Now that the CAD model is in SOLIDWORKS Composer, it is time to start creating the Step by Step Images for the printable instructions manual.
Step One
We will start with defining graphical settings for the images; this includes items such as: background, color, outline, lighting, and more. The Render tab in the ribbon will be useful in changing the graphical settings of the CAD model.
Mode defines the appearance of the CAD geometry (such as: Smooth, Shaded, Flat, Technical, etc.) and how the outlines (such as: Sharp Edges, Constructions Edges, etc.) of the model will be displayed.
Depth of Field is used to draw attention to specific areas of the CAD model. To use the Depth of Field, the Perspective must be turned on in the lower right corner of the user interface. In the properties of the CAD model, there is a section for Depth of Field that you can adjust to make changes.
Lighting helps to adjust the shadows, and brightness of the CAD model.
Ground toggles on/off a ground in the viewport, along with the options of shadow, mirror, and grid.
Once everything is defined for the graphical settings, use the Create a New View or Update View to save the changes to the model.
Step Two
Explode steps are easier if you create them backwards, because the CAD model is already fully assembled. This will allow us to take apart the model and then just reorder the views in the Left Pane. Start using the transform tools (Free Drag, Translate, and Rotate) to move geometry to new locations in the Viewport. Select the tool, then the actor and pull into location.
Once the CAD model is in the correct orientation, it is time to detail the view with Collaborative Actors, 2D geometry that is added from SOLIDWORKS Composer. Collaborative Actors can include explode lines, arrows, any 2D images to discuss tools needed.
Step Three
Now that views have been created for the steps that need to be represented, it is time to use the Technical Illustrations Workshop. On the Workshops tab in the Ribbon, click on the High Resolution Image.
This workshop will launch a pane on the right side of the screen where we will see the options available to publishing out the images we need for our Printable Instruction manual. From here we just need to select the options desired to save all of our images. On the Multiple tab, if you check the Views on, then every view in the project will be saved. Click save as, and place in a folder ready to put towards the Word document. Stay tuned for series #3 to know how to bring in linked images!
