The SolidWorks Blog

Q&A: Keeping up with the U.S. Department of Defense Design Requirements

The United States Department of Defense (DoD) has implemented a standard practice called MIL-STD-31000, that requires proper technical documentation to build, repair and maintain critical tools and equipment. I spoke with Rich Eckenrode, president of RECON Services Incorporated, Ed Miller, senior client executive, Federal at SolidWorks, and Yannick Chaigneau, senior territory technical manager at SolidWorks, to discuss the DoD’s initiative to require that technical data packages leverage 3D CAD models to store and provide specifications for individual components and product assemblies for procured products. These specifications will enable buyers to access product manufacturing information, technical manuals and cost estimation details throughout the product’s entire lifecycle.  Below are some excerpts from my interview.

How has model-based engineering evolved?

Eckenrode: Drawing standards have changed dramatically over just the last 20 years; tolerances applied are being looked at differently; quality assurance planning and practice has changed. In the early stages of CAD technology, the 2D drawings were still the master even though they were derivative of the 3D CAD models. Then software allowed designers to create 3D annotations called Product Manufacturing Information (PMI) inside the 3D model. This led to Model Based Definition (MBD) and Model Based Enterprise (MBE) which allows the 3D annotations to be reused in manufacturing plans and documentation such as maintenance manuals.

What is Model Based Definition (MBD)?

Eckenrode: MBD is a 3D annotated model and its associated data elements that fully provide the product definition in a manner that can be used effectively by all downstream customers in place of a traditional 2D drawing. The types of information it conveys includes GD&T, component level materials, assembly level bills of materials, engineering configurations, design intent, etc.

Model Based Enterprise (MBE) is a fully integrated and collaborative environment founded on 3D product definition detail and shared across the enterprise; to enable rapid, seamless, and affordable deployment of products from concept to disposal.

Why is the DoD adopting MBD/MBE?

Miller: The Technical Data Packages (TDP) used by the suppliers to document product specifications traditionally consisted of a 2D model which did not track or include all the data needed throughout a product’s lifecycle. 3D models help visualize all dimensions of a specific project and include assembly instructions, maintenance and repair information.  This saves engineering time and reduces manufacturing errors. MBD is also part of ASME Y14.41 and has already been adopted by industries like aerospace, automotive, defense and medical, and continues to grow.

Eckenrode: Many weapons platforms used by the DoD have lifecycles of 50, 90, and in the case of the Browning machine gun, more than 100 years. When trying to repair older systems, missing or incomplete TDPs can cause users to spend extra time and money re-designing a model. In some cases, potential suppliers decided not to bid on projects if they were not sure whether they could produce all the parts or satisfy modern manufacturing requirements and quality controls due to antiquated or ambiguous 2D information.

Chaigneau: Today we also have the technology that allows us to take advantage of the 3D technical data in new ways. Models can also be used for rapid prototyping and CNC, which can help reduce manufacturing errors. People can now access 3D from mobile devices, and in some cases the data can also be manipulated (zoom, rotate) to get different perspectives.

How does SolidWorks help comply with DoD’s initiative to provide full transparency into design components?

Chaigneau: Using SolidWorks, customers can create models that have MBD in the form of 3D annotations. The 3D model provides the government or any company with engineering, manufacturing, or inspection practices that contain or utilize CAD data, with information that can be reused throughout the product’s lifecycle in applications like manufacturing planning and documentation, and technical manuals.

Designing with SolidWorks solutions makes it easier for users to extract information to comply with the government’s regulations, while increasing opportunities for suppliers. If the government requests quotations with an MBD format, SolidWorks users have the ability to easily share TPD for an accurate cost estimate. Tools like SolidWorks eDrawings, SolidWorks Enterprise PDM and SolidWorks Composer help users visualize various aspects of a specific project.  Solidworks also a number of 3^rd party solutions partners to support the MBE philosophy.

More information is available at:

• www.mel.nist.gov/msid/sima/mbe/2010/MIL-STD-310000.pdf
• http://model-based-enterprise.org/default.aspx

Learn how USSC Group developed a breakthrough product in just four months after switching to SolidWorks

USSC Group is a leading manufacturer of world-class seating for many types of specialty vehicles, such as buses, locomotives, and fire trucks. To maintain its industry-leading engineering capabilities, USSC periodically assesses the effectiveness of its design and engineering tools. In 2009, the company evaluated the Siemens Solid Edge® software it was using against SolidWorks software, using a range of evaluation criteria.

Following that evaluation, USSC chose SolidWorks solutions because they gave the company more freedom to work with partners and customers and other integrated technologies. The seating manufacturer acquired 14 licenses of SolidWorks Professional and SolidWorks Premium design software, SolidWorks Simulation Premium analysis software, the SolidWorks Enterprise PDM product data management system, and SolidWorks Composer technical communications software.

