For most of my designs, I choose to use the feature pattern as I have more options for future development. Things like configurations of the pattern, variable pattern, and nonstandard x-y directions are available in the feature pattern. There are times when I do need a pattern at the sketch level, but it has always been a little harder to work with sometimes. Let me show you some tricks for editing your sketch patterns in SOLIDWORKS.

Edit a Sketch Pattern in SOLIDWORKS

With a feature pattern, making those edits is straightforward. Simply right-click on the feature and edit.

From here, we can change the parameters of the feature.

If I want to edit the Sketch Pattern parameters, I must edit the sketch to start. But the issue is that getting back into the pattern dialog box is not as intuitive. Most people end up deleting the feature to do it over, as they do not know how to edit the pattern. They might also try double-clicking or right-clicking on the pattern relation to get only display/delete relations. The way to get back into the Sketch Pattern properties is to right-click on a patterned object or the seed, then “edit pattern” will show up on the menu.

From here you can edit the sketch pattern to change any of the properties.

Everything is still intact and editable, and most of all the Instances to Skip is just as useable as the feature pattern. I still prefer to use Feature Patterns, as I find that I have more control over all of my design. There are times that a sketch pattern is super useful in my designs and editing was always a challenge. But the goal of this post was to help bring awareness to the fact that sketch patterns are editable! Anthony Sandri goes into great detail on the performance side of patterns in another blog post, which is another reason to contemplate using Feature Patterns.

I gave up thinking that it was possible to edit a sketch pattern until recently. I hope this gives you some new information on how to handle them.

Craig Maurer
Elite Applications Engineer
Computer Aided Technology

This will allow a user to continue their work in 3DEXPERIENCE SOLIDWORKS when there is no internet connection available.

The OFFLINE MODE does need to be a “planned event” for a user, not an afterthought, meaning that you need to prepare for it ahead of time. If you suddenly find yourself without internet it is too late to switch to offline mode. This is the same as if you use a SolidNetwork (floating) License of SOLIDWORKS and want to check out a license because you are going to be away from the local license server.

The workflow for “going offline” would be to FIRST open any assemblies/files that you will need access to in SOLIDWORKS.  This will download copies of those files to your local cache directory on your machine so that you have the files when you are no longer connected to the cloud vault.

You would most likely also want to LOCK the files so that no one else can make changes to them while you are “gone”. Otherwise there would be a conflict of which file is the new(er) one when you come back if two different (unconnected) people were allowed to make changes. If you are not planning on physically changing any of the files in SOLIDWORKS while you are offline, then this step could be skipped.

THEN you would activate OFFLINE MODE from the top right of the SOLIDWORKS window by clicking on your log in picture.

There is a dialog box that reminds you about getting any files you may need into your local cache and locking them.

When OFFLINE MODE is active you will be reminded with a message that the maximum time you can go offline is 30 days, and there will be a “working offline” status indicator in the upper right corner.

Another difference in the interface is that instead of having a tab on your taskpane with the 3DEXPERIENCE compass icon you have a tab for “3DX Files On This PC” which is looking into your local cache folder.

You can now be offline for up to 30 days and continue working on and modifying any files that you have locally.  When you eventually reconnect to your cloud vault you will of course have the opportunity to save (or save with options) your changes back up to the cloud and take any necessary steps to overwrite files or make new revisions.

To reconnect to your 3DEXPERIENCE platform, you simply click on the “working offline” status indicator.  Which will give you the following dialog.

The “3DX Files On This PC” tab will change back over to the 3DEXPERIENCE compass icon and you will get access to the MY SESSION area of your cloud vault.

Super easy way to overcome a past obstacle of working with a cloud vault and cloud licensing model when you know you are going to be without an internet connection for a while!

This OFFLINE MODE functionality is also available for 3DEXPERIENCE DRAFTSIGHT.

Randy Simmons
Sr. Application Engineer, Strategic Solutions
Computer Aided Technology

For our top-level assembly BOMs, we can select additional configurations to show the Quantity for each component per configuration.

