Equation trouble

The only thing I can think of is that your assembly is not getting saved somehow. Is it set to read only?

This is one of the things that really bugs me about SW Explorer: it doesn't update names in equations and design tables. Why was development stopped before this tool was finished?

Apart from one lame suggestion and a rant, I'm afraid I have little else to offer.

I ran into this a couple of weeks ago. So this still exist in SW04 SP3.0.

Unfortunately, I can't be much help either.

I use equations in assemblies all the time and never have a problem with Solidworks renaming my equations. I think where you're having a problem is that you are using Solidworks Explorer to do this. This is the wrong way to do this if you need your equations to update with the new part names.

What you need to do is open your assembly in Solidworks just like you would normally do. Then do a "Save As", not a "Save As Copy". When you get the dialog box that asks you where you want to save your assembly, pick the directory or folder where you want to put it. BEFORE you continue, click on the "Reference" button in the lower right corner of the dialog box. Here you can rename all the part files in your assembly to new names for everything that will change. You can even specify different directories here for each part to. When you're done there, click on Ok to close this dialog box, click Ok to save the assembly and parts in the first dialog box and you're done.

Remember that you're still in the original assembly that you started with, so close it without saving it. Then go open your new assembly and all of your equations will be updated in the new assembly with the new part names. This how I've always done this and have never had a problem yet.

Richard

I'll have to remember to do it that way. I shouldn't have to, but what does that have to do with anything? Does this method also propagate name changes to design tables?

It should, like I said, I've never had a problem with it not working correctly if I do it this way. What I don't understand is why this info isn't documented anywhere, and I can't remember or find where I read how to do this.

It seems like some of the more obscure things aren't documented anywhere and can only be found through word of mouth, or in this case, word of message. You get the idea. If I find where I this info is documented, I'll post it here.

Richard

Thanks guys,

As Richard said....

It's good idea to use "Save as" method.

It works well for the models. That is when I Save as the assembly with parts to a new, equations are working fine.

If I need the New assembly with Drawing as well, then I have to open the Drawing file and then use "Save as" method. Even now the equations are changed well. But I am facing the same question (Would you like to set the equation are?.) when I open the New drawing first time. After a rebuild the New Drawing is getting set righted. But in New Assembly model I am facing this question again and again at every open.

Why I need a solution to this problem is, I am using the same Assembly as Sub in an another Main Assembly with different sizes and I need Drawings for all the Sub-Assemblies.

Help me.

JR

Silly me. I COPY the whole assembly directory to a new folder, using regular old Windows Explorer. Eveything works for me just fine. I even wrote a fancy multi-departmental program, and it does the same thing before it opens the assembly in SW and upates all dimensions.

Mr. Pickles

Pickle...

Yeah you are right.

But I need the new assembly in different name. Once the file name gets renamed (using Solidwork Explorer) then the same error message coming front to me.

JR

I believe that warning message will come up if, some of the equations in some or all of the parts are being referenced outside of the current assembly. Meaning, the parts are actually used in more than one assembly, but the eguations were set up in the original assembly. As far as a perment fix, you probably need to change how you constructed your assembly so the equations are only referenced in one assembly instead of two or three, etc.

Richard,

I don't think it is possible. 'cos I am in the situation to use "annotation" dimension of the assembly for equations. It varies from one to other size of the equipement. I need the different size of the equipement which is going to be assembled to an main assembly. Naturally the file names could not be the same. We should recall that, SolidWorks can do the renaming of the annotation names in equqtions while we copy (using "Save as") the assembly file(Hope it will work all the time !!!). It doesn't work with Drawing.

Hope you got it. JR