Tag Archive for 'pdm'

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

Published
by
Josh
on April 28, 2008
in SolidWorks Tips
. Comments

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Just when you thought you knew everything about SolidWorks Explorer, Devon Sowell gives us his first post discussing tips 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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PDM Assassin: Combine the Best, Eliminate the Rest (Could it Ever Be?)

Published
by
Josh
on April 9, 2008
in Working Smarter
. Comments

pdm-assassin.jpgI’m not sure about you, but I am increasingly frustrated in the separation between 3D design and data management. Yep, I have two hairs left on my head and permanent marker all over my face from nervous twitching each time something needs to be checked-in or out.

There’s creating a model and then there’s managing it. It’s separate, but for the most part you’re already managing the data in the assembly structure you create and the drawings you churn out. All that data is in the model files. For some reason it takes another program to structure the data, produce reports, handle revisions, etc. even though you build that every day into the model. Heck, not only models. Any document.

I imagine sooner or later this could merge and completely destroy what we know as PDM or PLM. Maybe it because we think of it in the sense of managing 3D CAD Data in lists instead of like filling a glass of water, so to speak. Part of this happens because companies want reports and revs to look like they always have. The hardest part about developing a new technology is convincing people that it’s better than how it has been done. That scary.

Hopefully, one day, the resource and data management will happen behind the scenes and data can be generated dynamically not matter if we start from a spreadsheet or a 3D environment. think it can happen?

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