# SolidWorks file conventions

Conventions for CAD documentation of parts designed for use by STAR can be grouped into 2 categories: drawing setup and filename conventions.

## Drawings

Regarding drawing setup, CADs for the purpose of documentation should use the drawing template and use Imperial (also known as IPS) units. Furthermore sub-assemblies should be placed in external files (a tutorial of how to do this is soon to come).

## File Naming and Organization

Regarding filename conventions, file names of CADs should adhere to the following guidelines:

1. File names shall follow the general convention of: Project\_Subteam\_DescriptiveName\[\_McMaster part #]. See below for project and subteam codes.
   1. An example of this might be IREC20\_PAY\_Payload\_Centering\_Ring.SLDPRT for an in-house part or IREC20\_AIR\_Weld\_Nut\_90611A320.SLDPRT for a McMaster part.
   2. Similarly an example for an assembly might be IREC20\_AIR\_Nosecone\_Assembly.SLDASM
2. File names shall not contain special characters (e.g. "!@#$%^&\*()?/|\\" ) aside from "\_". Hyphens shall be allowed only if part of an external part number. Spaces and periods (outside of ".SLD\*\*\*") are not permitted, as they can cause filepath issues.
3. Subteam shall be denoted by its appropriate 3-letter abbreviation:
   * **AIR** : Airframe
   * **AVI** : Avionics
   * **PAY** : Payload
   * **REC** : Recovery
   * **PRO** : Propulsion
   * **SIM** : Simulations
   * **OUT** : Outreach
4. Project shall be denoted by the selected abbreviation for the project:
   * **MINDI**: 2" minimum-diameter rocket
   * **IREC20** : 6” diameter rocket design for IREC 2020 (this is Bear Force One, the project started before it was named and before IREC 2020 was moved to 2021)
   * **LE165** : “Hot Take”, Propulsion’s first-iteration of a liquid engine
   * **LE1**: Liquid Engine 1, Propulsion's 2020-2021 "simple" engine
   * **LE2**: Liquid Engine 2, a multi-year project to design and build a higher-performance engine. Custom tank CAD can also use LE2.
   * **SSEP**: Stage separation demonstrator
   * **DAVE**: Deployable aerial vehicle experiment, a payload launching on Bear Force One.
   * **CAS**: Common Avionics System mission(s), flown on AirBears. AirBears (the vehicle) was developed before the naming convention became mandatory, but all CAS-related CAD should follow the convention.


---

# Agent Instructions: Querying This Documentation

If you need additional information that is not directly available in this page, you can query the documentation dynamically by asking a question.

Perform an HTTP GET request on the current page URL with the `ask` query parameter:

```
GET https://rocketry.gitbook.io/public/tutorials/documentation/solidworks-file-conventions.md?ask=<question>
```

The question should be specific, self-contained, and written in natural language.
The response will contain a direct answer to the question and relevant excerpts and sources from the documentation.

Use this mechanism when the answer is not explicitly present in the current page, you need clarification or additional context, or you want to retrieve related documentation sections.