Problem- SolidWorks 09 files

[mdlmkr]

Does anyone know if the newest Surfcam will open up a SolidWorks 09 file natively?? I have Mastercam also and I am having problems there too.

Please help.

[hpmor]

Yes, it does open the 09 file with no trouble.

[hpmor]

What I fiind so far is surfcam has good associativity with solidworks.
It won't open a pro-e file or iges file correctly. What I do for the pro-e file is I'll open with solidworks and save and then open from surfcam.
Does anyone have any other solution??

[PinnacleMachine]

Originally Posted by mdlmkr Does anyone know if the newest Surfcam will open up a SolidWorks 09 file natively?? I have Mastercam also and I am having problems there too. Please help.

Velocity 3 and older won't open SW 09 - you will need to save them as an XT V18.1 or lower. Velocity 4 will open them.

JP

[Judge Leo]

Another option is to use the prt2dsn add in. Even though it's no longer supported it works with all versions of Solidworks. You will lose associativity with the model but the translation works with all versions of SW and all Surfcam back to at least 2000.

[mdlmkr]

I cannot open a SolidWorks file that was created in 09 with Velocity 4. SC tells me that it is from an older version...

For those of you that have told me that SC V4 can open SLWX 09 files, please let me know how you did it.

[Judge Leo]

Originally Posted by mdlmkr I cannot open a SolidWorks file that was created in 09 with Velocity 4. SC tells me that it is from an older version... For those of you that have told me that SC V4 can open SLWX 09 files, please let me know how you did it.

This probably won't help but I just finished a new model in SW 09' and opened it in SC V3 and V4 with no issues. I am selecting the drop down in the file open dialog then specifying Solidworks file format to see the file.

I don't recall seeing an older version error as older version files should be forward compatible. Future version errors are common when using an older version of either application though.

Perhaps a call to your VAR is in order.

[Darinbee]

SURFCAM uses the SolidWorks Document Manager API (SWDM) to assist when translating SolidWorks files.

By default the SWDM is installed into the C:\Program Files\Common Files\SolidWorks Shared\ folder.

There are three files that handle the translation

SwDocumentMgr.dll - Modified 11/5/2008
IMPLODE.dll - Modified 11/5/2008
zlib.dll - Modified 8/16/2007

It is possible that these files have been overwritten by an older version of the SWDM.

On the SURFCAM Velocity 4 CD there is a Solidworks_Document_Manager folder with instructions on how the re-install the SWDM.

If this fails to resolve you can install SURFCAM Velocity 4 on a different PC and then copy the SWDM files to the other PC. (requires renaming the SWDM files, registered dll files cannot be deleted or overwritten)

Darin Weatherbee
CAMcad Technologies, Inc.

[jetpig1]

Does anyone know how to orient geometries to match in SW and SurfCAM ? I always get the geometry 90 degrees out of rotation, and if I update the file later, after rotating to mill, it becomes a mess..... Is the SWDM any help ?

[Jason S]

Originally Posted by jetpig1 Does anyone know how to orient geometries to match in SW and SurfCAM ? I always get the geometry 90 degrees out of rotation, and if I update the file later, after rotating to mill, it becomes a mess..... Is the SWDM any help ?

I always do my SW files in the FRONT plane, when you import them into SC they will be in to TOP veiw.

I am running SW '09 SP 3 and can open in Vel. 3 & 4 with no issues.

[Judge Leo]

Originally Posted by jetpig1 Does anyone know how to orient geometries to match in SW and SurfCAM ? I always get the geometry 90 degrees out of rotation, and if I update the file later, after rotating to mill, it becomes a mess..... Is the SWDM any help ?

Programming using custom cviews is the answer to keeping associativity working between Surfcam and SW. Search this site for cview and you will find several threads on the subject with some good tips if you aren't familiar with using cviews. The Surfware website may be of help as well. It adds a layer of discipline to the process that can be confusing so proceed with caution, especially if you try to edit an existing file by adding cviews and copying tool paths to the new setup. In my experience it's best to create all your cviews prior to creating any toolpaths.

Aside from that an easy way to keep the geometry from "moving" on you is to copy to a new layer with a number other than the defaults. This requires manually updating your geometry and toolpaths if the model changes and is defeating the purpose of having associativity, but on simple parts can save time.

[jetpig1]

Ok, so if I employ custom cviews, am I to do this in Solidworks, and save as a configuration, so as to produce the correct alignment/associativity of the axis'?

I watch the videos from Surfcam, and they go back and change one feature, then save, and Surfcam notices the change, asks to update, and off they go regenerating the toolpaths.

That would be optimum for me, as I do 4 axis stuff, and streamlining techniques is a personal joy...

-Geo