Note

All SolidPractices are written as guidelines. It is a strong recommendation to use these documents only after properly evaluating your requirements. Distribution of this document is limited to Dassault Systèmes SolidWorks employees, VARs and customers that are on active subscription. You may not post this document on blogs or any internal or external forums without prior written authorization from Dassault Systèmes SolidWorks Corporation.

This document was updated using version SOLIDWORKS Composer 2023 SP04. If you have questions or need assistance in understanding the content, please get in touch with your designated reseller.

Preface

The SOLIDWORKS Composer update functionality earns high commendation and use, but it is widely misunderstood. Because this functionality is dependent on the 3D CAD data source of your SOLIDWORKS Composer document, the topic of data translation is just as, if not more important, and should be considered in tandem.

The purpose of this SolidPractices document is two-fold. First, the document explains how you should import SOLIDWORKS data into SOLIDWORKS Composer so that the data is prepared for updating. Secondly, the document explains the update functionality to help alleviate any confusion and misunderstanding. When you understand these objectives and establish proper expectations about what the update functionality is capable of, you will have the confidence to effectively engage the tasks at hand.

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1. Understanding Data Translation
2. What is data translation?

Data translation is the combination of software and workflow that allows information that originates in one application to be interpreted by another application. In the context of SOLIDWORKS and SOLIDWORKS Composer, 3D CAD data created in SOLIDWORKS (*.sldprt, *.sldasm) is translated into 3D technical communication data in SOLIDWORKS Composer (*.smg or *.smgXml, *.smgGeom).

Due to the nature of data translation, limitations will always exist. Additionally, data that is important to a SOLIDWORKS file may not be important to a SOLIDWORKS Composer file, and vice versa. Therefore, data translation is never a 100% accurate process.

Preparing for data translation

Before defining and translating SOLIDWORKS data, there are several things that you must know:

1. Have a general understanding of the data.
2. Know the location of the data

• Is it stored locally on the SOLIDWORKS client machines?
• Is it stored in a shared network location?
• Is it managed within a SOLIDWORKS PDM vault?

1. Know if you have access to the data (read-only access is sufficient)
2. Define a workflow1 for using the data.
3. Define what you need from the data

• Do you only need a visual representation of the geometry?
• Do you require high or low quality?
• Do you need specific information like meta-data (custom properties, BOM information), display states (colors, transparency), etc.?

1. Define how you will access and translate the data you need
2. Define what file formats will allow you to achieve your objective
3. Ensure that your version of SOLIDWORKS Composer supports the version of SOLIDWORKS data.

For detailed installation information, Refer to the document “SolidPractices: Installing and Setting Up SOLIDWORKS Composer and SOLIDWORKS Translator”.

With the rebranding of the 3DVIA Composer software to SOLIDWORKS Composer, it is easier to understand the support model for SOLIDWORKS file versions. The major version number of SOLIDWORKS Composer matches with the major version of SOLIDWORKS. For example:

• SOLIDWORKS Composer 2021 supports the import of SOLIDWORKS 2006 – 2021 version files.
• SOLIDWORKS Composer 2019 supports the import of SOLIDWORKS 2006 – 2019 versioned files.

SOLIDWORKS Composer cannot import SOLIDWORKS 2005 and older version files.

1. Know the limitations of data translation.

The following table outlines the data in SOLIDWORKS part and assembly files that is possible to translate to SOLIDWORKS Composer. Note that it is not possible to translate SOLIDWORKS drawing files.

• Assemblies > Use Large Assembly Mode
• Assemblies > Use Large Design Review
• Performance > Automatically load components lightweight

Translating Data

When you have an understanding of your SOLIDWORKS data, what parts of that data are translatable, and decide upon a workflow, you can then choose a method of translation. There are three primary methods of translating SOLIDWORKS data to SOLIDWORKS Composer:

Export from SOLIDWORKS

You can export SOLIDWORKS part and assembly files to the *.smg file format by using the SOLIDWORKS Composer add-in3. This method involves collaboration between a SOLIDWORKS user and a SOLIDWORKS Composer user. The intent is for a SOLIDWORKS user who does not have access to SOLIDWORKS Composer to create *.smg files. The SOLIDWORKS user then provides the *.smg files to the SOLIDWORKS Composer user.

