Improved 3D PDF Dimensions and Annotations

One of my favorite enhancements is the improvement in the display of our dimensions and other annotations. These are now viewable in the 3D views and viewports, with no data loss. This also applies to 3D PDFs showing component dimensions, feature dimensions, and DimXpert annotations.

Modify Datum for Auto Dimension Schemes

It is very common to use the Auto Dimension Scheme when you’re starting your MBD project. This tool gives us plenty of options, including Plus and Minus or Geometric Tolerancing types. For this prismatic part, we can define the datum planes by model faces. For the primary Datum, we use these four top faces together as a group. The side and bottom faces of the model will round up the selection of the Secondary and Tertiary Datums.

Next, we need to identify the model features that we want to define the tolerancing of. We do this by selecting the faces of the cuts, extrusions, and other features. Once complete, SOLIDWORKS indicates which faces are adequately toleranced with green shading.

Now, we need to modify the part design to add a boss in the middle. Looking at our tolerance status after this change, SOLIDWORKS isn’t highlighting the new geometry in green like the rest of the model.

Now, in SOLIDWORKS MBD 2023, we can edit features of items like our previously created datums. This makes it easy to add the top face of this new extrusion to the existing group of faces that represent the Primary Datum.

SOLIDWORKS MBD Wedge Feature Support

Let’s look at the cut-out at the top edge of this part. Here, we have two opposing nonparallel faces. I have some great news for you. SOLIDWORKS MBD 2023 now supports wedge features! We can use wedge geometry to define a geometric tolerance or even create a wedge datum.

Added ISO Standard Symbols

It is well known that SOLIDWORKS has a massive library of symbols. In 2022, SOLIDWORKS added additional Tolerance symbols. Well, SOLIDWORKS MBD 2023 takes this to a whole new level. You can now apply ISO 14405-1:2016 standards-based symbols to dimensions and tolerances. You can easily add these symbols straight from the symbol library, or from the Tolerance Modifier section in the DimXpert Property Manager.

MBD Helps with “Hanging” Dimensions

Here is another excellent enhancement to SOLIDWORKS MBD 2023. This machined part contains holes in overhanging geometry. It is easy to define a locating dimension to call out the vertical position of this hole. Once placed, the annotation can be difficult to interpret due to the dimension’s extension line terminating out in space.

Now, in SOLIDWORKS 2023, we have a new setting that controls the display of the dimension in this situation. In the DimXpert section of our Document Properties, we have several Display Options.

Enabling this new option for “Connect Dimension Extension Lines to Model” can make this annotation much easier to understand.

I hope this part of the What’s New series gives you a better understanding of the new features and functions of SOLIDWORKS 2023. Please check back to the CATI Blog as the CATI Application Engineers will continue to break down many of the new items in SOLIDWORKS 2023. All these articles will be stored in the category of “SOLIDWORKS What’s New.”

Greg Buter
Application Engineer Manager
Computer Aided Technology

What is Design Innovation Month?

DESIGN INNOVATION MONTH 2022 – Live Events, Webinars, Virtual Showroom, Contests

Design Innovation Month is CATI’s “What’s New in 2023” event for SOLIDWORKS, 3DEXPERIENCE, and 3D Printing & 3D Scanning technology. This year we’re going back to the future to bring you in-person events, live and on-demand webinars, demonstrations, in-depth blog posts, and prizes! Best of all, it’s free of charge! Check the DI Month Hub for all the details and to sign up for your nearest live event.

Well, the first thing to know is that you install all of these products through the SOLIDWORKS installation manager. To download the installation manager, you will need to click the SOLIDWORKS download link.

Next, run the installation manager and enter the serial number for your products.

If you have all your licenses set up to be renewed at the same time, you may have only one SOLIDWORKS serial number for all your assets. In this case, you only need to enter a serial number under the SOLIDWORKS serial number and not each individual product.

If you have separate individual seats of Composer, Plastics, Inspection, MBD, or Simulation that are not tied to your SOLIDWORKS seat, then you will have a separate serial number for each product.

Breaking Down The Additional SOLIDWORKS Add-Ins

Let’s break down each of the tools you might be working with. Then, I’ll show you the process to follow when you’re ready to install your additional SOLIDWORKS add-ins. First up, let’s dig into SOLIDWORKS Composer.

SOLIDWORKS Composer

Composer is a desktop content-creation system that enables the reuse of digital 3D data from CAD and other sources. Easy-to-use, Composer lets you quickly create assembly and disassembly procedures, technical illustrations, interactive 3D animations, training materials, marketing materials, sales tools, and more.

Composer Capabilities

Composer allows users in sales, marketing, customer service, training, support, and manufacturing to create associated 2D and 3D product deliverables directly from digital product data – without requiring CAD knowledge or CAD training.