For example, our Test Assembly has 3 configurations, named Configuration1, Configuration2 and Configuration3.

Configuration 1 has components A, B, C and D

Configuration 2 has components A, B and (2) C components

Configuration 3 has (2) A components, (2) B Components and (2) D Components.

Lets jump to our drawing and create a Bill of Material using Configuration1.

To show additional configurations in the BOM, the BOM must be a Top Level BOM type.

To add a QTY column for the other configurations, expand the Configuration field and select which Configurations to include in the BOM. The Bill of Materials fills in with the quantity of each component per configuration.

We need to add the Configuration name to each of the QTY columns. Right click on any of the QTY cells and select ‘Show all configurations’.

The column headers now show the Configuration name and QTY.

This BOM clearly communicates the differences between configurations in your design.

Laura Nickerson, CSWE
Application Engineer
Computer Aided Technology

I bet that title caught your attention! It did mine when I was on a support call with a customer who had a part listed as an external reference on the drawing but it didn’t exist in any view.

The scenario was this: A drawing was created of an assembly. This was a small 5 part assembly with only 1 exploded view configuration. There was a part that showed up when selecting Find References but, this part was not part of the assembly or in any view on the drawing. Say what?!?!

It’s actually a very simple fix for this. I’ll show you.

Here is an assembly with 12 parts. The parts are listed in the Feature Tree.

Here is the drawing for this assembly. The BOM (Bill of Material) shows a quantity of 12 items.

When the drawing Feature Tree is expanded, the views confirm that only 12 parts are in the assembly.

Everything checks out to this point.

On the Menu bar, when we go to File > External References, we see a different picture. 1 of each part in the assembly is listed but there is an extra part, Invisible Ratchet, in this window. Where did it come from?

What and where is that Invisible Ratchet file? It’s no where to be found in the assembly. Notice it’s not inside the assembly, it’s external to the assembly tree.

Here is the simple fix.

Look at the drawing View Palette. What do we see?  Interesting….

We see there is actually 2 files in the drop down box. The assembly and the Invisible Rachet.

By selecting the Invisible Ratchet and clicking the red “X“, this will delete the file from the drop down box.

When we go back to File > Find References, the invisible part is gone. All fixed!

Don’t forget to save the drawing!

Hope this never happens to you, but if it does, you know this easy fix!

Thanks for reading!

POST BY: Judy Marlo| Application Engineer, Computer Aided Technology

I think most people put this off with the usual excuses of I got a new machine, I’ve never lost a hard drive before, etc… Well, 2 weeks ago this caught up to me and I lost my primary hard drive along with all files on it, or so I thought… see the end of the article for the detail on this.

In talking with several people in the office I learned a few things:

First, back up your data – and this can either be done with a Data Management System or with the tools in Windows. If you are going to use the backup tools in Windows make sure to use a secondary hard drive either internal or external. There are different settings for the different versions of Windows and below is information from the settings in each version.

• For Windows7 – The tool is a little lack luster and does not have a lot of options.

  The tool is found in the Control Panel > System and Security > Backup and Restore. Select the Set up backup. In the options, you have the ability to choose what to back up, where to back it up to and how often you want it backed up.

  

  

  

• For Windows8 – The tool is now called File History and is a little easier to use and has more options.

  The tool is found in the Control Panel > System and Security > File History. Select the option to Turn On and check out each of the links in the left hand column to get it set for your needs.

  

• For Windows10 – The options are the same, but it gives you a new interface to work with. If you select the Advanced Options it brings you to the same screen as Windows8 (shown above).

  The tool is found in Settings > Updates and Security > Backup, select the more options to change the main settings (see below).

  

Now, for the other part of this article is what happened to the files that I thought I lost. Working with one of the CATI Senior Applications Engineers, Bob McGaughey, we tried several different options. At first, we could not find any way to recover the data. Our last ditch effort was trying a freeware program called TestDisk. Below are a few links.