By selecting SolidWorks solutions, USSC was able to introduce its patent-pending single-point release firefighting seat, develop a breakthrough product in just four months, improve its ability to work with partner and customer data, and realize better design communication and demonstration capabilities.

Download the complete case study to see how SolidWorks is helping USSC revolutionize firefighter safety.

Want to try out SolidWorks? You can request a free SolidWorks trial on our website.

Want to see how SolidWorks can help you win new business and get to market faster? Request a SolidWorks demo today.

Easily manage and edit your 2D data with Enterprise PDM and DraftSight

SolidWorks Enterprise PDM (EPDM) 2013 now has an add-in for DraftSight Premium that can be downloaded from the customer portal.  This add-in allows DraftSight Premium customers to work with vaulted 2D files directly from within the DraftSight environment.  DraftSight Premium offers additional benefits over the free version such as telephone and email support, network licensing, access to the
DraftSight API (required for the EPDM add-in), and access to the Deployment Wizard.

The add-in enables the following functions from within the DraftSight environment:

• Check out and check in files and Xrefs
• Update title block properties
• Access to the file data card and file property information
• Get latest or previous versions of a file and Xrefs
• Access to EPDM functions via a command line

Here's a quick look at the available EPDM toolbars and status window from within DraftSight:

For more information regarding DraftSight the Premium Pack click here.

Why Does My EPDM Calculated BOM Change?

In SolidWorks Enterprise PDM, if you look at a computed BOM of a particular version of a file, you would expect that if you looked at that same BOM a year from now it would be exactly the same.

Likely, you would be wrong.

Here is why. A bill of material column set can contain one of two different entities. Variables and file properties. Variables do as you would expect. They are [and always will be] the variable values of all BOM components at the time the assembly was checked in. However, file properties may change – they are the current values of the file’s properties.

In the example below, any row with the variable inside of the “<>” brackets is a file property. Thus, in this example, the file name and state’s value will be the current name and state of the component. The description’s value (a variable) will be the value of the description variable at the moment the assembly was checked in. i.e. The description will be constant for that BOM version.

To avoid confusion to users, I like using “Current” as a prefix for the header names, so users can easily tell the difference.

SPECIAL NOTE: The quantity (reference count) of a part within an assembly is an exception! The quantity of a component will not change for that version's BOM.

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Jeff Sweeney is an Engineering Data Specialist at 3DVision Technologies, a SolidWorks Value Added Reseller with locations across Ohio, Indiana, and Kentucky.  He is a regular contributor to 3DVision Technologies' Blog where you will find new ideas to improve your productivity with Enterprise PDM and SolidWorks.

SolidWorks Enterprise PDM - Using the Report Generator

The SolidWorks Enterprise PDM Report Generator can be used to search in a selected file vault for information that you can specify in one or more queries.

A number of sample queries are distributed with SolidWorks Enterprise PDM and can be added to the report generator. The sample reports can be accessed on a client, by clicking on Report Examples 1.crp in the SolidWorks Enterprise PDM installation directory. The sample queries include ‘File Details’, ‘List all Referenced Docs’, ‘List Work Flows’, ‘Group Members’, ‘Documents in Workflow State’, ‘List Assembly Tree’ just to mention a few.

When you double-click on Report Examples 1.crp, you will be presented with a series of screens that allow you choose which users have access to each Report Generator queries.

 

Once you set permission for all the queries, the SolidWorks Enterprise PDM Report Generator will open and the queries will appear in the top left panel.

After selecting one or more queries and clicking on run, the results will be listed on the lower panel.

You can also import queries, save the result of your queries, or choose which vault to run the query on.

The Report Generator can also be launched from the Tools pull-down in the local vault view.

The SolidWorks Knowledge Base Article ‘S-013369′ explains how to create your own query. To access the SolidWorks Knowledge Base, log into your SolidWorks Customer Portal account and click on the link for Knowledge Base. A current SolidWorks Subscription Service account is required to access the Knowledge Base.

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Joe Medeiros is a Senior Application Engineer at Javelin Technologies, a SolidWorks Value Added Reseller with locations in Ontario and Nova Scotia, Canada. He is a regular contributor to the Javelin blog.

Want to try out SolidWorks? You can request a free SolidWorks trial on our website.

Want to see how SolidWorks can help you win new business and get to market faster? Request a  SolidWorks demo today.

 

For Teknion, It’s Easy Being Green with SolidWorks

As business models and office spaces evolve to meet the expectations of the 21^st century, more companies are embracing green, open spaces and collaborative environments. Many offices are designed with sustainability in mind, such as the Dassault Systemes Boston Office which uses Teknion Furniture, a SolidWorks customer. Teknion Furniture prides itself on a variety of office systems which encourage customers’ employees to collaborate, innovate, and communicate in a continually evolving business landscape.

