Email a drawing
Email a drawing
(OP)
Just a quick question as I wrap up this project. I have to send some SW2005 drawings to a shop. Is it required to send the part file along with the drawing? Should I save the drawing in one of the light formats instead? I know that I could use Edrawings, but some people call back and can't figure out how to use it.






RE: Email a drawing
Chris
Sr. Mechanical Designer, CAD
SolidWorks 05 SP1.1 / PDMWorks 05
ctopher's home site
RE: Email a drawing
Best Regards,
Heckler
Do you trust your intuition or go with the flow?
RE: Email a drawing
RE: Email a drawing
RE: Email a drawing
RE: Email a drawing
Using eDrawings is the 3D equivalent of a "Viewer for Dummies" book.
Making the best use of this Forum. FAQ559-716
How to get answers to your SW questions. FAQ559-1091
Helpful SW websites every user should be aware of. FAQ559-520
RE: Email a drawing
Chris
Sr. Mechanical Designer, CAD
SolidWorks 05 SP1.1 / PDMWorks 05
ctopher's home site
RE: Email a drawing
Drawing and assembly files always refer to the part file. So you can have the part files on a network, different directory, different hard drive, etc. and the drawing and assembly files will remember where they found the part files the first time when opening. So you need to be careful not to move the part files when the drawing or assembly files are not opened or you'll have an error (won't find the file automatically).
So. ..if you don't want to tag a part or assembly file along with a drawing file to a vendor, save in a different format, such as PDF, DXF, DWG, or whatever, as ctopher mentioned above.
If you want to send the full SW drawing file, you'll need to find the parts/assemblies it refers to and send them as well. The best way I've found to make sure I'm sending everything needed is to create a new directory on your hard drive, open the drawing or assembly you need to send to your vendor, then File > Find References. Copy all referenced files to the new directory. Now you have only what you need in a single directory. For the cleanest results I don't keep the directory structure, but dump everything into the same directory (remember, you're sending this to a vendor). Zip the files and send them out. They'll be able to read them.
Jeff Mowry
www.industrialdesignhaus.com
Reality is no respecter of good intentions.
RE: Email a drawing
But if you do want to send the SolidWorks drawing file without all of the associated models, you can.
Save As and under Save as type select Detached Drawing
Then you can send the drawing without the models. They will have full access to the drawing sheet, but not the models.
RE: Email a drawing
I have a very strong preference for sending out full sized paper copies of my drawings. The paper copies contain exactly what I put there using SolidWorks. My details and fonts all are big enough to be readable.
Unless the part is very simple, our machine shops always call and ask for DXF files. I do not trust the special character fonts and tolerance specifications in DXF files. You have no control over the software the other guy is using. I do have confidence in the scale 2D drawing, which machine shops use to program their CNC machines. I send them the DXFs addition to the paper copy. DXF files are large, but they compress very will with WINZIP.
If I could not send paper, my next choice would be PDF, but I do not think our vendors have E size printers.
Our sheet metal vendors asks for SolidWorks files and models. They want to get at SolidWorks' sheet metal features,which I used to create the model. I send the SolidWorks drawing and model. I assume that all fabrication drawings and models potentially go out of house, and I keep proprietary information off them. These often get large enough that they do not fit through email. I have to burn them to CD-ROM.
What you send through email has a lot to do with your vendor, and his expertise and resources. I just sent out drawings of a flexible cloth cover. The vendor knows nothing about SolidWorks, DXF, or DWG. They have Corel draw, which I do not. They did manage to read my PDF file, but I do not think they have an E sized printer. I sent paper. Also, I sent JPEG files of the part to help them visualize it.
Stereo laser lithography vendors like STL files, which SolidWorks generates. I would still be inclined to send the SolidWorks file, and let them do the coversion.
JHG
RE: Email a drawing
Macduff
Meggitt Airdynamics Inc.
Senior Designer/Checker
Dell Precision 370
SW2005 Pro SP 1.1
XP Pro SP2.0
NIVIDA Quadro FX 1300
RE: Email a drawing
RE: Email a drawing
Regards,
Scott Baugh, CSWP
3DVision Technologies
www.3dvisiontech.com
www.scottjbaugh.com
FAQ731-376
FAQ559-716 - SW Fora Users
RE: Email a drawing
I bet the new drawing file will go and grab the old part when it is opened, and the changes will disappear. I'd better send off the revised part before they start work.
Next time I will try a detached file, or pdf. Thanks everyone.
RE: Email a drawing
Jeff Mowry
www.industrialdesignhaus.com
Reality is no respecter of good intentions.
RE: Email a drawing
If you get drawing files from you customer without the model just select "view only" and then you won't be prompted for file locations and the drawing will display complete.
Ken
RE: Email a drawing
I can plot the drawing directly from Solidworks. My only concern is sending a drawing to a customer and they won't be able to plot it larger than letter size.
Maybe the plotter is too old to print a pdf?
RE: Email a drawing
The paper size is built into the PDF file. If you want to plot D_size, your PDF file will have to be D_size, although Adobe Acroread allows scaling.
I do not have the PDF feature with SolidWorks here. I have been printing to file, then loading the PostScript file into GhostView. I can create an 11x17" plot, which seems to work on our printer, and plotter. Making an D_sized PDF for our plotter will be a challenge. My B_sized drawing did not plot to scale
The machine shops I deal with have B_sized printers. If you want the fabricator to work from D_size, you will have to print it yourself. This has the additional advantage that your plot scale will be 1:1. A lot of people are sloppy about this.
As I noted above, I prefer to send out paper.
JHG