The manner in which SolidWorks’ file referencing searches for files means it is always advisable to use unique file names for each different part, drawing and assembly: doing this ensures that SolidWorks doesn’t find incorrect references and also that we don’t attempt to open multiple files with the same name at the same time. However, it’s quite natural to want to use descriptive names (for example “Bracket.sldprt”) as opposed to “logical” name. Logical names (e.g. a serial number or a part number) with a Description File Property are clearly ideal for large organisations with multi-user environments; they’re just not user friendly!
This article suggests a way of using machine generated file names, without sacrificing ease of use.
For example: Using ‘logical’ filenames make it more difficult to recognise parts is on the feature tree
However, this is much easier to understand and can be achieved easily!
How it’s done
1. Check which description custom property you want to use on SolidWorks Options:
2. Then you need to activate the Show components description on files.
a. Right mouse click on the root of the feature manager tree.
b. Choose > Tree Display > Select “Show Component Descriptions”
3. This option is File Specific; so save time by adding it to your SolidWorks template files and saving it. (You can do it on Drawings too.)
4. The best practice is always to avoid entering the description on the filename. If you use SolidWorks EPDM, you can enter a description whenever you ‘Save As’ or Create a new part. The system will automatically generate a unique, sequential filename for you.
Hope this helps in your daily use of SolidWorks.
By Pedro Branco (Intercad)