Any Solidworks aficionados out there?

[Island Bumpkin]

I'm working on a project for my entry level solidworks class in college, and the project I chose I'm finding reaches out what I know of the program.

What I'm trying to do, is make a basic model of a sandrail chassis/frame. I started with what I know, basic sweeps along a path. But there has to be something that I can do that works better.

Any help is appreciated

-Jameson
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1971 Baja Bug, 1600dp, summer/winter/summer project
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http://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=556996
1988 F250 SC/LB 7.3 IDI/ZF5/Dana 50 front, Sterling 10.25 rear. 4" lift -Daily-
1976 F250 Reg cab/LB Stock 300/NP435/NP205 -Long Term Project-

[risk]

There are some solidworks models on here that you could use as a guide:

https://grabcad.com/library?per_page=20&query=vw

For tubing, I would use the "thin feature" on your sweeps.. and assign a thickness based on the gauge. 14 gauge tubing is .083" and 12 gauge is .109" thick. Uncheck "merge result" when extruding features into other features if you want to show an edge for welding.

I built a turbo header for my bug, started modeling it in solidworks but never finished it up.

[really-whale]

Another option is to use 'Weldment' features, although I'm not sure if this is only included in the Sheetmetal add-on to Solidworks.

Create a 3D sketch of the sandrail frame and then use weldment to assign lines in the sketch to a particular tube section. Solidworks probably has a few types of tube predefined in its library or you can create your own. Like Risk mentioned about not using "merge result", you will have the same option when using this feature. You can then use 'Trim/Extend' features to clean up unruly junctions.

If this doesn't make enough sense to get started, the Weldmente tutorial within Solidworks is quite good and might have enough detail to get you on your way.
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