Problem

A common error in SOLIDWORKS Simulation Thermal Study Setups is applying a temperature Thermal Load to faces instead of the entire body. By default, SOLIDWORKS selects faces, and the "Select all exposed faces" button only selects external faces, not the whole body. This causes incorrect results because undefined parts start at absolute zero (0 Kelvin), leading to unrealistically low temperatures in transient studies.

Solution 1: Selecting Components from the Tree

1. Start a new Temperature Load Boundary Condition

2. Click on the selection box so that the feature shows in the graphics area

3. Expand the feature tree to see all parts and bodies

4. Select the Part in the feature tree to apply the load to the whole part body, or in the case of multi-body parts, expand the Solid Bodies folder in the part feature tree to select individual bodies
5. Set the rest of the parameters for the Temperature load and click the Green Checkmark to create the feature

The limitation of this method is that there is a long list of components that is hard to filter through. In this example, if we needed to select only certain smaller components, we would have to find them through a long list of patterned components. We can instead use selection filters in the next Solution to click on the bodies we want to apply a temperature to.

Solution 2: Using Selection Filters

1. Press F5 on the keyboard or right-click on the command manager and toggle the "Selection Filter" on to bring up the Selection Filter toolbar. Note: The toolbar appears at the bottom by default, and filters can be turned off by pressing F6 on the keyboard.

2. Left-click on the Solid Bodies selection filter to turn it on

3. With the filter toggled on, select the component bodies directly from the graphics window to apply the load to them

4. Set the rest of the parameters for the Temperature load and click the Green Checkmark to create the feature

For additional support, existing customers can submit a ticket or new customers can contact Hawk Ridge Systems.