SOLIDWORKS Composer has the following capabilities:

• Based on a lightweight, open, XML-based architecture.
• Creates 3D interactive documents such as interactive assembly and service procedures.
• Creates high-resolution raster images including BMP, JPG, PNG, and TIF files.
• Produces 2D line art as SVG and CGM files with automatic hidden line and construction line removal.
• Adds annotations, labels, dimensions, arrows, images, and cutting planes that can be used in any way and format the user wishes.
• Controls visual consistency of content using styles.
• Imports data from many 3D CAD systems and can be maintained in the file system or in any PLM system.
• Outputs industry-standard file formats, including PDF, HTML, AVI, and graphics formats like SVG and CGM.
• Document a product while it is incomplete, push updates to all deliverables quickly and the animation timeline easily.
• Uses occlusion detection to find internal, non-visible parts on a single view, all views, or
• Uses decimation to reduce the tessellation of selected parts to reduce the size of the .smg file.

What is the Composer Player/Player Pro

Composer Player includes:

• A standalone executable (.exe) file that does not require any installation or advanced operating system permissions.
• ActiveX control that you must register during the installation (advanced operating system permissions are required for the installation only).
  • Note: The Composer Player ActiveX plug-in requires Internet Explorer.

With a Composer Player Pro license, you get all the capabilities of the free Composer Player and the following additional premium features:

• The ability to save content that has been edited in the Player. (Saving content also requires the Save Right Manager right.)
• An advanced ActiveX API that enables enhanced integration and interaction in custom applications.

Composer Player and Composer Player Pro are the same executable file. A Composer Player Pro license is required to enable Pro features.

What is Composer Sync

Sync and Enterprise Sync batch convert 3D CAD files and other 3D formats into Composer formats. Sync and Enterprise Sync automatically incorporate design changes in geometry, metadata, and product structure directly into Composer content.

Both Sync and Enterprise Sync let you configure and perform conversions from the graphical user interface. Enterprise Sync also includes:

• A command-line interface that lets you integrate with other software, such as product lifecycle management (PLM) systems. For details about the command-line interface, see the Composer Programming Guide.
• The ability to run scheduled batch conversions.

SOLIDWORKS Plastics

SOLIDWORKS Plastics is a powerful injection molding simulation tool that helps you optimize the design and manufacturability of your plastic parts and injection molds. It is fully integrated with the SOLIDWORKS application.

SOLIDWORKS Plastics simulates the injection molding manufacturing process where melted plastic material (in the form of small pellets) flows under high pressure through a heated barrel and into a mold cavity. Once the plastic material cools down, it solidifies into the shape of the mold contour and conforms to the geometry of the desired part.

Plastics is not a standalone application, so you will need to install SOLIDWORKS as well. If your Plastics has the same serial number as SOLIDWORKS you will not need to fill in the SOLIDWORKS Plastics serial number.

SOLIDWORKS Inspection

SOLIDWORKS Inspection software automates the creation of ballooned inspection drawings and inspection sheets for First Article Inspection (FAI) and in-process inspections. Save time and virtually eliminate errors by speeding up this repetitive manual process.

SOLIDWORKS® Inspection helps you leverage your existing 2D legacy data, regardless of whether files are SOLIDWORKS, PDFs, or TIFFs.

Inspection can be installed as an add-in inside of SOLIDWORKS or as a standalone application. If you are installing it as an add-in you will need to install SOLIDWORKS as well. If your Inspection has the same serial number as SOLIDWORKS you do not need to fill in the SOLIDWORKS Inspection serial number.

SOLIDWORKS MBD (Model Based Definition)

SOLIDWORKS MBD (Model Based Definition) is an integrated drawingless manufacturing solution for SOLIDWORKS. MBD helps define, organize, and publish 3D Product Manufacturing Information (PMI) including 3D model data in industry-standard file formats. It guides the manufacturing process directly in 3D, which helps streamline production, cut cycle time, reduce errors, and support industry standards.

SOLIDWORKS MBD (Model Based Definition) lets you create models without the need for drawings giving you an integrated manufacturing solution for the SOLIDWORKS software. You can use SOLIDWORKS technologies such as annotation views, dynamic viewing of annotation planes, and 3D views to organize 3D PMI in a structured, easy-to-locate fashion.

Besides the native SOLIDWORKS file formats, SOLIDWORKS MBD creates output files such as 3D PDFs and eDrawings.

The SOLIDWORKS MBD add-in:

• Operates within the SOLIDWORKS environment with its own Command Manager.
• SOLIDWORKS MBD CommandManager for parts

SOLIDWORKS MBD Command Manager for assemblies

Like SOLIDWORKS Plastics, MBD is not a standalone application, so you will need to install SOLIDWORKS as well. As well, if your MBD has the same serial number as SOLIDWORKS you won’t need to fill in the SOLIDWORKS MBD serial number.

SOLIDWORKS Simulation

SOLIDWORKS® Simulation is a design analysis system fully integrated with SOLIDWORKS. This provides simulation solutions for linear and nonlinear static, frequency, buckling, thermal, fatigue, pressure vessel, drop test, linear and nonlinear dynamic, and optimization analyses.

