbol, balloon, and stacked balloon. Annotations that apply only to drawings include center mark, annotation centerline, area hatch, and block. |
| appearance callouts | Callouts that display the colors and textures of the face, feature, body, and part under the entity selected and are a shortcut to editing colors and textures. |
| area hatch | A crosshatch pattern or fill applied to a selected face or to a closed sketch in a drawing. |
| assembly | A document in which parts, features, and other assemblies (sub-assemblies) are mated together. The parts and sub-assemblies exist in documents separate from the assembly. For example, in an assembly, a piston can be mated to other parts, such as a connecting rod or cylinder. This new assembly can then be used as a sub-assembly in an assembly of an engine. The extension for a SolidWorks assembly file name is .SLDASM |
| attachment point | The end of a leader that attaches to the model (to an edge, vertex, or face, for example) or to a drawing sheet |
| axis | A straight line that can be used to create model geometry, features, or patterns. An axis can be made in a number of different ways, including using the intersection of two planes |
| balloon | Labels parts in an assembly, typically including item numbers and quantity. In drawings, the item numbers are related to rows in a bill of materials (BOM). |
| base | The first solid feature of a part. |
| baseline dimensions | Sets of dimensions measured from the same edge or vertex in a drawing. See ordinate dimensions. |
| bend | A feature in a sheet metal part. A bend generated from a filleted corner, cylindrical face, or conical face is a round bend; a bend generated from sketched straight lines is a sharp bend. |
| bill of materials | A table inserted into a drawing to keep a record of the parts used in an assembly. |
| block | A user-defined annotation for drawings only. A block can contain text, sketch entities (except points), and area hatch, and it can be saved in a file for later use as, for example, a custom callout or a company logo. |
| bottom-up design | An assembly modeling technique where you create parts and then insert them into an assembly |
| bounding box | An imaginary box created by SolidWorks that completely encloses a model, component, or drawing view |
| broken-out section | A drawing view that exposes inner details of a drawing view by removing material from a closed profile, usually a spline |
| center mark | A cross that marks the center of a circle or arc |
| centerline | A centerline marks, in phantom font, an axis of symmetry in a sketch or drawing |
| chamfer | Bevels a selected edge or vertex. You can apply chamfers to both sketches and features |
| child | A dependent feature related to a previously-built feature. For example, a chamfer on the edge of a hole is a child of the parent hole |
| click-click | As you sketch, if you click and then release the pointer, you are in click-click mode. Move the pointer and click again to define the next point in the sketch sequence |
| click-drag | As you sketch, if you click and drag the pointer, you are in click-drag mode. When you release the pointer, the sketch entity is complete |
| closed profile | Also called a closed contour, it is a sketch or sketch entity with no exposed endpoints; for example, a circle or polygon. |
| collapse | The opposite of explode. The collapse action returns an exploded assembly's parts to their normal positions. |
| Collision Detection | An assembly function that detects collisions between components when components move or rotate. A collision occurs when an entity on one component coincides with any entity on another component. |
| component | Any part or sub-assembly within an assembly. |
| configuration | A variation of a part or assembly within a single document. Variations can include different dimensions, features, and properties. For example, a single part such as a bolt can contain different configurations that vary the diameter and length |
| ConfigurationManager | Located on the left side of the SolidWorks window, it is a means to create, select, and view the configurations of parts and assemblies |
| construction geometry | The characteristic of a sketch entity that the entity is used in creating other geometry but is not itself used in creating features. See reference geometry. |
| continuity | Continuity is defined at different levels, with levels C0, C1, and so on for curves and levels G0, G1, and so on for surfaces and faces. Curves that meet are said to have continuity of C0, or contact continuity. Curves that are tangent have a continuity of C1, or tangent continuity. Curves for which the rate of change of the radius of curvature is the same where they meet have a continuity of C2, also described as curvature continuous. You can use curvature continuous in creating face blend fillets. A loft with side tangency is an example of level G1. |
| coordinate system | A system of planes used to assign Cartesian coordinates to features, parts, and assemblies. Part and assembly documents contain default coordinate systems; other coordinate systems can be defined with reference geometry. Coordinate systems can be used with measurement tools and for exporting documents to other file formats. |
| cosmetic thread | An annotation that represents threads. |
| crosshatch | A pattern (or fill) applied to drawing views such as section views and broken-out sections. |