Effective with the release of SOLIDWORKS 2018, users have control over what SOLIDWORKS Composer options are used to create the *.smg files. It is also possible to modify these SOLIDWORKS Composer default import options manually4.

The following image shows the SOLIDWORKS Export options for SOLIDWORKS Composer (*.SMG) files.

SOLIDWORKS 2017 introduced the 3D Interconnect functionality, which allows you to insert major third-party CAD formats directly into a SOLIDWORKS document. This functionality replaces the traditional translation processes with integrated workflows that allow for seamless interoperability between third-party CAD data and the SOLIDWORKS software. The 3D Interconnect functionality supports data for solids, surfaces and references5.

You can turn the 3D Interconnect feature off and on for SOLIDWORKS Translator as well6. If using SOLIDWORKS Translator, you are limited to the file types that are available in the SOLIDWORKS Composer Open dialog box. For related information, see the “Importing and Opening Files > About Supported Import Formats” section of the SOLIDWORKS Composer User's Guide.

If you have a commercial version of SOLIDWORKS installed and 3D Interconnect enabled, then you can save any of these file types as an SMG file.

Import into SOLIDWORKS Composer

• *.smg
• *.smgXml
• *.smgProj

This is the recommended method because it provides full control over which options are used to create the SOLIDWORKS Composer files. You can specify the import options, refinement settings, the geometry compression level, and more.

This method requires you to have a commercially licensed version of SOLIDWORKS installed OR a SOLIDWORKS Translator installation. Each license purchase of SOLIDWORKS Composer includes SOLIDWORKS Translator7.

SOLIDWORKS Translator provides the exact same translation capabilities as SOLIDWORKS. Therefore, it is NOT recommended to install both products on the same machine. Installing both products is redundant, uses extra disk space, and increases the installation time. If both products are installed, SOLIDWORKS Translator takes precedence and is used for all data translations.

Performance of the import varies based upon the importer (SOLIDWORKS or SOLIDWORKS Translator), import options, and tessellation8.

1. SOLIDWORKS Options

This option is available only upon selection of a SOLIDWORKS file. It specifies which configuration to convert. If you select the Import meta-properties import option, the name of the selected configuration is added as a meta-property. It also gives you option to import SOLIDWORKS BOM and assembly envelope.

Enable this option to import a Bill of Materials (BOM) that exists in a SOLIDWORKS part or assembly. If you disable the Import SOLIDWORKS BOM option, then the resulting SMG file will not include a BOM. Instead, you have the choice to create a new BOM by using the BOM Workshop in SOLIDWORKS Composer.

The following image shows a SOLIDWORKS assembly with BOM imported with Import SOLIDWORKS BOM enabled.

Enable this option to import envelopes that are contained in SOLIDWORKS assembly. Previously, SOLIDWORKS Composer always imported assembly envelopes.

The following image shows a SOLIDWORKS assembly with the Import SOLIDWORKS assembly envelope option enabled, and then not enabled.

The 3DVIA Composer V6R2013x software introduced Import profiles. There are two default SOLIDWORKS profiles, SOLIDWORKS (default) and SOLIDWORKS with Surface Parts. You should choose one of these profiles and apply the profile in the SOLIDWORKS Composer Default Document Properties. This will ensure that the proper options are always set in the Open dialog box.

 

Merge file into one actor per part

The following image shows the same assembly (ASM BOOM 14) imported with the Merge file into one actor per part option (left), and without the option (right).

the option, the structure of the SOLIDWORKS Composer assembly tree is easier to navigate. You can click on a part or geometry node to see the properties. The part or geomerty node name also matches the SOLIDWORKS component name.

