Hi there! In this article I have prepared information to accompany my SOLIDWORKS video tutorials, per popular request! In my previous article I’d taken you through how to create and name a configuration and what some of the options are, so that, for example, new features can be suppressed in this or other configurations automatically. Let’s continue working with configurations.

1. SOLIDWORKS video tutorials for Beginners:
Configurations, Part 2
Hi there! In this article I have prepared information to accompany my
SOLIDWORKS video tutorials, per popular request! In my previous article I’d
taken you through how to create and name a configuration and what some of the
options are, so that, for example, new features can be suppressed in this or other
configurations automatically. Let’s continue working with configurations.
So, I’m going to add another configuration. Do you remember where to do this?
Let’s go to the Configuration Manager tab; it’s right beside the Feature Manager
tab at the top left of the graphic area, right under the ribbon. Right-click on the
top node of your part or assembly and select Add Configuration. The little New
Configuration dialog window pops up, and let’s fill it out.
First, give your new configuration a descriptive name. You can name it according
to what’s different about this configuration. “No Fillets.” “30 inches diameter”
and so on. I’ll just call it Configuration 2 for now.
Scroll down the new configuration dialog window, and under Parent/Child
options, I’m going to uncheck Assembly. I’ll check some of my features, say
Washer 1 and Bolt 1. Now, let’s click accept so we can see how it all works. We’re
still on the Feature Manager tab, and see our tree of parts and features.

2. Notice that no new configuration appears at the assembly level. Let’s right-click
and select Properties. Here we can see our new configuration, but at the part
level. That’s because I unchecked my assembly when creating the configuration.
Right now my newest configuration (Configuration 2) is the active configuration;
you can tell from the green checkmark beside it. Let’s make the Default
configuration active. We do that by double-clicking on it.
Let’s return to the configuration manager tab. Right-click on the top node of your
work and select Add Configuration. By now you should be familiar with the new
configuration dialog window, so let’s populate it quickly. I’ll call it
Configuration 3. Under options, I’m going to add a rebuild/save mark. This is a
relatively new feature of SOLIDWORKS. Let’s learn how it works. Click ok to
accept this new configuration.
If you take a look at the tree. Notice that my inactive configurations are tagged
with a grey checkmark. When I double click on a configuration to make it active,
the checkmark turns green, so that’s how I know which configuration is active.
Not only that, but he checkmark also means that the data set in this configuration
is up to date. So, even if a configuration is not the active configuration, if there is
a grey checkmark next to it, then the data set in this configuration is up to date.
But what about the rebuild / save mark and what about a minus sign next to
your configuration? Stay tuned for our next article to find out.
This concludes this article about configurations; stay tuned for more information
about working with configurations in SOLIDWORKS in our next instructional
article to accompany our SOLIDWORKS video tutorials.

3. About US:
Video-tutorials.net is a family-based business that provides high quality video
tutorial training in Computer Aided Design (CAD) software like Solidworks
Tutorials, CATIA Tutorials, and Autodesk Inventor Tutorials and Autodesk
AutoCAD tutorials.
Contact details:
Video-Tutorials.Net
132-250 Shawville Blvd #136
Calgary, Alberta, Canada.
Zipcode-T2Y 2Z7
Tel- 403.254.9622
Email- info@video-tutorials.net