• (About the program) http://www.cgsecurity.org/wiki/TestDisk
• (Link to download the program) http://www.cgsecurity.org/wiki/TestDisk_Download
• (Instructions on how to use it) http://www.cgsecurity.org/wiki/TestDisk_Step_By_Step

Ultimately, the TestDisk program was not only ably to recover just a few of my files but all 132,386 Files and 7,976 Folders totaling almost 300GB.

I hope this article helps to remind everyone of the importance of backing up your files – a simple tool that is available for everyone.

Josh Altergott

Support Manager

Computer Aided Technology

Work environments have dramatically changed over the past few years. Flexible work schedules and working remotely have become the norm. 3DEXPERIENCE DraftSight is part of the 3DEXPERIENCE Works portfolio of cloud solutions so design teams can now collaborate from all over the world on one common platform. The platform is a secure environment that has the capability to handle large volumes of drawing files that are easily tracked and allow revision control.

Here are the five top benefits of 3DEXPERIENCE DraftSight:

1. Protect your drawing files and data
2. Convenient access and file sharing
3. Easy project communication
4. Faster design process
5. DraftSight’s proven 2D CAD solution

Let’s explore each of these benefits a little closer:

Protect your drawing files and data

Protecting intellectual property is a critical part of any business. Drawing files and data must be stored securely and be accessible to anyone, anytime, from anywhere. 3DEXPERIENCE DraftSight uses the 3DEXPERIENCE Platform to do just that. Data is perfectly preserved in the cloud. Data can no longer be lost or deleted by accident. Users can seamlessly go back and forth from the desktop to the cloud by syncing the data to the most recent file revisions. The best part is that there is no other expensive hardware to purchase. No extra servers to purchase or maintain. This makes 3DEXPERIENCE DraftSight convenient and secure with the ability to access data anytime, anywhere!

Convenient access and file sharing

Accessing and sharing drawings and data becomes seamless in the cloud. As projects and businesses grow, so does the number of drawings. Data is accessed in real-time with the confidence of working on the latest file every time. Drawings can be managed directly from DraftSight or from your desktop into the cloud giving you the most relevant information available based on permissions that you set up and manage.

Easy project communication

Working on a project with people inside and outside the company? No problem for 3DEXPERIENCE DraftSight. You can include partners, suppliers, and manufacturers to be a part of your team. Communication between team members can be streamlined directly through the platform. Develop a community to easily organize, view, assign, and track individual and shared tasks, including issues and change actions. From creation to completion, tracking projects is now at your fingertips.

Maximize Your ROI with DraftSight

This eBook will help you learn how to evaluate the benefits and return on investment (ROI) of your CAD software and determine if DraftSight is the best solution for you.

Get the eBook

Faster design process

Team environments can help accelerate your design process. With designs securely accessible to anyone I the enterprise, this easy-to-use interface doesn’t require CAD skills. Non-CAD users, such as managers or manufacturing partners, can participate in design reviews early in the development process.

The 3DEXPERIENCE platform cloud has workflows built in for drawing readiness, signoffs, and approvals, as well as for all distribution of drawings and access rights. What a powerful tool!!

DraftSight’s proven 2D CAD solution

3DEXPERIENCE DraftSight is professional -grade 2D CAD solution you know and love, backed by Dassault Systemes – now in the cloud. The same DraftSight with the ability to create, edit, and view concurrently from concept to completion now with added security and the ability to collaborate, review, and revise designs virtually anywhere.

Now that you know all about the benefits that are available through 3DEXPERIENCE DraftSight, are you ready to take the first steps to move your business forward? Take advantage of the platform and all the security and functionality it was to offer.

I hope you found this helpful! Thanks for reading.

