SolidWorks Large Scale Design Tools: Speed Pak

SolidWorks Large Scale Design: Speed Paks

Large Scale Design in SolidWorks brings together many tools you can use to effectively design machinery, heavy equipment, plants, ships, and other large objects. Over the next few months, we will describe a number of the tools available to make Large Scale design more efficient.

Speed Pak
Speed Pak creates a simplified configuration of an assembly without losing references. If you work with very large and complex assemblies, using a Speed Pak configuration can significantly improve performance while working in the assembly and its drawing.

Speed Pak allows you to choose what bodies and faces are used for mating; then, when used in an assembly, those faces are visible while others are ghosted.

You can also use Speed Pak to facilitate file sharing. The Speed Pak information is saved entirely within the assembly file. Therefore, when sharing an assembly, you do not need to include component files.

Let's look at how to create a SpeedPak

Step 1 - On the Configuration Manager tab, under Configurations, right-click an existing configuration and select Add SpeedPak.
Step 2 - In the Property Manager, select the faces and bodies that you want to be selectable in the SpeedPak configuration. Optionally, select Remove Ghost to hide all other faces, which improves performance even more.

Finished! With the SpeedPak added to the assembly, anytime it is inserted into an upper assembly, the SpeedPak faces will be visible for selection, while all others will be ghosted, for easier selection.

Those same faces will be available in Drawings for dimensioning, and your drawings and assemblies can be opened without needing reference files.





For more training and tutorials on the many 3D CAD Modeling solutions in the SolidWorks family of products and add-ons, please feel free to look through our Webcast Archive, register for an upcoming webcast or event, or look into our 3DU SolidWorks Training and Certification courses.