DriveWorks Solo 22

How To: Implementation Guide

Setting up a DriveWorks implementation requires SOLIDWORKS and DriveWorks Solo and will always involve the following:

Running a DriveWorks implementation is using the user forms, from within the SOLIDWORKS task pane, to capture the customer requirements of the product.

Once the user forms have been used in this way the data entered is referred to as a specification.

DriveWorks Solo offers two ways a project can be run

Icon	Run Method	Description
	Run Project	Opens the forms to specify the DriveWorks Solo Project
	Run Project in Layout Mode	Requires an assembly to be active in SOLIDWORKS Opens the forms to specify multiple variants and insert them into the active assembly.

Generating the outputs that are required from a specification is done from the DriveWorks Solo task pane inside SOLIDWORKS. Generation can be done by the following methods:

Icon	Generation Method	Description
	Preview	The resulting model can be previewed by clicking the Preview button at any point during the running of the user forms. Creates the new models with temporary names and locations while the forms are running, allowing further changes to be made to the data on the forms. Rules that result in features or components to be deleted will be suppressed in the previewed model.
	Auto Preview	After the Preview button is clicked any further changes to the data on the user forms will automatically rebuild the model incorporating the changes. (Removing the mouse pointer focus away from the changed form control will trigger the rebuild) Creates the new models with temporary names and locations while the forms are running, allowing further changes to be made to the data on the forms. Rules that result in features or components to be deleted will be suppressed in the previewed model.
	Preview Drawings	Once the model is loaded in Preview mode the drawings attached to the top level assembly can be previewed.
	Preview Documents	Any documents set up to be generated can be previewed
	Finish	Finalizes the outputs with the required file names in the required locations. Launches a dialog with further Finish options. Rules that result in features or components to be deleted will be deleted in the finalized model.

• Lesson 1: Model Capture
• Lesson 2: Project Designer
• Lesson 3: Building Rules
• Lesson 4: Running your Project
• Lesson 5: File name and Relative Path Rules
• Lesson 6: Replacing Files
• Lesson 7: Tables
• Lesson 8: Form Navigation
• Lesson 9: Improving Your Forms
• Lesson 10: Driving Replacement Files
• Lesson 11: Controlling Custom Properties
• Lesson 12: Documents
• Lesson 13: Controlling Drawings

Selection of the first product to automate is critical.

Don’t select the simplest product, or the most complex, but do take into account the most time consuming at the current time (without automation) while factoring in how many of these products are produced. In short, which product do you spend most time producing.

When automating CAD models, next ask yourself if it is worth automating a subset of models first. This is particularly relevant for large and often very complex assemblies and may not be necessary for smaller, easier to manage assemblies.

If one particular area, of the selected product, currently takes a larger portion of time to design then that may be a good starting point.

Now is the time to create a New Project to begin building the user forms.

Tip Box

The Create Project Wizard also allows data created with DriveWorksXpress to be imported into DriveWorks Solo.

Creating the User Forms

Before automating the design of this first product, we recommend taking time to create the user interface, even before the models are captured in DriveWorks.

Creating a user interface can help define the assembly structure of your models for scalability and flexibility going forward. It will also help with defining the information required on any documentation required and structuring any data that is to be used.

Don’t spend too long at this stage on making the user forms look nice, or setting up the Error Result properties to indicate invalid data, these can be addressed later. Also controls can be cut and pasted onto additional forms at any point, so form navigation is not very important at this stage (unless there are an exceptional large amount of form controls from the outset).

Project Structure

Creating the user forms will also help define the project structure within DriveWorks.

The project structure will develop with the implementation, so do not be overly concerned with this for now but the project structure will dictate:

Once the User forms have been created, the next step is to capture the master templates that will be used to automatically generate the required outputs.

The master templates could be SOLIDWORKS models that will ultimately create manufacturing or sales drawings.

DriveWorks will always create the native file the captured template, from here additional file types, that are required as deliverables, can also be automatically generated.

Tip Box

At this stage just be aware of the deliverable outputs that will be required. Concentrate on creating the native templates first.

The chart below lists the most common additional file that can be produced from the native template file.

*Other additional file formats can be produced automatically.

