For newcomers though, the abundance of tools that the platform has to offer can seem, well… daunting to say the least. Having experienced similar feelings myself, I can assure you that committing time to develop your understanding and comfort with the 3DEXPERIENCE platform, is well worth the effort!

Perhaps you are just beginning your journey on the 3DEXPERIENCE platform or maybe you’re already well on your way. In either case, this article will hopefully further your comfort level, as we review the benefits of migrating CAD data to the 3DEXPERIENCE platform utilizing the tool “Batch Save to 3DEXPERIENCE”, along with some best practices and recommendations.

The Advantage of Batch Save to 3DEXPERIENCE

A major benefit provided by the “Batch Save to 3DEXPERIENCE” tool is it allows users to maintain pre-defined organization of SOLIDWORKS files. Instead of just pushing all of your CAD files into a collaborative space, the Batch Save to 3DEXPERIENCE tool will also replicate the existing folder structure from windows file explore, as bookmarks inside the bookmark editor app. Additionally, this method for uploading SOLIDWORKS content to the 3DEXPERIENCE platform allows users to continue using SOLIDWORKS for other tasks, while the Batch Save tool runs in the background.

Batch Save to 3DEXPERIENCE Process

Getting Started…

Batch Save to 3DEXPERIENCE is accessible through the SOLIDWORKS application under the Tools drop down menu. If you don’t see the tool listed, ensure that the Batch Save to 3DEXPERIENCE add-in is enabled.

Batch Save to 3DEXPERIENCE Tool

Recommended Settings

For a more dependable upload process, consider the following recommended settings:

• SOLIDWORKS System Options – Performance
  • [Versions prior to SOLIDWORKS 2023] Automatically load components lightweight > OFF
  • [SOLIDWORKS 2023] Manually manage resolved and lightweight modes > ON
  • Load component lightweight > OFF
  • Purge cached configuration data > OFF

SOLIDWORKS Performance Options

• SOLIDWORKS System Options – Assemblies
  • Use Lightweight mode and Large Assembly Settings when… > OFF
  • Use Large Design Review mode when…> OFF

SOLIDWORKS System Options – Assemblies

• SOLIDWORKS System Options – External References
  • Load referenced Documents > select All

SOLIDWORKS System Options – External References

• SOLIDWORKS System Options – File Locations
  • Referenced Documents > My Work(username)

SOLIDWORKS System Options – File Locations

• My Session Options – Save
  • Save graphical properties > OFF [Especially recommended if uploading large datasets]

My Session Options – Save

• Collaborative Spaces Control Center App. [Platform Administrator]
  • Option to use original file name as title
  • Saving files with missing references
  • Saving files referencing unlocked modified files

Preparing for Upload!

Prior to each upload, it’s important to be familiar with the reference structure of your SOLIDWORKS dataset and as well, perform an analysis to detect and correct any issues. A tool designed to aid in this process is the File Preparation Assistant, which is accessible directly within the Batch Save to 3DEXPERIENCE tool. The File Preparation Assistant helps to detect and correct the following:

• File names with leading/trailing spaces (Replaces with “_”)
• Duplicate file names (Provides ability with options for merging)
• Extend file names to include at least three characters
• Detect 3DInterconnect references
• Detect missing file references
• Detect missing configuration References
• Check custom property values for consistency

File preparation assistant

Final Considerations for Batch Save to 3DEXPERIENCE

While the “Batch Save to 3DEXPERIENCE” tool is a great utility for bulk upload of SOLIDWORKS content to the 3DEXPERIENCE platform, there are many considerations to be aware of when migrating your CAD data. Considerations such as fully understanding the condition of all data prior to upload, the landing location for all or certain portions of the data, content contained within the dataset that may already exist on the platform and so much more. Additionally, you may want to consider assigning a dedicated individual, perhaps your platform administrator, with sole responsibility for all bulk uploads. This could be greatly beneficial in ensuring a controlled and consistent upload process.

If the need is to upload large amounts of data and/or numerous datasets, keep in mind that TriMech is equipped to help analyze, cleanse and migrate your data for you. Contact our Data Management team to find out how!

1. Change Identification
2. Change Evaluation
3. Change Planning
4. Change Implementation

If you read the recent Change Management blog post or watched the recent Managing Engineering Change on-demand webinar then you learned about how the 3DEXPERIENCE Platform can be the home to your engineering change processes. We talked about using issues and change actions to drive and track the engineering change for our documents and CAD Data. Using what was shown in the webinar, raising issues would fall under Change Identification and change actions being related to Change Implementation. But what if we want to incorporate the remaining stages into our process and get even more stakeholders? Fortunately, the 3DEXPERIENCE Platform has additional ENOVIA Roles that help us do just that.

Change Methodology

3DEXPERIENCE Change Evaluation

Once an issue has been identified in the Change Identification phase, we can move on to Change Evaluation. During this phase, change requests can be created by any stakeholder to see if the raised issue has merit and is feasible to be implemented. Creating a change request allows for impact analyses to be formed, tracked, and vetted out before transition to the next phase.

The impact analysis can help to track the impact of a requested change in areas such as benefits, costs, risk, and implementation to make sure the requested changes are reasonable to justify the cost. Like other steps in the process, change requests can have associated affected items, members, and approvals. Using change requests lets all stakeholders have a say in the decision making process (to approve or deny) before any tangible work has begun on the project. This can act as the final check to take in the full scope of a change before transitioning to the next stage of the project.

Change Request

3DEXPERIENCE Change Planning

So, let’s say that after a change request has gone through the wringer of an impact analysis and all stake holders sign off to approve the request changes. This moves us to the next stage in our Change Methodology into the Change Planning stage. It’s at this point that our designated change coordinator can begin creating a change order for the project. Within the change order we can make additional change orders and change actions to successfully complete the change.

Change Orchestration

The associated change actions or orders can have their own individual due dates, severity, and affected items. With this level of control, our change coordinator is able to route specific actions to the relevant user or group that can best take care of the change. If multiple change actions are very closely related, they can be merged together into a single change action entry to reduce clutter and make it easier to see changes taking place. Ultimately, the change planning phase allows us to use the 3DEXPERIENCE Platform to track change orders and make sure multiple teams are guided through a formalized, trackable change process.

Additional 3DEXPERIENCE Engineering Change Management Roles

With the 3DEXPERIENCE engineering change processes, we want to make sure that it fits our current processes, allows for formally tracking changes, and also be scalable. For smaller changes being done to a project for a small team, working solely with change actions and the occasional issue is more than feasible. However, for larger projects with more teams working together it may make more sense to have a more formal, connected change methodology in place. Leveraging additional 3DEXPERIENCE Engineering Change Management, Evaluation and Planning Roles can help keep everyone on the same page.

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.

In short, the answer is YES! However, the setup and deployment are slightly different than a traditional SOLIDWORKS Admin Image.

While smaller companies may be less strict about formal policies, almost every company likes to have something in place to help control the deployment and configuration of software of individual computers. Not only does this help maintain consistency in the installation but can streamline the installation process by standardizing process.

Getting the Installation Files

Typically, when installing apps from the 3DEXPERIENCE Platform, a user would click on their Compass in the top left, navigate to the correct role, select the app, and wait for the installation to complete. If additional apps have to be installed the process would need to be repeated. Multiply that by however many users need things installed or updated and it can start to add up for an IT staff with other priorities.

