Setting Default Feature Strategies for AFR in SOLIDWORKS CAM

In SOLIDWORKS CAM 2019 and higher, you may select the strategies you prefer when using Automatic Feature Recognition (AFR). These strategies can be specified for any type of feature.

SOLIDWORKS CAM Feature Strategies

Simply select the Feature and the Strategy to be used as default. Adjust as desired. Your Custom Strategies will be also available.

SOLIDWORKS CAM Strategies

The next time your run AFR the selected strategies will be automatically populated based on the feature detected.

Edit/View Strategy Scheme

• Current Document/Machine option: When this option is selected in the Edit/View Strategy Scheme for dropdown list, only the Feature Strategy scheme assigned to the machine currently selected for machining the active part/assembly is to be viewed/edited.
• Technology Database option: When this option is selected in the Edit/View Strategy Scheme for dropdown list, depending on the machine type (i.e. Mill or Turn), all the Feature Strategy Schemes saved in the TechDB for that particular Machine type can be viewed/edited in the Default Feature Strategies dialog box using the Strategy Scheme dropdown list.

Strategy Scheme

When Current Document/Machine option is selected in the Edit/View Strategy Scheme for dropdown list, the Strategy Scheme will function as a read-only field indicating the name of the default Feature Strategy Scheme associated with the current machine configuration selected for the active part model/assembly.

When Technology Database option is selected in the Edit/View Strategy Scheme for dropdown list, the Strategy Scheme will display the names of the Feature Strategy Schemes saved within the TechDB depending on the machine type (i.e. Mill or Turn) of the current machine configuration selected for the active part model/assembly

If the current machine configuration is a Mill machine, the names of all the Feature Strategy Schemes saved within the TechDB for Mill Feature groups will be listed in Strategy Scheme dropdown list under the Mill tab of the Default Feature Strategies dialog box. (The dialog box will have only one tab viz. the Mill tab in this case.)

If the current machine configuration is a Turn machine, the names of all the Feature Strategy Schemes saved within the TechDB for Turn Feature groups will be listed in Strategy Scheme dropdown list under the Turn tab of the Default Feature Strategies dialog box. (The dialog box will have only one tab viz. the Turn tab in this case.)

Checkbox adjacent to the listed Features in the grid

Select the checkbox next to the feature type for which you wish to change the default strategy. The checkbox will be automatically checked when you change the strategy listed in the default Strategy dropdown list to a strategy other than the default selection.

If the Current Document/Machine option is selected in the Edit/View Strategy Scheme for dropdown list of this dialog box, clicking on the Apply button will apply the updated feature strategies for only those feature types whose corresponding checkboxes were checked.

If the Technology Database option is selected in the Edit/View Strategy Scheme for dropdown list of this dialog box, the changes made to the current Feature Strategy Scheme (selected in the Strategy Scheme dropdown list) will be saved to the TechDB clicking on the Save button.

SOLIDWORKS CAM Training

Learn more tips and tricks in our SOLIDWORKS CAM Standard and SOLIDWORKS CAM Professional online training classes.