🏢 SolidWorks Balcony Automation Project
This project involved the automation of balustrade (balcony railing) design in SolidWorks.
The client required a solution where the balustrade assembly adapts automatically to site measurements, with post spacing, glass panel dimensions, and heights updating dynamically.
🔹 Project Overview
- Objective: Automate the creation of balcony assemblies where:
- Post spacing is calculated automatically based on maximum allowed distance.
- Number of posts adapts dynamically to the balcony size.
- Glass panel dimensions adjust automatically while maintaining required offsets.
- Overall height is adjustable while keeping handrails, clamps, and gaps consistent.
- Deliverable: A SolidWorks macro with userform that links to an Excel post spacing calculator, enabling automatic updates of the assembly.
🛠 Tools & Methods
- SolidWorks 2024 Assemblies, Weldments, and Sheet Metal
- VBA for SolidWorks API:
- Macro with UserForm interface
- Reads dimension values from Excel
- Updates posts, glass panels, and handrail heights
- Excel Integration:
- Post Spacing Calculator.xlsx used for spacing logic
- Normalized and non-normalized site dimensions supported
📸 Project Media
SolidWorks Balcony Assembly – parametric model with posts and glass panels.
Macro demo – resizing and post/glass recalculation based on Excel input.
📂 Deliverables
- SolidWorks Assembly File – parametric balcony model
- Excel Post Spacing Calculator – driving dimensions and logic
- SolidWorks VBA Macro – automation for posts, glass, and height adjustments
- Video Demos – showing resizing, recalculation, and assembly automation
🎯 Key Learnings
- Applied SolidWorks API to a real-world architectural engineering problem
- Integrated Excel logic with CAD automation for adaptive design
- Optimized workflow by eliminating manual recalculation of posts and panels
- Ensured scalability for different balcony sizes and configurations