Compass install on 3DEXPERIENCE

When working with the batch installation methods for the 3DEXPERIENCE Platform you first have to make sure that you have admin access to your tenant. From here, navigate to the Platform Management Dashboard and go to the Members Tab. On the Members Tab, there is a section titled “Configure Apps Installation”.

In this section are the Full installation packages for the different 3DEXPERIENCE Products including 3DEXPERIENCE SOLIDWORKS, Electrical Schematic Designer, or for the Native Apps. There is also a “Delta” package that assists in updating to a newer hotfix if an existing installation exists. For the sake of the rest of the blog, I downloaded the Full 3DEXPERIENCE R2022x under the Native Apps installation.

Admin Install on 3DEXPERIENCE

3DEXPERIENCE Admin Image Set Up

The downloaded installation media comes in the form of a Compressed Zip which should be extracted onto a shared location that the user computers have access to. Once extracted, the IT Admin can navigate to the Setup.exe in that directory to launch the set-up dialog.

The basic steps are as follows:

1. Either pick an existing installation directory or create a new folder to put the media in. If you are creating a new path, the folder must be empty.
2. Enter a unique identifier for the installation template. Typically, it is best to name it after Version/Hotfix to more easily identify later.
3. Select the installable components (or roles) that you want to be installed. Make sure to select everything needed so it can be done all in one shot. There are a lot of selectable components, so it is best to use the Filter at the top and use the Role Name/Trigram to find what you are looking for. If anything, additional is required for the roles such as prerequisites, you will be prompted to select them.
   

   3DEXPERIENCE Roles to Install

4. Follow the prompts until the media template begins to install. Depending on the number of installable components selected, this may take a bit of time. Once done, you can close out of the dialog.

At this point, the roles selected in the set-up dialog are installed on the local machine without having to individually download and install each role. This can be done on each user machine using the same shared installation media from earlier.

3DEXPERIENCE install complete

Using 3DEXPERIENCE Admin Image Template

After the single user installation is complete, inside of the installation directory we specified above in Step 1, a new “UserIntentions_CODE” XML file is generated. This XML file is basically the instructions that the set-up dialog output to figure out which roles needed to be installed and which ones can be ignored.

UserIntentions_CODE

<!--NSR - NC Shop Floor Programmer-->
<StVariable item="CODE\win_b64\NSR.prd" name="selectProduct" value="true"/>

From here, an IT Administrator can create a LaunchUpdateInstall.bat file that references the UserIntentions_CODE file. This LaunchUpdateInstall.bat can be used on the other client machines to create an identical installation to the original machine using the template XML. The key is to ensure that the client machines have administrative rights, so the installation goes off without a hitch. For more information on the Batch installation, please reference the 3DEXPERIENCE Best Practices document for 3DEXPERIENCE on the Cloud Native Apps Batch Installation which covers the XML and BAT files in more detail.

The typical process for installing 3DEXPERIENCE Apps is a slow process that involves clicking each app and running through the installation process before doing it over again for the next app. However, someone with administrative access to your  3DEXPERIENCE Tenant can download the entire installation media package, deploy it on a centralized location, and make use of the set-up dialog to install every app needed in one shot.

You can easily filter through a list of every available, installable role to get the exact combination needed. From here, this can be taken a step further with a little programming to set up batch installation to deploy the same template on multiple machines. Doing something like this helps maintain consistency in an organization and helps reduce the amount of IT overhead needed to get everyone up and running.

3DSwym Posts

Posts are your most basic type of content to share on a 3DSwym Community. These are generally just text posts and can be spruced up using the Rich Text Editor to modify formatting to get your content across effectively. Additionally, the posts can be categorized using the 6WTags and media can be pasted in.

3DSwym Post

3DSwym 3D / Photo / Video

Although media can be embedded in almost any other type of content, the 3D/Photo/Video type allows the media to be the focus. There are a ton of great options for uploading content directly to the SWYM community. If you don’t have the media already created, then don’t worry! Within this content type things like slides, tables, and sketches can be dynamically created to help reinforce what you are sharing with the team. This is a great option for using images rather than words to get an idea across.

3DSwym Media

3DSwym Questions

One of the most important aspects of working in a collaborative team is being able to ask questions and share answers. The last thing we want is answers to be kept private. The Question content type allows members to ask questions to the group and have the group collaborate on the answers. Any member is allowed to ask and answer questions but only the author of the question or an administrator is able to validate the answer as correct.

3DSwym Ideas

Ideas within a community act as a starting point for a new designs or for any form of innovation. These are similar to posts but go beyond by allowing users to assess the idea and can go through a full idea pipeline for different maturity stages. The idea pipeline can be customized for your current processes. For more information on ideas, check out this blog post that does a deep dive on ideas!

3DSwym Idea

3DSwym Surveys

Surveys can be created withing a 3D Swym Community that can be answered by any member of the community. Within surveys a couple of different types of answers can be received: Single or Multiple choice, Open Answer, and even Rating Scale. Results can be compiled into a pie graph or exported to a CSV file to be imported to down stream systems.

3DSwym Survey

3DSwym Wiki Pages

Wiki Pages are just what the name implies: Wikis for information. These can be used in a multitude of ways including keeping references to key information about the company, storing quick links to important documents, or even keeping a library of industry terminology. Wiki Pages can be customized with the Rich Text Editor and can have embedded media to really display key information. The Wikis can be nested within each other to provide a hierarchical table of contents to fully organize information. With everything set, Wiki Pages can be locked to prevent unwanted changes.

3DSwym WeDos

WeDos provide a place to assign simple task to community members or internal to conversations. These can be additional created using the Project Planning widget to take the functionality further. A WeDo can be created with an optional title and description to provide further context. A WeDo can be assigned to up to 10 different members that are provided with associated media and end dates. WeDos are particularly interested because they have their own access rights depending on a user’s assigned credentials to the SWYM Community. For example, everyone in the community can read a WeDo but only Authors and Owners are able to create new ones.

3DSwym Wedo

The 3DSwym app included with the 3DSwymer Role has a ton of great features that help create a connected community and collaborative ecosystem for all aspects of your company. From communication of simple posts, to tracking tasks and ideas, 3DSwym has it all.

I closed my model, opened up xShape in the 3DEXPERIENCE Platform, and got to work. Check out the results in the video below:

Master Modeling Technique

I wanted to reverse engineer my headphones case using master modeling. This would be a pull configuration of the technique, meaning I’ll insert my master model into a new part file and my xShape file will create the overall size of these components. The boundary and surface lofts with all the underlying sketches would’ve taken a bit, but in xShape, I was able to just insert three primitives, do some minor pushing and pulling to adjust the curvature and positions, and it was ready to go, all in only a few minutes.

3DEXPERIENCE Master Model

In xShape, I sculpted the overall enclosure, the cavities that make room for the headphones, and created an offset surface for the top. To ensure things were at the scale I wanted, I set the dimensions of the bounding box for the exterior, and changed the transparency of the outer enclosure to ensure my internal features were within its bounds.

Headphone case master model

After saving this file, I then just dragged the model from bookmark editor into SOLIDWORKS. This downloads my xShape model locally and displays it in the SOLIDWORKS interface, where I can modify it and add parametric features to it.

Download xShape model and display in SOLIDWORKS

I made my modifications to create the top and bottom half using the bodies and surfaces I created in xShape, and then selected the option Save As New from the 3DEXPERIENCE panel in Task Pane. Like it sounds, this would allow me to save out my top component as a new part, and then I would repeat this process for the bottom as well.