Without the option, the structure of the SOLIDWORKS Composer assembly tree is more complicated to navigate. The icons can be confusing; the “part” icon is an assembly node. You must therefore turn on Assembly Selection Mode to select the node, see the component properties, create a BOM ID, , etc. The “cube” icon indicates a part or geometry node. The node name matches the name of the SOLIDWORKS component’s solid body.

You should not use this option if your part files contain multiple solid or surface bodies (such as weldments and sheet metal) and if your SOLIDWORKS Composer usage requires you to change, move, or identify those bodies individually.

Import as bodies

This option is redundant with the Merge file into one actor per part option. If you disable this option but have the Merge file into one actor per part option enabled, the assembly tree will be the same as an import in which both options are enabled.

If the Merge file into one actor per part and Import as bodies options are both disabled, each face of a component will be imported as a part or geometry node nested under the component’s assembly node. This is the same effect as importing with the Merge file into one actor per part option disabled, the Import as bodies option enabled, and then exploding a geometry node.

 

Import meta-properties

meta-property. It is not possible to translate Cut List properties.

Select the Overload assembly tree names option to use the text value associated to a given meta-property to display instead of the actor names in the assembly tree. If the part has the same property name (such as Description), then the part actor name will be replaced also.

Import instance names

Suggest to enable this option as it will make the name more “unique”. This will help the software to avoid assigning random instance numbers during the update (in some releases).

Enable this option if you want to import SOLIDWORKS surface bodies. The following image depicts this case while using the SOLIDWORKS (default) import profile.

Enable this option if you want to import SOLIDWORKS components that are hidden.

By default, SOLIDWORKS Composer generates its own tessellation8 for imported SOLIDWORKS data. This tessellation is determined by the refinement settings9 chosen in the Open dialog box. By default, the Relative > Chordal error option is set with a medium quality. As with all default settings, this typically satisfies the users need.

If you require higher quality tessellation (which is often the case when using Silhouette render mode or when creating Technical Illustrations in SOLIDWORKS Composer), it is possible to adjust the refinement settings. In these cases, a user should import their SOLIDWORKS data several times, using different combinations of refinement settings, and then compare the results to pick the settings that meet their needs.

In general, the Chordal error option is most appropriate for use with datasets where components do not differ drastically in size, whereas normal deviation works best with datasets where components do differ drastically in size. In cases where a dataset consists of both large and small scale geometry, choosing the Chordal error option will result in the large scale geometry having much better quality than the small scale geometry, and vice versa for normal deviation10. The Absolute refinement option can be chosen to use both tessellation techniques as a compromise. Note however that if choosing the Absolute refinement the Edge length setting is not applicable for SOLIDWORKS data.

Similar to the default refinement settings being satisfactory for most needs, the SOLIDWORKS Composer default Geometry compression setting of ‘Medium, is satisfactory for most needs as well. The Geometry compression11 option exists in File > Properties > Default Document Properties > Output. For this setting to apply to the tessellation, you must assign the setting before import. Also, the geometry compression choice affects the file size of *.smg and *.smgGeom files. For example, choosing the High (low quality) option will result in a smaller file size than choosing the Low (high quality) option.

In addition to adjusting refinement settings to create higher quality tessellation, you can also set the geometry compression to Low (high quality) to create higher quality.

A SOLIDWORKS Composer Enterprise Sync license also provides you with the ability to schedule translations and or integrate translations into SOLIDWORKS PDM workflows via a command-line interface.

1. Understanding the Update Functionality
2. What is an update?

Design changes and revisions in SOLIDWORKS data constantly occur. Updates within SOLIDWORKS Composer is a similar task; it is a means of applying the SOLIDWORKS data design changes to your SOLIDWORKS Composer documents so that there is no need to recreate them.

