SolidWorks:Heard! - Episode 345 - Dropbox Library Sharing

Dropbox Library Sharing:

This podcast covers ways to utilize Dropbox, the cloud based drive/sync service, for keeping CAD data, libraries and other shared resources centralized and local to remove design teams. Topics covered:

- Dropbox signup, setup, options and plans

- How to share files and folders with other users

- Use and access Dropbox from inside of SolidWorks

- Possible libraries of SolidWorks good for sync

- Things to avoid for now..

- Apps to work with Dropbox to help

- ChatBox (Mac Only >;-) Windows coming!)

- WatchIT! Yahoo Gadget

Since getting on iOS, Dropbox has been a an integral part of my device requrements when it came to file sync. SolidWorks has so many libraries, templates, file locations, weldment profiles, etc, the local groups just place that content on the network and are good to go. What about those of us who are remote? Dropbox is a great way to get that content locally.

In adition to libraries, sometimes using it as a way to share CAD content crosses our minds. SolidWorks can use Dropbox's sync folder pretty well as long as SolidWorks is placed in a multi-user environment for use with assemby design. Although Dropbox does keep versions, it cannot be used to allow two users to work on the same file so avoid trying that...I already have.

Overall there are a few things that Dropbox could use to really become that missing link for remote teams and I talk to a couple, one of which I think it great but is not on Windows so make sure you tell them you want to see a Windows version soon! ~Lou

Remember to check out the SolidWorks: Heard! Blog and to follow me on Twitter, Facebook and THE HEaRD! 

SolidWorks:Heard! - Episode 288 - SolidWorks PDM Integrations

SolidWorks PDM Integrations:

This podcast covers the "out of the box" integration with some of the core features and gold partner add-ins with both SolidWorks Workgroup and Enterprise PDM. Topics covered:

- Compare Utilities (Drawings, Documents, Geometry, Features, BOM)

- Workgroup PDM issues with Compare tools in Windows 7 and Vista. (SPR 419281 & 335748)

- SolidWorks Revision Tables

- SolidWorks Toolbox

- SolidWorks Design Library

- CircuitWorks Libraries

- DriveWorks Pro 6 & 7

Over the years I have talked about PDM and the various tools in SolidWorks that can talk to PDM but I wanted to highlight some of the tight integration attributes for the SolidWorks user.  Many of the compare tools have been able to take advantage of the version/revisions within the PDM environment.  Workgroup PDM has always been the highly integrated option for SolidWorks users but Enterprise has really taken the lead in the past couple of releases.

Despite the advances, Enterprise PDM still lacks some of the tool-specific integaration like Workgroup into the compare tools, revision tables and the design library.  With the adoption of Windows 7 (starting with Vista), almost all the compare tools are no longer available to Workgroup PDM due to the lack of the vault browser (located on the left side of Windows Explorer in the File Open dialog).  This has been missing now since SolidWorks 2007 Pre release, when Vista was in testing, and officially was supported with SolidWorks 2008.  I am surprised this has not been remedied to date since the only workaround is to check out one version, save a copy, and repeat for another version to compare.  This approach side steps PDM and adds a substantial amount of work and manual file management to the user.  

To many users' surprise, both CircuitWorks and DriveWorks Pro have integrations into both PDM products from SolidWorks.  Out-of-the-box integration to PDM helps the adoption of add-in products like CW and DW! As PDM becomes more mainstream with the SolidWorks user, tight integration will become an important evaluation criteria! ~Lou

Remember to check out the SolidWorks: Heard! Blog and to follow me on Twitter, Facebook and THE HEaRD!