SOLIDWORKS Sweeps FAQ

In this SOLIDWORKS FAQ, we answer ten questions about SOLIDWORKS sweeps. 

Question: How can I improve the quality in the Sweep Cut feature with a solid body as a tool? 

Answer: The result is influenced by geometries, continuity, and their complexity.

• Create an Extrude solid as a Tool Body, it is better than a Revolved solid. 
• If you use a Cylinder as a workpiece, it is preferred not to have the Tool body extend past the cut path of the part it is cutting, to avoid auto-intersection. 
• If you use the “Wrap” command, it is better to trace a spline over arcs and lines; this will improve the internal continuity of projected curves. 
• When possible, Insert – Curve – Split Line command permits to have a better internal continuity with a generic sketch. 
• Duplicate a face on the target body (Offset Surface to 0.0 mm) and use it to project the sketch with Wrap or Split Line commands. 

Question: What are some of the functions of the Selection Manager? 

Answer: The Selection Manager has some of the following features (loft, sweep, surface boundary) and it can do the following functions:

• Allows the selection of edge and sketch entities 
• Allows the selection of entities from multiple sketches, in combination with model edges 
• Replaces contour and smart selection 

Some of the options in the Selection Manager are the following: 

• Select Close loop 
• Select Open loop 
• Select Region 
• Select Group 
• Standard Selection 

Question: Is it required to create individual sketches for each guide curve for sweeps or lofts? 

Answer: No, multiple guide curves can exist in a single sketch for a sweep or a loft command. 

Question: A swept-cut using a solid body does not follow the path. Why? 

Answer: To have a solid body follow a sketched path, please ensure that the path is continuous without any sharp corners. The path must be tangent within itself and begin at a point on or within the tool body profile. 

Question: How a solid sweep is created using a non-tangent path (right angles)? 

Answer: To create a solid sweep with a non-tangent path change the Options- >” Orientation/twist” section to either “Keep Normal Constant” or “Follow Path: All Faces 

Question: After creating a sweep section, sweep path, guide curves, and a pierce relation between the sketches, why does the sweep path fail with a "no pierce relation" error message? 

Answer: The maximum number of turns/twists that a sweep profile can make is 100. 

Question: What are the requirements for the tool body used in the solid sweep feature? 

Answer: The tool body must be convex, revolved, or extrude with the main body, not merged; otherwise the results will be unexpected with possible errors. 

Question: What is a possible reason for the option "align with end faces” not working in a sweep feature? 

Answer: If the sweep starts and ends at the same face (e.g. a u-shape), then "align with end faces” will not work.

• A workaround is to split the start/end face into two faces. The sweep should then work as expected.

Question: How can surfaces left over by a sweep be made smooth?

Answer: Sweeps are non-analytic geometry, thus the sweeps have some leeway when they are created. 

• This allows the sweep to be a great tool, but this same latitude can cause some sweeps to drift if they aren’t properly constrained. 
• The problem can be corrected by using a path and guide curve as documented in the SOLIDWORKS Help guide.

Question: Can options in PropertyManagers be permanently set, for example, to always use a face fillet or certain loft tangency conditions? 

Answer: Unfortunately, these options cannot be permanently set, even by manual registry edits, as they are hardcoded.

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