Find out how SOLIDWORKS 2D Schematics and SOLIDWORKS 3D Electrical have been enhanced to help you model more efficiently and boost your productivity.

• Improve documentation by auto-ballooning components in 2D electrical cabinet layout drawings as in SOLIDWORKS, and showing three or more consecutive component marks as a range.
• Improve 3D performance by creating or updating only the current electrical route, rather than all routes in all assemblies.

Learn more about SOLIDWORKS Electrical 2024

Take a live SOLIDWORKS training course from Javelin or attend an upcoming webinar for the latest in SOLIDWORKS technology

The post SOLIDWORKS Electrical 2024 appeared first on The Javelin Blog.

Watch as Alaa Hosn, a TriMech Solutions Consultant, will give a general overview of what is included in the available SOLIDWORKS Electrical packages (Standard, Professional, 3DEXPERIENCE). We will take a closer look at the differences between each of the packages. Users will be able to decide which package, if any, is right for them.

Included in the SOLIDWORKS Electrical Packages On-demand Webinar

• Understanding the capabilities of each package
• What the differences are between the packages
• Which Electrical package is right for you?

The post SOLIDWORKS Electrical Packages Overview: Standard vs Professional vs 3DEXPERIENCE appeared first on The Javelin Blog.

A stark contrast to the confined 10 GB storage limit inherent in SQL Express that comes with SOLIDWORKS Electrical Installation by default. This upgrade extends substantial benefits to users, providing an expansive storage capacity that empowers seamless data management and scalability within your database infrastructure.

SOLIDWORKS Electrical Design System

Critical points to consider when upgrading

While the upgrade process might seem straightforward, there are critical points to consider before proceeding.

• Primarily, this upgrade path is confined to the same SQL version and year—meaning, for instance, that the transition from SQL Express 2014 to SQL Standard 2014 is supported.
• However, attempting to upgrade across different years is not viable due to the upgrade mechanism being tightly integrated into the Installation Center, thereby restricting the upgrade to occur only within the same year of SQL versions.

In the scenario where the goal is to upgrade from SQL Express 2014 to SQL Standard 2019, it’s important to note that this upgrade method is not compatible. Instead, a more effective approach involves setting up a new SQL instance with SQL Standard 2019 and transferring the environmental backup from SQL Express 2014 using the unarchive feature within SOLIDWORKS Electrical. If this latter method aligns with your situation, please note that the upgrade process discussed here does not apply. However, the installation of SQL will be addressed in a separate blog post.

Additionally, when transitioning to a newer SQL year, it’s imperative to verify its compatibility with the specific version of SOLIDWORKS Electrical you intend to utilize. To ensure seamless integration, I recommend referring to the SOLIDWORKS system requirements and accessing the ‘Microsoft/Apple Products Support Lifecycle’ section, where you’ll find a comprehensive compatibility table. This resource will assist in cross-referencing SQL versions with SOLIDWORKS Electrical to guarantee a harmonious and supported environment for your operations.

NOTE: Before initiating the upgrade, it’s essential to create an environment archive within SOLIDWORKS Electrical to safeguard your existing setup. Furthermore, ensure that you possess either the requisite product key from Microsoft or a developer license, as these are vital prerequisites for proceeding with the upgrade to SQL Standard. Without proper authorization in the form of a valid product key or developer license, the upgrade process to SQL Standard cannot be initiated.

Procedural Guidelines for Upgrading SQL Express to Standard in the Same Year:

1. Initiate the process by accessing the Windows search bar located at the bottom of your screen. Search for “SQL Server (your current SQL year) Installation Centre (64-bit)” and click on the application to launch it.
2. Once the Installation Center opens, direct your attention to the left panel and select the Maintenance Tab. Here, opt for ‘Edition Upgrade’ (refer to the accompanying image for visual guidance).

SQL Express Upgrade

3. Upon selecting the ‘Edition Upgrade’ option, a window titled ‘Upgrade the Edition for SQL Server’ will be displayed. In this window, you’ll be prompted to proceed by choosing either the ‘Developer’ option under ‘Specify a free edition,’ or alternatively, inputting your product key before advancing to the next step.

Enter the Product Key

4. After completing the previous step, proceed by clicking ‘Accept terms’ on the subsequent page, followed by selecting ‘Next.’ In the ‘Select Instance’ section, if your machine hosts multiple SQL instances, they will be displayed in a table format (refer to the image below for guidance). Choose the specific instance you wish to upgrade by marking the checkbox under ‘Specify the instance of SQL Server,’ then proceed by clicking ‘Next.