Save as new

Master Modeling Conclusion

This is the same as master modeling techniques that don’t use the 3DEXPERIENCE Platform as well, so since our parts were created in the same model, they will automatically be dropped into an assembly with a common origin and will already be in the position we want them to be when our design is complete, which is perfect if we need to create in context features like a hinge or clasp. Also, any changes made in xShape will trickle down to our parts since our master model is the parent part.

In this post, we’ll talk about accessing data on the 3DEXPERIENCE platform. Once you have data in your 3DEXPERIENCE platform tenet, there are some best practices for accessing the data, based on its file-type (CAD, non-CAD, Microsoft-specific, etc.), and what level of access you need, whether you simply wish to inspect the data – something that can usually be done within the web portal – or you need to make modifications to the data and advance it down a product design lifecycle. In this post, we’ll cover finding data and accessing data.

After we’ve covered these principles, we can finish the story of basic data management with a conversation about protecting and sharing data.

Finding Data

Bookmark Editor

In Parts 1 and 2 of this series we addressed how we can use Bookmark editor to create access points for files and organize them into Bookmarks. Logically, then, one simple way of accessing your data is to navigate through your Bookmark Editor as you would in a Windows Explorer environment.

Organize files into bookmarks in 3DEXPERIENCE

If your dataset is well-organized, or you make use of the Favorites folder for current projects, then navigating through the Bookmark Editor is an adequate way to locate data.

Relations

As discussed in Part 2 of this series, the Bookmark Editor includes a number of tools to aid in locating files without having to include individual entries. Dependent items like subassemblies, constituent parts, etc. may be viewed by simply expanding the top-level item (refer to Part 2 for instructions to enable expansion of items). Beyond this capability is a more robust tool called Relations. The Relations app gives you a graphical representation of all upstream and downstream related items to any given file – where the file is used, and what the file contains as references.

3DEXPERIENCE Relations App

The types of relations displayed may be configured in the Relations app setting. By default, only CAD relations are shown, but you can set visibility on all possible related items that exist on the platform such as bookmarks, or attached items like PDFs, images, or Word documents.

The Relations app may be accessed from the Compass, or from the Relations icon in the ribbon at the top of the Bookmark Editor.

3DSearch

One of the motivating ideas behind data storage on the 3DEXPERIENCE platform is to avoid the hours spent hunting for data that you get in a typical Windows environment. The Bookmark Editor provides more flexibility for locating data than Windows Explorer, but if you rely solely on the Bookmark Editor, you may find yourself in the familiar place of wading through folders trying to find a file.

Therefore 3DEXPERIENCE, being a robust data management tool, includes a quick and powerful search engine for locating files that exist in any of your Collaborative Spaces. 3DSearch is integrated into the basic user interface as a search bar along the top, but also exists as a standalone app that may be accessed from the compass. 3DSearch allows you to search by file name, or by any metadata associated with the file, like description text, author, product release state, 3DSWYM posts, etc. A general search will dive into all forms of metadata to give every possible return for the query entered.

3D search on 3DEXPERIENCE Platform

You can take advantage of the What / Who / When / Where filters along the top of the search page to group the results into helpful categories such as file type, creator, or location.

Filters in the search bar of 3DEXPERIENCE

These filters help to break up the search results into quantifiable groups that are easier to scan through than a flat listing of every item related to the query. To zero-in on the exact file you’re searching for, however, your best option is 6W Tags.

6W Tags

To the right of the search bar is a label-shaped icon that enables 6W Tags – a metadata filtering system rooted in categories of:

• What
• Who
• When
• Where
• How
• Why

Each category is a root for more specific subcategories that let you dig into all kinds of metadata, such as modification date, modeling program used, lock/unlock status, maturity state (in work, frozen for approval, released…), Collaborative Space, etc. Any combination of filters may be selected to narrow down the search results to the exact file you’re looking for.

Subcategories in 3DEXPERIENCE CAD data management

For locating files that may not be a click away in a convenient bookmark, the 3DSearch tool in combination with 6W Tags is the best option, by far.

Accessing Data

There is a number of ways to access the data you have on the platform, whether for view-only, inspecting online, or downloading locally to edit.

3DPlay

3DPlay is the Platform’s primary tool for viewing data on the platform. It can be opened as a standalone tool, but is most effective as a dedicated widget on your dashboard. We recommend pinning it alongside a Bookmark Editor widget. 3D Play can be located in the Compass, and dragged over onto your dashboard.

To view data in 3DPlay, just drag and drop a file from a bookmark or search query into the 3DPlay window.

3DPlay is an active viewer, allowing you to view file data in detail, regardless of file type. CAD files may be inspected with zooming and panning, and even measured and marked-up, similar to the functionality found in eDrawings. Microsoft documents and PDFs may also be read directly from the viewer, without having to download and open the files locally.

Product Explorer

If you need to view CAD data in greater detail within the web browser, the Product Structure Explorer app gives you additional investigating tools for digging into particular CAD file sets. Product Explorer can be used for investigating the structure between drawings, assemblies, subassemblies, and models; export Bills of Materials, create CAD packages (akin to Pack and Go) for collaboration, and deep-dive into assemblies with a variety of filtering options.

3DEXPERIENCE Product Explorer

Once you open CAD files in the Product Structure Explorer app, you’ll be presented with a tree listing of the CAD assembly structure, similar to the FeatureManager in SOLIDWORKS, and an integrated preview (3D Navigate). The tree listing has a fully configurable detail column set to provide a wealth of information about each item.

Open CAD files in the Product Structure Explorer app

6W Tags, used in the context of Product Structure Explorer, allows you to filter down the assembly to particular parts of interest, or with the Colorize option, to visualize the assembly by any properties of interest, such as part maturity.

Filter down the assembly to particular parts of interest

These tools give a lot of power to Platform users to carry out design operations on the web that would typically require desktop software access.

Design with SOLIDWORKS

When actual design changes are needed, it’s probably time to go to SOLIDWORKS. The Design with SOLIDWORKS app (for traditional Desktop SOLIDWORKS users) or the SOLIDWORKS Connected app (for Cloud-installed 3DEXPERIENCE SOLIDWORKS users) provides full interoperability between the Platform file management system and SOLIDWORKS. (Note, this article is geared towards SOLIDWORKS access to Platform files, but the workflow is essentially the same for connectors to other non-SOLIDWORKS CAD applications).

Once the CAD connector app is installed, platform files may be accessed through the 3DEXPERIENCE add-in. As mentioned in Part 1 of this series, we recommend launching SOLIDWORKS straight from the app in the Compass while logged into your tenet. Alternatively, a connection with the platform may be established simply by turning on the 3DEXPERIENCE add-in while in SOLIDWORKS. Either method creates a new tab on the Task Pane (on the right side of the SOLIDWORKS window) for 3DEXPERIENCE. This add-in provides the necessary platform saving and opening tools, as well as local access to the entirety of the platform within the SOLIDWORKS interface.

Once the 3DEXPERIENCE add-in is enabled, there are three fundamental ways to open platform files in SOLIDWORKS:

1. Click and drag from the web browser
2. Navigate bookmark editor from the add-in
3. File-Open

Web Browser

With your platform Tenet open in one window, and SOLIDWORKS open in another, CAD files may be opened in SOLIDWORKS by simply dragging and dropping files from the web browser window into the SOLIDWORKS workspace.

Alternatively, you may also right-click the file in Bookmark Editor, and select Open With > Design With SOLIDWORKS.