Powered by fast and accurate solvers, SOLIDWORKS Simulation enables you to solve large problems intuitively while you design. SOLIDWORKS Simulation comes in three bundles: SOLIDWORKS Simulation Standard, SOLIDWORKS Simulation Professional, and SOLIDWORKS Simulation Premium to meet your analysis needs.

SOLIDWORKS Simulation shortens time to market by saving time and effort in searching for the optimum design.

Simulation is the same story that we’ve seen before. It is not a standalone application, so you will need to install SOLIDWORKS as well. You may have a separate serial number for SOLIDWORKS Simulation, in which case, you’ll enter that separately from CAD.

SOLIDWORKS Flow Simulation

Flow Simulation is a software fully integrated with SOLIDWORKS for computing fluid (gas or liquid) flows inside and outside SOLIDWORKS models, as well as heat transfer to (from, between, in) these models due to convection, radiation, and conduction with a proved computational fluid dynamics (CFD) technology.

The outstanding feature of Flow Simulation is its intuitively clear and comfortable interface including a preprocessor for specifying data for the calculation (with Engineering Database on substances properties), a co-processor for monitoring and controlling the calculation, a postprocessor for viewing the obtained results, giving you more time to study the results and varying the calculations.

Designed by engineers for engineers, Flow Simulation is widely used in many industries and for various applications, where design optimization and performance analysis are extremely important, such as valves and regulators, hydraulic and pneumatic components, heat exchangers, automotive parts, electronics, and many others.

Once again, Flow Simulation is not a standalone application, so follow the same rules we’ve discussed previously.

SOLIDWORKS Motion

SOLIDWORKS Motion works inside the SOLIDWORKS window and uses existing assembly information to build motion simulation studies. By combining physics-based motion with assembly information, you can use SOLIDWORKS Motion for a broad span of industry applications like estimating peak motor torque, understanding robotics performance during operation, optimizing or minimizing the force imbalances in rotating systems, etc.

The Motion serial number could be separate from SOLIDWORKS but it is the same installation. As we’ve said for several previous applications, SOLIDWORKS Motion is not a separate tool.

How To Install Your Additional SOLIDWORKS Add-Ins

The installation process is pretty straightforward. First, launch the installation manager that you downloaded earlier. Once you get to the serial number screen, enter any serial numbers for additional products.

Now, SOLIDWORKS will validate the serial number. This can take a few seconds.

Next, you have the option if you want to upgrade a previous version of SOLIDWORKS or start fresh. You can have multiple versions installed, it just takes up more disk space.

On the Summary page, SOLIDWORKS displays all of the products that it’s adding to your installation. If the list doesn’t contain every additional SOLIDWORKS add-in you want to install, select Change under the Products header and add them from the list.

Finally, click the Install Now button.

As for the SOLIDWORKS Customer Experience Improvement Program, it is voluntary. That said, we strongly encourage participation. Participating will not slow down your system! SOLIDWORKS automatically creates the performance log files in the background whether you participate or not. So please make sure to opt in!! This program helps SOLIDWORKS improve product quality and determine product usage trends.

We hope this series has given you insight into how to successfully install SOLIDWORKS 2023.  Please check back to the CATI Blog as the Dedicated Support Team will continue posting new series of articles every month that go further into the details of many of the SOLIDWORKS tools.

Blaze Johnson
Support Engineer
Computer Aided Technology,LLC.

DimXpert Dimensions or MBD Dimensions

The first critical difference is that we want to start with end consumption in mind, can we leverage 3D Data somewhere downstream in our process? Can we automate steps in the process for our CNC, 3D Scanner, or some other tool that can interpret 3D Dimensional Data? So, we need to start with adding dimensions and annotations directly to the 3D model geometry using DimXpert.

DimXpert dimensions have actually been in SOLIDWORKS since 2008. To use DimXpert we simply add dimensions directly to model faces in a similar fashion to how we add dimensions in drawings. We can even use powerful Auto Dimensioning Schemes to help us automate the process. There are options for Part Type, Tolerance, and patterning dimensions. We even have the ability to check our model for Tolerance Status or even use TolAnalyst.

So DimXpert is the foundation of SOLIDWORKS MBD, a similar method to add dimensions but slightly different. It’s not even really part of the SOLIDWORKS MBD license. Any user can create these dimensions.

As far as toolpaths go, we’d be fine to run with just DimXpert if our toolpath tools understand native SOLIDWORKS files with DimXpert dimensions. In fact, SOLIDWORKS CAM can use those dimensions against rules-based machining to automate G-Code creation. But let’s say I want to interact with some other software that can’t interpret DimXpert. Or what if I want to send my requirements to an outside vendor that I don’t want to have access to my native SOLIDWORKS design intent?

Exporting STEP 242 Files

Instead of re-creating the CAD geometry in another program, SOLIDWORKS MBD allows us to export out STEP 242 files. These are just a newer version of the STEP format that include Product Manufacturing Information (PMI). With a STEP 242 file we can send our vendors a neutral file clear of our design intent. The file still includes all of the relevant PMI that their CNC program needs to automate the G-Code creation.

So SOLIDWORKS MBD’s first true slight difference is the ability to get PMI data in a neutral file format that a toolpath or inspection software can use and understand via a STEP 242.

