What is the main purpose of the "Shell" feature in SolidWorks?

The main purpose of the "Shell" feature in SolidWorks is to hollow out a solid body. When using the Shell feature, you can specify the desired wall thickness for the interior of the solid part. This tool effectively removes material from the interior of the part, allowing for the creation of hollow structures while maintaining a specified thickness for the walls. This is particularly useful in applications where weight reduction and material conservation are critical, such as in the design of enclosures, containers, and lightweight components.

The Shell feature is distinct from other operations like creating solid objects from surfaces, reducing the thickness of surfaces, or creating rounded edges, as these functionalities are served by different tools within the software. For example, the "Thicken" tool could create a solid from a surface, while "Fillet" is used to create rounded edges. This specificity of purpose makes the Shell feature invaluable for many engineering and design applications in SolidWorks.