Add-In

To access Bookmark Editor (or any other 3DEXPERIENCE app) directly from the SOLIDWORKS Add-In, expand open the 3DEXPERIENCE tab on the Task Pane (1), click the Compass for available apps (2), and select Bookmark Editor (3). From this point, you can click and drag models from the Bookmark Editor to the SOLIDWORKS workspace, just like you would from the web browser.

Access Bookmark Editor from SOLIDWORKS

File > Open

A new button exists in the Open dialog to give you local access to 3DSearch (and Bookmark Editor). Simply go to a File > Open, and in the bottom-left corner of the dialog is an option to “Open from 3DEXPERIENCE”. This will launch the 3DSearch application, complete with the option for 6W Tag filtering. Once the relevant file is located, just select it and open.

Launch the 3D Search application

Non-CAD files

As discussed before, many file types may be fully previewed within the Platform using 3DPlay. If you need to access a file on your local machine, however, non-CAD files are even more straightforward to access than CAD files. If you right-click on a non-CAD document, the in-context menu that pops up includes the option to download the document. This will save a copy of the file to a local folder. The download option also shows up in the ribbon along the top of the Bookmark Editor.

Viewing non-CAD files using 3DPlay

For Microsoft Office documents such as a Word or Excel, the download option is available, but there is added functionality if you use the Collaboration for Microsoft plugin, which was discussed briefly in Part 2 of this Series, “Organizing Data”.

From the 3DEXPERIENCE tab in the command ribbon that spans the top of any Microsoft Application, an “Open” button brings up the same type of opening access as we saw in the File > Open method in SOLIDWORKS. Opening and saving Microsoft files with this method allows you to apply the same data management principles to Microsoft documents as you would with CAD documents, such as lock/unlock, revisioning and maturity.

Access Microsoft files using 3DEXPERIENCE

Accessing Data – Conclusion

Once you’ve mastered the principles discussed here and in the first two parts of this series, you’ll be well on your way to using the platform effectively for data management – for saving, organizing, and accessing files. Beyond these posts, we cover most 3DEXPERIENCE tools in-depth in dedicated articles and videos, so be sure to search our blog and tech tip channel if you’d like to delve deeper into any of the topics discussed.

Be on the lookout for the fourth and final installment of this series, where we’ll discuss protecting and sharing data.

All files on the platform are stored in a Collaborative Space – a flat, unorganized repository. Files can be organized with Bookmarks – the platform equivalent to Windows Explorer folder directories. When files are added to a bookmark, they never leave their actual location in the Collaborative Space; they just have a new quick access point from the bookmark.

One of the benefits of data management with the 3DEXPERIENCE platform is the opportunity to get away from the experience of chaotic folder structures, duplicates, lost files, and hours of searching associated with a “data management-free” environment, such as Windows Explorer. (Data management is occurring in Windows Explorer, but without the tools to effectively keep the data under control.) For the Platform to live up to its promised goal of getting data management under control, some good practices around Collaborative Spaces and Bookmarks need to be established at the user-level. We’ll cover some good practices below, along with general principles of organizing data with Collaborative Spaces and Bookmarks.

Collaborative Space

The first step of organizing data in 3DEXPERIENCE is choosing which Collaborative Space – which holding vault on the Platform – your data goes to. Depending on your company policy around data vaults and the permissions granted to you as a user, you may have access to only one Collaborative Space or too many. It is good practice to limit the number of Collaborative Spaces to a minimum (if you are familiar with a SOLIDWORKS PDM environment, think of each Collaborative Space as a PDM vault). Each Collaborative Space is associated with specific read & write access and with specific users or user-groups, so choosing the correct Collaborative Space is essential for ensuring appropriate accessibility or restriction for team members. The more Collaborative Spaces you have, the more complicated it becomes to juggle access and permission to users, and the higher the likelihood of human error.

It is also good practice to save files to a Collaborative Space directly from their native application if the program has a connector add-in for 3DEXPERIENCE. For non-CAD files this is more somewhat optional; but for CAD files (SOLIDWORKS, CREO, Inventor, etc.) this is essential.

Organizing into Collaborative Spaces – Non CAD

As we covered in Part 1 of this series, Terminology and Saving, saving to a Collaborative Space can be carried out for non-CAD files by interacting directly with the 3DSpace App. In Microsoft applications, you also have the option to save to the Platform through a 3DEXPERIENCE plugin called “Collaboration for Microsoft” (included with the Collaborative Industry Innovator [CSV] Platform role). This brings the full functionality of 3DEXPERIENCE file management to Microsoft Office applications such as Word and Excel.

To choose which Collaborative Space you wish to save files to in Microsoft applications (and save to the Platform):

1. Navigate to the Collaboration for Microsoft icon in your Windows tool tray
2. Left or Right-Click the icon
3. Select “My Credentials”
4. Choose the Collaborative Space where you want the file to be stored
5. Navigate to the 3DEXPERIENCE tab on the upper ribbon of the Microsoft application and select Save As
6. In the Save As dialog on the right side of the screen, enter the file name, and if desired, a bookmark in the “3DEXPERIENCE Location” field.

Choose which Collaborative Space you wish to save files

Organizing into Collaborative Spaces – CAD

CAD documents need to be saved to the Platform from within the respective CAD application. Technically, a CAD file can be drag/dropped into a Collaborative Space like any other file. However, without the handshake of a CAD Connector (i.e. Design with SOLIDWORKS, SOLIDWORKS Connected), the CAD file’s geometrical properties and metadata leveraged by the Platform will not translate, and the benefits of 3DEXPERIENCE as a CAD-centric data management system are curtailed.

The process of saving SOLIDWORKS files to a Collaborative Space on the Platform were outlined in Part 1 of this series, but for convenience, the steps are restated here. To choose a Collaborative Space and save from the SOLIDWORKS 3DEXPERIENCE add-in:

1. Open the 3DEXPERIENCE tab from the Task Pane. It is usually the bottom tab.
   

   Open 3DEXPERIENCE from the task pane

2. Check the active Collaborative Space to make sure you are saving to the vault that you want. To check this, click the dropdown arrow at the top of the tab (2).
3. Click the gear icon (3) to Edit Preferences.
4. Click in the Credentials field to select the desired destination Collaborative Space. Save preferences.
5. Right click the model name and select Save. This will push the model up to the platform, into the Collaborative Space.

Moving Files (see below)

If files need to be moved from one Collaborative Space to another, this can be done from within the Bookmark Editor. The steps are outlined at the end of the discussion about Bookmark Editor below.

Bookmark Editor

Also covered in Part 1 of this series, Bookmarks, created in the “Bookmark Editor” app, allow us to create a folder structure reminiscent of Windows Explorer for organizing files. The Bookmark Editor is the Platform’s primary means of organizing data, in the sense of visually grouping related items on a user-by-user basis. As stated before, the true location of any given file is a Collaborative Space, and the Bookmark Editor acts as a directory of shortcuts to files available to the specific user. As an implication, a user may put files from multiple Collaborative Spaces within the same bookmark.

Bookmarks are not mandatory for finding files; the Platform has powerful search tools to make it quick and easy to locate any file (keep an eye out for Part 3 of this series on accessing data). This being said, it is still good practice to put files in a bookmark. The Bookmark Editor plays the primary role in data management on the 3DEXPERIENCE Platform. The Bookmark Editor, in addition to arranging files in a folder structure, contains tools for:

• Uploading files and folders
• Moving and deleting files
• Check-in/check-out
• Revision control
• Process maturity control
• Relation investigation
• Sharing and changing ownership of files
• And more

If any data management actions will be done on files aside from simple storage, they will need to be seen from within the Bookmark Editor.