Judy Marlo, CSWE, CSPP
Application Engineer Manager
Computer Aided Technology

Have a multiple bar linkage mechanism that you need to design? The completed design might require bearings, fasteners, rod-ends, and carefully designed bracketry. 3D Modeling all these components to analyze the linkage kinematics will take a significant amount time. However, if your mechanism motion can be represented two dimensionally, then we can save time using the Layout tools in SOLIDWORKS assemblies. This will enable us to work out the rough geometry of the linkage before getting into the more strenuous solid modeling of the actual components.

To take advantage of this approach, we need to simplify components into 2D representations of them. We want to use simple sketches for models of the link components, but we can ignore bearings, bolts, and mounting brackets. In an assembly Layout sketch, we will define these simplified component representations as Blocks. Multiple components can be represented in a single block if we do not desire to examine the motion between those parts. We use sketch relations to function as mates between the various sketch blocks. This allows us to analyze the motion of the 2D blocks that are mated to each other in this single Layout sketch.

Let’s look at how this can be done. For this example, we are looking at the rear suspension layout of a mountain bike. We are focusing on shock mount location and shock specifications to give us our desired wheel travel. Our design goal is to have 160mm or rear wheel travel for this mountain bike.

While all the blocks can be created in a single sketch environment, I prefer to create and save them individually. This makes it easy to develop a “block library” for future design projects.

First, we create our simplified sketch and then select “MAKE BLOCK”. This single block represents the bike’s main frame, saddle, and seat post. You can also see that suspension pivot locations and the shock mount locations are represented with circles.

Next, right click on the block from the Feature Manager and “SAVE BLOCK”. I usually save them to the SOLIDWORKS design library.

Once this has been done for all of the required components, we are ready to put our blocks together in a Layout sketch. We start a new assembly file and immediately click on “CREATE LAYOUT”.

Once in this Layout sketch mode, you will notice the sketch grid and the “Popsicle-Stick” icon that SOLIDWORKS uses for Layout. You can also see the design library has my recently created blocks for this project.

Next, drag in the required blocks. This is very similar to bringing parts into an assembly file. There are no external file references to these blocks. They exist in the design library but are also embedded in this assembly sketch. The feature manager will show the blocks and any relations between them will appear in the “mates folder.”

Then, we assemble the blocks. This is easily done by using the CTRL key and selecting the sketch geometry to create sketch relations. These sketch relations will function as mates between the sketch blocks. They will reduce the degrees of freedom allowing us to simulate the real design. While we are editing this Layout sketch, the block’s location and position can be manipulated by dragging them on the screen. These block positions are not constrained by their internal sketch relations. In other words, a HORIZONTAL relation to a segment inside the sketch block will not prevent that block from pivoting. You will notice the sketch relations created between these Blocks will appear under the “mate folder” in the Feature Manager.

Here, we can drag the rear wheel up and down to see the motion of our suspension.

Using sketch dimensions inside this layout sketch gives us more precise control of the position. This allows us to examine the relationship between wheel travel and shock travel of the mountain bike design. Using a shock length of 200mm gives us a good starting point.

After slight adjustments to the location of the shock mounts, we end up with our goal of 160mm rear wheel travel. This is achieved with 57mm of shock travel with an extended length of 200mm.

For this example, we picked a simple design scenario and focused on shock selection based on suspension travel goals. This same Layout could be used to further analyze more complex parameters of this suspension design. It is much easier to adjust these blocks compared to actual 3D modeled components. Once satisfied with the mounting and pivot locations we would take this geometry information and use it to design the parts in their own SOLIDWORKS part files. If desired, the same sketch blocks could even be inserted into these new part files to use for reference as we design the final 3D components.

Thanks for reading and please let us know how you plan to utilize these Layout tools in your design projects!

Greg Buter
Application Engineer Manager
Computer Aided Technology

In this blog article, we will dissect one piece of that and focus in on why users see different connector options in the 3DEXPERIENCE Platform and even more specifically how if you already own SOLIDWORKS the two different options you may be presented with to launch and why you may or may not be seeing them.

