Using SOLIDWORKS 3D Interconnect with Sheet Metal Parts

The new 3D Interconnect functionality introduced in SOLIDWORKS 2017 is useful when working with a variety of native non-SOLIDWORKS files, including parts that are ultimately sheet metal in nature.

A Note On Methodology

There are a few ways to add sheet metal information to a part referencing an external file; the trick when using 3D Interconnect is to add bends specifically using the Convert To Sheet Metal feature. Yes, the Add Bends feature will work initially, BUT if a new version of the part comes along that changes more than the part thickness, the update will not work.

Now that we have the preliminaries out of the way, I present the method I’ve discovered to work with sheet metal parts using SOLIDWORKS 3D Interconnect. If you try it, I’d love to hear how this method worked out for you.

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Meet the Author

Jeff Setzer

As Technology Evangelist, Jeff loves showing customers new ways to use software and complementary tools to make their jobs easier. Jeff has been working with SOLIDWORKS since its first release in 1995 and he has been with GSC from the beginning! He is a Certified SOLIDWORKS Professional, a Certified SOLIDWORKS Support Technician, a Certified SOLIDWORKS Instructor, a Certified Simulation Support Technician, and a Microsoft Certified Professional.

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