Hi all:
Given SolidWorks' remarkable ability to permit copying mates and associated drawings from one assembly to another similar one with minimal cleanup required, I was hoping this could be done with exploded views. However, I have not figured out a way. Has anybody successfully done this? I am aware that exploded views can be copied from one configuration to another, but in this case, that is not an option for me.
FWIW, I have found a workaround. I can edit each successive explode step in the "source" assembly, and then add the corresponding step in the "destination" assembly. SolidWorks remembers the explode distance. I just have to be careful to select the same component(s) each time. This helps more than you might think, as with complex explosions, the explode distances have to be worked out by trial and error to make the view clear in a drawing. Not having to re-do this process is nice. Still, for a complex assembly with >50 explode steps, it would be much easier to just copy the exploded view over and fix it to account for the differences between the assemblies.
Thanks in advance, John.