There are different Bundles or Packages that Dassault Systemes sells related to SOLIDWORKS CAD, but it boils down to two different icons users may end up with when logging into the 3DEXPERIENCE Web Login when those customers already own or have SOLIDWORKS CAD. There is a 3^rd option I will mention at the end of this article but it’s different enough that I will not make it confusing and go into that until the very end of the article.

The two captures below show the two different but Similar Icons, and this blog article will focus on those two variations highlighted in Blue and Yellow respectively and how/why you see those icons to demystify why you are seeing what you do.

If you own SOLIDWORKS and purchased the 3DEXPERIENCE to manage those files, you will ultimately need to have the SOLIDWORKS Connector to communicate between the CAD tool and the 3DEXPERIENCE Platform. There are other connectors to other CAD tools, however that is beyond the scope of this blog.

If you see the SW icon with a BLUE set of rings as shown above, that indicates you have purchased one of the various bundles that INCLUDE the Design with SOLIDWORKS application (or connector).

In my example and screen capture on the left above, if you look under “My Roles” when logged into your web interface, you will see the 3 applications associated with that role: Derived Format Converter, Design with SOLIDWORKS and Render with SOLIDWORKS Visualize.

The presence of the rings themselves indicate that it is a “Connector” and I like to think of the Blue color merely is a way to distinguish that it is part of a larger “Role”, which you can filter through and pick etc.

In comparison, on the right side we also have the rings shown, and again that means it is a “Connector” between the CAD Software and the 3DEXPERIENCE Platform Software, but this would only be visible if you have the Additional Apps enabled under your user profile.

If you are an administrator, then you can go into the Members Management, locate a user who uses SOLIDWORKS and then you may under the “Additional Apps” tab, check the SOLIDWORKS Add-in.

If you DO CHECK that box, then the user will be able to see the “White Ringed” Connector Icon as also highlighted in yellow to be consistent with the above screen capture.

In some cases, depending on how the history of licensing has transpired, you may get into a situation where you show both the Blue Rings AND the White Rings for the connector, and that is because you were granted a role that contains the Blue Style Connector and you also have in your user’s license, under additional apps the SOLIDWORKS Add-in which gets you the White ring style connector.

My general suggestion to the 3DEXPERIENCE Admin, to keep things less confusing with having duplicate Icons, is to not enable under Additional Apps, the SOLIDWORKS Add-in as shown in the above capture, but instead Assign the roles you would normally for the end user, then have that user login to the system and have them check to see if they already have the SOLIDWORKS Connector there with the BLUE rings, if not, then it is OK to enable the checkbox above to share out the White Circle Connector.

TIP: You can search for SOLIDWORKS or even Solid in your apps and quickly filter to show any connectors you may have access to.

Regardless of whether you have BLUE or WHITE ringed Icons, the basics are still all the same.

1. You have SOLIDWORKS with the 3DEXPERIENCE Connector
2. When you are in SOLIDWORKS and “Login” to the 3DEXPERIENCE from within SW CAD, do just about everything you would want to do right from within the SOLIDWORKS interface, so you do not have to leave SOLIDWORKS and go back to the Web Page to do specific actions.
3. DS made it simple for CAD users to have the connector in place inside of SOLIDWORKS to ease users into being able to manage their data easily from within SOLIDWORKS and not have to jump into another interface to function.
4. The Connector software provides the link between the 3DEXPERIENCE Platform and the SW CAD Software and that is why there is a down arrow on the app itself, so you have the mechanism to either install it if you haven’t yet, or if you do have it installed, pick the down arrow key again to verify if you have the latest and greatest minor version installed. Minor versions do on occasion get released on the web sometimes 3 or 4 times between Major Cloud Releases.
5. When you launch SW CAD, the SW CAD quick menu options pop up. If you see that menu, please check the option to “never see this again” because if you pick something on there the connector likely isn’t fully loaded yet and you will run into error messages, so it’s best to never show that screen and just let the connector load and connect to a collaboration space where you can save your data into.

