Learn how design tables can add power and flexibility to your design process

Design tables can be used to create parts and assemblies that are powerful, flexible, and can be used to document design intent. Design tables can also be used to create multiple models or versions from the same document, change feature size, or to suppress unwanted features. Lastly, design tables can create different configurations of the same design.

Configuration A	Configuration B

Insert Design Table is used to insert an embedded Microsoft^® Excel^® spreadsheet to drive dimension parameters or feature suppression. Design tables are used to create part configurations. To view the defined configurations, select the ConfigurationManager tab at the bottom of the FeatureManager^® design tree. Design tables and configurations control different aspects of a SolidWorks^® document. A configuration is used to control the visibility (suppression) of assembly components or part features. A design table can also control dimension parameter values and feature visibility of a part.

A design table within SolidWorks is considered an embedded OLE (Object Linking and Embedded) object. This means the link to the original spreadsheet no longer exists. If the original spreadsheet is changed or deleted, the embedded design table will not change. All information for the design table spreadsheet is contained, or embedded, within the SolidWorks document. The functions Insert/Design Table and Edit/Design Table are used to create and edit design tables within a part or assembly.

By default, a configuration named Default is included with every new part or assembly. This configuration name can be removed after other configurations have been defined. When a document is opened, the default configuration is selected unless another configuration name is specifically selected.

A design table can be inserted in a document using two methods; the first is from an existing Excel spreadsheet using the From File option, and the second is the New option, which inserts a blank into the document. The New option will insert a spreadsheet with a title and default configuration name First Instance as shown in the diagram.

When an existing spreadsheet is inserted for use as a design table, the table entries must already be completed with the proper row and column entries. If the spreadsheet values and references do not correspond to the active document, SolidWorks will display the error message "No valid design table instances found." An alternative method to creating the design table externally prior to inserting the design table would be to use the New option. The spreadsheet can be edited once it has been inserted into a SolidWorks document. This allows the user to then query for dimension or feature names and edit the design table. This is often easier than copying the feature and dimension names into an external spreadsheet and helps eliminate error messages based on invalid configuration values.

The active configuration name is shown to the right of the main (top) part/assembly FeatureManager icon or ConfigurationManager. The configuration activated by default will be the selected configuration when the part was last saved. A different configuration name can be selected using the Configuration option in the Open function.

The example shown displays the currently defined configuration names within the part. The active configuration name is shown selected (yellow) and the remaining configurations are shown in gray.

There are a number of attributes and properties that can be defined within a design table. The valid objects for parts and assemblies are described below.

Column Objects for Parts

Dimension Name	Dimension names take the form of @. Different cell values can be assigned for each configuration. If the cell is blank, the configuration will use the last defined value for the dimension parameter.
Custom Properties	Custom property values can also be controlled via a design table. Any field beginning with $PRP@ will control the value for a custom property.
Suppression State	Feature visibility can also be controlled via a design table. Any field beginning with $STATE@ will control the feature visibility of the listed feature. To include a feature name, a cell value of "unsuppressed" or "u" is entered into the field. To suppress the feature, enter a value of "suppressed" or "s" as shown below.
Comments	Any column beginning with the $COMMENT value will treat all field values as comments.
User Notes	Any row or column beginning with a $USER_NOTES value will treat all field values as comments.

Column Objects for Assemblies

Dimension Name	Dimension names take the form of @ or @. Different cell values can be assigned for each configuration. If the cell is blank, the configuration will use the last defined value for the dimension parameter. This dimension is an assembly dimension for an angle or distance mate, or for an assembly feature.
Suppression State	Component visibility can also be controlled via a design table. Any field beginning with $STATE@ will control the feature visibility of the listed feature. To display a component in a resolved state, a cell value of "resolved" or "r" is entered into the field. To suppress a component, enter a value of "suppressed" or "s."
Custom Properties	Custom property values can also be controlled via a design table. Any field beginning with $PRP@ will control the value for a custom property.
Configuration	Any column beginning with the $CONFIGURATION value will define the configuration to act upon for the set row values.
Visibility	Any column beginning with the $SHOW value defines which components are shown within the assembly. This is used to hide assembly components. To show a component, a cell value of "y" or "yes" is entered into the field. To hide a component, enter a value of "n" or "no."
BOM Expansion	Any column beginning with the $NEVER_EXPAND_IN_BOM value will control the expansion of subassemblies within the BOM. To expand a component, a cell value of "y" or "yes" is entered into the field. To disallow the expansion of a component, enter a value of "n" or "no."
Part Number	Any column beginning with the $PARTNUMBER value is similar to a comment field.
Comments	Any column beginning with the $COMMENT value will treat all field values as comments.
User Notes	Any row or column beginning with a $USER_NOTES value will treat all field values as comments.

Design tables are powerful tools that can be implemented to reuse designs and capture design intent to create part and assembly configurations. Part II will include a continued discussion on advanced features and uses for design tables.