Creation of 3D Views

If all we need to do is trust our PMI is correct and there’s no need to organize this information we’re all set. But let’s be honest, looking at a model with a bunch of PMI data is annoyingly complex. So, probably the most important feature of SOLIDWORKS MBD is the ability to create 3D Views.

3D Views are reminiscent of traditional drawing views. To create them we select specific annotation views we want to see and orient the model in our viewport and select ‘Capture 3D View’. We can capture multiple unique 3D Views to help us easily digest this PMI data. We can even make these views configuration specific, create section views, or even a break view.

The beauty of 3D views is we can rapidly switch between the views quickly with a double click. SOLIDWORKS MBD applies all the pertinent view information, configuration changes, and re-orients the model.  You don’t even have to have a SOLIDWORKS MBD license to use these views! The 3D Views are stored with model information and available for use with any SOLIDWORKS CAD license. If you don’t have a SOLIDWORKS MBD license there are a few differences. You can see 3D Views and you can switch between them, but you can’t change or update views.

The power of 3D Views are critical, they are what make all this PMI information understandable by us mere mortals and makes SOLIDWORKS MBD feel less different than the drawings we’re used to.

Exporting Data via 3D PDFs and eDrawings

Now if all we ever want to do is create consumable content for our SOLIDWORKS community we’re done. But what if we need PDFs for our Purchasing team? Or maybe we have approvers who use eDrawings to review content instead of using up a SOLIDWORKS license.

SOLIDWORKS MBD has a 3D PDF Template Editor to build our own style of drawing which gives us the ability to export data as 3D PDFs. These 3D PDFs are consumable by anyone with Adobe Reader.

They are interactive, dynamic and bring a whole new meaning to the word clarity. Dimensions cross-highlight, users can zoom, rotate, and pan. During the export we even have the option to automatically create a STEP 242 file that can be embedded right within the 3D PDF. All the right information is together in one file for our vendor. Users can even measure if we forgot a dimension instead of interrupting our day.  And for added security if we don’t want users to measure at all we could also export to eDrawings. Users can still navigate our design with the ease and clarity of a 3D PDF all for free as well.

SOLIDWORKS MBD Summary

With SOLIDWORKS MBD we export easier to understand more relevant data for others with 3D PDFs and eDrawings in a similar manner to drawings, just slightly different.

SOLIDWORKS MBD isn’t exactly like SOLIDWORKS drawings but it’s not completely different either. It’s a tool that allows us to use a workflow that focuses on our end goals, where we export out data that others can actually use, while simplifying the chaos for us along the way. Everything is all focused around what we care about most: the original model we want made right.

Brandon Nelms
Application Engineer Manager
Computer Aided Technology

Run the installation manager and enter the serial number for your products.

If you have all your licenses set up to be renewed at the same time you may have only one SOLIDWORKS serial number for all your assets. If this is the case, then you will only enter a serial number under the SOLIDWORKS serial number and not each individual product.

If you have separate individual seats of Composer, Plastics, Inspection, MBD or Simulation that are not tied to your SOLIDWORKS seat, then you will have a separate serial number for each product.

SOLIDWORKS Composer

Composer is a desktop content-creation system that enables the reuse of digital 3D data from CAD and other sources. Easy-to-use, Composer lets you quickly create assembly and disassembly procedures, technical illustrations, interactive 3D animations, training materials, marketing materials, sales tools, and more.

Composer Capabilities

Composer allows users in sales, marketing, customer service, training, support, and manufacturing to create associated 2D and 3D product deliverables directly from digital product data – without requiring CAD knowledge or CAD training.

Composer has the following capabilities:

• Based on a lightweight, open, XML-based architecture.
• Creates 3D interactive documents such as interactive assembly and service procedures.
• Creates high-resolution raster images including BMP, JPG, PNG, and TIF files.
• Produces 2D line art as SVG and CGM files with automatic hidden line and construction line removal.
• Adds annotations, labels, dimensions, arrows, images, and cutting planes that can be used in any way and format the user wishes.
• Controls visual consistency of content using styles.
• Imports data from many 3D CAD systems and can be maintained in the file system or in any PLM system.
• Outputs industry-standard file formats, including PDF, HTML, AVI, and graphics formats like SVG and CGM.
• Document a product while it is incomplete, push updates to all deliverables quickly and the animation timeline easily.
• Uses occlusion detection to find internal, non-visible parts on a single view, all views, or
• Uses decimation to reduce the tessellation of selected parts to reduce the size of the .smg file.

What is the Composer Player/Player Pro?

Composer Player includes:

A standalone executable (.exe) file that does not require any installation or advanced operating system permissions.

An ActiveX control that must be registered during the installation (advanced operating system permissions are required for the installation only).

Note: The Composer Player ActiveX plug-in requires Internet Explorer.

With a Composer Player Pro license, you get all the capabilities of the free Composer Player and the following additional premium features:

The ability to save content that has been edited in the Player. (Saving content also requires the Save Right Manager right.)