SQL Instances

5. With Step 4 concluded, you’re now prepared to initiate the upgrade process. Select the ‘Upgrade’ option and patiently await its completion.

Upon finishing the upgrade, a comprehensive summary will be presented, indicating whether the process has been successfully executed.

Need help to upgrade SQL Express to Standard?

Javelin provides a variety of SOLIDWORKS Electrical deployment services which include:

• Installation of the SOLIDWORKS Electrical Server and Client software
• Quick-start SOLIDWORKS Electrical Training for your group
• Setup of industry-specific template(s) which include libraries of symbols, parts, reports, and configurations.

The post How to Upgrade SQL Express to Standard for SOLIDWORKS Electrical appeared first on The Javelin Blog.

A new symbol can be created for this application, but just be sure to select “Connection Label” for the Symbol Type within the Properties menu. Since we are working with terminals, a good example would be to create a circular symbol. If you are placing the symbol on the end of a wire, one option would be to line the side of the circle up with the origin while creating the symbol for easy alignment after the symbol is inserted on the appropriate wire.

Once the symbol has been created, it is time to insert the connection label. To do so, select “Connection label” under the Schematic tab, then “Insert a connection label for component…” From there, we can navigate to the correct terminal in the component tree.

Once we’ve inserted the connection label, we can open the symbol, and modify as we see fit. Attributes can be added to approximate the look of the existing inserted symbol for the terminal. In the example below, the component mark was used. To differentiate, the connection label is the symbol using a simple circle.

While this creates a visual representation for the SOLIDWORKS Electrical terminal, it is important to note that it will not result in a wire connection point. This means that the “allow open-ended wires” option within the Wire management portion of the Electrical Project Configuration will need to be checked if a wire mark is needed.

The post SOLIDWORKS Electrical – Using Connection Labels with Terminals appeared first on The Javelin Blog.

In most cases, this is because the wires styles of the wires which the user is selecting for the origin-destination arrows do not match. In order to place origin-destination arrows, the wire styles of the wires you are selecting must be the same.

There are a couple of ways to check and modify the wire style. One way is to right-click on the wire in question, then go to Wire style > Properties. From here, you can check the properties of the wire style for this individual wire, then right click and replace it with the appropriate wire so that a continuity link can be made. To edit the wire style properties on a project level, one can navigate to the wire style configuration located under the Electrical Project tab and view the wire styles used throughout the project.

Once this wire style compatibility issue is cleared up, we can navigate to the Schematic tab and insert the origin-destination arrows as desired. The green circle will show for the wires with a matching wire style. Hopefully you found this tip to solve why the origin destination arrow doesn’t work helpful!

Need more help? 

If you would like to learn more SOLIDWORKS Electrical tips, check out our blog for more articles like this. If you need more in-depth training, we offer a range of SOLIDWORKS Electrical training courses led by certified instructors.

The post Why won’t my origin destination arrow work in SOLIDWORKS Electrical? appeared first on The Javelin Blog.

SOLIDWORKS Electrical allows for this functionality when generating a list of cable reports, specifically “List of wires by line style”. To find the total of wire lengths in SOLIDWORKS Electrical, please follow the instructions below:

• Open up the application, then go to Tools and select Reports to open up the Report manager
• Click “Add” in the top left corner and search or look for the Description “List of wires by line style” > Check mark it > Click OK. This report should be added to your list in the Report manager.
• Click on the report “List of wires by line style” and select Properties. From here, you will look for the Length after selecting the Columns tab. Please note that if you cannot find it, simply select the Column Management button with the gear icon and checkmark the Length as seen in the image below:

• Click OK, then look for the new column for the Length and select the Content section to open the Column properties as seen below:

• At the very bottom of the Column properties, check “Can sum the content of merged cells, then sum the rows” > Select OK and Apply. See image below for reference:

Please note that the preview in the Report manager on the right will not show this change, but once you select Generate drawings it will be apparent. The results can be seen below, where the tables separate each wire by line style, with the last row representing the total length of each respective wire:

If you enjoyed learning about wire lengths in SOLIDWORKS electrical, Learn more about SOLIDWORKS Electrical 2023 on our website.

The post How to Show Total Length of Each Wire by Line Style Used in SOLIDWORKS Electrical Reports appeared first on The Javelin Blog.

