In the image above, all twelve sockets are contained in a single part file. The most common reason to use configurations is to quickly establish a family of similar parts or assemblies. Future articles in this series will cover using configurations in assemblies and using configurations in drawings. In this article, we will examine the best cases for using configurations in SOLIDWORKS, preparing a model for configuration, and 3 methods for creating configurations: manually, using a Configuration Table, and using a Design Table. This blog is the first part in a series about configurations. ( For a full list of configurable items, see the SOLIDWORKS Help article, “ Configurable Items for Parts”). The differences between configurations are established by changing dimension values, suppressing features, and changing other parameters. SOLIDWORKS configurations allow users to maintain multiple versions of a part or an assembly in a single file.
