SolidWorks Toolbox and the access database questions
SolidWorks Toolbox and the access database questions
(OP)
Hey guys,
So I've been poking around for a little now and have failed to turn up a good source of information for this. The SolidWorks toolbox doesn't contain every nut/bolt/whizbang out there so I've been looking into expanding it under my own standard. I've gone ahead and copied a standard as a base, added a test part, a simple castle nut I've downloaded off of McMasters website, and am now trying to poke around and figure out how to get it to behave like the rest of the parts in the "standard" toolbox installation. I don't want to repeatedly add a bunch of parts into the folder, what I want is one castle nut that I can drop into an assembly and then select different configurations through drop down menus. I've added mate references to the castle nut part and understand that I need to add some equations into the part to control the size and geometry. Where I'm stuck is going from these equations to the access database. How do SolidWorks toolbox parts work in conjunction with the access database and how can I add my own tables into the access database to control my own parts? Any help at all is appreciated. Thanks in advance!
Nate
So I've been poking around for a little now and have failed to turn up a good source of information for this. The SolidWorks toolbox doesn't contain every nut/bolt/whizbang out there so I've been looking into expanding it under my own standard. I've gone ahead and copied a standard as a base, added a test part, a simple castle nut I've downloaded off of McMasters website, and am now trying to poke around and figure out how to get it to behave like the rest of the parts in the "standard" toolbox installation. I don't want to repeatedly add a bunch of parts into the folder, what I want is one castle nut that I can drop into an assembly and then select different configurations through drop down menus. I've added mate references to the castle nut part and understand that I need to add some equations into the part to control the size and geometry. Where I'm stuck is going from these equations to the access database. How do SolidWorks toolbox parts work in conjunction with the access database and how can I add my own tables into the access database to control my own parts? Any help at all is appreciated. Thanks in advance!
Nate






RE: SolidWorks Toolbox and the access database questions
When I wanted to start our own toolbox, because I had some wishes concerning properties and control, my colleague told me not to mess with the access database... don't know why exactly, but it appeared to me that he tried it in the past and had bad experiences...
What we did is that we just ripped/copied the toolbox parts that might be of interest for us (+-25). We then created every single configuration and inserted a (MS Excel) 'design table'. After that we placed the resulting part in our own toolbox directory, not the sw-toolbox directory. When we want to use it in an assembly we simply choose the right config and voila..
It is a little bit of work in the beginning, but we are happy with the result..
Once and a while we add stuff that we design ourselves, by making different configs of a part using a design table. When parts are complex and demand too much time to model, we simply download and save the different parts in the toolbox too. Most of them have non-sw origins and are often difficult to manipulate as you want to, so no configs can be applied easily/swiftly. Just name them smartly to keep them arranged and therefore end up with tidy directories.
When you don't want single parts in your directory though, you could even think of importing all different files that are f.e. 'castle nuts' as bodies into one part and let them show up in their own 'configs' by surpressing all but one body for every config. You might end up with rather large files though... I never really tried this method, because we 'like it a little bit messy' :)
THere.. I couln't answer your main question unfortunately, sorry.. Maybe a good search on this forum will pay out; there should be a couple of threads out there that discuss toolboxes, making your own parts and ripping the sw-toolbox.
RE: SolidWorks Toolbox and the access database questions
http://www.vimeo.com/686269
RE: SolidWorks Toolbox and the access database questions
What you are looking for is probably most easily accomplished with configurations and design tables. You would have a castle nut part file which contains a design table that specifies the defined sizes.
Some people even do this with the toolbox fasteners. They use the toolbox to generate the base part and then include the sizes that they want as configurations of that part.
Eric
RE: SolidWorks Toolbox and the access database questions
Nate
RE: SolidWorks Toolbox and the access database questions
RE: SolidWorks Toolbox and the access database questions
RE: SolidWorks Toolbox and the access database questions
RE: SolidWorks Toolbox and the access database questions
RE: SolidWorks Toolbox and the access database questions
We create the toolbox parts and give them our own names and assign materials and custom properties such as BOM description, ERP Description, and weight. This is a great way to generate a more accurate BOM.
If anyone knows how to attach a wmv file...let me know!
RE: SolidWorks Toolbox and the access database questions
Use the ...or upload your file to ENGINEERING.com link in Step 3 of the reply box to upload the file. If it's too big, try ZIPping it first.