- [Instructor] Each SolidWorks part has a origin,
as well as a default coordinate system.
Notice down here is a triad, and we have an X, a Y,
and a Z direction, and over here is our origin.
Now, notice that origin happens to be just randomly
in the middle of my part.
So sometimes you might want
to actually create your own coordinate system
where you'd like.
This is especially useful if you're trying to figure out
like a moment of inertia of the part,
or you want to weigh it, or find the center of mass
and you want to use that default coordinate system
to define where that is.
It's also helpful if you ever get into CNC machining,
you can define where that work offset's going to be
by establishing a new coordinate system.
So, I want to point out here, if I go up to Evaluate,
I can come over here to Mass Properties,
it's using the center of mass over here,
and it's using all these values, the center of mass, from
that default coordinate system, right?
We only have that default system
because we haven't added anymore, and same thing down here,
as far as the moments of inertia and all this other data
down here is all using that default coordinate system.
So, if we add a new one, we can modify how
that's all being calculated by using
that new coordinate system.
So, what I'd like to do is come up here under Features,
come over here to Reference Geometry
and come down to Coordinate System.
Now, the point I want
to use is this little point right here.
I want my X-axis to go along this edge right here,
and now you can see I've got these other axes lined
up exactly how I'm looking for them,
and everything looks good.
When you're done with that, you can also choose the Y
or the Z axis to define it a little further,
but if you've got what you're looking for here,
you've got the X going in the direction you want,
the Ys go in the right direction, as well as the Z,
you are all set click Okay.
And now you've got a new coordinate system.
Now, you can do the same thing multiple times.
We can create coordinate systems all over our part.
In fact, if you wanted to create something up here
like a regular coordinate system that you weren't using
before, I could say, hey, I'd like
to just make some basic drawing.
Like starting over here I could say,
I'd like to have a line going this direction
and a line going that direction,
and just exit out of the sketch,
and then you can use those lines
to define where your coordinates are going to be going.
So, let's go ahead and try that one more time.
I come up here to Coordinate System.
I'm going to use this corner, right, as my coordinate system.
My X-axis is going to go along this edge here.
My Y-axis is going to go along that edge there,
and then the Z's going to be going up.
Click Okay, and there my next coordinate system.
So, you can rename those over here as well just by clicking
on it, and just renaming it right here,
but you don't have to.
Okay, so there's a couple different ways you can do that,
and then notice over here,
because I've got these two coordinate systems,
if I go back to Evaluate, and come up to Mass Properties,
I can now choose them right over here.
I can say coordinate system one.
Notice these values change.
So does the center of mass.
Coordinate system two, notice everything changes as well.
So, you're basing that center of mass off of
that new coordinate system, or you're basing the moment
of inertia off that coordinate system, and if you get
into CNC machining, you could say, hey,
that's my work offset number one.
This other place over here is going to be work offset
number two, and so on.
So, a lot of things you can do
using these coordinate systems inside of SolidWorks.