Preparing for an update

Prior knowledge of the SOLIDWORKS Composer data translation capabilities makes understanding (and troubleshooting) the update functionality much easier. However, before considering an update, there are additional topics that require an understanding. These topics are:

1. Assembly tree12

Be familiar with the assembly tree that results from your SOLIDWORKS data import. As discussed earlier, the import options chosen for that import will dictate the structure of the tree.

1. Root node12

The part or assembly root node of the tree (identified by the “earth” symbol) tells you the name of the SOLIDWORKS file that was imported.

1. Visibility12

Be familiar with what geometry (and collaboration) actors are visible in the tree, in animation mode, at time zero (discussion of this follows). Also, as part of your workflow (on page 5), determine what property to choose in File > Properties > Default Document Properties > Update > Views (on page 28).

1. Structure12

Be familiar with the structure of the geometry actors in the tree. Know whether there are assemblies

Be familiar with what assembly selection mode is and how it works.

1. User Properties

User properties (also known as meta-properties) are translated from SOLIDWORKS’ custom and configuration-specific properties. These properties are only available if you choose the Import meta-properties option during import. If imported, be aware of how the configuration-specific properties are different from the custom properties. The configuration-specific property names have a “config” suffix. Note that to see part and assembly node user properties, you must use assembly selection mode must be used).

1. Debug Properties13

To enable the Debug properties, go to File > Application Preferences > Advanced Settings > DEBUG INFORMATION. Of these properties, the properties that are important for understanding and troubleshooting the update functionality (on page 22) are:

• CAD source file

This is the file path of the SOLIDWORKS file that was imported. It is also the file path that will display when you run the

Update SOLIDWORKS Composer Document

command.

• GUID and net GUID

GUID is a Windows® term that stands for “globally unique identifier”. SOLIDWORKS Composer borrows this terminology and uses it as a way of uniquely identify and manage every actor (geometry and collaborative) in a file. For geometry actors, the GUID is based on the name of the actor. The GUID of a SOLIDWORKS Composer part has a prefix of “P”. The GUID of a SOLIDWORKS Composer assembly has a prefix of “A”.

Net GUID is a concatenation of GUIDs. The net GUID of a geometry actor depends on the import options used. The net GUID is also a useful way to determine whether a geometry actor is a part or an assembly.

Consider the following examples:

The following Figure 1 shows selection of the 0315 02005-01 _ TUBO CUAD node in the assembly tree. The GUID is “P0315 02005-01 _ TUBO CUAD”. This identifies the actor as a part. The net GUID is “ARetractable Boom.A0315 02005_TUBO HEMBRA DE BOOM 14.P0315 02005-01 _ TUBO CUAD”. This tells us (from right to left) that the part is contained in the assembly 0315 02005_TUBO HEMBRA DE BOOM 14, which is contained in the assembly Retractable Boom.

Figure 2 shows the selection of the 0315 02005_TUBO HEMBRA DE BOOM 14 node in the assembly tree. The GUID is “A0315 02005_TUBO HEMBRA DE BOOM 14”, which tells us that the actor is an assembly. The net GUID is “ARetractable Boom.A0315 02005_TUBO HEMBRA DE BOOM 14”. This tells us that the assembly is contained in the assembly Retractable Boom.

In Figure 3, the 0315 02005-01 _ TUBO CUAD node is selected in the assembly tree. The GUID is “A0315 02005-01 _ TUBO CUAD”, which identifies the actor as an assembly. The net GUID is “ARetractable Boom.A0315 02005_TUBO HEMBRA DE BOOM 14.A0315 02005-01 _ TUBO CUAD”. This tells us that the assembly is contained in the assembly “0315 02005_TUBO HEMBRA DE BOOM 14”, which is contained in the Retractable Boom assembly.

