Alias-to-SolidWorks Workflow: From Styling Surfaces to Engineering Parts

The problem

Design and engineering teams often use different tools: Alias for styling and SOLIDWORKS for engineering. Moving surfaces between them can break boundaries, lose quality or create parts that cannot be moulded. Each styling change can force engineering rework. A tested, documented workflow with quality checkpoints saves time and keeps design intent.

Objectives

• Select a styled EV part, such as a scooter side panel or mirror housing, from your own Alias model.
• Prepare surfaces in Alias for export with clean boundaries and tolerances.
• Import into SOLIDWORKS, repair, knit and check deviation from the original.
• Thicken or shell into a part with draft, ribs, bosses and clips.
• Test design change propagation and document the workflow with checkpoints.

What you need

Key concepts

Export tolerance

The positional and angular tolerance used for surfaces and trims; mismatched tolerances between systems cause gaps and failed knits.

Knit and thicken

In SOLIDWORKS, surfaces are knitted into one body and then thickened to create a solid of uniform wall thickness.

Draft and parting line

Faces must be angled relative to the mould pull direction so the part can be released; the parting line divides core and cavity sides.

Design change propagation

How a styling update reaches engineering. Using Replace Face or reference surfaces can reduce rework when a surface changes.

Step-by-step guide

1. 1

   Select and review the part

   Choose a styled part from your own Alias model, such as a scooter side panel with a feature line and a lamp opening. Review its surface structure and continuity in Alias with continuity checks and Zebra shading before anything leaves the styling tool. Record the material and process target, for example injection-moulded PP or ABS with an example 2.5 mm wall, in a short part brief.

   Checkpoint: A part brief with process, material, wall thickness and the list of surfaces to export.

2. 2

   Prepare surfaces in Alias

   Remove slivers and tiny trimmed faces, close gaps, and extend surfaces slightly past trim lines where engineering may need overlap for thickening or flanges. Delete construction geometry and hidden objects. Set export tolerances consistent with what SOLIDWORKS expects and note the values used in the brief. Name layers and surfaces clearly so engineering can tell A-side from reference geometry. Save the prepared file as a new version.

   Checkpoint: No gaps above the export tolerance shown by continuity checks, and a clean layer structure.

3. 3

   Export and import

   Export the surfaces as STEP and as IGES and import both into SOLIDWORKS. Run Import Diagnostics on each and attempt to heal faulty faces and gaps automatically. Compare which format imports more cleanly for your part and how long healing takes. Record any faces that need to be deleted and rebuilt manually with Fill Surface or Boundary Surface. Save the healed import as the master.

   Checkpoint: One import that passes Import Diagnostics with no faulty faces, or a list of faces repaired.

4. 4

   Knit and check deviation

   Knit the surfaces with Knit Surface, setting the gap control tolerance deliberately and noting it. Check deviation across key boundaries with Deviation Analysis, and use Zebra Stripes and Curvature display to confirm the transfer preserved the styling quality. Compare the zebra images with those from Alias at the same view angle to catch any loss of continuity. Save both image sets for the report.

   Checkpoint: A knitted surface body with boundary deviations within an example 0.05 degrees and visually continuous zebra stripes.

5. 5

   Create the part solid

   Thicken the knitted surface inward by the wall thickness, keeping the styled surface as the A-side. If Thicken fails, use Check or Curvature display to find faces with a radius smaller than the wall thickness and agree a change with the designer, or offset and build the solid in pieces. Confirm wall uniformity with sections or Thickness Analysis, which is part of SOLIDWORKS Premium.

   Checkpoint: A solid part with the A-side matching the styled surface and uniform wall thickness confirmed.

6. 6

   Add draft and parting line

   Define the mould pull direction and run Draft Analysis on the part. Add draft to B-side features with the Draft feature and flag any A-side faces without enough draft so the designer can adjust them in Alias. Define the parting line with the Parting Line feature in Mold Tools. Note any undercuts that will need side actions or lifters in the tool.

   Checkpoint: Draft Analysis shows all faces with at least an example 1 degree of draft except those marked for side actions.

7. 7

   Add engineering features

   Add ribs, screw bosses, snap clips and locating features on the B-side, following typical plastic design guidance such as rib thickness being a fraction of the nominal wall and bosses tied to walls with ribs. Make every feature reference B-side geometry, not A-side faces, so features survive styling changes. Check sink-mark risk where ribs meet the wall with sections. Record each rule used.

   Checkpoint: Engineering features meet stated design rules and do not create thick sections behind the A-side.

8. 8

   Test design change propagation

   In Alias, modify the styled surface slightly, for example moving a feature line by 3 mm, and export again. In SOLIDWORKS, update the A-side with Replace Face and record how many downstream features fail and how long repair takes. Repeat with a full re-import and rebuild approach and compare effort, so the workflow document can recommend one method with evidence.

   Checkpoint: An update log showing the number of failed features and time taken for each approach.

9. 9

   Optional mould fill check

   If SOLIDWORKS Plastics is available, run a fill analysis with an example gate location to check fill time, weld lines and air traps. Move the gate or adjust wall thickness if weld lines fall on visible A-side areas or if there are short shots. State clearly that simulation results need confirmation by moulding trials and the toolmaker's experience. Save the gate study images.

   Checkpoint: A fill result without short shots and with weld lines away from visible A-side areas.

10. 10

    Document the workflow

    Write a workflow document listing each step, the tolerances used, the checks at every handover, common failure modes and their fixes, and the results of the change-propagation test. Include screenshots for each checkpoint and a one-page checklist that designers and engineers can sign off together. Ask a classmate to follow it on a different part to test that it is clear.

    Checkpoint: A workflow document another student could follow to repeat the process.

Testing & validation

• Imported surfaces pass Import Diagnostics and knit within tolerance.
• A-side deviation from the Alias surface stays within tolerance.
• Draft and wall thickness meet moulding targets.
• Change propagation test completes with documented effort.

Expected results

A documented and tested Alias-to-SOLIDWORKS workflow that turns a styled EV part into a moulding-ready engineered part, with quality checks at each handover and a measured change-propagation comparison.

Take it further

• Apply the workflow to a part with Class-A G3 surfaces.
• Compare with a direct workflow using a neutral format such as Parasolid.
• Build a checklist template for design reviews.
• Add mould tooling design with Mold Tools.

Viva and review questions

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