An advanced ActiveX API that enables enhanced integration and interaction in custom applications.

Notes:

Composer Player and Composer Player Pro are the same executable file. A Composer Player Pro license is required to enable Pro features.

What is Composer Sync

Sync and Enterprise Sync batch convert 3D CAD files and other 3D formats into Composer formats. Sync and Enterprise Sync automatically incorporate design changes in geometry, metadata, and product structure directly into Composer content.

Both Sync and Enterprise Sync let you configure and perform conversions from the graphical user interface. Enterprise Sync also includes:

A command-line interface that lets you integrate with other software, such as product lifecycle management (PLM) systems. For details about the command-line interface, see the Composer Programming Guide.

The ability to run scheduled batch conversions.

Enter your composer and Composer Player Pro serial numbers.

Click the Install Now button

Choose yes to participate in the SOLIDWORKS Customer Experience Improvement Program. This will enable feedback functionality used by the CAD Admin Dashboard (See our blog series for more information) and provides SOLIDWORKS with better visibility of your performance trends when troubleshooting larger issues such as repeated crashing.

SOLIDWORKS Plastics

SOLIDWORKS Plastics is a powerful injection molding simulation tool that helps you optimize the design and manufacturability of your plastic parts and injection molds. It is fully integrated with the SOLIDWORKS application.

SOLIDWORKS Plastics simulates the injection molding manufacturing process where melted plastic material (in the form of small pellets) flows under high pressure through a heated barrel and into a mold cavity. Once the plastic material cools down, it solidifies into the shape of the mold contour and conforms to the geometry of the desired part.

Enter your SOLIDWORKS Plastics serial number. Plastics is not a standalone application, so you will need to install SOLIDWORKS as well. If your Plastics has the same serial number as SOLIDWORKS you do not need to fill in the SOLIDWORKS Plastics serial number

Enter your Plastics serial number.

Click the Install Now button

Choose yes to participate in the SOLIDWORKS Customer Experience Improvement Program. This will enable feedback functionality used by the CAD Admin Dashboard (See our blog series for more information) and provides SOLIDWORKS with better visibility of your performance trends when troubleshooting larger issues such as repeated crashing.

SOLIDWORKS Inspection

SOLIDWORKS Inspection software automates the creation of ballooned inspection drawings and inspection sheets for First Article Inspection (FAI) and in process inspections. Save time and virtually eliminate errors by speeding up this repetitive manual process.

SOLIDWORKS® Inspection helps you leverage your existing 2D legacy data, regardless of whether files are SOLIDWORKS, PDFs, or TIFFs.

Enter your SOLIDWORKS Inspection serial number. Inspection can be installed as an add-in inside of SOLIDWORKD or as a standalone application. If you are installing it as an add-in you will need to install SOLIDWORKS as well. If your Inspection has the same serial number as SOLIDWORKS you do not need to fill in the SOLIDWORKS Inspection serial number.

Enter your Inspection serial number.

Click the Install Now button

Choose yes to participate in the SOLIDWORKS Customer Experience Improvement Program. This will enable feedback functionality used by the CAD Admin Dashboard (See our blog series for more information) and provides SOLIDWORKS with better visibility of your performance trends when troubleshooting larger issues such as repeated crashing.

SOLIDWORKS MBD (Model Based Definition)

SOLIDWORKS MBD (Model Based Definition) is an integrated drawingless manufacturing solution for SOLIDWORKS. MBD helps define, organize, and publish 3D Product Manufacturing Information (PMI) including 3D model data in industry-standard file formats. It guides the manufacturing process directly in 3D, which helps streamline production, cut cycle time, reduce errors, and support industry standards.

SOLIDWORKS MBD (Model Based Definition) lets you create models without the need for drawings giving you an integrated manufacturing solution for the SOLIDWORKS software. You can use SOLIDWORKS technologies such as annotation views, dynamic viewing of annotation planes and 3D views to organize 3D PMI in a structured, easy-to-locate fashion.

Besides the native SOLIDWORKS file formats, SOLIDWORKS MBD creates output files such as 3D PDF and eDrawings.

The SOLIDWORKS MBD add-in:

Operates within the SOLIDWORKS environment with its own Command Manager.

SOLIDWORKS MBD CommandManager for parts

SOLIDWORKS MBD Command Manager for assemblies

Enter your SOLIDWORKS MBD serial number. MBD is not a standalone application, so you will need to install SOLIDWORKS as well. If your MBD has the same serial number as SOLIDWORKS you do not need to fill in the SOLIDWORKS MBD serial number.

Enter your MBD serial number.

Click the Install Now button

Choose yes to participate in the SOLIDWORKS Customer Experience Improvement Program. This will enable feedback functionality used by the CAD Admin Dashboard (See our blog series for more information) and provides SOLIDWORKS with better visibility of your performance trends when troubleshooting larger issues such as repeated crashing.

SOLIDWORKS Simulation

SOLIDWORKS® Simulation is a design analysis system fully integrated with SOLIDWORKS. This provides simulation solutions for linear and nonlinear static, frequency, buckling, thermal, fatigue, pressure vessel, drop test, linear and nonlinear dynamic, and optimization analyses.

