One of many many benefits of utilizing the 3DEXPERIENCE platform is its highly effective vary of capabilities for monitoring and managing relations. If you save your file set to the 3DEXPERIENCE platform, all file references are analyzed and reconstructed as relations within the database. This offers you full traceability of all of your elements, assemblies, and configurations. Due to this, it’s important on your file set to be correct and up-to-date.
There are a number of instruments out there to organize and transfer your SOLIDWORKS CAD recordsdata to the 3DEXPERIENCE platform to make sure your information is error-free earlier than you put it aside. Personally, the File Preparation Assistant instrument is one in all my favourite instruments that can assist you clear your information earlier than you accomplish that.
The File Preparation Assistant is included with all packages of 3DEXPERIENCE SOLIDWORKS and with Collaborative Designer for SOLIDWORKS and SOLIDWORKS Desktop 2023 SP1.0. As well as, it’s out there in SOLIDWORKS Desktop 2022. It runs independently with out requiring a connection to the 3DEXPERIENCE platform.
The File Preparation Assistant is designed to investigate the standard of legacy file units and discover compatibility points earlier than saving information to the 3DEXPERIENCE platform, so it’s clear when working with it downstream.
With this instrument, you’ll be able to repair trailing house concern within the file title, determine duplicates, and merge or delete them, discover lacking file references, and discover lacking configurations, amongst different file inconsistencies to have more healthy information.
Simply entry the File Preparation Assistant proper from SOLIDWORKS from the Instruments menu or from the Batch Save to 3DEXPERIENCE dialog.
When you launch the instrument, choose your folder with the top-level meeting that you simply need to add out of your desktop. There is no such thing as a want to pick its subfolder because the File Preparation Assistant will run checks on these as properly. Then choose the folder through which to create log recordsdata. As well as, I like to recommend you choose a folder for a backup location.
Subsequent, choose the file checks you need to run. You’ll be able to select to have it carry out the next:
- Substitute main/trailing areas in filenames with “_”
As a result of the 3DEXPERIENCE platform doesn’t assist main or trailing areas in file names, the File Preparation Assistant will discover these varieties of recordsdata and rename them, changing main or trailing areas with an underscore “_.”
- Detect duplicate recordsdata and immediate to merge
The 3DEXPERIENCE platform doesn’t block you from saving duplicate recordsdata until that setting has been enabled, which is now an choice as of R2023x FD02. Due to this fact, I like to recommend you utilize this verify to determine any duplicate recordsdata and resolve these situations earlier than importing the file set to the 3DEXPERIENCE platform.
On this case you can be prompted to maintain the duplicate, rename it, or merge the duplicates.
- Match on filename
Checks just for an identical filenames.
- Match on filename and configuration names
Checks for an identical filenames, an identical configuration names, and the amount of configurations.
- Match on filename and file creation timestamp
Checks for an identical filenames and an identical file creation timestamps, which means the date the file was first created on the disk.
- Prolong filenames to be at the least three characters
Any recordsdata with lower than three characters will robotically be given an underscore on the finish of the filename. That is useful as a result of the 3D searchfeature on the 3DEXPERIENCE platform requires at the least three characters in a filename.
- Detect 3D Interconnect references
Though it can save you SOLIDWORKS recordsdata with 3D Interconnect hyperlinks to the 3DEXPERIENCE platform, you can not save the referenced non-native CAD recordsdata. This verify finds recordsdata which have 3D Interconnect hyperlinks and lists them in a log file. No adjustments are made to your file set.
With this record you have to determine whether or not you need to keep the hyperlinks and individually handle the domestically saved non-native CAD recordsdata, or whether or not you need to break the hyperlinks to streamline efficiency and reliability. I like to recommend you break all 3D Interconnect hyperlinks.
SOLIDWORKS is a strong instrument for designing and engineering complicated 3D fashions. With its superior options and functionalities, it’s broadly utilized by engineers, designers, and producers throughout industries. Nevertheless, on the subject of saving SOLIDWORKS recordsdata with 3D Interconnect hyperlinks to the 3DEXPERIENCE platform, there is a crucial consideration that you have to be conscious of.
Whereas it’s doable to avoid wasting SOLIDWORKS recordsdata with 3D Interconnect hyperlinks to the 3DEXPERIENCE platform, you can not save the referenced non-native CAD recordsdata. Which means when you’ve got non-native CAD recordsdata which are linked to your SOLIDWORKS file, they won’t be saved together with the file while you put it aside to the 3DEXPERIENCE platform.
That will help you handle these hyperlinks, SOLIDWORKS offers a verify that finds recordsdata which have 3D Interconnect hyperlinks and lists them in a log file. It’s essential to notice that this verify doesn’t make any adjustments to your file set. Fairly, it merely identifies the recordsdata which have 3D Interconnect hyperlinks and lists them in a log file on your reference.
With this record, you have to determine whether or not you need to keep the hyperlinks and individually handle the domestically saved non-native CAD recordsdata, or whether or not you need to break the hyperlinks to streamline efficiency and reliability. Whereas it might be tempting to keep up the hyperlinks, I like to recommend that you simply break all 3D Interconnect hyperlinks.
Breaking the hyperlinks will streamline efficiency and reliability and scale back the chance of errors and compatibility points.
- Detect lacking file references
It’s a superb rule of thumb to right or take away all lacking file references earlier than transferring your file set to the 3DEXPERIENCE platform. For instance, an meeting with lacking part references, or derived elements with a lacking inserted half reference. It can save you a file set with lacking references to the 3DEXPERIENCE platform, however the platform blocks you from resaving that information till you resolve the lacking file references.
This verify analyzes your file set and creates a MissingFiles_[timestamp].csv file. No modifications or adjustments are made to your file set.
This CSV file incorporates a complete historical past of any lacking recordsdata. It lists each file location through which a given lacking file as soon as existed, for each time it was inserted into an meeting or half and saved.
When resolving lacking file references in SOLIDWORKS, use the Delete All Lacking References command within the Discover References dialog field to delete lacking references that you simply now not want, or can not in any other case resolve.
I counsel you run as most of the checks as doable, even for those who assume some don’t apply. The exception is the Customized Property Test. If any checks return constructive outcomes, I’d rerun the checks after you resolve the problems. Additionally it is greatest to run every verify individually.
When you’re carried out cleansing your information, you should utilize the Batch Save to 3DEXPERIENCE function to add the complete folder immediately right into a Bookmark construction that may mimic your folder construction on the platform. Additionally, we lately added the asynchronous saving choice within the Save dialog, and if enabled, lets you run your batch save whilst you proceed to work in your CAD designs in SOLIDWORKS.
It’s good observe to acquaint your self with the File Preparation Assistant and use it commonly, anytime you might be saving information to the platform or migrating giant quantities of legacy information to the 3DEXPERIENCE platform. It will turn out to be useful in each instances so you’ll be able to keep away from integrity points downstream.
Questions, feedback? Drop a line under.
Additionally, see my final weblog to study in regards to the newest updates to 3DEXPERIENCE SOLIDWORKS and Collaborative Designer for SOLIDWORKS. To study extra about how one can join your information to the 3DEXPERIENCE platform go to https://www.solidworks.com/3dexperience-works.
Priyanka Kanherkar is a Dassault Systèmes SOLIDWORKS Roles Portfolio Supervisor targeted on connecting SOLIDWORKS desktop with the 3DEXPERIENCE platform. She has a grasp’s diploma in Aerospace Engineering specializing in Aerodynamics from the Florida Institute of Expertise. Other than work, she loves travelling, cooking and mountain climbing. Priyanka can be a educated Indian classical dancer.
