Not that configurations aren’t pokeable or that I’m trying to stop something you enjoy doing, but really, it’s just a Configuration Publisher. It just so happens that is new in SolidWorks 2010. Kinda new, anyway. Call it an upgrade of sorts.
It attempts to make the whole configuration creation a whole lot easier. What I’m wondering is if you’ll use it or go about the old way of creating configurations with those wonderfully formatted Design Tables you love. Take a look. See what you think. Will you use it?
What the Heck Does it Do?
Very simply, the Configuration Publisher allows you to create a PropertyManager for your Configurations. The Configuration Publisher looks likes this (click to enlarge):
You drag and drop those attributes on the left into the edit window and set up the options to the right. After you save it, here’s what you’ll get when you put a part in an assembly:
So, it allows you to drop in existing configurations or select options for a new configuration to be created when inserting a part into an assembly, rather than just having to select from a list as in version prior to 2009. Yes, this existed in 2009. It was known as the Create PropertyManager. Along with being renamed, it’s been updated to include the options to configure Custom Properties, configure assemblies and publish your models to 3DContentCentral.com.
The Link to 3D Content Central
So now, whenever you create your Configuration PropertyManager, you also have to option to publish (upload) your component to 3DContentCentral.com (3DCC), a user and supplier generated online 3D model hub.
However, you can only upload a model if you’re a ‘Registered Supplier‘ on 3DCC. It’s free, but if you already have a personal account, you’ll have to create a a different supplier login, or use one your company already has set up. This feature should really be available for either type of user.
Sorry, suppliers only for 3DContentCentral publishing options.
How it Works within a PDM environment
Since the Configuration PropertyManager allows configurations to be created and added to a Design Table, you would think this may conflict with parts that are not checked out in a PDM system. You will need to have the part checked out to save the changes.
Ideally, this will work as it does with any other component that uses configurations. If someone need to add a new configuration by selecting different option in the Configuration Publisher, the component would simply be checked out, then checked back in. If the model had been uploaded to 3DCC, the ‘Update Model’ option on the 3DCC Preview Tab would be used.
That’s the theory anyway. I have yet to use it in a PDM system that doesn’t require a checkout before makaing changes. So, to be safe, I’ll makes sure the part can be saved. If you happen to make a configurations on a part that isn’t check out, save it locally, check it out and replace it.
Oh By the Way, You Can Configure Materials Now
I just thought you should know that… oh, you want to know how? It’s simple. Right-click on Materials in the FeatureManager and select Configure Materials. That dandy Modify Configurations window will pop up allowing to to select a different material for each configurations.
Does it work with the Publisher? I’m not sure. The materials do not show up in the Design Table and the Publisher does not automatically import them. I tried several attributes to get them to show up, but was not able to get this option into the Configuration Publisher.
Will the Publisher Work For You?
Did you use the previous Create PropertyManager for Configurations? This update provides a way to create configurations as they’re needed. It gives you more options for creating configurations automatically without having to enter each property in a Design Table yourself. This can be useful no doubt, but much like a Design Table, it takes that special someone to sit down and work through it. While it seems like a great tool, I know of Design Tables so complex, it would be hard to bring into the simple List, incremental Values and suppression states. I do see this version more likely to be used, but mostly for basic parts and assemblies. It’s getting there, but needs a bit more work to handle the complexities people can create with a spreadsheet. Will you use it?
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Yes please!
I this exactly what we need to automate our designs. Our designs our quite repetitive (but custom) and I've setup what I call “Master Models” but some of the are still to complex to configure by the end-user(Engineers moving from Acad).
BTW, I also need the ability to suppress Features andor components with a SW equation, but I'll keep asking for that one.
