SolidWorks Assembly Configurations - How to work with them?

What is ConfigurationManager?

Contents

Configuration Manager is meant to create, select, and view multiple configurations of parts and assemblies in a document. Configurations lets you create multiple variations of a part or assembly within a document. It also provides a convenient way to design and manage the families or iterations of models with different dimensions, components, and other parameters.

You can split the ConfigurationManager, and combine the ConfigurationManager with the feature manager design tree.

The icons in the ConfigurationManager denote how the configuration was created

	Manual configuration.
	configuration with a design table.
	Manual configuration and has an explode state or a derived configuration.
	configuration with a design table, and has an explode state or a derived configuration.

There are additional icons

	The data set for the configuration is full and up-to-date.
	The full data set for the configuration will be generated the next time you save the document.

Working with Solidworks Assembly Manager

Creating Assembly Configuration

Before creating the configuration you should design or open the assembly. In the property panel, the third Icon is the option of ConfigurationManager. Click on the Configuration option.

In the property manager, you will see the Assembly name followed by the Configuration ( Assem1_Configuration(s). Under this, you have the Default Configuration. Right-Click on the Configuration and Select Add Configuration.

In PropertyManager, Under Add configuration give the Name, Description, and Comment to the configuration. Then click on OK. The configuration will be created and in a similar way, you can add multiple configurations.

Creating changes in the configuration

Select the configuration in ConfigurationManager. Then go to Model, Select the feature which you want to change in the assembly. Right-Click on the feature or mate and select Configure Feature.

After selecting Configure feature one popup window will come up showing various configurations and values of that feature in all the configurations. From here you can make changes to the features in all the configurations. After making changes in the configurations click on Apply. The changes will be applied to the configurations.

To see the configuration of a part or assembly in the PropertyManager. You do not have to open a configuration to see it, which saves time in complex parts and assemblies.