Powered by fast and accurate solvers, SOLIDWORKS Simulation enables you to solve large problems intuitively while you design. SOLIDWORKS Simulation comes in three bundles: SOLIDWORKS Simulation Standard, SOLIDWORKS Simulation Professional and SOLIDWORKS Simulation Premium to meet your analysis needs.

SOLIDWORKS Simulation shortens time to market by saving time and effort in searching for the optimum design.

Enter you SOLIDWORKS Simulation serial number. Simulation is not a standalone application, so you will need to install SOLIDWORKS as well. If your Simulation has the same serial number as SOLIDWORKS you do not need to fill in the SOLIDWORKS Simulation serial number

Enter your Simulation serial number.

Click the Install Now button

Choose yes to participate in the SOLIDWORKS Customer Experience Improvement Program. This will enable feedback functionality used by the CAD Admin Dashboard. (See our blog series for more information).

SOLIDWORKS Flow Simulation

Flow Simulation is a software fully integrated in SOLIDWORKS for computing fluid (gas or liquid) flows inside and outside SOLIDWORKS models, as well as heat transfer to (from, between, in) these models due to convection, radiation, and conduction with a proved computational fluid dynamics (CFD) technology. The outstanding feature of Flow Simulation is its intuitively clear and comfortable interface including preprocessor for specifying data for the calculation (with Engineering Database on substances properties), co-processor for monitoring and controlling the calculation, postprocessor for viewing the obtained results, so you have more time for studying the obtained results and varying the calculations.

Designed by engineers for engineers, Flow Simulation is widely used in many industries and for various applications, where design optimization and performance analysis are extremely important, such as valves and regulators, hydraulic and pneumatic components, heat exchangers, automotive parts, electronics and many others.

Enter you SOLIDWORKS Flow Simulation serial number. Flow Simulation is not a standalone application, so you will need to install SOLIDWORKS as well. If your Flow Simulation has the same serial number as SOLIDWORKS you do not need to fill in the SOLIDWORKS Flow Simulation serial number.

Enter your Simulation Flow serial number.

Click the Install Now button

Choose yes to participate in the SOLIDWORKS Customer Experience Improvement Program. This will enable feedback functionality used by the CAD Admin Dashboard (See our blog series for more information) and provides SOLIDWORKS with better visibility of your performance trends when troubleshooting larger issues such as repeated crashing.

We hope this series has given you an insight on how to successfully install SOLIDWORKS 2021.  Please check back to the CATI Blog as the Technical Team will continue posting new series of articles every month that go further into the details of many of the SOLIDWORKS tools.

• SOLIDWORKS 2021 Installation Guide Part 1 – Individual Installation (Neil Bucalo)
• SOLIDWORKS 2021 Installation Guide Part 2 – SOLIDWORKS SolidNetwork License Installation (John Van Engen)
• SOLIDWORKS 2021 Installation Guide Part 3 – SOLIDWORKS Electrical Installation (Jason Chon)
• SOLIDWORKS 2021 Installation Guide Part 4 – SOLIDWORKS Composer, SOLIDWORKS Simulation – Motion, Flow, SOLIDWORKS Plastics, and SOLIDWORKS MBD (Bryan Pawlak)
• SOLIDWORKS 2021 Installation Guide Part 5 – DraftSight and eDrawings (Cami Florence)
• SOLIDWORKS 2021 Installation Guide Part 6 – SOLIDWORKS PCB (Fred Zobel)
• SOLIDWORKS 2021 Installation Guide Part 7 – SOLIDWORKS Visualize (James Carlin)
• SOLIDWORKS 2021 Installation Guide – Part 8 SOLIDWORKS CAM (Ronnie Flaugh)

Bryan Pawlak
Sr. Support Product Specialist
www.cati.com

SOLIDWORKS Inspection Add-In:

In SOLIDWORKS 2021 you can now go into your System Options and map your Inspection Project and Report templates to a location of your choice. You can also choose an Inspection Default Export Folder. These new options give you more freedom to save your custom-made templates in a location other than a core SOLIDWORKS file location and allows you to choose a default file location where you would like your inspection reports to save out to. See Figure 1 below.

Fig. 1 New Inspection Template File Locations

VDA style inspection balloons are a lot easier to use than before. Now in SOLIDWORKS 2021 you can rotate a VDA style balloon while keeping the number in the balloon vertical and you also have the ability to adjust the font size in the VDA style balloon. See Figure 2 below.

Fig. 2 New VDA Balloon Capability

SOLIDWORKS Inspection Standalone:

In a large drawing with many balloons, it may be difficult to quickly find a particular balloon. SOLIDWORKS Inspection standalone enables you to set up a grid on the drawing and allows you to extract drawing zone locations. The grid tool in SOLIDWORK 2021 has been enhanced to give you more freedom to customize your grids. You can now change the font style and size of zone markers. You also can also choose to display your grids as dashed lines which reduces interference with dimensions. Lastly, you now can adjust the column width and row height independently which helps users create inspection documents from legacy PDF files that might not have equal spaced columns and rows. See Figure 3 below.

