Keeping track of product data is critical for most companies. Using product data management (PDM) or product lifecycle management (PLM) tools for this task is becoming an increasingly popular choice. A purchase of SOLIDWORKS includes basic roles to access the 3DEXPERIENCE platform. This means that more and more SOLIDWORKS users have direct access to PLM tools right away.
If you’re looking to get started with using the 3DEXPERIENCE platform to store and keep track of your SOLIDWORKS data, this article will present you with five essential tips for getting started.
1) Collaborative Spaces: A place for storing and controlling access to product data
One of the most essential building blocks of a proper PLM setup is having a central place to store the product data. In the world of the 3DEXPERIENCE platform, this place is called a Collaborative Space. Collaborative Spaces acts as containers for all the data we either create in the system or import into the system. It lets the users of the 3DEXPERIENCE platform access the company’s data in a secure and easy way. Authorized users can create and control Collaborative Spaces through the 3DSpace app, available with the Collaborative Industry Innovator role.
Collaborative Spaces can be created as either Design or Standard types. The Design type acts as a container for all of a company’s live production data — this is where IP data should be stored. The Standard type acts as a container for everyday components like toolbox components, templates, weldment profiles, design library components, purchased components and more.
The visibility of the Collaborative Spaces and its contents can also be controlled, by making it either Public, Protected or Private. Public is visible and fully available to all users, Private is only visible and available to users that have been granted access and Protected is a mix. Data in Protected Collaborative Spaces is visible to all users but content that has not been marked as either Released or Obsolete is only available to users that have been granted access. On top of the visibility settings, it is also possible to control the access rights of each invited user.
A classic misinterpretation of the 3DSpace app is to attempt using it as the primary way to access data. This might be due to the fact that many of us are used to working with Windows File Explorer where we access the data directly from where they are stored. But the 3DSpace app is not intended as a place for users to locate or interact with their data directly, and all data in a Collaborative Space is kept in a “single folder” structure with limited sorting options. The 3DSpace app should be used mainly for creating and managing access to Collaborative Spaces.
2) Bookmarks help organize and create basic structures for product data
So, if we shouldn’t use the 3DSpace app to organize or interact with our data, what should we do instead? PLM systems, like the 3DEXPERIENCE Platform, offer the users other ways of organizing their data. For instance, the Bookmark Editor app allows users create a “bookmark structure.” The structure is similar to the folder structure most of us are used to working with through Windows File Explorer.
One big difference, however, is the way data interacts with bookmarks compared to classic folders. In Windows File Explorer, a SOLIDWORKS file is placed physically in a specific folder. This naturally limits the file to residing in a single folder at a time to avoid duplicates. Additionally, moving a file to another folder could potentially break the references in the SOLIDWORKS file. This leaves a lot of responsibility on the users.
With bookmarks, data isn’t placed in a file. Instead users “tag” the data with a bookmark. When opening a bookmark, a list of all content tagged with this bookmark is then presented to the user, but the file never actually moves anywhere. This visual representation makes a SOLIDWORKS users’ life easier in two ways.
First of all, users can have a specific SOLIDWORKS file present in multiple bookmarks at the same time, without having to duplicate the file. This eliminates the chance of multiple truths existing. Second, if a user decides to move a SOLIDWORKS file from one bookmark to another, there is zero risk of breaking any reference inside the geometry. Like the 3DSpace app, the Bookmark Editor also comes as part of the Collaborative Industry Innovator role.
The Bookmark Editor App in the 3DEXPERIENCE platform. (Image: Christoffer Stokkebro Sørensen.)
3) Search: Your future best friend
Another thing that any decent PLM system needs is the ability to search for content. In the 3DEXPERIENCE platform, the 3DSearch app lets users do just that — and more. The 3DSearch app is available through the 3DSwymer role, and aside from being a widget app that can be dragged into Dashboards, it’s also integrated directly into the top of the user interface across all 3DEXPERIENCE environments, making it incredibly easy to access. It enables the user to do quick and simple keyword searches, but also to do searches utilizing special characters to trigger specific results, as well as predefined queries to search for specific file types.
The app also offers an advanced search function, that lets the user create a very specific search on parameters such as object type, owner, locked by, collaborative space and more. The app even lets the user search on specific properties or attributes on a file set.
With good and consistent data discipline — as well as defined datasets — it can be extremely rewarding when utilizing these searches. Any search that a user performs can also be saved as a favorite search for reuse later. If needed, a favorite search can be shared with other users on the 3DEXPERIENCE platform.
3DSearch app in the 3DEXPERIENCE platform. (Image: Christoffer Stokkebro Sørensen.)
4) 6WTags is key to filtering
Now with both Bookmark Editor and 3DSearch in our bag of tools, we already have plenty ways of organizing, presenting and locating our product data. However, the 3DEXPERIENCE platform offers something that I consider to be the cherry on top.
6WTags is a feature that lets the user filter data based on almost anything they can think of. The “6W” stands for Who, What, When, Where, Why & How, and when activating the 6WTags the user can filter the viewed content based on those six categories. These categories are then filled with subcategories and criteria that can be triggered when filtering a search result. But the cool thing with 6WTags is that it is not just limited to filtering search results; like 3DSearch, the 6WTags are embedded directly into the user interface in the 3DEXPERIENCE platform. This means that a user can use 6WTags to filter the view of a bookmark or color code content based on selections of different criteria.
5) Relations tells us everything we want to know about our product data
The final thing I want to tell you about is the Relations app, which is accessible directly through the Bookmark Editor and many other apps. It’s even directly accessible through SOLIDWORKS. The Relations app’s primary function is to show the user a family tree of the product data being viewed. This can be viewed in either Graph View or Data Grid View for a list-based overview. The information found here is extensive to say the least.
Of course, the user can navigate through the parent and child relations of the selected datasets, but they are not limited to the selected dataset. The user can effortlessly browse through any parent/child relations on any of the parent or child relations on the selected dataset. And for the relations overview itself, it shows the user everything from bookmarks, attachments, specification documents, CAD decencies and more. So, with the Relations app by your side, you are never in doubt just exactly where your product data is being referenced or how.
The Relations app on the 3DEXPERIENCE platform. (Image: Christoffer Stokkebro Sørensen.)
These five tips are only the very tip of the iceberg when it comes to using 3DEXPERIENCE as a PLM solution. Revisions, Branches, Maturity States and plenty of other tools are available with the entry level roles of 3DSwymer, Collaborative Industry Innovator and either 3DEXPERIENCE SOLIDWORKS or Collaborative Designer for SOLIDWORKS.
About the Author
Christoffer Stokkebro Sørensen is an accomplished application engineer specializing in CAD and PLM, with a broad expertise in SOLIDWORKS and the 3DEXPERIENCE platform. As an awarded Elite Application Engineer, he holds over 50 certifications spanning multiple Dassault Systèmes brands, including recognition as a SOLIDWORKS Expert and Specialist in both Mechanical Design and Simulation. Christoffer is also the host of the YouTube series “Hitchhiker’s Guide to 3DEXPERIENCE,” where he provides valuable information, tutorials and tips for the 3DEXPERIENCE platform, often from the perspective of a SOLIDWORKS user.