How to Take the Pain Out of PDM: SolidWorks Explorer in 12 minutes, 6 seconds

by Josh on April 28, 2008 · Comments

Just when you thought you knew everything about SolidWorks Explorer, Devon Sowell gives us his first post discussing to make your venture into the abusive and murderous world of data management easier to handle.

Some Things you’ll learn:

  • What SolidWorks Explorer is for
  • If parts are open when a drawing is open (Hmmm…are they?)
  • How to set up references
  • How to make Windows Desktop Search not suck

This little program has more uses that a bowl of rice pudding and looks wonderful on the screen when the boss walks by. Here’s what I like about SolidWorks Explorer and some additional things to keep in mind.

  • When using Pack-and-Go on big assemblies, uncheck and collapse the first item, then expand it and pick the items you need.
  • You can use Rename to fix “built-in-context-of…” references that have been lost. Rename to the assembly it’s built in-context of, then name it back.
  • You can use SolidWorks Explorer to Rename configurations, but it will not update the Design Table it’s linked to.
  • You can’t change properties on components you have opened. Just shut that sucka down and change away.
  • You do have some SolidWorks Explorer Options. It’s the third circular icon on the top menu. I would set-up some common where-used and search locations there.

How do you use SolidWorks Explorer?

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Tagged as: explorer, pdm, solidworks, tips

  • Marijn
    Any idea why solidworks explorer says that virtual components are missing but that get copied anyway if you ignore that...
  • Hi Josh-

    Great post. Your tips are very useful.

    Now, if I could only DELETE a Custom Property in SW Explorer like I used to in the old version...

    See ya!
    Devon
  • Yumeee, my Mother's home made rice pudding with raisins.

    Devon
  • Josh
    thanks for inspiring them devon! I'm looking forward to when I do all the data management on one screen. I think SolidWorks Explorer has some things that could be integrated into regular use of documents. And even if you don't have workgroup, there's still alot of useful features to it. One thing I really, really, really wish it would do is a batch rename. we had to right a separate program for that.
  • Josh
    @Marijn, I've not got the virtual component message, but I usually don't keep my part 'virtualized' - the virtual parts are part of that assembly, stored inside, so to speak, and the y should go along with the assembly they are part of. It may be that it wasn't rebuilt? but I'm guessing there.
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