Marc Young, Managing Partner, xLM Solutions 

Last summer we told you about our solution to resolve missing SolidWorks References in ENOVIA V6. Like many of our solutions, it came about from conversations with customers. They were looking for ways to streamline data migrations from SMARTEAM to Enovia, and resolve problems with the creation of correct file references. They ended up creating a manual work-around – always a time-consuming and error-prone response.

The SolidWorks Add-in Reference Tool checks for any missing references within Enovia and automatically replaces them when a SolidWorks file is opened in 3DExperience SolidWorks Integration. It automates the manual process and only takes seconds to fix compared to an hour.

Based on our testing and continued research, we are happy to announce that the tool now works against the latest release of ENOVIA 2017x. It is a working solution, but it should work against any ENOVIA release.

How does it work?

Upon opening a SolidWorks file with missing references, the add-in will search 3DExperience for a file of same type and name in its latest revision and replace it in the local SolidWorks session as well as build the necessary 3DExperience links on check in. The add-in can log the replaced missing referenced files and optionally prompt the user with a message on the screen as well.

The add-in is as easy to deploy as any other SolidWorks add-in.

Engineering Systems Manager at Lippert Components, Inc., Ed Fennen told us:

As we moved from SmarTeam to ENOVIA, Lippert required a custom solution to support the ENOVIA to SolidWorks integration. Upon opening the assembly within SolidWorks, this custom solution developed by xLM Solutions automatically retrieves missing referenced SolidWorks models used by the SolidWorks assembly. This custom solution has permitted Lippert to successfully transition to ENOVIA, and has saved us thousands of man-hours.

Project Manager at Beckman Coulter, Don Dorff described his experience with the new tool:

As we began our data migration from SMARTEAM to Enovia, we experienced issues with incorrect file references. It was going to cost us if we didn’t do it right the first time. With xLM’s SolidWorks Missing Reference tool, we were able to successfully automate searches to open unlinked files, which helped us be more efficient and accurate. 

Read more about SOLIDWORKS Migration to ENOVIA and the 3D Experience Platform.