Here is a quick rundown of how you would install the Connector (blue and white) without getting into specific details.

If you have never used the connector, you pick the DOWN arrow in the icon (blue or white icon has a very similar install), then if you don’t have Java Installed, which is what the connector uses, it will give you a hyperlink to install one of two Java variations, we always use the Adopt Open 64 Bit Java Runtime Link, which is the 2^nd hyperlink option, get that installed and then you can continue the install of the connector. Once completed it will want you to reboot your computer which is a very good idea. Once rebooted, then again login to the web side and pick the Down arrow key one more time to make sure you have the latest version of the software. The Down arrow key will check to see if you have the latest version of the software and if so, it will present you with an option to create a Windows Desktop Shortcut. The 1^st time you launch the Connector you should always do it from the WEB INTERFACE. The reasoning for this is that 1^st launch from the web properly creates all of the files the SW CAD tool needs to function and communicate properly. To best summarize this, after the connector is installed, REBOOT, then login to the web and launch the connector (Blue or White Ringed Icons) from the web side and you will be all good. After you have successfully launched from the web to SOLIDWORKS and have connected to a the Right Collaboration Space (ask your admin if not sure) then you can from that point on just use the Windows shortcut and skip logging into the web interface if you so desire… OK maybe that wasn’t quick but it’s still good info!

The connector uses a Java component and it’s suggested to use the free version, which is the Adopt Open 64 Bit JRE. There was a bug a while back where the install path moved and the connector didn’t like that, but in the later versions of the connector, it is ok to use the latest version of the JRE again instead of an older one, which had an install path that worked that the software could communicate with properly.

Every week or so, I also suggest if you are a cloud customer, to pick the down arrow again on your (blue or white ringed connector) to see if there are any minor releases that may have been released, and if there are, it will give you the option to install to the latest patched version of the connector. Good communication between the engineers/designers and the 3DEXPERIENCE Admin is appreciated here because sometimes in a larger company, they may have a few test users make sure to update to the latest sub version ahead of everyone else to spot check for any bugs or major issues and then if it seems ok, then everyone else can update. In most cases it’s safe to just check with the down arrow and grab and install the latest patched release, which is there to fix bugs that they found on that major version release of the connector software.

The basis of this article is to show that you have two very similar ways to have the connector and depending on how the licensing is granted and roles granted, you may have one or the other “Connector” with blue or white rings.

—————————————————————————————————————————————–

Beyond the article now is the 3^rd variation and I only want to mention it below in case you do have that and are not seeing anything like I’m talking about above, but still purchased SW CAD with the 3DEXPERIENCE.

Dassault Systemes has yet another option to purchase the 3DEXPERIENCE with SOLIDWORKS together called SOLIDWORKS Connected. This variation is geared more to customer who don’t have SW CAD at all and since they are purchasing both SW CAD and the 3DEXPERIENCE. The SW install is wrapped up together with 3D Experience install, which is much different of an approach for installing than what this article deals with, even though it’s end goal is just about the same.

Similar to the capture below, if you see a role called “3DEXPERIENCE SOLIDWORKS xxx” and it has the SOLIDWORKS Connected option, then that is the 3rd variation of how SOLIDWORKS CAD and the 3DEXPERIENCE is bundled tightly together and in that case it doesn’t have the connector rings at all. I only mention this in this article and show the icon in green below in case you really have SOLIDWORKS Connected and not a connector like we are talking about in this article. Perhaps I’ll do an article in the future specific to SOLIDWORKS Connected.

Have a great week!

Jay Weigand
Senior PLM Consultant – Enovia
Computer Aided Technology

If you’re unfamiliar with the GD&T tool in SOLIDWORKS Drawings, here is an image of the tool and the resulting annotation:

Here is what the icon for the tool looks like (it hasn’t changed)

Here is what the tool looks like in SOLIDWORKS 2021 and prior.

If you build the block using these symbols the annotation will look like this: . The process for building the block has been restrictive and not very intuitive until now.