Select “Show wipeout frames”

In a lot of cases where the 2D Footprint symbol is rectangular, there won’t be any issues. However, if there are a few devices that are not particularly rectangular and the frame is not defined, the software will generate a frame around the outermost borders of the symbol (see the image below where the frame is depicted in red).

Wipeout frame is indicated in red

By not defining the frame of a 2D Footprint symbol that is not rectangular, can lead to gaps and inconsistencies when you insert the symbol beside another symbol or on a rail (see image below).

Inconsistencies in wipeout frame

If the frame is defined by the user, the tool will then use the defined frame for the 2D Footprint. To make changes to the frame structure and for the user to define their own frame, follow the instructions below:

1. Right-click the symbol > Open Symbol
2. Go to the Draw tab > Select Wipeout
3. Click and draw on the outer borders of the symbol, once you are finished the newly defined frame will be displayed in the foreground as seen below.
   

   Wipeout frame displayed in the foreground

4. From here, select the symbol to highlight the wipeout frame.
5. Go to Modify > Click the drop down for Order and select “Set background” to push the frame behind the symbol.
6. Save the symbol > Go back to your Layout > Right click symbol > Update.

The result can be seen below from SOLIDWORKS Electrical:

The post How to define Wipeout Frame for 2D Footprint in SOLIDWORKS Electrical Layout appeared first on The Javelin Blog.

Collaborative Space Setup

In order to work in a team environment on the 3DEXPERIENCE platform, users must all be working on a collaborative space. To set up a collaborative space on the platform, open the 3DSpace widget, and select New Collaborative Space. From here you can add a name, description, and set permissions. Selecting the drop-down arrow on the far right of the space will allow you to add content and members.

Once the space is created and permissions are set, ensure all users with the role Electrical Schematic Designer are pointing to and have access to this collaborative space. Once this has happened and everyone can share files, one person can work on a project at a time from the same shared library – which can entail parts/projects/templates – in that collaborative space. Unsure what space you’re working in? Simply check the top right-hand corner of the Schematic Design window.

Installation

Installing ESX is significantly easier than an installation of SOLIDWORKS Electrical Schematic desktop, since you don’t require an installation of SQL. There really are only three steps once you are assigned the role. First, select the drop down and click install. You will then be asked what file location you’d like for your install directory. Clicking next will complete the installation, and you can then select finish.

Once finished, all you’ll need to do is open up Electrical Schematic Design and proceed to create the environment according to your vision and standards.

Getting started: Unarchiving Your Environment

Setting up your environment

Your familiarity with the interface and procedure depends on whether you’re an existing electrical user moving to the platform vs. a new user. It’s best to have a good starting place when developing your shared content, like a parts library, project templates, title blocks, etc. New users can get this default environmental content from the Electrical Content Portal (ECP) and continue to search the portal for new content. This is available for download in the tool panel on the right side of the application’s window. To get the largest bulk of library content immediately, select environments, then select ANSI or IEC based on which standard you typically work with.

Creating new projects or modifying existing ones is also a viable course of action. Existing Electrical users can just complete the ‘Archive Environment’ feature in SWE Desktop. Unarchiving this in ESX will make all your existing content ready to use.

Unarchive environment

Unarchiving anything, whether it is your existing environment or a default from the ECP, locates the data locally on your machine. You can identify symbols that are stored locally vs on the platform by going into symbol management and checking to see if the status is “new” or “exists”, which will also indicate which collaborative space the symbol is stored in. These controls from symbol management also apply to all other management categories under library.

Sharing Content to the Platform

Pushing content to the platform is really simple. Select what you want to save, and hit save or save with options to specify a location other than the default with any other relevant information, like comments or if you’d like to bump the revision. Load from server will copy that content to your local machine. Have there been updates to that part? Just hit “reload from server” to copy the latest version. “Refresh status” will show any updates.

Reload from server

When it comes to project templates, like items previously, you can access existing templates from the ECP or create your own. Saving them to the platform can be done by selecting the “Save as Templates” function – but it’s important to note that this requires the user to have ‘write-access’ to the targeted collaborative space, meaning that they must have a Leader access role. This may require your admin to designate that access to you.

Save as template

Library structure

When we say “push to the platform”, what’s really happening is content is being stored in collaborative spaces on the 3DEXPERIENCE platform. It’s worth noting that library content is only stored in your ‘Common Space’ area.