All of that being said, one of the strengths of 3DEXPERIENCE as a data management tool is that referenced files may be accessed instantly. This applies to assemblies with related parts, subassemblies, or drawings; or even to relationships to non-CAD documents. If you have a PDF document that pertains to an assembly, or an image or Word Document that pertains to a spreadsheet (etc.), these relationships may be defined on the Platform. These relationships make it unnecessary to create individual bookmark entries for every file. Rather, a bookmark may just contain a top-level assembly, and perhaps some related files that are accessed frequently. This allows for a much cleaner file structure than we are accustomed to in Windows Explorer, where all related files would live in the same overstuffed folder, or get lost in a maze of subfolders.

Now, let’s look at some organizational principles with Bookmarks.

Creating a Bookmark Structure

A bookmark structure can be ordered according to the same logic as a Windows Explorer folder structure, going as deep into subfolder bookmarks as needed (keeping in mind the principle of referenced files, making the use of extensive subfolders less necessary). To create a bookmark folder, just enter the Bookmark Editor app and either click the New Bookmark icon from the top ribbon, or right click under the Bookmarks structure on the left side of the app, and select New Bookmark from the menu. This will create a Bookmark folder within whatever folder level you create the bookmark from, whether at the top level root or as a subfolder within a directory.

Organizing CAD data

Viewing Dependent Items

As seen in the image above, only top-level assemblies (and one component) are included in the bookmark. Visibility on subassemblies and components is just one click away. To see constituent parts of an assembly, just click the expansion “+” icon next to the top-level assembly. If the expansion icon is not visible, a quick one-time change will need to be made to your settings:

1. Click the Menu dropdown at the top-right corner of the Bookmark Editor.
2. Select “Preferences”
3. Check the box next to “Enable expansion of products”. Save settings.
4. The expansion “+” icon should now appear next to any files with other file dependents.

Viewing dependent items and organizing data in 3DEXPERIENCE

Revisions

Another strength of organizing files in 3DEXPERIENCE platform is the principle of file revisions. Instead of seeing separate entries for every design iteration of a part, one entry can represent the full history of logged changes through revisions. Therefore, it’s good practice to keep bookmark entries of differing revisions to a minimum, as the full history of earlier revisions may be accessed in only a couple clicks.

Two of the Bookmark Editor’s standard columns (columns may be added or removed according to user preferences) give information about the revision currently in the Bookmark:

1. Revision. This column simply states the revision letter (or number) of each item.
2. Is Last Revision. The Bookmark Editor, by default, keeps a snapshot of whatever item you added. This means, for instance, that if you added Rev. B of a part to your bookmark, it will not update to the latest revision when new revisions are made. The Is Last Revision column gives you a visible cue if the revision in your bookmark is outdated, and allows you to quickly update the bookmark with the latest rev, if desired. Clicking the red X (denoting an old revision) or the green checkmark (denoting the latest revision) will open a “Replace by Revision” dialog, where you may replace the bookmarked revision by any existing revision of the file.

Revision window in 3DEXPERIENCE

For a more exhaustive discussion on the Bookmark Editor, including topics like revision control, column headers, and comparison tools, check out our post, “Deep Dive the Quintessential 3DEXPERIENCE App: Bookmark Editor”.

Moving Files – Change Bookmark

If you as a user have permission to move files, this can be done in the same drag & drop manner as Windows Explorer, dragging the file from the old Bookmark to a new one. This may be easiest to accomplish with two windows, having the source folder open in one window and the destination folder open in another. You may also copy files from one Bookmark to another without creating duplicates (again, because the source file is in the Collaborative Space, not the bookmark).

Moving Files – Change Collaborative Space

If a file needs to be moved to a different Collaborative Space (i.e. to give access to the file to members of the target Collaborative Space), this can be done from the Move command in the command ribbon at the top of Bookmark Editor. Select the file(s) you wish to transfer, click the Move icon, and type in the name of the target Collaborative Space. Naturally, you will need the appropriate permissions to transfer files out of the source and into the target.

3DEXPERIENCE file revisions

Organizing Data in 3DEXPERIENCE Conclusion

Once we understand the method of file storage employed by 3DEXPERIENCE and the interplay between Collaborative Spaces and Bookmarks, the principles of organizing data in 3DEXPERIENCE are straightforward and even familiar in some ways. Understanding that relationship makes the benefits of a vault-driven data management system become apparent. There’s no need for overly-cluttered folders or endless black holes of file directories, and no ambiguity on whether or not you’re looking at the latest version of a file. And as we’ll see in posts to follow, files are easily accessed, but secure from unwanted tampering. Keep an eye out for Part 3 of this series where we’ll look at Accessing Data in the 3DEXPERIENCE Platform.

A mistake that some users make is to jump right into the platform before they understand the foundation and basics – the structure of the platform, where their files go, how permissions work, etc.

To help you avoid some of those headaches, we’ve put together a short series of blogs that cover these foundations of CAD data management on the 3DEXPERIENCE Platform. In this tech tip we cover some basic 3DEXPERIENCE terminology and how to save data to the Platform.

3DEXPERIENCE Terminology

The biggest area of confusion for new 3DEXPERIENCE users is vocabulary. There are many new terms to learn to operate in the platform effectively. In many cases, these terms can be likened to equivalent terms in other systems. In other cases, they correspond to principles unique to 3DEXPERIENCE. A full glossary of terms wouldn’t be practical in this post, but a definition of key terms will add some clarity to the discussion that follows:

Tenet:

A tenet is a company’s overall account with 3DEXPERIENCE. If you work for ACME Sprockets Inc, then you operate in the ACME Sprockets tenet.

Collaborative Space:

Files are stored in Collaborative Spaces. These are similar to SOLIDWORKS PDM vaults, having product lifecycle (PLM) and revisioning capabilities. The owner(s) of a Collaborative Space grants access to the vault to as many users or user groups as necessary with varying degrees of permissions. A company may create as many Collaborative Spaces as they need, but it’s recommended not to create more than a few.

Some unique aspects of Collaborative Spaces:

• Collaborative Spaces are flat repositories, having no folder structure (all files exist in the same “folder”).
• Collaborative spaces have no local installation; they are online only.
• Members of an outside organization (a different tenet) may be given access to a Collaborative Space by invitation.

Collaborative Spaces are created and managed from the 3DSpace web app.

Bookmarks:

Bookmarks are how files are organized on a user-by-user basis. Bookmarks give what appears to be a folder structure to files. The items in the folders are not the actual files, however. They are only shortcuts to the actual file locations in their respective Collaborative Spaces. Some implications of this:

• Files from multiple Collaborative Spaces may exist in the same Bookmark folder
• Users may arrange their view of the files without affecting other people.
• The same file may be visible in multiple bookmark folders without any duplicates of the file being created.

Bookmarks are created and managed in the Bookmark Editor web app.

3DDrive:

3DDrive is an alternative file storage option without PLM capabilities. This could be compared to Dropbox or Google Drive. 3DDrive allows for a typical Windows Explorer type of folder structure, and gives users a local install option that syncs with the online location. Like other simple cloud-based storage systems, 3DDrive folders are shareable with other users. For more information about 3DDrive, check out our blog post, “Designing for Today: SOLIDWORKS Cloud 3DDrive”.