Teknion Furniture at the Dassault Systemes Boston Office.

Teknion aims to design furniture of the future, by expanding product lines and implementing sustainable manufacturing practices. To address these challenges, Teknion upgraded to SolidWorks Professional, SolidWorks Enterprise PDM, and SolidWorks Sustainability from its previous AutoCAD 2D design tools. The company was attracted to SolidWorks because of the software’s ease of use, design configuration, and enhanced visualization. With SolidWorks, Teknion spends less time and resources on making physical prototypes, allowing Teknion to focus more on innovating new products to optimize business environments. By implementing SolidWorks, Teknion has quadrupled its number of product lines and reduced development time by 50 percent.

Using SolidWorks Sustainability, Teknion can evaluate the environmental impact of their design decisions. The software enables the furniture company to examine factors including carbon burden, energy consumption, air emission and liquid discharges associated with a particular design. By providing greater insights into the product design, SolidWorks Sustainability allows Teknion to give side-by-side comparisons of material choices to show customers the environmental implications of using glass versus acrylic for elements in their furniture. Generating photorealistic images which display environmental information,  SolidWorks Photoview 360 helps the Teknion sales team win orders.

SolidWorks solutions helps Teknion design products more efficiently, manage global design data more effectively, and examine the environmental ramifications of its products. To learn more about how Teknion paves the way to a greener future using products like SolidWorks Sustainability, read the case study.

Enterprise PDM: How to Map to Microsoft Office

EPDM variables can be mapped to a Microsoft Office document. This can be used to automatically populate documents such as ECN's (Engineering Change Notices).

The first step is to define variables in EPDM:

Right Click on the Variables node in SolidWorks PDM Administration and choose Open.

Create the variable if one does not already exit.

Predefined Properties are available in Microsoft Office:

From the Microsoft Office Button, select “Prepare” and then select Properties.

Office custom properties can be accessed by selecting "Advanced Properties" from the “Document Properties” pull-down.

Click on the "Custom Tab to select a property and assign a value.

In order to display the custom property in the Office document, a "Field" needs to be inserted:

From the “Insert” tab, select “QuickParts” icon, select “Field…”

From "Categories" select “DocProperty” and in the "Field Properties" select the"Property" you want to link to the field.

In order to update the field you can press F9 when the document is open or add a refresh macro:

With an office document open, press Alt-F8 on your keyboard and select "Create"

In the macro window, insert the following macro code in a macro called AutoOpen and save and close the window.

This document can then be saved as a template to be used in EPDM.

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Joe Medeiros is a Senior Application Engineer at Javelin Technologies, a SolidWorks Value Added Reseller with locations in Ontario and Nova Scotia, Canada. He is a regular contributor to the Javelin blog.

Want to try out SolidWorks? You can request a free SolidWorks trial on our website.

Want to see how SolidWorks can help you win new business and get to market faster? Request a  SolidWorks demo today.

How do I buy SolidWorks or get a trial version?

Here at SolidWorks, we work hard to make our products easy to buy, learn and use; however, two of the most common questions we receive are:

• How do I buy SolidWorks?
• How do I get a trial version of SolidWorks?

The answer to both questions is actually the same--by contacting a SolidWorks Value-Added Reseller. Unlike many companies selling software for the consumer market, SolidWorks does not sell directly, or offer trial versions for download from our website. And there's a reason for this.

Despite being easy to learn and use, SolidWorks is a sophisticated piece of software with multiple package options and add-ons, with functionality for building everything from simple sprockets to complex cars and airplanes. When you express an interest in SolidWorks, we want to make sure that you talk with someone who can discuss your business with you personally and recommend the ideal solution.

That's where your local reseller comes in, meeting with you and putting together a personalized quote to meet the needs you have today and help you be more productive in the future. The same goes for product trials. We want to ensure that you have the best possible experience when you're evaluating our products, which is why trials are only available through your local reseller. Once your reseller has discussed the right options for your business, he or she can provide you with the corresponding trial software, and will be available to answer questions during the trial period.

SolidWorks resellers are also the first line for product support, and when you buy SolidWorks, you can be sure that you have a local team available to help you out with the initial set-up process, as well as walk you through any support issues you may have in the future. They are committed to working with you and helping you be successful.

When you contact SolidWorks directly, we will pair you with the best reseller in your area to speak with.  They will contact you directly to schedule a consultation and demonstration, and when you're ready, provide a comprehensive quote. And if you like, they can provide a trial version of SolidWorks and any of our other software solutions.

Want to try out SolidWorks? You can request a free SolidWorks trial on our website.

Want to see how SolidWorks can help you win new business and get to market faster? Request a  SolidWorks demo today.

