CAD Puzzles & Riddles

Are you gonna share the 2-feature solution, or keep us waiting?

Sorry, I'd say I was waiting so everyone had a chance to solve it on their own, but I forgot to post the solution.

Bad timing too because last night I "cleaned up" some files/folders and now I can't find my original models for this challenge. I'll keep looking, there's only two places I would have stored it.

But the technique can be described in words:

1. Create a "flat pattern" as a single extrusion containing all the holes, slots, fillets.
2. Using sheet metal tools apply a Sketch Bend to form the required bent part.

It's a solution that only needs two features (extrude, and sketched bend). But SW puts additional entries in the feature tree for sheet metal parts. That's why some of the solutions show 4 features.

There might be a solution using one of the Deform tools to solve this without getting the additional feature tree items, but I hate those deform tools. I'll let someone else experiment with them.

Found my file:

Does Solidworks require you to be in a sheet metal environment to make bends? Inventor can do bends outside of sheet metal but it can only make one bend at a time.

Yes. There are some exceptions with the deform tools. But for proper sheet metal tools SW adds a few features to the feature tree to allow the creation of a flat pattern. SW then allows the all the sheet metal tools to be used for bends, flanges, etc.

Wow, I too did this challenge on sheet metal. It was hard for me to figure out on what environment this has to be done. I am attaching my solution. Also in catia it is possible to make multiple bends from flat at a time. Nice challenge.