Fig. 4 File types that can be opened in Standalone

Fig. 3 Grid property differences

Lastly, in SOLIDWORKS 2021 Inspection Standalone you now have the ability to open SOLIDWORKS parts with 3D annotations attached to the part. With this ability you are able to read and extract 3D annotation information quickly to create First Article Inspection (FAI) report using the Smart Extract tool. See Figures 4 and 5 below.

Fig. 4 File types that can be opened in Standalone

Fig. 5 SOLIDWORKS Part with 3D annotations in Standalone

I hope this part of the What’s New series gives you a better understanding of the new features and functions of SOLIDWORKS 2021. Please check back to the CATI Blog as the CATI Application Engineers will continue to break down many of the new items in SOLIDWORKS 2021. All these articles will be stored in the category of “SOLIDWORKS What’s New.”

Nick Pusateri
Application Engineer
www.cati.com

Design Innovation Month 2020

What is DI Month? We’re declaring October Design Innovation Month—again! It’s a month-long series of special events focused on what’s new in design and manufacturing technology. You’ll learn about enhancements in SOLIDWORKS 2021 that deliver new capabilities for improved performance, streamlined workflows, and a connected design ecosystem. Find out what’s new in 3D printing applications and 3D scanning to integrate into your design process.

With the release of SOLIDWORKS 2021, we see some great added functionality to Model Based Definition.

The first involves Datum Targets. You can now add Datum Target Symbols to your DimXpert Dimension Scheme.

Why is this so important? Datum Target Symbols are used to define a point, line or zone which can be used to measure to/from during your inspection process.

Tech Tip: You can customize the leader type, symbol orientation, zone shape, zone size and whether the Datum Target is moveable or not.

This is useful because very rarely when using any part geometry as your Datum, will the entire geometry be acceptable to be used as a measurement reference. You can use Datum Targets to limit the metrology areas of any previously defined Datum.

The newly created Datum Target locations can be controlled via DimXpert Location Dimensions and the Datum Target will be associated with its corresponding Datum. You can also hide the original Datum once you apply the Datum Target Symbol and is also fully supported by the built-in Error-Checking to know whether your Datum Target is fully defined or not.

The second big enhancement is the ability to include Sheet Metal Bend Tables in your 3D PDFs.

To be able to insert a Bend Table into your 3D PDF, you will need to edit or use a 3D PDF Template that includes a placeholder for a Bend Table and have a Bend Table already inserted in your part.

Tech Tip: Use the 3D PDF Template Editor to create or edit your 3D PDF Templates. You will find the Bend Table Placeholder as a command on the command manager in the Template Editor.

When you are ready to publish your Bend Table to your 3D PDF, in the Publish to 3D PDF Property Manager, under Bend Table, select your bend table and which columns to include.

I hope this part of the What’s New series gives you a better understanding of the new features and functions of SOLIDWORKS 2021. Please check back to the CATI Blog as the CATI Application Engineers will continue to break down many of the new items in SOLIDWORKS 2021. All these articles will be stored in the category of “SOLIDWORKS What’s New.”

Jordan Puentes
Application Engineer
www.cati.com

Design Innovation Month 2020

What is DI Month? We’re declaring October Design Innovation Month—again! It’s a month-long series of special events focused on what’s new in design and manufacturing technology. You’ll learn about enhancements in SOLIDWORKS 2021 that deliver new capabilities for improved performance, streamlined workflows, and a connected design ecosystem. Find out what’s new in 3D printing applications and 3D scanning to integrate into your design process.

One way of bundling said documentation is to attach these extra files to the 3D PDF you intend on sending out. (This is only possible with SOLIDWORKS 2017 and newer)

To attach files to a 3D PDF:

Select “Publish 3D PDF” in your 3D Views tab

Under the “Attachments” option, select “Attach Files” then browse to any additional files you wish

Now, within the published 3D PDF, the files appear under the paperclip tab.

I hope this article helps improve your workflows and make your collaboration more effective!

Will Kefauver
Application Engineer
Computer Aided Technology, LLC

At its core, what SOLIDWORKS MBD really does is allows designers to create unique combinations of view orientations, annotations, and display properties to make understanding their requirements easier for the end consumer. To do that, SOLIDWORKS MBD can leverage the DimXpert tool-set (among others) and can create outputs that take eDrawings (among others) to the next level.

So, what is DimXpert? DimXpert is a free tool-set inside SOLIDWORKS Standard that allows users to create geometrically intelligent dimension schemes. What do I mean by that? Well, it’s very similar to how you might create a model. Certain dimensions may drive the building of your model, but the dimension scheme you want for the fit, form and function of your model could be entirely different.

I just glazed over perhaps one of the most important aspects of a model based definition methodology. With MBD, designers focus on FIT, FORM, AND FUNCTION and it’s not uncommon to leave specific faces under defined or even without dimensions at all.….