Dashboards:

Dashboards are the visual arrangement of web apps. All operations on the 3DEXPERIENCE Platform are carried out through a handful of web apps. These can be arranged in a manner that makes sense on an individual basis, or created by an administrator and shared with a group.

Compass:

The Compass is where you access all of your 3DEXPERIENCE apps. Click the Compass to expand out a full listing of apps available to you as a user, and to your company. Click and drag apps from the Compass and arrange in your workspace to set up your Dashboard.

Saving to the Cloud

The first step to managing data on the 3DEXPERIENCE platform is the initial transfer of data onto the platform. The primary destination for files on the 3DEXPERIENCE platform is a Collaborative Space (defined above). There is a number of ways to get files into a Collaborative Space, and the best method depends on the type of data being transferred. Non-CAD files can simply be drag & dropped into the appropriate Collaborative Space and bookmark. This can be done with CAD files as well, but it’s not recommended. For the 3DEXPERIENCE platform to give the best return on CAD files – allowing for model and assembly interrogation and management from the platform – CAD files need to be saved to the platform through a CAD connector. Let’s look at Non-CAD and CAD situations below.

Saving Non-CAD Files

One very simple way to transfer non-CAD files such as image, PDF, or text documents, is to drag and drop files from a Windows Explorer window into the desired Collaborative Space.

Again, this entails no organization of the data into a folder structure; it simply adds the file to the repository. Open a Collaborative Space by clicking the 3DSpace app from the Compass, or access 3DSpace from a Dashboard, if it has already been added as a widget.

The 3DSearch tool at the top of the Platform window can be used to locate the file later and add it to an existing bookmark.

A more useful option is to add files from the Bookmark Editor. This allows you to immediately include some organization of the new files, and makes it possible to bring in an existing file structure from Windows Explorer.

3DEXPERIENCE upload files options

Using this method, files are still stored in a Collaborative Space. The destination Collaborative Space is determined by which Space is active in your Bookmark Editor Preferences (accessible from the dropdown arrow at the top-right corner of the Bookmark Editor widget). Be sure the correct Space is chosen before uploading any files or folders.

Bookmark Editor preferences

If files are mistakenly uploaded to the wrong Space, they may be moved to a different Space later.

Saving Files and Managing CAD Data

To make use of the PDM/PLM capabilities of the 3DEXPERIENCE platform, CAD files are saved through a CAD connector in the native CAD software. Connectors are available for all of the major CAD systems (SOLIDWORKS, CATIA, Inventor, CREO, etc.).

If you use Desktop SOLIDWORKS, the connector is accessed through the “Design with SOLIDWORKS” app in the Compass, and launches as an add-in within SOLIDWORKS.

If you use the Platform-driven 3DEXPERIENCE SOLIDWORKS as your 3D CAD system, the platform connector will open automatically when launching SOLIDWORKS Connected.

CAD Data is what the Platform was built for. While non-CAD files generally don’t need a robust system of metadata, CAD files are greatly enriched by internal properties, such as revision, lifecycle maturity, owner, references to other files, etc. (Some non-CAD documents are served by metadata-rich processing… but that’s a topic for another post). Without the stops put in place by a CAD connector, 3DEXPERIENCE would not give the user as much power as it does for building a lot of valuable information into CAD data on the front end.

Saving CAD Files (Design with SOLIDWORKS connector): Single-Part Workflow

The workflow of 3D modeling in SOLIDWORKS is mostly unchanged by 3DEXPERIENCE. You will need to have the 3DEXPERIENCE Add-In active to save to the Platform. The 3DEXPERIENCE Add-In can be enabled from within SOLIDWORKS from the “Add-Ins…” menu. Or, a more preferred option is to launch SOLIDWORKS directly from the Design with SOLIDWORKS web app for the smoothest integration to the CAD connector.

3DEXPERIENCE Add-ins

When you are ready to save a part, you have a few options to push the part up to a Collaborative Space on the platform:

• Save To 3DEXPERIENCE:

Save to 3DEXPERIENCE

This option is the quickest way to name the file and save it into the currently-active Collaborative Space vault on the 3DEXPERIENCE Platform.

• Save As…

Save As

While the 3DEXPERIENCE CAD connector is active, a Save-As action will direct you first to the temporary My Work cache folder.

Local Disk (C:) > 3DEXPERIENCE > MyWork(user)

From here you can save to MyWork, to a local user-defined Windows Explorer folder, or next to the “Save” button is the same “Save to 3DEXPERIENCE” option mentioned above.

• Save from the 3DEXPERIENCE Task Pane tab.

When the 3DEXPERIENCE Add-In is enabled, a new 3DEXPERIENCE tab becomes visible on the Task Pane, on the right side of the screen. The 3DEXPERIENCE tab offers the most functionality for interfacing SOLIDWORKS to the online platform, and becomes more integral to the CAD workflow when dealing with assemblies and data management actions, such as revision and access control. To save from the 3DEXPERIENCE Tab:

1. Open the 3DEXPERIENCE tab from the Task Pane. It is usually the bottom tab. Once open, it may be pinned visible if desired.
2. Check the active Collaborative Space to make sure you are saving to the vault that you want. To check this, click the dropdown arrow at the top of the tab (2).
3. Click the gear icon (3) to Edit Preferences
4. Click in the Credentials field to select the desired destination Collaborative Space. Save preferences.
5. Right click the model’s name and select Save. This will push the model up to the platform, into the Collaborative Space.

Once the program finishes syncing to the Cloud (an internet connection will be needed at the time of saving), the model will be accessible online, and can be used and explored by any other users who have access to the Collaborative Space.

Saving CAD Files: Assembly Workflow

The same general process for saving CAD applies to assemblies, but there are more things to account for once you have components that relate to each other. Are you working on the latest revision of the assembly? Are any of the components released or outdated? Does someone have a subassembly locked (checked-out) or frozen for approval? These are the kinds of things you’ll see at a glance in the 3DEXPERIENCE tab.

In the case of an assembly being saved to the cloud for the first time, you may not be dealing with any of those questions yet. Until you save the assembly to 3DEXPERIENCE, the assembly exists only in your local cache and has the same properties (and limitations) as any other locally-saved CAD files. Such a case is evident in the image below where the only information visible to the current assembly is the basic component/subassembly structure, and Status icons indicating that none of the visible files have been saved to the platform yet.

Assembly workflow files in 3DEXPERIENCE

To save the assembly to the Platform, you may begin by choosing the “Save to 3DEXPERIENCE” method outlined earlier, but the more robust option is to “Save with Options” from the 3DEXPERIENCE tab. To do this, right-click the top-level assembly in the 3DEXPERIENCE tab and select “Save with Options.”

The Save with Options window gives you a number of file management options that can save you time later. You can bump up the revision, export a BOM, comment on the Save action, and select a bookmark destination for the files. An existing bookmark may be chosen, or a new bookmark may be created.

Select Bookmark

Because all of the files are going to a vault, and the bookmark only creates a view of the files, it is good practice to save only the top-level assembly to a bookmark. The assembly may be expanded-out to see all child components and subassemblies, so it is unnecessary to clutter up the bookmark with all of the constituent parts.

Once the assembly is saved, file management information is populated into the 3DEXPERIENCE Tab session columns. Among other information, we see:

• The Status column indicates that all changes have been saved to the Platform.
• The files (in this case) have been unlocked, so that any team members may now access the files from the cloud and work with them.
• The revision is indicated (in this case, A.1, the initial Rev)
• A column indicates that the open documents are all on the latest revision.
• The Maturity State for the files is “In Work”. They have not been released or submitted for approval.