Now for SOLIDWORKS 2022 the user interface has been completely redesigned to make it much easier to create the most accurate GD&T blocks for your communication to fabricators and quality control.  It starts with a simple block and some symbols that can be added by clicking. I will duplicate the previous block.

Once I add a symbol the next information appears and I can add another symbol, change the tolerance, or add a datum. Here I have added a diameter symbol and changed the tolerance to 0.02.

I will now add a Material Condition:

There are two ways to add a datum, use the plus sign on the right of the block. or use the “Add Datum” button.

Each plus sign will give a different option to add to the block.

The GD&T symbol will still attach to a dimension, or if the dimension is preselected the block will be automatically attached to it.

I hope this part of the What’s New series gives you a better understanding of the new features and functions of SOLIDWORKS 2022. Please check back to the CATI Blog as the CATI Application Engineers will continue to break down many of the new items in SOLIDWORKS 2022. All these articles will be stored in the category of “SOLIDWORKS What’s New.”

Dennis Barnes, CSWE
Application Engineer
Computer Aided Technology

DESIGN INNOVATION MONTH 2021 – Webinars, Virtual Showroom, Contests
Design Innovation Month is CATI’s massive “What’s New in 2022” event for SOLIDWORKS, 3DEXPERIENCE, and 3D printing & 3D scanning technology.  That’s six weeks of 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 next event. 

Custom Properties

The first notable addition to this year’s release is the ability to include or exclude custom file properties. One way to do this is from within a SOLIDWORKS document into the resulting eDrawings file. Once you have your custom properties set up and you’re ready to publish to eDrawings or Save As an eDrawings file, there’s an option to include your custom file properties in the eDrawings file. To set this up go to System Options > Export> EPRT/EDRW/EASM > Save File Properties.

The second way to include or exclude file properties is from within eDrawings. If you open a SOLIDWORKS file in eDrawings and select Save As the dialogue box has a new option: Include file properties.

Being able to include custom properties will allow you to more effectively communicate the specificities of each model or assembly. On the other hand, if you need to protect intellectual property or classified information but still need to share your model you can choose not to include that file information.

System Options Within SOLIDWORKS

When you are ready to export any of your SOLIDWORKS files to eDrawings you’ll notice the export options have changed. Navigate to System Options > Export > EDRD/EPRT/EASM the functionality of each option is still the same but the option names have been simplified and reordered for ease of use.

I’ve color-coded the options from SOLIDWORKS 2021 to match the renamed and ordered colors in SOLIDWORKS 2022. These export options are easier to navigate now that they have grouped like options.

eDrawings Interface

There are also some changes to the eDrawings interface to help improve your workspace. One subtle difference is located on the toolbar. The icon names of File Properties and Mass Properties have been shortened to eliminate word clutter.

To maximize your workspace, you may now choose to hide or show the labels underneath each tool icon. Right-click on any tool and select or deselect Show Labels.

If you’re working with an assembly you’ll appreciate the enhancements made to the Components pane. The Components pane now displays at the full height of your screen allowing you to view more components at once and minimize scrolling. The Top-level of the assembly is now included along with the ability to expand all or collapse all. To further help navigate the Components pane there is now an Options icon. The options include toggling the Show Component Descriptions and Highlight parents when hover on child.

I hope this part of the What’s New series gives you a better understanding of the new features and functions of SOLIDWORKS 2022. Please check back to the CATI Blog as the CATI Application Engineers will continue to break down many of the new items in SOLIDWORKS 2022. All these articles will be stored in the category of “SOLIDWORKS What’s New.”

Sara Hollett
Application Engineer II
Computer Aided Technology

DESIGN INNOVATION MONTH 2021 – Webinars, Virtual Showroom, Contests
Design Innovation Month is CATI’s massive “What’s New in 2022” event for SOLIDWORKS, 3DEXPERIENCE, and 3D printing & 3D scanning technology.  That’s six weeks of 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 next event.