Treehouse is a Solidworks tool with several auxiliary features. It is a stand-alone tool that allows you to create and maintain assembly structures before you begin modeling in Solidworks. Treehouse makes it simple to create new configurations, import and update existing assemblies, export documents to Solidworks and Microsoft Excel, and save your layout for an overhead view. Treehouse is an advanced tool for developing and managing assembly structures that is included with every Solidworks 3D CAD license.

Users of Solidworks Treehouse may utilize a drag-and-drop interface to construct assemblies from pre-existing parts. Users can also use pre-defined Solidworks templates to design new components. When an assembly hierarchy is complete, you can export it and Solidworks will automatically build new parts and assemblies with references. One of the most widely utilized automated procedures in a PDM vault is Solidworks Product Data Management (PDM) templates. They may be used to create new project folder sets, write ECOs and ECRs, and generate new Solidworks files, among other things. You may build a new project and instantly begin designing the design structure for your project by including a Solidworks Treehouse template in your Solidworks PDM projects template.

Treehouse has some amazing features for developing and maintaining assembly structures. When examining huge assemblies with multiple branches, learning how to use  SolidWorks Treehouse makes it simple to visualize the complex relationships. Adding new components and sub-assemblies may be done immediately in the visual representation of the assembly structure, resulting in an accurate and up-to-date Bill of Materials (BOM) for the design. Exporting assembly structure information to Microsoft Excel is an excellent way to share it outside of the design department. You can incorporate component graphical previews, which give even more clarity and reduce the possibility of misidentification. When it comes to building and maintaining assembly structures, Solidworks Treehouse gives you more options.

How to Use Solidworks Treehouse 

SolidWorks Treehouse is an excellent tool for both managers and designers since the user interface helps you to determine how your assembly will be organized before you begin creating. Once you have learned how to use Solidworks Treehouse, you will be able to utilize it to name your components and drag in existing designs. You may also use it to create setups, add custom properties, and do a variety of other tasks. To learn how to use Solidworks Treehouse, follow the instructions below.

Step 1: To start using Treehouse, go to the start menu, then search for, expand, and pick ‘SOLIDWORKS Tools 20XX’ or alternatively, type ‘SOLIDWORKS Treehouse 20XX’ into the search field and proceed from there.

Step 2: If this is your first time using SolidWorks Treehouse, you will need to provide a location for the templates that will be used to generate your assembly, as well as the folder where you will import and export assemblies and components. To add these sites, click the Treehouse options button and enter the addresses.

Step 3: You may save existing SOLIDWORKS documents as new copies when you export a hierarchy from Treehouse. You must work from the top down to save an existing document as a new copy. For example, if you have an existing assembly document in the hierarchy and wish to save one of its components as a new document, you must first save the assembly as a new document. To save an existing document as a new document, right-click an existing document in the hierarchy and select Save As New Document. 

Enter a new name and settings for the new document in the Save As New Document dialog box. Then press the OK button. When you export the hierarchy to SOLIDWORKS documents, the node background turns green to signify that the node will be saved as a new document.

 

Solidworks Treehouse enables you to perform a variety of functions. Some of the functions are explained below.

1. Using Treehouse to Create an Assembly File Structure: To create an assembly structure, start by picking the top-level assembly from a template. Then, using the file explorer, drag and drop the files you want to add to your structure into the Treehouse workspace or pick “Existing file” from the left side of the window under templates to search for the existing file. So when the structure is finished, click the “Export to SOLIDWORKS” button once again to open Solidworks with the assembly attributes and structure selected. If an assembly structure is created from existing components, the assembly must still be properly mated inside SolidWorks before it can be exported.

2. Adding Configuration: You can also add configurations and derived configurations to Treehouse components and assemblies, as well as construct alternative configurations depending on attributes. Pause the pointer over a part or assembly template to reveal the configuration option, then add or update configurations. The configuration dialog box appears when you click. Then click Add Configuration, enter a name for the configuration, and click OK. Proceed to the Click to add configuration instances to the assembly. Click on an existing configuration name and select Add Derived Configuration to add a derived configuration. Click to close the Configuration dialog box.

After adding the configuration, the properties may be modified in the property editor by going to the configuration tab.

3. Exporting to Solidworks: When you’re content with your layout, export the hierarchy to Solidworks documents. Treehouse will generate SOLIDWORKS documentation for you in the place you designate. The structure specified in Treehouse will be used to refer to these documents. You may now begin working on the details of your design.

Treehouse also has the ability to export the structure as a list to Microsoft Excel. To export, go to the toolbar and click the “Open in Excel” button. This will run Excel and display the information from your assembly structure. Images of the models may now be included when exporting to excel to share assembly structures with more clarity.

Protip: Ways to use Solidworks to optimize Your Design Process

1. Capture the design: When working on a major assembly, Treehouse creates all of the sub-assemblies, drawings, and parts that flow into the main assembly. As other individuals complete the design’s parts and sub-assemblies, those pieces appear in the main assembly – fit, assembly sequence, and any design faults can then be observed and rectified much more quickly.
2. Setting up a methodology: You need a framework to aggregate all the pieces, whether you’re doing top-down or bottom-up modeling. From a top-down perspective, defining a structure early on is critical. When utilizing a sketch or envelope to drive sub-assemblies and parts, making a tree and employing templates speeds up the process. The top assembly also serves as a check on the technique to ensure that everyone is adhering to it appropriately.
3. Start at Design Reviews: During evaluations or kick-offs, designs may be revised. It’s simple to write down a structure while designs are being examined, but modeling the structure and showing it to attendees helps demonstrate how a project will be completed and how components will be joined. Treehouse allows you to rearrange the structures you build. This may be a huge help in those long sessions and can help to clear up any doubt regarding the assembly arrangement.

Conclusion

Understanding how the features function is essential to learning how to use SolidWorks Treehouse, and I hope this article was useful.