3DEXPERIENCE Demo Space

At this point, the saving work is done, and managing CAD data (and non-CAD data) has become so much easier. Because the 3DEXPERIENCE Platform vault is internet-based, it will likely take a few minutes for the files to fully index, but their presence on the platform can quickly be seen in the browser when navigating to the Bookmark Editor, or through a 3DSearch.

3DEXPERIENCE Search

Conclusion

Once we see how the 3DEXPERIENCE platform integrates with SOLIDWORKS, the structure of the platform and the necessity of a CAD connector makes more intuitive sense. It’s convenient that non-CAD files can simply be dropped into place, and only reasonable that checks would be put in place for CAD files in a way that non-CAD files don’t require.

That concludes Part 1 of the series, managing CAD data in 3DEXPERIENCE. Keep your eyes open for Part 2, where we’ll look at principles of organizing and accessing your data on the 3DEXPERIENCE Platform.

If your copy of SOLIDWORKS is linked to the platform through SOLIDWORKS Connected or the Design with SOLIDWORKS Connector, you can import and export packages from the 3DEXPERIENCE tab in the task pane under the Tools menu:

Import a 3DEXPERIENCE CAD Package

When you launch the package export, right away you’ll see some capabilities that you don’t see in Pack and Go. For one, it keeps track of the revision state of each of the files. So, it’s not losing that lifecycle that you’ve been maintaining for your file set. In fact, when you receive the package back, you’ll be able to run a comparison of the before and after states and apply the changes to your original files if they pass inspection.

Export as package in 3DEXPERIENCE

The second thing you’ll notice is the ability to set a purpose for the files, which will allow you to control the Read & Write access for each of the individual files. This ensures that there won’t be any unintended changes to files that you want to preserve. You can choose, read-only, or edit.

Choose read-only or edit

A feature that’s been added in FD03 is the ability to include drawings. This will search for any drawings that are referenced by the models and will include them in the exported folder. Here we can see that two drawings were found, one for the vice assembly and one for the saddle component. Again, we can set these to read-only or edit. We are now ready to export this .sldpkg file.

We have the option to save the package to a local Windows folder, which would be a logical option if we wanted to attach the file to an email. Or we could sync the package to our 3DDrive folder. A benefit to doing this is the ability to create a share link which may be more convenient than having to deal with a file attachment.

On the end-user side, if the recipient is connected to the 3DEXPERIENCE platform, they can import the package from the same 3DEXPERIENCE tab that we used to export the package. If the end-user is not connected to the platform, that user can open the package using the free 3DEXPERIENCE Exchange for SOLIDWORKS Add-In, which can be downloaded from SOLIDWORKS.com. Once they’ve made changes to the desired parts, they can use the same Add-In to export the package again.

Import package in 3DEXPERIENCE

Another feature that’s new to the FD03 release is the ability to export packages from the 3DEXPERIENCE platform on the web without ever having to open SOLIDWORKS. This can be done from the Product Structure editor, which comes with the Enovia 3D Product Architect role.

Export a 3DEXPERIENCE CAD Package

To export a package, as before, under the Tools menu, select the dropdown next to export and select CAD file. You can choose to include associated drawings before exporting. From here you can download your zip file to a local folder and keep track of the history associated with exported packages.

Export as a package on the web

1. The first method explains Saving with Options.
2. The second method demonstrates how to add a new revision inside of the SOLIDWORKS window
3. The third method shows you how to add a new revisions inside of the 3DEXPERIENCE Platform along with the benefits of using this method.

Matt will also explain the branch and merging feature inside of the Collaborative Lifecycle Role. Watch the video now:

3DEXPERIENCE Revision Save with Options

Save with options is the easiest way to create a new revision within the SOLIDWORKS. This will, in one step, create a new revision and place that new revision in the open window in SOLIDWORKS. With this method you can also revise multiple files at once. One important note to keep in mind is that the file will need to be reserved once revised.

3DEXPERIENCE SOLIDWORKS Save with Options

New 3DEXPERIENCE Revision

Another method of creating a revision in SOLIDWORKS is to right click on the file and select new revision. The difference with this method is that it leaves the original revision as the revision that is open in SOLIDWORKS. The “+” in the task pane designates that a new revision exists in the vault. If you right click on the file and select “Replace by Revision,” the latest revision can then be loaded into the session.

3DEXPERIENCE SOLIDWORKS New Revision

3DEXPERIENCE Revision in a Web Browser

In the web browser, the Collaborative Lifecycle App can be used to create a new revision. There are a few benefits to this method. First, it provides a graphical representation of the revision history. Second, it allows the creation of revisions on any device including mobile devices.

3DEXPERIENCE Web Browser Revision

Efficient processes and procedures are key to successfully executing the evolution of a design and the 3DEXPERIENCE Platform simplifies this effort.

Working with Microsoft Office Documents

Let’s get started by launching the 3DDrive application. Here, we can see the content stored in our 3DDrive which currently shows a couple of folders as well as some Microsoft Office files.

Folders and office files saved in 3DDrive

Uploading folders and files is a simple drag and drop or upload the file using the New button located in the top right-hand corner. The 2023 FD03 version, which is the latest update to the 3DEXPERIENCE platform, can now create office documents directly within the 3DDrive app.

To create a new office document, simply click on the New button and navigate the dropdown to create a Word document, a PowerPoint presentation, or an Excel spreadsheet. Once selected, we can edit the information with a name and description.

Creating an office document in 3DDrive

Once the document is created, we can edit the document with similar functionality that we’re all familiar with Microsoft Office products. In this Word document example that I just created, I can add some text in the header, increase the font size, apply bold to the title, and even italicize. When we’re finished editing our document, we will save it.

In addition to saving, we can add comments, share with others, download the file, view information, add to favorites, copy to, and change properties.

When closing the document, we return to the 3DDrive home screen. Here we have control over our documents through various actions. When a file is selected, we can preview, share, edit, favorite, move, copy, rename, download, update, or delete any of our files.

Let’s go ahead and preview the file. When the preview opens, we again have control of the documents such as editing directly from the preview. This leads to an easy and efficient workflow.

Preview file

Another addition with the FD03 update is that it’s now possible to move multiple items at the same time. As an example, let’s create a new folder called Office Files. We will then select all the files and use the “move to” command to move all the files to the new folder simultaneously. And just like that, all the files are moved to the new folder making organization within 3DDrive easier than ever.

3DDrive move selection tool

3DEXPERIENCE Collaboration for Microsoft Documents

The 3DDrive app makes 3DEXPERIENCE Collaboration for Microsoft Documents easy. Contact us to learn more about 3DEXPERIENCE Works and setting up your business systems.

How do I create a 3DEXPERIENCE Collaborative Space?

Creating spaces is simple in action but should be deliberate in thought. To create a collaborative space, open the 3DSpace widget and then on the drop down next to My Collaborative Spaces, simply click new collaborative space.

New Collaborative Space

You will then have some options when creating your space, and this is the component that requires careful consideration, as spaces can only be deleted when they are completely empty and visibility levels can only be promoted, not demoted (more on this later).

Create Collaborative Space

How many spaces should I create?

Your team structure may call for creating distinct spaces for different departments. For many teams, this may just be having your common space and then a separate design space. If you’re interested in having things be more siloed, it’s recommended to create more than once space and give access as you see fit. This could be different collaborative spaces for different teams or company locations, or if you create large and complex products, or different spaces for different products.  You can set the visibility permissions to protected or private as you see fit.

