Comments on: Fun With SolidWorks Equations

By: Jeff Cope

Jeff Cope — Wed, 17 Dec 2008 02:22:23 +0000

I am familiar with the switch statement as I use it in Access and VBA all the time. I was unable to get it to work though so I assumed it wasn’t supported. I will go back and try it again. Maybe it was just too late at night or something.

By: ProteusDesign

ProteusDesign — Wed, 17 Dec 2008 02:15:47 +0000

Typo in switch syntax. should be:

switch (x>2, 1.5 , x>1, .5, x<1, 2.5)

By: ProteusDesign

ProteusDesign — Wed, 17 Dec 2008 02:13:03 +0000

In case it’s useful, Wiley SolidWorks 2007 Bible pg 311 gives example of syntax of switch command as follows:
switch (X>2, 1.5, X>1, .5, x 2 switch returns 1.5. If 2 < X < 1 returns .5 etc.
I assume you can specify how ever many conditions you need.

In a quick search I find nothing about switch or choose in SolidWorks help.

Now what I was looking for when I stumbled on this site was something related to equations to wow my students. In the past I’ve created elaborate design tables to size, quantify and locate features and parts according to criteria like an overall dimension and that kind of thing, but I was hoping to use equations to create surfaces or at least curves directly from mathematical expressions – (and not just from a table of coordinates generated elsewhere).

To give a simple example, start with an expression like Y=Sin(X) and generate a sine wave shaped curve. I was hoping not just to FIT geometry but to create it.

A example closer to SolidWorks functionality. I can create a design table that given the overall height of a tower, equations could generate a corresponding configuration having approprate width and the number of cross members. But what if say I wanted a tapering tower? In that case I’m not just changing the count of cross members being patterned, I’m also generating a unique length for each cross member.

By: Joel

Joel — Tue, 08 Jul 2008 15:18:44 +0000

Ahh thanks, got it. Just took a bit more work. I’ll probably be trying out the switch statment soon. I’ll try to let you know how it goes.

By: Jeff Cope

Jeff Cope — Fri, 04 Jul 2008 05:47:37 +0000

Hi Joel,

Thanks for reading. You can nest IFF statements. Just put your second IIF statement inside the False condition portion of the first IFF statement. I don’t know if there is a limit to how many you may nest but I have not run into it in Excel or Access. I think SolidWorks should be the same with regard to that.

Also, I haven’t tried it yet but there is something called a Switch statement (and another lesser used function called Choose) that sounds similar to what you are looking for. Excel and Access both support it so I was wondering if SolidWorks does as well. I haven’t tried it yet but if you try it, then please post the results here.

You can read up on them here:
http://www.dailydoseofexcel.com/archives/2005/02/21/the-switch-function/

Thanks,
Jeff