- [Instructor] This video describes
how to convert complex SOLIDWORKS 3D geometry
by simplifying it.
We're going to use this in preparation
for creating beam elements.
Then we're going to see
how to prepare the geometry ready to apply loads
and boundary conditions.
So we go to File, Open.
So if you have SOLIDWORKS version 2018 or later,
go to the Exercise folder here
and open the SOLIDWORKS file beam_end fitting.
If you've got a version prior to this,
then you can open up the Parasolid file,
but you'll need to study the video
to see how this will be used to manipulate
and create the simplified beam geometry.
So we're going to open the SOLIDWORKS part.
Now we can drag the feature tree handle up
until the basic I-beam section is revealed.
So if we grab here and move up,
we can see the starting point of that model.
I just want to confirm the pivot points at the end here,
the left-hand side and the end here on the right-hand side.
We're gonna be creating a simply supported beam model,
so we want to make sure those are in the right position.
We drag down here.
You can see the centerline of the pivot here,
the centerline of the pivot here is in the right place.
So we can move that back up again.
Now we want to move in close to the end of the beam.
Now I want to apply loading,
which will be a plane right
through the centerline of the beam.
At the moment, I have a face on this side.
I have a face on the other side.
Unfortunately, when we're creating geometric entities points
to apply loading,
we can only do that to the face of the geometry.
I can't create a centerline plane
and then apply my loading through that,
so I'm effectively gonna have to create two points
for each loading action I want to create.
So the workflow is going to be to create a sketch,
create points on that sketch,
and then project those points onto the two faces.
So the first stage is to create a sketch.
So we've moved to a side view of the beam.
We pick this face, and then we can create a sketch off that.
I want to create centerlines,
so under Line, Centerline.
If I pick a midpoint here, drag horizontally,
that's created a centerline down the beam.
Now if I pick a midpoint here, I drag vertically.
I create a centerline, a vertical sense.
Now I want to create some points as datum geometry.
So I'm going to create a point
right at the center position here at the intersection.
I'm going to create a point, a midpoint at the end here.
And I'm going to position a point somewhere
down this length here.
I want to dimension that last point,
so go to Smart Dimension.
Pick off the end point here.
My offset point here.
I want to change this dimension to 50 inches.
This is going to become the position
of my horizontal loading or my axial loading.
This is gonna be the position of my vertical loading.
So with those sketch points defined,
I can close this sketch.
Now I want to create some reference geometry
as general 3D points.
So Reference Geometry point,
and I'm going to take a projection
of a point onto a face.
So this is the face I want.
And this is a point here.
I click okay.
That's created point one, which is on the face towards us,
the centerpoint.
Repeat the exercise, Reference Geometry, point,
you want to clear the selections.
I want to have a projection.
It's a projection on this face of that sketch point.
Click okay.
That's my second point created.
I want to flip to the other side.
I want to do the same thing again.
Reference Geometry, point,
and let's clear the selection here.
I want a projection on this face now,
choose face one, of that sketch point.
Check okay.
Let's create a point three.
The final one, we come to a point,
and clear the selection.
We want a projection onto that face
of this offset point here.
I can click okay.
So let's define four points,
which are going to be picking up a loading.
Two points for the axial load,
and two points for the vertical load.
Again, the reason for doing that
is because I can only apply load to the faces,
which means that if we zoom in,
and going to have a pair
of point forces applied here and here,
and the pair of point forces applied here and here,
and that will be in the correct positioning
for either side of these two faces,
so they'll be equidistant to about the centerline.
It's a rather complicated process,
but there's no way to apply a load
in straight through the centerline of the shared web.
Now we'll pause the video there,
and when we come back, we'll pick up,
and we'll carry on and apply the loads
and boundary conditions.