How to Store and Access SOLIDWORKS Templates through 3DEXPERIENCE

Creating a new Part, Assembly, or Drawing file in SOLIDWORKS always starts with a template. SOLIDWORKS Templates specify necessary document properties like draft standards, font and dimension styles, and title blocks/borders in drawings.

To maintain uniformity across your design team, SOLIDWORKS users should have access to a common set of templates. When SOLIDWORKS is connected to the 3DEXPERIENCE Platform, templates can be stored and managed in the cloud. Keep reading to learn how to save a SOLIDWORKS Template file to 3DEXPERIENCE, and how to access templates from the Platform when starting a new file.

Note – the instructions below apply to the following products:

• 3DEXPERIENCE SOLIDWORKS (SOLIDWORKS Connected)
• Desktop SOLIDWORKS + the Collaborative Designer for SOLIDWORKS Role

Saving SOLIDWORKS Templates to 3DEXPERIENCE

If you want to save an existing SOLIDWORKS Template to 3DEXPERIENCE, navigate to the Template file and open it in SOLIDWORKS. Skip to Step 6.

If you are creating a new Template, you will need to follow these steps:

1. Start a New Part, Assembly, or Drawing
2. Build your template by adjusting settings in Tools > Options > Document Properties. Additional entities like reference geometry, notes, and custom properties can also be incorporated into a template.
3. File > Save As…
4. Select the template type, either Part Template (.prtdot), Assembly Template (.asmdot), or Drawing Template (.drwdot)
5. Save this template file anywhere locally.
6. You should now see the part, assembly, or drawing Template file extension at the top of the SOLIDWORKS Window (as seen in screenshot below).

Part Template File extension in SOLIDWORKS

Now that the template file is in the active SOLIDWORKS Window, it can be saved to the 3DEXPERIENCE Platform using the steps below:

Note the Collaborative Space listed at the top of the MySession Window. This is where your Template will be saved and only members of that collaborative space will have access to the template after it is saved.

3DEXPERIENCE collaborative space

Right-click the File Name in the 3DEXPERIENCE MySession Window and select Save with Options. This launches a “Create Template” window.

Create template window

Select either Create as Released or Create as Private. “Create as Released” will put the Template into the Released maturity state, allowing other users in the collaborative space to use this template. “Create as Private” will put the Template into the Private maturity state, where only the owner of the file can see it.

Upon a successful save operation, the template file is stored in the cloud and can be shared among 3DEXPERIENCE Platform users.

How to Use Templates from 3DEXPERIENCE

When you’re ready to use your templates to start a new Part, Assembly, or Drawing in SOLIDWORKS, simply connect to your 3DEXPERIENCE Platform, launch SOLIDWORKS, and go to File > New. In this window, make sure you toggle the button to “Advanced” view so that you can see multiple tabs of templates, as seen in the screenshot below. Select the template you want to use, then click OK.

Using a new template

You will notice a 3DEXPERIENCE tab was created. These 3DEXPERIENCE Template files were automatically downloaded from the cloud upon SOLIDWORKS launching. In the background, while SOLIDWORKS was establishing its connection to the 3DEXPERIENCE Platform, a local copy of the template files was saved to this reference location:

C:\Users\[USER]\AppData\Local\DassaultSystemes\CATTemp\ENOUSWC\Resources\[TENANT]\Templates\3DEXPERIENCE\

Storing your SOLIDWORKS Templates in your 3DEXPERIENCE Platform is a great way to ensure that your team is maintaining necessary company standards when they start a new Part, Assembly, or Drawing. And because templates are shared and downloaded automatically, there is no need to worry about manually mapping the locations of these files across multiple machines.