SOLIDWORKS Electrical 2D comes with a basic set of wire styles intended as a starting point. Though with any starting point, we can do a lot more. To that end, we will need to customize an existing style or create a new one using the Wire Management tool. This is the central location for wire style information throughout the project. Here we will explore some options for creating customized wire numbers.
When SOLIDWORKS Electrical is first installed, the Manufacturer Parts Library includes a collection of manufacturer parts inside the database. This is intended as a starting set of parts. Not every user will want all of these, and some will want more. Often, there is a need to share manufacturer parts. You may want to have a common set of parts that are used in projects created or modified at other locations. To facilitate this, we can use the archive and unarchive tools in the Manufacturer Parts Library Manager.
Sometimes, the need arises to move a SOLIDWORKS Electrical Server to a new machine. Whatever the reason, making the move without losing any data and with minimal client interruption is critical. SOLIDWORKS Electrical uses SQL for metadata and file management. To recreate this on a new machine, you must have a complete archive of the present SOLIDWORKS Electrical environment.
There may come a time when the uninstallation of SOLIDWORKS Electrical is necessary. Whether the goal is to perform a clean reinstallation of the program or to completely remove it from a particular workstation, these steps will eliminate all items associated with SOLIDWORKS Electrical. These items include program files and folders, registry entries, data files and folders, and download files and folders.
SOLIDWORKS Electrical includes a set of symbols. These symbols might be sufficient for your requirements, or you may need to create your own to meet a specific standard. You can either start from scratch beginning by drawing the image, adding the attributes and connection points, and adjusting the appearance to suit your needs or modify an existing symbol.
It might become necessary to manually create an SQL instance for use with SOLIDWORKS Electrical, for example when upgrading to a newer version that requires an upgraded version of SQL Express. The installation manager will find the existing previous SQL version and not continue. As the installation manager is not able to perform this upgrade the installation process will stop. A solution is to create a new SQL instance manually. This solution can also be useful in cases where the SQL instance needs to be replaced. The previous instance can be removed later once it is verified that it is no longer required.
In SOLIDWORKS, a misaligned concentric mate is a way to link a pair of concentric mates that would otherwise over-constrain the assembly. By allowing some deviation, the mates can resolve without errors. For example, if you have components with a pair of holes, you can mate those components even when the holes are not the same distance apart.
In SOLIDWORKS, blocks are a collection of sketch entities and even notes that can be saved for use in multiple parts, assemblies, and drawings. This can be a valuable time saver, especially for those entities used frequently. Think about sketches or notes that you may be using cut and paste for. Those can be saved as blocks in the design library, or other convenient location, for ready access without the need to open a previous file. In this guide, we'll demonstrate creating a block in SOLIDWORKS and how to reuse it.
In SOLIDWORKS, tables are used to annotate drawings and assemblies. Their appearance can be driven by a company standard, personal preference, or for clarifying information. A table template helps maintain consistency and avoid customizing tables for each use. Here, we will take a look at the tools available and how to use a customized table template in SOLIDWORKS.