You can also catch up on Part 1 and Part 2 if you haven’t already.

In this final chapter of the SolidWorks part modelling series, we complete our steering knuckle design by introducing detail refinement and practical tools like holes, fillets, chamfers, and material assignment.

These finishing touches are more than just cosmetic—they impact the function, safety, and manufacturability of real-world parts. Plus, you'll learn how to simulate material weight and update your model with a proper rebuild.

Adding Holes with Cut-Extrude (Up to Surface)

We begin by creating holes through cylindrical bosses using the Cut-Extrude feature. While Through All is a familiar end condition (introduced in Part 2), this time we explore Up to Surface, which allows precise control over the stopping point of a cut.

Even though it’s not essential for this specific hole (since we want the cut to go entirely through), the lesson introduces a valuable alternative when working near complex or constrained geometry.

Fillets: Rounding Off Sharp Edges

With the holes complete, attention shifts to fillets. The Fillet feature allows you to round off edges, which is important for reducing stress concentrations and improving part aesthetics.

  • Preselection is used to streamline the workflow: edges are selected first, then the fillet tool is triggered.
  • Previews are shown as fillets are added—great for visualising changes.
  • If no preview appears, it could indicate the fillet is too large or the geometry is too complex. In these cases, applying fillets in smaller sections or reducing the radius can help.

SolidWorks also lets you control whether you want no preview, partial preview, or full preview from the feature options.

Chamfers: Sharp Geometry with Control

Next, we use the Chamfer tool to apply angled cuts to selected edges. Like fillets, chamfers are useful for edge control but provide a crisp, machined look. Again, preselection and the context menu are used to quickly apply chamfers of different sizes (e.g. 0.5mm on hole and cylinder edges).

Chamfers help guide tooling, reduce burrs, and can play a structural role in how a part interfaces with others.

Applying Material and Evaluating Mass

To simulate real-world performance, we assign a material to the model—stainless steel in this case.

By applying material from the Edit Material dialog, the model gains physical properties such as mass. From the Evaluate tab, using the Mass Properties tool, we calculate the part’s weight at 279 grams. This is especially useful for mechanical engineers considering load and balance.

Rebuild: Making the Model Respond to Change

Lastly, the video covers Rebuilding the model. When you change a dimension (e.g. the diameter of a boss), the model doesn’t update until it’s rebuilt.

  • Use Ctrl + B or the traffic light icon to prompt a rebuild.
  • The rebuild button also appears inside the dimension box, giving you quick access to regenerate geometry.

This ensures every change ripples through your parametric model, keeping it responsive and consistent.

Wrapping Up the Series

With all features complete—Boss-Extrude, Revolve, Cut-Extrude, Mirror, Fillets, Chamfers, and Material—we’ve built a complete, parametric steering knuckle from scratch using beginner-friendly tools.

🎥 Make sure to watch the video to see how it all comes together in SolidWorks. It’s the best way to absorb the techniques and see how each feature works in real time.

If you’ve enjoyed the series, let us know what you’d like to learn next. And if you missed any previous parts, catch up on Video 1 and Video 2 now!