Updating SOLIDWORKS Composer Documents

There are three methods of updating SOLIDWORKS Composer documents:

Update geometry

The Update geometry command is the precursor to the

Update SOLIDWORKS Composer Document

command. The Update geometry command is available from the Geometry tab of all SOLIDWORKS Composer releases. properties at File > Default Document Properties > Update14. By default, Modify geometry is the only active property.

If the selected geometry actor has a different assembly tree name than the name of the SOLIDWORKS file chosen, the following message appears. You can choose Yes to force the update if file names are not important to you.

As a result of the limitations of the Update geometry command, the

Update SOLIDWORKS Composer Document

command was developed and introduced in the 3DVIA Composer V6R2009 product to resolve some of those limitations.

Update SOLIDWORKS Composer Document

command via the Views properties at File > Default Document Properties > Update14. By default, the Visible assemblies property is active.

Update SOLIDWORKS Composer Document

is a monolithic update. In other words, you update an entire SOLIDWORKS Composer document with either another SOLIDWORKS Composer document (*.smg or *.smgXml), or a SOLIDWORKS file. Additionally, it is not necessary to preselect geometry or nodes before updating. Refer to the following table. In addition to updating geometry, the

Update SOLIDWORKS Composer Document

command also updates views, neutral properties of actors (at the time zero of the document animation15), relative position of actors, and metadata. You can also update part and assembly nodes if using the proper assembly structure16. The update works by matching the net GUIDs of actors with net GUIDs that are interpolated from the new/updating data.

The matching of net GUIDs must be exact. If it is not possible to match a net GUID, that actor will be removed from the SOLIDWORKS Composer document, even if customizations were made to that actor. This will result in, for example, empty or blank views because the geometry actors are hidden and/or collaborative actors (labels, callouts, etc.) that were previously attached to actors becoming unattached, with their content being blank or wrong. The mismatching of net GUIDs accounts for most update problems.

To avoid mismatching net GUIDs and ensure a proper update, consider the following rules and limitations:17

• If updating from a SOLIDWORKS file, you must select the same name SOLIDWORKS file that was imported to create the SOLIDWORKS Composer file.

The root node name in the assembly tree and the name of the SOLIDWORKS file must always match. You can change the root node name and/or the SOLIDWORKS file name so that they match, however you may experience unexpected results. For example, imagine that you import Assembly1 to create a SOLIDWORKS Composer document. There is then a modification to that assembly, which is saved as Assembly2. If Assembly2 is selected to update, the update will fail. For the update to succeed, it would be necessary to either change the name of the root node to Assembly2, or change the SOLIDWORKS file name to Assembly1.

Also, do not update from another SOLIDWORKS Composer document whose actors have different net GUIDs. Note that you can change the names of actors in the assembly tree because doing so does not change their net GUID.

• When updating the file, you must use the same import options that were used to create the SOLIDWORKS Composer file14.
• Geometry, part, and assembly nodes must not be reordered in the assembly tree. The Update SOLIDWORKS Composer Document command will overwrite the existing assembly tree with the assembly tree of the updating file.
• Do not merge CAD files or SOLIDWORKS Composer documents into the SOLIDWORKS Composer document being updated. Doing so violates the previous rule. Files that are merged into a SOLIDWORKS Composer SOLIDWORKS document are removed after updating (unless you update from a SOLIDWORKS Composer document that has the same files already merged into it) because they do not exist in the updating file.

If updating from a SOLIDWORKS Composer document, manually created meta-properties will not be removed. However, these properties will also not be updated if both SOLIDWORKS Composer documents contain the same manually created meta-properties.

1. Update from SOLIDWORKS Composer Sync

You can also use SOLIDWORKS Composer Sync to update SOLIDWORKS Composer documents. Again, this is an administrative method of updating data that is automated and requires a separate license of Sync. This method, however, only updates SOLIDWORKS Composer documents with the SOLIDWORKS data that was imported to create them. You cannot use SOLIDWORKS Composer Sync to update one SOLIDWORKS Composer document with another SOLIDWORKS Composer document.

