Revolved surface in Solidworks - Dashboard Guide

Dashboard Mode - Revolved surface

Business Question

How can we analyze the usage and performance of revolved surfaces in our SolidWorks projects to improve design efficiency?

Sample Data

Project ID	Surface Name	Revolve Angle (degrees)	Material	Surface Area (cm²)	Creation Time (minutes)	Designer
101	Base Cylinder	360	Aluminum	150.5	12	Alice
102	Handle Grip	270	Plastic	85.3	8	Bob
103	Cover Dome	180	Steel	120.0	15	Charlie
104	Connector Ring	360	Aluminum	95.7	10	Alice
105	Support Arm	360	Plastic	110.2	9	Bob

Dashboard Components

• KPI Card: Total Revolved Surfaces
  Formula: Count of Project ID
  Result: 5
• KPI Card: Average Creation Time (minutes)
  Formula: Average of Creation Time
  Result: (12+8+15+10+9)/5 = 10.8 minutes
• Bar Chart: Surface Area by Material
  Formula: Sum Surface Area grouped by Material
  Results:
  - Aluminum: 150.5 + 95.7 = 246.2 cm²
  - Plastic: 85.3 + 110.2 = 195.5 cm²
  - Steel: 120.0 cm²
• Pie Chart: Revolve Angle Distribution
  Formula: Count of surfaces by Revolve Angle
  Results:
  - 360°: 3 surfaces
  - 270°: 1 surface
  - 180°: 1 surface
• Table: Detailed Surface Data
  Shows all columns from sample data for detailed review

Dashboard Layout

+----------------------+-----------------------+
| Total Surfaces: 5    | Average Time: 10.8 min |
| [KPI Card]           | [KPI Card]            |
+----------------------+-----------------------+
|                       Bar Chart: Surface Area by Material          |
|                       [Aluminum, Plastic, Steel]                  |
+---------------------------------------------------------------+
| Pie Chart: Revolve Angle Distribution | Detailed Surface Data  |
| [360°, 270°, 180°]                   | [Table with all data]  |
+---------------------------------------------------------------+
    

Interactivity

Material Filter: Selecting a material updates the bar chart, pie chart, KPI cards, and detailed table to show only surfaces with that material.
Revolve Angle Filter: Selecting an angle updates all components to reflect only surfaces with that angle.
Designer Filter: Selecting a designer filters all components to show surfaces created by that designer.

Self Check

If you add a filter for Material = 'Aluminum', which components update and what changes occur?

• KPI Cards: Total Surfaces changes to 2, Average Creation Time recalculates to (12+10)/2 = 11 minutes.
• Bar Chart: Surface Area shows only Aluminum total 246.2 cm².
• Pie Chart: Revolve Angle Distribution updates to 360° with 2 surfaces.
• Detailed Table: Shows only rows with Aluminum material (Project IDs 101 and 104).

Key Result

Dashboard analyzing revolved surfaces in SolidWorks projects by material, revolve angle, and creation time.

Practice

1. What is the main purpose of a Revolved Surface in SolidWorks?

easy

A. To create a 3D shape by spinning a 2D sketch around an axis

B. To extrude a 2D sketch in a straight line

C. To cut a hole through a solid body

D. To mirror a part across a plane

Solution

1. Step 1: Understand the Revolved Surface concept

   A revolved surface is created by rotating a 2D profile around a fixed axis.

2. Step 2: Compare with other features

   Extrusion extends a sketch linearly, cutting removes material, mirroring duplicates. Only revolving spins the sketch.

3. Final Answer:

   To create a 3D shape by spinning a 2D sketch around an axis -> Option A

4. Quick Check:

   Revolve = spin sketch around axis [OK]

Hint: Revolve means spin a sketch around an axis [OK]

Common Mistakes:

• Confusing revolve with extrusion
• Thinking revolve cuts material
• Mixing revolve with mirroring

2. Which of the following is the correct syntax to create a revolved surface in SolidWorks using the API method CreateRevolvedSurface?

easy

A. CreateRevolvedSurface(axisLine, profileSketch, angle)

B. CreateRevolvedSurface(profileSketch, axisLine, angle)

C. CreateRevolvedSurface(profileSketch, angle, axisLine)

D. CreateRevolvedSurface(angle, profileSketch, axisLine)

Solution

1. Step 1: Identify parameter order in API

   The method requires the profile sketch first, then the axis line, then the angle of revolution.

2. Step 2: Match parameters to options

   Only CreateRevolvedSurface(profileSketch, axisLine, angle) follows the correct order: profileSketch, axisLine, angle.

3. Final Answer:

   CreateRevolvedSurface(profileSketch, axisLine, angle) -> Option B

4. Quick Check:

   Profile, Axis, Angle order [OK]

Hint: Remember: Profile first, then axis, then angle [OK]

Common Mistakes:

• Swapping axis and profile parameters
• Putting angle before axis
• Incorrect parameter order causing errors

3. Given a 2D sketch of a semicircle and an axis line, what will be the shape created by revolving the sketch 360 degrees around the axis?

medium

A. A hollow cylinder

B. A solid hemisphere

C. A torus (doughnut shape)

D. A sphere

Solution

1. Step 1: Understand the semicircle revolution

   Revolving a semicircle 360 degrees around its diameter axis creates a full sphere.

2. Step 2: Eliminate other shapes

   A hollow cylinder needs a rectangle, a torus needs a circle offset from axis, hemisphere is half sphere.

3. Final Answer:

   A sphere -> Option D

4. Quick Check:

   Semicircle revolve 360° = sphere [OK]

Hint: Semicircle spun fully makes a sphere [OK]

Common Mistakes:

• Thinking it creates a cylinder
• Confusing torus with sphere
• Assuming hemisphere instead of full sphere

4. You tried to create a revolved surface but got an error saying "Axis not defined". What is the most likely cause?

medium

A. The axis line was not selected or missing

B. The angle of revolution is zero

C. The profile sketch is not closed

D. The sketch is not on the correct plane

Solution

1. Step 1: Analyze the error message

   "Axis not defined" means the software cannot find the axis to revolve around.

2. Step 2: Identify common causes

   Most likely the axis line was not selected or missing in the feature setup.

3. Final Answer:

   The axis line was not selected or missing -> Option A

4. Quick Check:

   Missing axis line causes "Axis not defined" error [OK]

Hint: Always select axis line before revolving [OK]

Common Mistakes:

• Ignoring axis selection
• Assuming profile closure causes axis error
• Not checking angle value

5. You want to create a revolved surface for a bottle shape using a 2D profile sketch. The profile is open at the top and you revolve it 270 degrees around the vertical axis. What will be the result?

hard

A. A solid cylinder

B. A fully closed bottle shape

C. A partial bottle shape with an open side

D. An error because the profile is open

Solution

1. Step 1: Consider the open profile and revolution angle

   An open profile revolved less than 360 degrees creates a partial surface with an open side.

2. Step 2: Understand the effect of 270 degrees revolution

   Since 270° is less than full circle, the shape will not close fully, leaving a gap.

3. Final Answer:

   A partial bottle shape with an open side -> Option C

4. Quick Check:

   Open profile + 270° revolve = partial open shape [OK]

Hint: Less than 360° revolve + open profile = open partial shape [OK]

Common Mistakes:

• Assuming partial revolve closes shape
• Thinking open profile causes error
• Confusing partial revolve with full revolve