Working with a Bounding Box for a Part

The dimensions of a bounding box can help you determine the space required to ship and package product.

Calculating a bounding box for a part with many faces can be time consuming. If a part has many faces, create the bounding box after you finish modeling the part. You can create rectangular and cylindrical bounding boxes.

To create a bounding box for a part and view its properties:

  1. In a part document, click Insert > Reference Geometry > Bounding Box.
  2. In the PropertyManager, under Type of Bounding Box, select Rectangular or Cylindrical.
  3. Under Reference Face/Plane, select Best Fit. The orientation of the bounding box is based on the X-Y plane.

    The bounding box calculated by the SOLIDWORKS software might not have the minimum volume for some bodies and parts. Use past experience and experimental data to review the suggested bounding box, and modify it if required.

    To change the reference plane, click Custom Plane.

  4. Under Options, select the following:
    • Include hidden bodies
    • Include surfaces
    • Show Preview

    If you hide a body in the part, the bounding box automatically updates and only encloses the visible bodies in the model.

  5. Click .

    In the FeatureManager design tree, Bounding Box is added after Origin.

    You can right-click the bounding box and from the shortcut menu, select Hide, Show, Suppress, or Unsuppress.

To view bounding box properties, hover over Bounding Box in the FeatureManager design tree or click File > Properties > Configuration Properties tab. Values for thickness, width, length, and volume of the bounding box are listed.