Yikes! Lost access to my drawing templates

[MesaTactical]

I was folling around with making new drawing templates, and suddenly I can no longer access my templates when attempting to make a drawing from a part. Instead of getting the templates dialog (which browses .DRWDOT files), I get a Sheet Format/Size dialog (which looks for .DRT and .SLDDRT files). There seems to be no way to browse to my templates.

WTF?

 

[SBaugh]

Check all your "file locations", "default template" and "Sheet formats" location under Tools\Options\System options.

Regards,

Scott Baugh, CSWP
3DVision Technologies

http://www.scottjbaugh.com

Merry Christmas
faq731-376
faq559-716 - SW Fora Users

 

[MesaTactical]

Everything is fine there. Sheet formats is the SoldiWorks default, but that's okay because when I am in a part and want to make a drawingf, I don't want to open sheet formats anyway, I want the templates.

When uses the New File button, I got an error: about some templates being missing. I told it Okay, then went in and selected my desired template. But this is not the way I want to start a drawing: I want to start one from within a part.

Anyway, after that incident, I tried opening a drawing from within the part and it worked fine again. Just a little glitch, I suppose.

 

[MElam]

Try Tools\Options\System options\Default Templates and check "Prompt user to select document template".

This is an area for auto-created files like mirror part (and possibly create drawing from part?).

 

[MesaTactical]

This is really aggravating me now.

I am trying to creat a template for an A sized drawing. No matter what I do, I can't get a part onto the drawing of the saved template.

1. If I open a sheet format and save it as a template, I can open the drawing from within the part, but my drawing views are invisible!

2. If I open a template file (.DWGDOT), edit it, then save the template, I can't get the part into the drawing. The Model Drawing View button is grayed out.

WTF? How can I get my views to become visible?

 

[SBaugh]

I think it is because your probably editing the sheet format.

try RMB the sheet and select "Edit Sheet".

Regards

Scott Baugh, CSWP
3DVision Technologies

http://www.scottjbaugh.com

Merry Christmas
faq731-376
faq559-716 - SW Fora Users

 

[MesaTactical]

I have been editing the sheet format. The sheet format is the bit I want to edit with the notations specific to my company.

Then I save the template.

But when I use the template to make a drawing of a part, the part views are not visible.

How do I make the part views visible?

 

[SBaugh]

If you are clicking "Edit sheet format" and editing the sheet. You will not see your drawing views.

You have to be on "Edit Sheet" before the views will show up.

Maybe this link will help you understand what I'm trying to say.

http://www.scottjbaugh.com/Editing_Sheet.avi

Codec at

http://www.techsmith.com

Regards,

Scott Baugh, CSWP
3DVision Technologies

http://www.scottjbaugh.com

Merry Christmas
faq731-376
faq559-716 - SW Fora Users

 

[MesaTactical]

Thanks for your help (I can't view that AV file), but I'm not trying to edit anything.

I have a template I have saved. When I have a part open, I click the "Make Drawing From Part/Assembly" button, then select the template. The drawing opens and by clicking the graphics area appears to be laying down drawing views, except the views are not visible.

 

[CorBlimeyLimey]

Can you still view other existing drawings?

Have you made any changes to your system recently? (Graphics card, driver, XP/SP, etc)

 

[SBaugh]

To view the AVI file you must download the Codec and install it. -

http://www.getafile.com/cgi-bin/merlot/get/techsmith/tscc/TSCC.exe

It's probably not visible because of the side in which you inserted the Sheet format. Try opening up one of the SW Drawing templates and see how it was made or built and try to mimic it.

Regards,



Scott Baugh, CSWP
3DVision Technologies

http://www.scottjbaugh.com

Merry Christmas
faq731-376
faq559-716 - SW Fora Users

 

[MesaTactical]

I've been doing what I see in the video...

Also, "It's probably not visible because of the side in which you inserted the Sheet format" doesn't make any sense to me. The "side?" What side?

Anyway, I think it's hard for folks to understand what I'm doing here, so let's run through it. I have the training manuals and two textbooks (on SolidWorks 2003) and none of them actually take you through the definition of a template.

It's especially frustratimg because I defined a B template weeks ago, but can't remember what I did differently.

1. Open the "drawing.drwdot" file in the SolidWorks\data\templates directory.

2. Now I have blank sheet in front of me.

3. Right-click the blank sheet and select Properties.

4. Select A - Landscape sheet size, hit okay.

5. Now I see a grayed-out block layout with no text.

6. Select the Annotations folder in the feature tre, right-click and turn of Display Annotations.

7. Voila! The text appears in the blocks.

8. Okay, no other changes for now, we just want to save this as a template. I do so, into my templates directory.

9. Close the file without saving it.

10. Back in my part file, I hit the Make Drawing From Part/Assembly button. Hey, it works! I can place the views in their proper locations.

11. I close that file without saving it.

12. Open the template again. I navigate to the block where the company name goes. I insert the company name using the properties dialogue, linking it to the CompanyName attribute in the document properties.

13. Save the template with the company name. Close the file.

14. Back in my part file, I hit the Make Drawing From Part/Assembly button. I can place the views as before, but now the views are not visible.

15. Taking the advice of my Eng-Tips brothers, I click on Edit Sheet from the right-click menu.

16. Whoa, the views appear!

Okay, that's great, at least I can work with my drawings now. But what do I have to do so that the views are visible when I first lay them out?

Must be something to do with how I save the template...

 

[ShaggyPE]

I think you have saved you template while still in the "edit sheet format" mode. You must save your template while you are in the "edit sheet" mode.

 

[MesaTactical]

That sounds right.

Thanks for the help.