Who needs access to the data? What type of access do they need?

Once your space is created, the next step is to add users. Settings can be managed by default, and it is recommended to not allow new users to create a collaborative space. This can avoid clutter and confusion on the administrative side. Giving all users access to the common space is a good default, since if you use parts libraries, that data will be stored there by default. There are 3 levels of permissions that you can grant users: contributor, author, and leader.

Contributors

Contributors are permitted to open and view SOLIDWORKS content as read only and view the contents in any space they have access to. Key limitations are that they cannot revise or change maturity states or add documents.

Authors

Authors can reserve products and create new revisions, including of released products. They can also move physical products from Frozen to In Work if they are “responsible” for the object. Key limitations of the author role include: being unable to change a product to released or obsolete and are unable to reserve a product in the released state.

Leaders

Leaders can do everything that Authors can do but can change states of products to release without being responsible and can change the sate of a product to obsolete.

How visible should this vault be to those within my organization?

There are three types of spaces: public, protected, and private. Private is the most restricted and content within private spaces is only accessible to users that are members of the collaborative space. Protected spaces limit the visibility of content to those in the released or obsolete state. This content is visible to all organization users when in either of those states. Public spaces make all content visible to all users within the organization. It is critical to note here that spaces can be promoted to greater visibility, but they can never be demoted to lesser visibility. You can make a private space public but can never revert a public space to private.

Fortunately for us, 3DEXPERIENCE Works Governance has a built-in formalized Engineering Change Process that not only helps us make changes to our existing models in an organized way, but also tracks those changes.

Raising Issues

This part of our engineering change process is completely optional but carries some benefits to add in. Firstly, these issues can be raised on pretty much anything including the models we’re using, manufacturing processes, or even an issue with how we store raw materials. Less involved or mission critical issues can be resolved without having to kick off an entire engineering change. The Issue Management App allows everyone in the supply chain to get involved and let their voices be heard.

3DEXPERIENCE Part

Let’s take the Yoke shown above as an example. At some point in our development process, we’ve found out that the holes to mount the yoke are way too big and need to be scaled down. We’re able to create an issue for that. When creating the issue you can assign titles, descriptions, recommend resolutions, and even a due date for when you want it fixed. The other tabs allow you to attach any relevant attachments, assign who you want to fix the issue, and even associate the affected items to link the issue to a specific CAD Model.

Engineering change on 3DEXPERIENCE platform

Contents menu on 3DEXPERIENCE

Creating an Engineering Change Action

For issues regarding a specific CAD Model or set of CAD Models, typically we need the formalized change process to introduce new revisions and keep track of the history. In this instance, the model for our yoke 012-542 is currently in a “Released” State meaning we can make changes to it without a new revision. From inside of our Issue Management app, we are able to resolve the issues by launching into a Change Action.

New Change Action in 3DEXPERIENCE

With the change action formally created we have a ton of control over how the change is carried out. Assignees, approvers, and informed users can be assigned from existing members of your 3DEXPERIENCE Tenant or even predefined routes (similar to how an approval workflow would work with SOLIDWORKS PDM) to include even more members in the approval process. We can also open up the affected documents directly in SOLIDWORKS from the change action and begin working on the proposed changes.

Work Under

For this example, the proposed changes are fairly straightforward. In SOLIDWORKS I’ll make sure to lock the part, create a new revision, and begin updating the hole size. What we will notice is that while working in SOLIDWORKS, we are also working under the change action we opened the model from. This ensures that the changes being made to my yoke are being tracked and ultimately applied to the change action. When finished with the updates, we can save the file back to our collaborative space and move it to a frozen state so no further changes can occur.

Approvals and Completion

With the work on the change action done, we can switch back over to the Change Execution app. Since we were working under the change action in SOLIDWORKS, the new revision I created is already associated with the existing change action, so I won’t need to manually upload any files. An approver can open the new revision in any apps they have or even compare the two to easily see the differences caused by the change. The comparison will help the approver or informed user quickly see changes but they may need to fully open the model to see if the changes made are to the required specification.

If everything looks good, the assigned approver has the power to complete the change action. They can go and stamp approval on the changes that occurred. If for some reason the changes are not correct, the approver also has the ability to reject and push the change action back on the assigned user to make further changes. The approver will need to log in one more time to protect against someone accessing their machine while already logged in. With everything approved, both the Change Action and the Issue can be set to completed. Going through our formal change action not only tracks the changes that occur but also makes sure we have a secure process to release our parts.

Completed Order

More 3DEXPERIENCE Engineering Change Management Tools

With the 3DEXPERIENCE Platform, we have a ton of tools that help us with almost any aspect of our engineering design process. One of the most important is being able to have a formal and secure engineering change process to not only keep track of changes but also to hold team members accountable for the changes needed to be made. The 3DEXPERIENCE Platform has an out of the box solution for our engineering change that can be modified for your specific approval workflows. Discover more tools on our Enterprise website »

Setting up the Idea Pipeline in 3D SWYM

Every community starts with three default statuses in the Idea Pipeline. In the Community Settings, the default statuses are shown under Idea Status Management. The default statuses are “New Idea”, “Concept”, and “Project Plan”.

Idea status management in pipeline

The number of Statuses, their titles, colors, and order, can all be customized. In the image below, you can see an updated version of the Idea Pipeline after I made some changes.

Ideas in 3D Swym pipeline

By using different terminology and color-coding, the Idea Pipeline can take on different meanings, such as tracking new design ideas, project timelines, new employee onboarding steps, or progress towards just about any goal.

Creating an Idea

After setting the post type to Idea (by selecting the blue lightbulb icon), creating an Idea is just like making any other post. Add a Title and Body and attach images or 3D files if you’d like.

After clicking Publish, the Idea is posted and is automatically assigned the first status in the Idea Pipeline. In the screenshot below, we can see this new idea is given the “New Project” status.

New bracket in sample community

As with other kinds of posts, users can like and comment on Ideas.

TIP: Likes and Comments from team members could be used as a way to “vote” for which idea gets to proceed to the next status in the Pipeline.

Changing the Status of an Idea

To move an Idea to a different status, click on the Title of the Idea. You will then be able to see the full pipeline.

View full pipeline in status

Select the status you wish to change to, and then enter a comment to add context for your team. Ideas can be moved to any state (i.e. forward or backward) and can always be set to “Out” by selecting the grey X at the end of the pipeline. Comments will be automatically generated each time the idea status is changed so that users can look back on the progress this Idea has made.

Define goals in new Idea on 3D Swym

Overview of all ideas within a Community

To access a high-level overview of all of the ideas in a community, the first step is to activate the Ideas Filter in the upper right corner of the community. After doing so, all other post types are hidden, plus the idea pipeline appears on the right and shows the current status for every idea in the community.

Overview of ideas in a community

Hover over each circle in the pipeline to see which ideas have progressed the furthest.

Hover over ideas to see which have progressed.

Click the arrow next to “Pipeline” to see more. This opens a new page that lists every idea in the community.

Click the arrow pipeline to see more

View all ideas in the pipeline

In conclusion, utilizing the Idea Pipeline in 3DEXPERIENCE 3DSWYM provides professionals with a valuable platform to brainstorm, collaborate on new ideas, and effectively track their progress. By harnessing the power of this innovative tool, individuals can unlock their creative potential, foster teamwork, and enhance productivity. Learn more about the platform and its tools by taking one of our 3DEXPERIENCE Platform training courses led by certified experts.