| curvature | Curvature is equal to the inverse of the radius of the curve. The curvature can be displayed in different colors according to the local radius (usually of a surface). |
| cut | A feature that removes material from a part by such actions as extrude, revolve, loft, sweep, thicken, cavity, and so on. |
| dangling | A dimension, relation, or drawing section view that is unresolved. For example, if a piece of geometry is dimensioned, and that geometry is later deleted, the dimension becomes dangling. |
| degrees of freedom | Geometry that is not defined by dimensions or relations is free to move. In 2D sketches, there are three degrees of freedom: movement along the X and Y axes, and rotation about the Z axis (the axis normal to the sketch plane). In 3D sketches and in assemblies, there are six degrees of freedom: movement along the X, Y, and Z axes, and rotation about the X, Y, and Z axes. |
| derived part | A derived part is a new base, mirror, or component part created directly from an existing part and linked to the original part such that changes to the original part are reflected in the derived part. |
| derived sketch | A copy of a sketch, in either the same part or the same assembly, that is connected to the original sketch. Changes in the original sketch are reflected in the derived sketch |
| Design Library | Located in the Task Pane, the Design Library provides a central location for reusable elements such as parts, assemblies, and so on. |
| design table | An Excel spreadsheet that is used to create multiple configurations in a part or assembly document. |
| detached drawing | A drawing format that allows opening and working in a drawing without loading the corresponding models into memory. The models are loaded on an as-needed basis. |
| detail view | A portion of a larger view, usually at a larger scale than the original view. |
| dimension line | A linear dimension line references the dimension text to extension lines indicating the entity being measured. An angular dimension line references the dimension text directly to the measured object. |
| dock point. | A point on an annotation, shown by a dashed red square, where you can attach a multi-jog leader. |
| document. | A file containing a part, assembly, or drawing. |
| draft | The degree of taper or angle of a face, usually applied to molds or castings |
| drawing. | A 2D representation of a 3D part or assembly. The extension for a SolidWorks drawing file name is .SLDDRW. |
| drawing sheet | A page in a drawing document. |
| driving dimension. | Also referred to as a model dimension, it sets the value for a sketch entity. It can also control distance, thickness, and feature parameters |
| Dynamic Clearance. | An assembly function that detects the clearance between components when the components move or rotate. The clearance is the minimum distance between any entity on one component to any entity on another component. |
| edge | A single outside boundary of a feature. |
| edge flange | A sheet metal feature that combines a bend and a tab in a single operation. |
| envelope | A reference component that you use to select components based on their positions relative to the envelope volume. Envelopes are ignored in assembly operations such as bill of materials and mass properties. |
| equation. | Creates a mathematical relation between sketch dimensions, using dimension names as variables, or between feature parameters, such as the depth of an extruded feature or the instance count in a pattern. |
| exploded view | Shows an assembly with its components separated from one another, usually to show how to assemble the mechanism. |
| export. | Save a SolidWorks document in another format for use in other CAD/CAM, rapid prototyping, web, or graphics software applications. |
| extension line | The line extending from the model indicating the point from which a dimension is measured. |
| extrude | A feature that linearly projects a sketch to either add material to a part (in a base or boss) or remove material from a part (in a cut or hole). |
| face | A selectable area (planar or otherwise) of a model or surface with boundaries that help define the shape of the model or surface. For example, a rectangular solid has six faces |
| feature | An individual shape that, combined with other features, makes up a part or assembly. Some features, such as bosses and cuts, originate as sketches. Other features, such as shells and fillets, modify a feature's geometry. However, not all features have associated geometry. Features are always listed in the FeatureManager design tree |
| FeatureManager design tree | Located on the left side of the SolidWorks window, it provides an outline view of the active part, assembly, or drawing. |
| fill | A solid area hatch or crosshatch. Fill also applies to patches on surfaces. |
| fillet | An internal rounding of a corner or edge in a sketch, or an edge on a surface or solid. |
| Fit tolerance | The tolerance between a hole and a shaft. |
| forming tool. | Dies that bend, stretch, or otherwise form sheet metal to create such form features as louvers, lances, flanges, and ribs. |
| fully defined. | A sketch where all lines and curves in the sketch, and their positions, are described by dimensions or relations, or both, and cannot be moved. Fully defined sketch entities are shown in black. |
