Find Reference for whole assembly! 3

[pakamy]

Hi all,
I would like to copy the whole assembly within part & drawings to a new folder. Each assembly, sub-assembly & part got its own drawing.
I've tried to open an assembly drawing and use "Find Reference" but it's not worked for others parts' drawing & sub-assemblies' drawing. Guys, any solutions? Thanks in advanced.

 

[J-C]

You can't get the drawings for each part and sub-assy. You'll have to manually copy them and relink them to the copied part/assy.

Jason Capriotti
Smith & Nephew, Inc.

 

[SBaugh]

Check out SW explorer - You can't move only copy - If you open the drawing you can get a bulk of all the assembly and parts if the drawing is associated to them

Regards,

Scott Baugh, CSWP

http://www.3dvisiontech.com

http://www.scottjbaugh.com

faq731-376

 

[TheTick]

If EVERYTHING is in a single folder, you can safely copy the entire folder to a new location. You can even copy entire folder structures.

Look in the help under "search --> file locations for external references". SW looks for file references using relative path before it looks for them under absolute path (full path with drive, etc.).

I know many people may read this and cringe. It sounds risky, but I have yet to see it fail. Experiment for yourself and see.

"When everyone is thinking alike, no one is thinking very much." --Eckhard Schwarz (1930--2004)

http://www.EsoxRepublic.com

 

[J-C]

I beleive he means he wants the parts and sub-assy drawings to copy as well. Solidworks Explorer will not copy the drawings that are associated to parts within an assy.

Jason Capriotti
Smith & Nephew, Inc.

 

[SBaugh]

That's true it won't but if he has an assembly drawing then that drawing and all the components will be copied over. But the drawings of each component won't be. That's why I mentioned

If you open the drawing you can get a bulk of all the assembly and parts if the drawing is associated to them

Regards,

Scott Baugh, CSWP

http://www.3dvisiontech.com

http://www.scottjbaugh.com

faq731-376

 

[pakamy]

Guys! Thank you so much for your input!! I think this should leave it for SW2006 enhancement... coz PDMWorks also can't make it.

 

[SBaugh]

What your asking SW to do is to read beyond backwards. A Part is referenced to a sub-assembly and that sub is referenced to an assembly and that assembly is referenced to a drawing. If you open the drawing it can only see the assembly/subassembly/part - not the parts drawing and the sub-assemblies drawing. The part and sub-assembly has it's own separate reference beyond the other reference that we are talking about. I'm not sure if this is feasible for SW to make available to us. I know, I would like to have the ability myself to do this, but I'm not sure if this would even be a good idea. Then if that part is referenced to more then just that one sub and it's own drawing. You would get all the interconnected links with it. That would be very, very bad for lots of people.

I have made a image of the way I believe is the tree that SW looks at and doesn't look at.

Scott Baugh, CSWP

http://www.3dvisiontech.com

http://www.scottjbaugh.com

faq731-376

 

[J-C]

It could do it the same way that the where-used function works which searches files to see if it finds the reference there. Problem is it could take a long time to run.

Jason Capriotti
Smith & Nephew, Inc.

 

[rgrayclamps]

Hi, Pakamy:

TheTick was right.

If EVERYTHING is in a single folder, you can safely copy the entire folder to a new location. You can even copy entire folder structures.

To break relationship between these two folders, make sure that you rename the original folder. Now, you have two sets of documents residing at two sepearate folders. But they do not talk each other (no relationship).

Alex Chen

 

[pakamy]

FYI, right now I'm using the same practise mentioned by Gildashard. Use "Find Reference" for assembly & part first then copy manually the drawings into the same folder. After this, relink back the drawings one by one.

 

[CorBlimeyLimey]

I have not used the following program but have heard it is good.

Copy Project is a File management application which allows you to transfer all of the files in a SolidWorks assembly and save them into a destination folder. Unlike SolidWorks Explorer this includes parts, sub assemblies and all related drawing files. This application can be used for release control or project archiving to backup media

http://www.javelin-tech.com/main/products/javware.htm

from (the City of) Barrie, Ontario.

I tried sniffing Coke once, but the ice cubes got stuck in my nose

 

[automationbabe]

What you're asking can be done, and from PDMWorks. We spoke with a programmer who has developed something very similar to what you ask. We put additional requests into drawing retrieval, and he's had no problem. You should ask your VAR to hook you up.

 

[linqur]

Then if that part is referenced to more then just that one sub and it's own drawing. You would get all the interconnected links with it.

This interconnection is a real nightmare and I never came to this. But... most users save the drawing to same directory and with the same name as model and those most users would like to copy drawings from the same directory and same same name as models found by SolidWorks Explorers. And this is the searching feature what should be possible.

 

[pakamy]

Autmationbabe, you're right, PDMWorks 2005 has an option: "includes drawings". So everything going to be settle!! Thanks.

 

[ctopher]

PDMWorks is alot safer than SW Explorer. Explorer is not always 100% complete, especially with large assemblies.