Cool Diverso, glad to see it'll work for you. do you use the create property manager in the current version?
the great power of the design table for configs is the ability to use Excel formulas. Specifically we use VLOOKUP tables to take one user selected variable and populate several variables that are relational. Sometimes you can do this with formulas, but you really can't have both formulas and design tables together (they fight like tom cats), and there's no easy way to handle text strings or lists in Formulas…
Until this feature (and/or the Custom Property Tab feature) can utilize lookup tables, They will be of limited use to us.
yep, but we rarely assemble a machine from scratch.The “Master Models” already have all the components they need on them. We do a Pack n' Go of the master models,
rename, re-reference, modify and voila! I've tried DriveWorksXpress but it's very limited.
Hey Kyle, maybe I'm not understanding, but we use a TON of formulas in design tables. They can get complicated for sure when mixing variables together to form text strings. It looks like to me they're actually building ways into this PropertyManager thing to be more useful than a Design Table. My biggest complaint is that it depends on the use of Excel. They need to get away from that, build the capabilities into the program, allow it to look at configs of other parts. Getting away from Excel is the only way to do that, I think.
Thanks for the comment Kyle!
Sorry, I meant Solidworks Equations – not Excel Formulas _in_ the design table. Using Excel formulas in the design table concurrently with SW Equations is a recipe for multi-rebuild hell.
I'd love it if there were a native support for a real programming language, but SW isn't in the business of writing programming languages and, as with everything else, SW chooses to make usability as easy as possible. So we get limited Excel compatibility and VB scripting via COM. My opinion: MS makes it so easy to add this functionality, I'm not suprised at all. Are there better tools? Absolutely- Is there anything this powerful and this simple to add to a windows app? Not that I've seen…
So, I love the fact that there's _something_ available. It'd be great if there were a customizable GUI like this PropertyManager that had that level of programmability. As far as i've seen there isn't. So i'm stuck with the Design Table, and having to open/close it for my part to update…
ahh, ok, gotcha. yeah, equations are vicious! If I see them, especially used with design tables, I automatically think, there's got to be a better way to model it. I'm really, REALLY hoping SW goes away from using Excel for any tables. From what they're adding to the PropertyManager, it seems the level of customization is increasing. It's just gonna take at least another release. open, close, update brother.
Oh yeah!
But I'd like the old way : DT + XML for 3DCC. For complex models with virtual millions of possible configs, with parameters depending on other previous 3 or 4, with variable boxes visibility (some options/boxes must be hidden for some parameters combinations) the CP is a nightmare. Not to mention that you have to made a lot of updates in DT also – CP require a column in DT for each parameter.
CP work in a pyramidal way and it's ergonomics is really bad. For example, if I have a model with a DT with 5 columns (5 parameters), each column with 6 possible values, for the fifth box you should fill in 1296 boxes with ranges of values from DT! How you will check this??? And we have some models with 42 parameters, some of them with 20-22 possible values, depending on previous 4-6 parameters!!!
For simple models it's just fine, you don't have to know XML,ASP or JS, the DT is simple. But for DT's with many vlookup's and with 2 sheets full of formulas….
So, yes is a step forward, but it need sooooo many improvements that I will recommend it just for simple models with few configs or just for training purpose.
ha, yeah, very true. It's always features like these that work on simple examples. The theory is that they'll work on more complex example… until you try it out. Some of the benifits of the CP is that you can put in the smarts to create the configs as needed. SO, no need to have a million rows of configs. My biggest hope is that this is moving configs away from design tables, but the functionality has to be there and familiar (easy) for the users or else a lot of people are gonna be upset that their Spreadsheets have gone away.
I just looked into some product configurator apps (e.g. Driveworks, Tacton)-
I bet SW will never add the functionality we want directly into the product, not at the 'expense' of a Gold Partner third party app.
The good news is the functionality exists, and i can have it as soon as I can get it approved in my budget…
Too bad there's so few 'open source' add-ons- This would be a great candidate for a crowd-sourced API Macro…
I just looked into some product configurator apps (e.g. Driveworks, Tacton)-
I bet SW will never add the functionality we want directly into the product, not at the 'expense' of a Gold Partner third party app.
The good news is the functionality exists, and i can have it as soon as I can get it approved in my budget…
Too bad there's so few 'open source' add-ons- This would be a great candidate for a crowd-sourced API Macro…
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