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DriveWorks Pro 21
How To: Name A Face Of A SOLIDWORKS Part (KB17072701)

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How To: Name And Write Rules For A Face Or Plane In A SOLIDWORKS Part

This topic shows how Faces and Planes in SOLIDWORKS are named and how rules are built in DriveWorks that refer to them.

DriveWorks requires named Faces and Planes when using some Generation Tasks (see Create Angle Mate for example).

Naming A Face

To name to a Face within SOLIDWORKS:

  1. In the SOLIDWORKS graphics area, right click the Face to be named.
  2. Expand the menu and select Face Properties.

  3. In the Entity Property dialog enter a name for the Face
  4. Click OK and save the model.

Naming A Plane

Planes are given a name at the point they are created, if you wish to change the given name:

  1. Click on the Plane to be renamed in the SOLIDWORKS Feature Manager.

  2. Enter the new name once the original name is highlighted.

Writing Rules For Faces and Planes

When building rules for the Face names, they must reference the generated file name and not the master. The rule must be built in the form: [Face Name]@[Generated model name]-[Instance number]

The rule must include the instance number, even if there is only one instance of the component in the Assembly. The instance number must be formatted "-1".

References to Planes and Named Faces can be more than one level deep.

For example:

[Plane or Face Name]@[Generated model name]-[Instance number]@[Generated sub sub assembly name]@[Generated sub assembly name] would be valid.

To determine the exact address of the Mate Selections:

Manually mate the same entities in SOLIDWORKS and note the addresses given in the Mate Selections window.

Replace each part of the address with the required result, see examples below.

Examples

For these examples the same Part will be used. The Part is called "Bracket".

For Instance Number "-1" will always be used.

These examples are making use of the Special Variable "DWSpecificationId"

EntityExample
Plane"Plane3@Bracket "&DWSpecificationId&"-1"
Named Plane"NamedPlane@Bracket "&DWSpecificationId&"-1"
Named Face"NamedFace@Bracket "&DWSpecificationId&"-1"
Named Face (in a Part that is in a sub assembly of an assembly)"NamedFace@Bracket "&DWSpecificationId&"-1"&"SubAssy "&DWSpecificationId&"Bracket "&DWSpecificationId"

Named Face in a Part

that is in a sub assembly,

of an assembly

"NamedFace@Bracket "&DWSpecificationId&"-1

@SubAssy "&DWSpecificationId&

"@Assy "&DWSpecificationId

Named Face in a Part

that is in a sub assembly,

in a sub assembly

of an assembly

"NamedFace@Bracket "&DWSpecificationId&"-1

@SubSubAssy "&DWSpecificationId&

"@SubAssy "&DWSpecificationId&

"@Assy "&DWSpecificationId