Create the native templates

You may already have SOLIDWORKS models and drawings that can be used as templates to be automated. If so the chances are you have taken advantage of some SOLIDWORKS functionality designed to make manual manipulation of the models quicker. Be aware that these types of features do not necessarily mean things will be easier with full blown design automation. Our guide How To: SOLIDWORKS Best Practices highlights the areas to look out for.

Additionally adding complexity to the models in the form of In-context (top down) design or equations only serves to slow down model generation and makes maintaining the implementation more difficult. We always recommend capturing the design intent firmly in DriveWorks.

Assemblies

If the structure of how the product is assembled is already in place capture the top level assembly.

If the structure of how the product is assembled is not yet defined or could change then capture a sub set of components that will ultimately form part of the top level assembly. DriveWorks allows for changing top level assembly structures. More information can be found in the article How To: Maintain Rules For An Existing Model When It Becomes A Child Of A Parent Assembly

Drawings

Drawings are an essential part of design automation as they are invariably required to manufacture or even sell your product.

As drawings are a by product of 3D models being produced for now just create a drawing with the required part or assembly detailed on it. Capture this to the corresponding model.

At this point do not worry about drawing scale or if the views or dimensions overlap. Do not even worry about populating the drawing borders or including notes. This can be done later once you are confident the model on the drawing is doing what is required.

What we mean here is data that already exists in text files and spreadsheets. Data that can be of use to DriveWorks, this can be anything from tolerance tables to pricing information, from product matrices to stock lists.

Spreadsheets

Spreadsheet information can be copied and pasted into DriveWorks. Formatting of the data table is essential to make good use of the data in DriveWorks. The data can be re-copied at any time if it has been modified or it can be edited directly in DriveWorks.

The topic  Define Tables has more information on the types of tables that can be created in DriveWorks.

Creating the Rules

Now is the time to create rules that will link through from the user forms to drive the models.

Rules are used throughout DriveWorks. This is not just limited to the parameters captured from the templates to be driven, but can be used on form controls to dynamically change appearance, layout and behavioral properties (see Form Design). Rules can decide which forms are shown (see  Form Navigation) and even instigate a process the specification will take.

When building rules the DriveWorks  Rules Builder is used. The rules builder provides rules insight to help with rule construction, links to make use of data, constants and variables created in the project and useful help and diagnostic feedback to ensure the rule is valid and equates to the result you expect.

Tip Box

DriveWorks will automatically assign a special variable to name the critical files to be produced. This is an auto-number that will be appended to the template file name. At this stage do not be concerned with how your automatically generated outputs are named or stored. It is better to leave this until the content of the outputs are to your satisfaction.

At this point we should just be concerned with applying rules that will drive any data on the user forms and the parameters captured from the required template outputs.

Rules can be applied directly to any Captured parameter or Dynamic form control property, but if the same rule is used elsewhere it is better to create it as a variable.

Make as much use of Variables (see  Define Variables) as you can, as this will give the most flexibility going forward.  Do remember however to categorize your variables to make them easier to work with.

The topic  Common Functions lists the functions DriveWorks provides for rule building.

DriveWorks Solo has extensive in-built testing and diagnostics to help verify the work you have implemented. The ultimate test will come by running sample specifications through and generating the outputs automatically, but the majority of inaccuracies can be identified during the setting up of the implementation.

The areas that can be tested effectively without generating outputs are as follows:

• User Interface - The general functioning of each individual user form and the controls on it can be tested using the Test button in the form designer.
• Data and Rules - Variables calculate in real time, as long as any form control used in any rule has a valid value.
• Output Rules - All output rules calculate in real time, as long as any form control used in any rule has a valid value.

Additionally DriveWorks Solo produces reports post model generation. These indicate what was done to each model generated and if it was successful or not.

This can be a fun exercise and will make your implementation appealing for colleagues to use and provide a greater level of automation in the outputs. Plus if you have followed the advice above, you are already benefitting from a good level of automation.

User forms - Follow these tips for enhancing the forms your target audience will use

Documents - Tidy the document templates up

Drawings

Names - Adopt your preferred naming conventions.

File Paths - Get the outputs stored where you want them.

All outputs will be stored in the Results folder, unless the result of the rule for the Relative Path parameter of any output is an absolute path (for example - G:\DriveWorks\Alternative Generated Outputs).

Where the result of the rule for the Path parameter of any output is relative (for example ON123\Models) and the location does not exist DriveWorks will create it.