Creating a drawing from part or assembly in Solidworks - Why You Should Know This

The Big Idea

What if you could create perfect manufacturing drawings in minutes instead of hours, with zero errors?

The Scenario

Imagine you have a complex mechanical part or an entire assembly, and you need to create detailed drawings for manufacturing or review. Doing this manually means measuring every dimension, sketching views by hand, and hoping nothing is missed.

The Problem

Manual drawing is slow and prone to mistakes. You might misread measurements, forget important views, or spend hours updating drawings when the design changes. This wastes time and can cause costly errors in production.

The Solution

Creating a drawing directly from the part or assembly in SolidWorks automates this process. It extracts accurate views and dimensions instantly, ensuring your drawings always match the latest design without extra effort.

Before vs After

✗ Before

Measure dimensions with calipers
Draw views on paper
Update manually after design changes

✓ After

Insert part/assembly into drawing
Auto-generate views and dimensions
Update drawing with one click

What It Enables

This lets you quickly produce precise, up-to-date drawings that communicate your design clearly and reduce errors in manufacturing.

Real Life Example

A product engineer finishes a 3D model of a gearbox assembly and instantly creates a detailed drawing with all views and dimensions, ready to send to the factory without re-measuring or redrawing.

Key Takeaways

Manual drawing is slow and error-prone.

SolidWorks automates drawing creation from parts or assemblies.

Drawings stay accurate and update easily with design changes.

Practice

1. What is the first step when creating a drawing from a part or assembly in SolidWorks?

easy

A. Add dimensions to the drawing before selecting views.

B. Export the part as a PDF before creating the drawing.

C. Save the drawing file without selecting a template.

D. Open the part or assembly file and select 'Make Drawing from Part/Assembly'.

Solution

1. Step 1: Open the part or assembly file

   You must first open the part or assembly you want to create a drawing from in SolidWorks.

2. Step 2: Select 'Make Drawing from Part/Assembly'

   Use the menu option to start a new drawing based on the opened file.

3. Final Answer:

   Open the part or assembly file and select 'Make Drawing from Part/Assembly'. -> Option D

4. Quick Check:

   Starting from the part file = Open the part or assembly file and select 'Make Drawing from Part/Assembly'. [OK]

Hint: Always start from the part or assembly file first [OK]

Common Mistakes:

• Trying to add dimensions before creating views
• Skipping template selection
• Exporting before drawing creation

2. Which of the following is the correct way to insert a standard view into a drawing in SolidWorks?

easy

A. Right-click on the drawing sheet and select 'Insert Standard 3D View'.

B. Select 'Insert' > 'Model View' and choose the desired view orientation.

C. Drag the part file directly onto the drawing sheet.

D. Use the 'View Layout' tab and click 'Standard 3 Views'.

Solution

1. Step 1: Open the drawing and go to Insert menu

   In SolidWorks, to add views, you use the 'Insert' menu and select 'Model View'.

2. Step 2: Choose the part or assembly and view orientation

   After selecting 'Model View', pick the file and the view (front, top, side) to insert.

3. Final Answer:

   Select 'Insert' > 'Model View' and choose the desired view orientation. -> Option B

4. Quick Check:

   Insert > Model View = Select 'Insert' > 'Model View' and choose the desired view orientation. [OK]

Hint: Use Insert > Model View to add standard views [OK]

Common Mistakes:

• Trying to drag files onto the drawing sheet
• Looking for 'Insert Standard 3D View' which doesn't exist
• Using 'View Layout' tab incorrectly

3. Given a part drawing with a front view inserted, what happens if you select the front view and choose 'Projected View' and drag to the right?

medium

A. A section view is created automatically to the right of the front view.

B. A top view is created automatically to the right of the front view.

C. A side view is created automatically to the right of the front view.

D. Nothing happens until you manually select the view type.

Solution

1. Step 1: Understand Projected View behavior

   When you create a projected view from a front view and drag right, SolidWorks creates the right side view.

2. Step 2: Confirm view placement

   The projected view aligns with the front view and shows the side profile automatically.

3. Final Answer:

   A side view is created automatically to the right of the front view. -> Option C

4. Quick Check:

   Projected view right = side view [OK]

Hint: Projected view direction matches standard view orientation [OK]

Common Mistakes:

• Confusing top and side views
• Expecting section view from projected view
• Thinking manual selection is needed

4. You try to insert a drawing view but get an error saying 'Model not found'. What is the most likely cause?

medium

A. The part or assembly file was moved or renamed after creating the drawing.

B. You forgot to save the drawing file before inserting views.

C. The drawing template is corrupted.

D. You selected the wrong sheet size in the drawing.

Solution

1. Step 1: Identify cause of 'Model not found' error

   This error usually means SolidWorks cannot locate the original part or assembly file linked to the drawing.

2. Step 2: Check file location and name

   If the part or assembly was moved or renamed after the drawing was created, the link breaks causing this error.

3. Final Answer:

   The part or assembly file was moved or renamed after creating the drawing. -> Option A

4. Quick Check:

   Model not found = moved/renamed file [OK]

Hint: Keep part files in original location to avoid link errors [OK]

Common Mistakes:

• Assuming saving drawing fixes model link
• Blaming template corruption
• Changing sheet size unrelated to model link

5. You need to create a detailed drawing of an assembly showing exploded views and balloon annotations for each part. Which sequence of actions is correct?

hard

A. Create drawing from assembly, insert exploded view, then add balloons linked to BOM.

B. Create drawing from assembly, add balloons first, then insert exploded view.

C. Create drawing from assembly, export exploded view as image, then add balloons manually.

D. Create drawing from assembly, insert section views, then add balloons.

Solution

1. Step 1: Create drawing from assembly

   Start by opening the assembly and creating a new drawing from it.

2. Step 2: Insert exploded view

   Use the drawing tools to insert the exploded view of the assembly to show parts separated clearly.

3. Step 3: Add balloons linked to BOM

   Add balloon annotations that automatically link to the Bill of Materials for clear part identification.

4. Final Answer:

   Create drawing from assembly, insert exploded view, then add balloons linked to BOM. -> Option A

5. Quick Check:

   Exploded view then balloons linked to BOM = Create drawing from assembly, insert exploded view, then add balloons linked to BOM. [OK]

Hint: Insert exploded view before adding balloons for clarity [OK]

Common Mistakes:

• Adding balloons before exploded view
• Exporting exploded view as image instead of native view
• Confusing section views with exploded views