Automatic Save As PDF

Does anybody know of an automatic way of saving as a PDF, like when you
finish working on a drawing and along with saving the drawing it also does a
save as PDF to a pre-determined directory?

Is there a macro out there that will do this?

A seperate program to do this?
And yes, I would be willing to pay for a program that does this.

Thanks,
Richard

 

I have macro button that when clicked saves pdf copy to the proper dir depending on file name

I use it instead print button and I do hard copy from acrobat

 

Solidworks doesn't do this directly but to be honest, it should
incorporate this as an option for drawings.
What you could do however is create a macro and assign this to a
button that runs the macro. You could use this button as your new
"save" button. You could even assign it the save picture so it looks
like the original if you wanted to.

What I use is a batch program that just takes a bunch of drawings and
converts them to pdf's in their working directory. This of course is
a second process but it's what I'm used to doing.

I've clipped some of the macro and altered it a little to do what you
want. I'm sure this can be cleaned up, but for now this works. Just
create an empty macro and paste this.

Sub main()

Dim swapp As Object
Dim part As Object
Dim FileName As String
Dim NewFileName As String
Dim FilePath As String
Dim FileCount As String
Dim fileOpenErrors As Long
Dim PartNo As String
Dim Name As String
Dim num1 As Integer
Dim num2 As Integer
Dim Counter As Integer
Dim TypeFile As Long
Dim TypeFileSave As String
Dim str1 As String
Dim SaveRetval As Long
Dim DirRetval As Boolean
Dim CurrDirFilePath As String
Dim tempstr As String
Dim tempstr2 As String


Set swapp = Application.SldWorks
Set part = swapp.ActiveDoc

FilePath = part.GetPathName
FileName = part.GetTitle

num1 = InStr(FileName, ".SLDPRT")
num2 = InStr(FileName, ".sldprt")
If num1 Or num2 Then
TypeFile = 1
TypeFileSave = ".SLDPRT"
End If

num1 = InStr(FileName, ".SLDASM")
num2 = InStr(FileName, ".sldasm")
If num1 Or num2 Then
TypeFile = 2
TypeFileSave = ".SLDASM"
End If

num1 = InStr(FileName, ".SLDDRW")
num2 = InStr(FileName, ".slddrw")
If num1 Or num2 Then
TypeFile = 3
TypeFileSave = ".SLDDRW"
End If



'Set working Directory
For num2 = Len(FilePath) To 1 Step -1
If Mid(FilePath, num2, 1) = "\" Then
CurrDirFilePath = Left(FilePath, num2 - 1)
num2 = 1
End If
Next num2

DirRetval = swapp.SetCurrentWorkingDirectory(CurrDirFilePath)


Let tempstr = FileName
If UCase(Right(tempstr, 7)) = ".SLDDRW" Then tempstr =
Left(tempstr, Len(tempstr) - 7)
NewFileName = tempstr
SaveRetval = part.SaveAs2(NewFileName & ".pdf", 0, True, False)

If SaveRetval <> 0 Then
MsgBox "There was an error saving " & FileName & " to " & ".pdf" & "
possibly because of READ ONLY or ILLEGAL character such as the @
symbol or just left blank"
End If

retval = part.Save2(0)
swapp.CloseDoc (FileName)

End

 

Richard:


DBWorks PDM/PLM will do this automatically for you...keeping the drawing and
PDF associated to each other.. plus every time you revise the drawing it
automatically update the pdf.

 

PDMWorks 2008 will do this if you choose. (you can download now from
the web)
No need for a macro... not sure if you have SolidWorks Office Pro, if
you do, you will already have PDMWorks.

Cheers,
Justin

 

Aside from not being automatic, please also check out the macro found
here:
http://sw.fcsuper.com/index.php?name=UpDownload&req=viewdownloaddetails&lid=3

It provides three methods for determining save location (the default
is the one you asked for). Methods used in this macro can be used to
make other macros as well.

Matt Lorono
http://sw.fcsuper.com
http://tech.groups.yahoo.com/group/solidworks/

 

Check out PAK4SWX at http://swtools.cad.de/ This allows batch
conversions but is not an automatic way. You still have to tell it to save.

 

Thanks everybody for their input!
I'm sure I'll be able to get something working from all this input.

Richard

 

Hi, check out these free tools: www.markkulehtola.net -> SolidWorks ->
SWxx-tools -> SWup and SWupSE

Markku