The post Setting up Collaborative Space for SOLIDWORKS Electrical’s ESX appeared first on The Javelin Blog.

SOLIDWORKS Electrical Schematic and SOLIDWORKS Electrical 3D are an excellent choice for engineers who need an integrated electrical design tool, they provide a comprehensive suite of features that streamlines the design process and helps to reduce errors. In order to benefit from these products properly, users must first ensure a successful installation. Below are some hints on how to resolve SOLIDWORKS Electrical installation warnings and error messages that you hopefully will not see, but the first and most important message:

WARNING: ARCHIVE YOUR ELECTRICAL ENVIRONMENT BEFORE UPGRADING

Archiving the environment in SOLIDWORKS Electrical is important because it allows users to save and store all the data, settings, and configurations associated with the environment. Archiving the environment also allows users to easily restore a previous version of the Electrical database if needed, or to share data with others. Additionally, and most importantly, archiving ensures that all the information and data are safe and secure for future reference. Users should be archiving at least once a month.

A Windows reboot is pending from a previous installation.

Windows reboot required

This warning may appear when starting up installation manager. Simply click OK and continue forward with the installation. This will not make any impact on the ability to install.

SOLIDWORKS Electrical is unable to connect to the SQL Server

Unable to Connect

This error appears when going “Back to Summary” from the Electrical Options. A good place to start is to confirm that the SQL Server username (sa or tew) and password credentials are correct. Make sure the server machine name is spelt correctly, that the server machine is on and accessible through the network, and that the SQL service is running on the server. If there are still issues, check to see if any firewalls may be blocking the communication ports. If the firewall is disabled and the issue is resolved this confirms the issue is the ports being blocked. To resolve this, set up the following inbound and outbound port exceptions:

• TCP 26666-266672,
• TCP 1433
• UDP 1434
• Ensure all TCP/IP pipes are enabled and a static TCP port is assigned for the Electrical SQL instance of SQL Server Configuration Manager,. Add this TCP port to port rules to allow traffic incoming and outgoing.

Specified user does not have a required permission The user needs the SQL: permission ‘ALTER ANY LOGIN’

Alter Any Login Permissions

This appears when going “Back to Summary” from Electrical Options. To resolve this, change username for SQL login from ‘tew’ to ‘sa’. After the installation, open Electrical Schematic and go to Tools > Application settings > Databases. Change the username field from ‘sa’ to ‘tew’ and restart Electrical for the changes to take effect.

Additional files are needed based on the products selected

Click for additional files

If the installation manager cannot find the necessary media for the install, users may see this error. Simply go through the installation manager’s Download Options, select “Download and install.”

Download and install

For help with SOLIDWORKS Electrical installation, please see Installing SOLIDWORKS Electrical 2023: Tips and Tricks. If on active subscription with TriMech, do not hesitate to reach out to the support team if you’re seeing these electrical installation warnings or any other error messages that you’re not able to resolve. Our support team is available from 7am-8:30pm EST.

The post SOLIDWORKS Electrical: Potential Electrical Installation Warnings and Error Messages appeared first on The Javelin Blog.

To add a global symbol attribute and to set the appearance, please open SOLIDWORKS Electrical and follow the steps given below:

• The first step is to go to the Electrical Project tab and click on the drop-down option for Configurations > Select Project… > Then head over to the Attribute tab.
• In the ‘Attribute’ tab, please click on the ‘Add symbol attribute’ which will open a list of properties you can add to the attributes (see image below).
• From here, you can select the desired attribute from the list and adjust the setting of the attributes accordingly.

Add Symbol Attribute

One important thing to note here is that the attribute settings that is performed or changed using Project Configuration shall only be applicable to the symbols used in the project and not to the complete database.

The next thing you will also notice is that there are limitations to what you can change in the global attributes. To be precise, you can only modify what is in the options listed in the Attributes management section (see image below) and this includes:

• Name
• Description
• Text Style
• Height
• Color
• Invisible
• Layer

Attributes management section

It is important to note that you cannot make modifications globally to the placements and positions of the attributes since there are different numbers of tags and positions that are specific to each symbol. Since this is still a limitation in the program as of SOLIDWORKS Electrical 2023, you will still have to manually make edits/changes to placements and positions of attributes in the program.

The post Add Global Symbol Attributes in SOLIDWORKS Electrical appeared first on The Javelin Blog.