Ok…. Are you done panicking now? Leave dimensions off, are you kidding me? The last thing I want is to send a part to a vendor only to wait 3 weeks for them to come back and say I can’t quote this until you put “X” dimension on the print. Or release this to the shop for manufacture without giving them a couple of reference dimensions they might need. But what if I gave my supplier or shop an eDrawing, WITH the ability to measure the model however THEY wanted, AND a STEP 242 file that has intelligent manufacturing information built in….

Now my vendor can pull the dimensions THEY need, how THEY need them, so I don’t back them into an expensive or unrealistic corner for tooling, order of operations, etc.…

OK, Mr. Organization, outside of creating a STEP242 file I can still do all those functions with just DimXpert and eDrawings for FREE. Well if you want your vendor to comb through all your annotations and views on their own feel free. But wouldn’t it be easier if you could organize what combinations of annotations, view orientations, and section cuts are available for your vendors. That’s what 3D Views are in MBD.

NOW THAT is a clear easy to use document! A single click away and they can easily navigate my documentation without needing to know what combinations of view orientations or annotations go together.

Brandon Nelms
Application Engineer
Computer Aided Technology, Inc

First, you need to manually balloon the necessary dimensions on the drawing and then manually start an Excel sheet containing the list of those dimensions. From there you still need to manually type in the nominal values in their cells and then calculate the upper and lower tolerance limits for each of the values. Depending on the complexity of the part, this is a time-consuming process that can take up to an hour or more.

That is a process that is not just time-consuming, but also error-prone. You can manually enter the wrong value into their cells, which in turn cascades down to the tolerance limits and creates a misleading document. It’s not very convenient to have any of those in the Engineering department as those result in loss of time and adds additional cost to the project.

SOLIDWORKS Inspection Add-in

The SOLIDWORKS Inspection add-in automates the process and therefore reduces the time spent on this task. It populates the metadata already embedded into the SOLIDWORKS models and sorts it into the Inspection feature tree on the left. The process also populates the necessary balloons near each of the dimensions flagged for inspection. Once all that is done, you can export the data to an Excel spreadsheet.

SOLIDWORKS MBD can also take this traditional process and eliminate the middle step – the additional document for the drawing. It combines the 3D model with 2D annotation capabilities and presents it as Product Manufacturing Information (PMI).

You can create 3D views within the model itself and assign dimensions, annotations, geometric tolerances, etc. to each view as required. That PMI is what Inspection would use as another method of generating an inspection report for the design – thus improving the time it takes by eliminating the need to create a drawing document.

PMI within eDrawings

Once you generate your Inspection report, you have the option of publishing it to eDrawings in case you need to share the data. It generates all the 3D views and annotations along with the inspection PMI. The user viewing the data can select a dimension and then the features it references highlights in the graphics area.

Inspection Standalone

The standalone application for Inspection allows you to take 3^rd party file formats and extract their PMI data from them directly and generate reports that way. Here are the formats that are supported:

With tools such as Smart Extract, third-party PMI data is able to be leveraged even on the SOLIDWORKS side.

Inspection and MBD are both great tools to help streamline the creation of your inspection documentation.

George Brañes
Support Engineer
Computer Aided Technology, LLC

If Model Based Enterprise sounds so powerful, why are we waiting? Well a few obvious answers are up front costs, process changes, cultural changes, and perhaps the most intimidating…the fact that we will need to completely overhaul our entire way of life as designers to accommodate such a design process. That’s right we will eventually have to use Model Based Definition as the toolset to help us get to that Model Based Enterprise.

OK breathe. It’s not that bad. If tomorrow we decide that we’re shifting to a Model Based Enterprise and we’re dropping our traditional drawings, this change will be quite a shock, but it won’t be all that bad if we slow down a little and take some baby steps. First and foremost, we can start using the awesome power of DimXpert dimensioning for our models and continue using our traditional SOLIDWORKS Drawings.

In fact, as of SOLIDWORKS 2019 the traditional DimXpert CommandManager and toolbars are now just called “MBD Dimension”, so we can be assured learning to use these FREE tools will help prepare us for the day that our organization starts using MBD. Every seat of SOLIDWORKS has these FREE DimXpert tools that give us the ability to add dimensions, tolerances, notes, GD&T, etc. right on to our 3D SOLIDWORKS Model.

And here are the best parts of getting started down this path early:

1) We can use these callouts on SOLIDWORKS drawings TODAY, so we’re not wasting effort.

2) We can identify any current gaps between the DimXpert tools and our current design processes. So, when management says MBE day is here, we’ll be able to have a productive discussion on how and what we will need to change internally in order to meet that need based on our available tools and processes.

3) We can minimize deployment training time stress. When MBE comes, we’ll have one less area to worry about learning since the skills will transfer.

4) These DimXpert Tools are FREE

Since we know the MBE day is coming, maybe sooner than we expect, it’s probably a good idea to get on top of the FREE DimXpert tools today to help prepare us for tomorrow.

Brandon Nelms
Application Engineer
Computer Aided Technology, Inc