A SOLIDWORKS Composer Enterprise Sync license also provides the ability to schedule updates and/or integrate updates into SOLIDWORKS PDM workflows via a command-line interface.

SOLIDWORKS Composer 2020 introduced the ability to import all exploded, saved, and named views in SOLIDWORKS files via the Advanced Property IOSWImportExplodeViews.

This option is available for the following Open options:

• Open (File > Open)
• Merge into the current Document (Open file dialog box)
• Merge into a new Document (Open file dialog box)

After making a configuration in the SOLIDWORKS file and saving the file, you can import the exploded views into SOLIDWORKS Composer using the following steps:

1. Click File > Open.
2. In the Open dialog box, browse to and select the SOLIDWORKS file to import, but do not click Open.
3. In the left pane of the import options, click SOLIDWORKS.
4. Ensure that the Import SOLIDWORKS Explode Views and Saved Views option is active.
5. Click Open.

pane, the Views tab displays the saved and named views and the steps of the exploded views.

Importing Appearances from SOLIDWORKS Files

SOLIDWORKS Composer 2020 also introduced the Import SOLIDWORKS appearance option. Previously, SOLIDWORKS Composer imported all appearances silently whether you wanted them or not.

> Open.

• In the Open dialog box, browse to and select the SOLIDWORKS file to import, but do not click Open.
• In the left pane of the import options, click SOLIDWORKS.
• Ensure that the Import SOLIDWORKS appearance option is active (the default), and click Open.

• We hope that you find this document informational and useful and request that you leave a brief feedback about the topics that you want us to cover in the next revision of this document. Click here for a complete list of SolidPractices documents available from DS SOLIDWORKS Corp.

  1. A SolidPractices document that discusses the topic of SOLIDWORKS Composer workflows is planned for future publication.↩︎
  2. If using SOLIDWORKS Translator, see the QA article QA00000111642.↩︎
  3. Note: Download & install the free SOLIDWORKS Composer Player to install this add-in.↩︎
  4. It’s possible to change some of the import options by manually modifying the registry; see the QA article QA00000107224.↩︎
  5. To see the type of data that 3D Interconnect supports, see the “SOLIDWORKS 3D Interconnect” section under “Import and Export” of SOLIDWORKS Help.↩︎
  6. It is possible to turn on or off in the SOLIDWORKS Translator for SOLIDWORKS Composer; see the QA article QA00000121050.↩︎
  7. To download and install SOLIDWORKS Translator, see the QA article QA00000116416.↩︎
  8. See the “IOSWImportGraphicData” section of the “Managing (Default) Document Properties – Advanced Properties -Properties” topic of the SOLIDWORKS Composer Help for detailed information. When this property is enabled, tessellation quality depends on a) the SOLIDWORKS, Document Properties > Image Quality > “Save tessellation with part document”, being enabled for all imported files, and b) the “Shaded and draft quality HLR/HLV resolution” quality specified.↩︎
  9. See the “Refinement” section of the “Managing (Default) Document Properties – Input” topic of the SOLIDWORKS Composer Help for detailed information.↩︎
  10. See the QA article QA00000107797 for an example.↩︎
  11. See the “Geometry compression” section of the “Managing (Default) Document Properties – Output” topic of the SOLIDWORKS Composer Help for detailed information.↩︎
  12. See the “Assembly Pane” section of the “Working with the Left Panes” topic of the SOLIDWORKS Composer Help for detailed information.↩︎
  13. See the “Debug Properties” section of the “Editing Actor Properties” topic of the SOLIDWORKS Composer Help for detailed information.↩︎
  14. See the “Managing (Default) Document Properties – Update” topic of the SOLIDWORKS Composer Help for detailed information.↩︎
  15. Perform updates while in Animation mode to avoid changes to collaborative actor visibility in animations.↩︎
  16. See the QA article QA00000110473.↩︎
  17. The rules/limitations are listed in the QA article QA00000114800.↩︎