🧪 SolidWorks Simulation Material Library Macro
This project involved creating a SolidWorks macro to automate material assignment and manage a custom material library for simulation purposes.
It streamlines the process of preparing parts and assemblies for Finite Element Analysis (FEA) by standardizing material properties.
🔹 Project Overview
- Objective:
- Enable quick assignment of materials to parts and assemblies
- Maintain a centralized custom material library for consistent simulation setups
- Allow engineers to add, modify, or select materials through a UserForm interface
- Read material properties from an Excel file and integrate them directly into the SolidWorks material library
- Reduce manual errors and save time during FEA preparation
- Deliverable: A VBA macro with UserForm embedded in SolidWorks, automating material selection and assignment for simulation-ready models.
🛠Tools & Features
- SolidWorks 2024
- VBA Macro with UserForm:
- Dropdown list of predefined material options
- Buttons for:
- Apply Material → Assigns the selected material to the active component
- Add/Modify Material → Updates or creates new material entries in the library
- Preview Material Properties → Displays key properties such as density, Young’s modulus, and Poisson’s ratio
- Excel Integration:
- Material properties are read from an Excel file
- Automatically added to SolidWorks custom material library
- Supports batch addition and ensures consistency across projects
- Fully compatible with SolidWorks Simulation for FEA setups
📸 Project Media
UserForm for selecting and managing materials for SolidWorks Simulation.
Macro in action – reading materials from Excel, adding them to the library, and applying them automatically.
📂 Deliverables
- SolidWorks VBA Macro with UserForm
- Custom Material Library integrated into macro
- Buttons for material application, addition, modification, and preview
- Excel-based material database integration
- Video demo showing seamless assignment of materials to multiple components
🎯 Key Learnings
- Streamlined FEA preparation workflow by automating material assignments
- Created a user-friendly interface for material selection and management
- Leveraged Excel integration to populate SolidWorks material library efficiently
- Ensured data consistency for simulations across assemblies
- Saved significant time and reduced errors during model setup