SolidWorks Enterprise Licensing Made Simple

You’ve anticipated installing a newer version of SolidWorks Enterprise PDM for the last month. You’ve let everyone know of the impending update. You’ve downloaded the latest service pack from www.SolidWorks.com. You’ve made backups of your SQL databases. You’ve ensured the archive folders have been backed up. You performed the upgrade procedures from the Installation guide PDF to the ‘T’ (pg. 92). After the upgrade is completed, you test your first client to the upgraded server and you see:

No licenses available!

If you see this, we might need to review the installation procedures one last time. On the bottom of page 92 under the heading ‘Client Licenses’, there are two brief paragraphs explaining what might have happened:

A database upgrade to a new major version resets the license count to 0 users. After the upgrade, you must install a valid license for multiple users to log in.

When upgrading from an older service pack, for example Enterprise PDM 2009 SP1 to Enterprise PDM 2009 SP2, your existing license code is still valid. The license file must have been missed.

As stated above, you must have a new license file for every major release (i.e. 2012 to 2013) but it is not required for upgrades within a release (2012 SP0 to 2012 SP4). If you do receive the above message, it is advised that you retrieve your license file as quickly as possible. You can do this immediately with your company login to www.solidworks.com. It does not require a technical support ticket through your local reseller.

To obtain your license, follow these steps:

1. Go to www.solidworks.com and select ‘Login’.
   
   
   
   
2. Click the icon for customer portal and provide your customer log in information.
   
   
3. Select ‘My Products’ for a listing of your registered products. Note: If you have not registered your SolidWorks Enterprise PDM software yet, you must do so before retrieving your license file by clicking the ‘Register My Products’ link.
   
4. Select the licenses file for the product you are installing (step 1). In this image below, the 2012 product is selected. Then click ‘Get License’ (step 2). You should next see a message indicating that the license file is being sent to your email.
   
5. Within a few minutes, you should receive an email with your license file attached. Save this to a location on your machine for easy access in the next step.
   
   
6. The last step is to load the license file into SolidWorks Enterprise PDM. To do this, we launch the SolidWorks Enterprise PDM Administration tool, log into our vault, double click the ‘License’ node(step 1). When the ‘Set License’ window appears, click the ellipsis button and browse to the text file from the email (step 2). Click ‘OK’ to apply and double click the ‘License’ node. You should now see licenses available in the bottom list (step 3).
   
    
   

At this point, you should be able to log into your client vault view and not receive the message regarding zero licenses available! A few considerations when updating:

• With the impending release of the new 2013 products, you are no doubt planning to update one or more product lines to the 2013 versions. In regards to SolidWorks and SolidWorks Enterprise PDM, SolidWorks Enterprise PDM must be at the same version or newer than SolidWorks. The SolidWorks Enterprise 2013 add-in will be compatible with SolidWorks 2011, 2012, and 2013. If you upgrade SolidWorks and not SolidWorks Enterprise PDM, SolidWorks 2013 files may not be compatible with SolidWorks Enterprise 2012 and is not supported in this setup.
• When updating a SolidWorks Enterprise environment, ALL clients and servers must be on the same year and servicepack release. As such, you must update all components simultaneously to prevent any outages in your environment and replicated sites. You will NOT be able to log into a vault view if the client differs in version from the server.
• When deploying large amounts of clients, you can use Group Policy to deploy the client to users. This can be found on page 57 of the Installation guide PDF.

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Royce Cole is a Certified SolidWorks Enterprise PDM Professional and Support Technician, and application engineer at DASI Solutions, a SolidWorks Value Added Reseller with locations throughout Michigan and Indiana. He is a regular contributor to the DASI Solutions Blog.

"Set Document Property" for SolidWorks Enterprise PDM Users

Most people know that "Set Document Property (Sldsetdocprop) can be used to make a SolidWorks Toolbox part behave like a normal part, but did you know you can use the same tool to make a normal part behave like a Toolbox part?

SolidWorks Enterprise PDM users all across the land think this is cool.  Here is why:

Checkout this screen shot from EPDM’s “Copy Tree” command:

See the part cleverly named: “I want this part to work like a toolbox part.sldprt”? This part is just a simple part like all of the others except I changed it into a Toolbox part with the sldsetdocprop command. Now, by default, “Copy Tree” does not try to copy this file. I don’t have to dig through my copy list trying to figure out which are my standard/toolbox parts that I don’t want to copy, Copy Tree does this for me now!

"Set Document Property" can work on an entire directory, so if you have a directory of commercial parts, it may be worth your while to change all the parts in that directory to become a “toolbox” part.

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Jeff Sweeney is an Application Engineer at 3DVision Technologies, a SolidWorks Value Added Reseller with locations across Ohio, Indiana, and Kentucky.  He is a regular contributor to 3DVision Technologies' Blog where you will find new ideas to improve your productivity with SolidWorks.