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How do I make a copy an assembly and its components to a new location?
SolidWorks Explorer
Procedure for Copying, Renaming, and Updating SolidWorks File References
[ul][li] Using Windows Explorer, navigate to the folder location of the file(s) to copy[/li]
[li] Select the file(s) and copy to the desired destination folder as per standard Windows practice (e.g. CTRL+C, etc.)[/li]
[li] Launch the SolidWorks Explorer application (located in the SolidWorks program group)[/li]
[li] Within SolidWorks Explorer do the following:[/li][/ul]
[ol][li] Click on the File menu[/li]
[li] Select Open from the menu[/li]
[li] Navigate to the location of the newly copied file(s)[/li]
[li] Select a file to rename/update in the dialog box *[/li]
[li] Click on Open in the dialog box[/li]
[li] In the SolidWorks Explorer window, right-click on the file to rename[/li]
[li] Select Rename from the pop-up menu[/li]
[li] Enter a new name for the selected file in the space provided[/li]
[li] Click on Find Now (Note û this searches for any files referenced by the file being renamed and is also known as a ôWhere Usedö search û see the SolidWorks Explorer help file for more information)[/li]
[li] Review the list of referenced files (if there are any) and adjust the update property as required (some referenced files might require breaking previously existing file links)[/li]
[li] Click Apply[/li]
[li] The file is renamed and references are updated[/li]
[li] Repeat the process as required for individual files[/li][/ol]
* TIP û If a part/assembly file has an associated drawing, it is best to select the drawing as any file associations between it and its parent part/assembly are automatically displayed in a Parent/Child fashion when opened in SolidWorks Explorer. This minimizes the task of navigating to each individual file as outlined above.
For example when renaming an assembly file that has a corresponding drawing; in step 4 above, by selecting the drawing file for the part instead of the part file itself both the assembly and drawing files are displayed in SolidWorks Explorer along with all of the assemblyÆs children (and grandchildren as well). Steps 7 û 13 can be repeated for each file displayed in the SolidWorks Explorer Window without needing to open each referenced file individually (a potentially tedious process).
A similar example would be selecting an assembly file in step 4 where all of the assemblyÆs children (and grandchildren) are displayed in SolidWorks Explorer window and are therefore available in the same manner.
One thing to keep in mind regarding the above examples is that any drawings associated with an assemblyÆs children need to be opened and updated individually. Unfortunately the SolidWorks Explorer window display list does not extend to an assembly componentsÆ dependent drawing files.
[ul][li] Using Windows Explorer, navigate to the folder location of the file(s) to copy[/li]
[li] Select the file(s) and copy to the desired destination folder as per standard Windows practice (e.g. CTRL+C, etc.)[/li]
[li] Launch the SolidWorks Explorer application (located in the SolidWorks program group)[/li]
[li] Within SolidWorks Explorer do the following:[/li][/ul]
[ol][li] Click on the File menu[/li]
[li] Select Open from the menu[/li]
[li] Navigate to the location of the newly copied file(s)[/li]
[li] Select a file to rename/update in the dialog box *[/li]
[li] Click on Open in the dialog box[/li]
[li] In the SolidWorks Explorer window, right-click on the file to rename[/li]
[li] Select Rename from the pop-up menu[/li]
[li] Enter a new name for the selected file in the space provided[/li]
[li] Click on Find Now (Note û this searches for any files referenced by the file being renamed and is also known as a ôWhere Usedö search û see the SolidWorks Explorer help file for more information)[/li]
[li] Review the list of referenced files (if there are any) and adjust the update property as required (some referenced files might require breaking previously existing file links)[/li]
[li] Click Apply[/li]
[li] The file is renamed and references are updated[/li]
[li] Repeat the process as required for individual files[/li][/ol]
* TIP û If a part/assembly file has an associated drawing, it is best to select the drawing as any file associations between it and its parent part/assembly are automatically displayed in a Parent/Child fashion when opened in SolidWorks Explorer. This minimizes the task of navigating to each individual file as outlined above.
For example when renaming an assembly file that has a corresponding drawing; in step 4 above, by selecting the drawing file for the part instead of the part file itself both the assembly and drawing files are displayed in SolidWorks Explorer along with all of the assemblyÆs children (and grandchildren as well). Steps 7 û 13 can be repeated for each file displayed in the SolidWorks Explorer Window without needing to open each referenced file individually (a potentially tedious process).
A similar example would be selecting an assembly file in step 4 where all of the assemblyÆs children (and grandchildren) are displayed in SolidWorks Explorer window and are therefore available in the same manner.
One thing to keep in mind regarding the above examples is that any drawings associated with an assemblyÆs children need to be opened and updated individually. Unfortunately the SolidWorks Explorer window display list does not extend to an assembly componentsÆ dependent drawing files.