Routing - Pipes and Tubes

With SolidWorks Routing, you can create a special type of subassembly that builds a path of
pipes, tubes, or electrical cables between components. SolidWorks Routing is available with
SolidWorks Office Premium.
In the Pipe and Tube Routes lesson, you create the pipe and tube routes shown below. The
lesson includes:
Customizing a routing template
Adding parts to the Routing Library
Creating route paths by various automatic and manual methods

In the Route Drawings lesson, you create a drawing for the above assembly. The drawing
includes:
A bill of materials
Pipe length information
Auto balloons

With SolidWorks Routing, you can create a special type of subassembly that builds a path of
pipes or tubes between components

A route subassembly is always a component of a top-level assembly. When you insert certain
components into an assembly, a route subassembly is created automatically.
You model the route by creating a 3D sketch of the centerline of the route path. The software
generates the pipe or tube along the centerline.
To begin, activate the SolidWorks Routing add-in.
1. Click Tools, Add-Ins.
2. In the Active Add-ins column, select SolidWorks Routing to activate it for this session.
In addition, you can select it in the Start Up column to automatically activate
Routing every time you start the SolidWorks application. This is useful if you work with
Routing often.
3. Click OK.
SolidWorks Routing is added in.
You can find additional information about SolidWorks Routing in the SolidWorks Help.
Click Help, SolidWorks Help. On the Contents tab, expand SolidWorks Routing.
After you add in SolidWorks Routing, the software generates a default routing template, which
uses the same settings as the standard assembly template, but also contains special routing-
related model data. You cannot access the routing-related model data.
In this tutorial, you copy the default routing template and create a custom routing template. You
must make sure hidden files and folders are visible.
1. In Windows Explorer, click Tools, Folder Options.
2. On the View tab, under Advanced settings, make sure Show hidden files and folders is
selected.
3. Click OK.
Now determine the default template location.
1. From the Windows Start menu, click All Programs > SolidWorks version >
SolidWorks Tools > SolidWorks version Routing Library Manager . The Routing
Library Manager appears.
2. Select the File Locations and Settings tab.
The default template location is listed next to Routing Template. The path is typically
C:\Documents and Settings\All Users\Application Data\SolidWorks\SolidWorks
version\templates or C:\ProgramData\SolidWorks\SolidWorks version\templates,
depending on your operating system.
3. Do not exit the Routing Library Manager.
Now browse to the template.
1. In Windows Explorer, browse to your default template location.
The default routing template, routeAssembly.asmdot, appears in the folder.
What if the routing template does not appear in the folder?
2. Close Windows Explorer.