Halo, engineers! In this article, we'll explore the capabilities of SOLIDWORKS Hole Wizard and how it can help you streamline your design process. As you know, creating holes in your designs can be a time-consuming task, especially when working on complex assemblies. But fear not! With the Hole Wizard, you can create a wide variety of holes quickly and efficiently.

The Power of Automation

One of the most powerful features of the SOLIDWORKS Hole Wizard is its ability to automatically and easily create standard holes. This includes everything from simple round holes to more complex holes like counterbores and countersinks. You can also create custom holes, such as those with a specific diameter or thread size.

To do this, simply choose the "Legacy Hole" hole type in the Hole Wizard. A drop-down menu will appear, allowing you to select the hole type of your choice. Then, a figure will appear with the hole's cross-section and a menu panel where you can input the desired dimensions of your hole. Additionally, you can also specify the tolerances required for your holes.

And if you want to reuse these holes in future designs, you can even add them to your favorites for quick access.

Control and Precision

Another great feature of Hole Wizard is its ease of positioning holes. The center of the holes is positioned through a 3D Sketch, allowing you to use familiar sketching tools such as construction lines, dimensions, and relations to perfectly position your holes. This can save you a lot of time and hassle.

Furthermore, all the holes are created within the same feature, so you can easily edit the size, shape, and position of all your holes after they have been made. This is especially useful when working on complex designs, as you can make changes to your holes without having to edit them one by one.

Creating Slots

In addition to creating holes, the SOLIDWORKS Hole Wizard also allows you to create slots for your gears and shafts. The types and dimensions of the slots follow the same characteristics as the hole features.

Consistency on All Fronts!

When you dimension these holes or slots created in your SOLIDWORKS Drawings, you can employ hole callouts. These will be added automatically with their standard notation, preventing you from the hassle of having to add them manually.

Hole Callouts – 2024

The Hole Callout tool adds driven diameter dimensions to holes created by the Hole Wizard or circular cut features. Best results are obtained by creating holes using the Hole Wizard.

Hole callouts are available in drawings. If you change a hole dimension in the model, the callout updates automatically. Hole callouts use Hole Wizard information when you create a hole with the Hole Wizard. The default formats for the Hole Wizard types are stored in <install_dir>\solidworks\lang\<language>\calloutformat.txt. A second file, calloutformat_2.txt, is a simplified version.

You can edit either file. If you want to use the second file, you must rename the file to calloutformat.txt, which is the file name the SOLIDWORKS software references. You can set the location of the default folder for Hole Callout Format File in .

The number of instances is included in the hole callout if a hole in a linear or circular pattern was created in the Hole Wizard. In the JIS standard, you can change the number of instances indicator to "x" or "-".

You cannot select advanced holes for hole callouts or hole tables. If you select a face, hole tables do not include advanced holes.

Hole Callout Examples

A hole callout using information from the Hole Wizard:

The same hole callout, but defined by geometry:

A cut feature representing a hole. The cut feature must contain a circular sketch:

You can add tolerances and precision to hole callouts:

The axis of the hole must be normal to the drawing sheet.

By using the SOLIDWORKS Hole Wizard, you can streamline your design process and save time and effort. Whether you're working on a simple part or a complex assembly, this powerful tool is definitely worth exploring.

So next time you're working in SOLIDWORKS, give the Hole Wizard a try and unlock its full potential!