Maxime CASIER SOLIDWORKS: measuring internal volume
You're probably already familiar with the measurement capabilities of SOLIDWORKS. As soon as a material is entered, using the "Mass Properties" tool, SOLIDWORKS precisely calculates the density, mass, surface area, center of gravity and volume of your design.
These data are entirely parametric, and evolve automatically as the design is modified, ensuring that you always have the correct information. However, the volume measured corresponds to the volume of the material used. However, some industries require knowledge of the product's internal volume. This is particularly true of bottles, tanks and vats. CAD cannot measure an empty volume. So you need to model the contents of your design to know its internal volume.
SOLIDWORKS provides you with numerous design tools based on existing geometry. This also implies a large number of solutions for an identical result. All you have to do is choose the method you prefer. Here are two quick and easy examples of how to measure an internal volume.
1st solution for measuring internal volume: combine bodies
This first solution uses SOLIDWORKS Boolean operations. Start by adding a cube, encompassing your entire design, up to the desired height. Then use the "Combine" function, selecting the subtract option on these two bodies. Once the function has been validated, choose to keep only the inner body. Don't hesitate to configure this last "Combine" function, so that you can easily return to your design.
2nd solution for measuring internal volume: create a print section
In this method, we simply create a new part that will be the content of your design. The work is carried out in the context of an assembly. Start by inserting your part(s) into a SOLIDWORKS assembly file. Then create a new part and, as before, add a volume enclosing your complete assembly. All that's left to do is to use the SOLIDWORKS "Footprint" tool to remove the entire outer volume, retaining only the contents. The resulting part then contains only the internal volume of the assembly, which is easy to measure. Go a step further and add a texture to your content to enhance the visual rendering of your work. Don't forget to enter a density to obtain the correct total mass.
