Custom properties, where does your company input them (model/drawing) ?

Im trying to get a better idea where we should input custom properties,
so they can be populated to other places.

This is what I would like to do, please post any suggestions/comments:

Input all custom properties in model
- Description
- Eng
- Designer
- Material
- Revision #
- Start Date

These properties would then get populated to the drawing via $PRPSHEET:
"_____" field

ISSUES:

1. Sometimes I might have more than one model in a drawing. The
$PRPSHEET field takes the Custom Properties from the first model
inserted into the drawing. Is there a way to change what model it
looks at once the drawing views are already placed?

2. Sometimes I might have my top level assy used in multiple drawings,
where each drawing will have its own description. Using the above
procedure, the description will be taken from the model, which would
mean the description would be the same (which you dont want). Whats a
good workaround for this? We are also trying to setup a Model ->
Mapics integration, so thats why I want to try and keep all
descriptions inside the model.

3. Is there a way to have all of the Custom Props from the model
automatically synced with the Custom Properites in a drawing?
EX. Description in model = Description in drawing, so the drawing
titleblock field for Description would be $PRP:"Description"

 

1-right click sheet_, properties,lower left corner. Can specify which
drawing view the custom properties are propegated from.

2-not sure

3-my drawing template does this. right click the '$PRP:"SW-Title" block and
select the properties. from the property link button you can tie the field
to your model description. It doesn't carry through to the drawing
properties description however, but sounds like it will do what you are
after.

 

2. You could use configuration specific custom properties. It gets a
little messier though.

 

Brian, im confused about #3. You say "right click the '$PRP:"SW-Title"
block and select the properties. from the property link button you can
tie the field to your model description."

What is/Where is the $PRP:"SW-Title" ?

 

opps, my bad. Prior to re-linking, the field is named
$PRPSHEET:"Description", $PRP:"SW-Title" is what it becomes afterwards. The
default location is to edit the sheet format and its in the title block.
Note that after re-linking, for some strange reason, the field appears blank
unless there is a model in the drawing, or you mouse over the field.

 

We use a software product from our VAR. It is called JavOffice and is
sold by www.javelin-tech.com.
This program is an add-in for SolidWorks and provides an interface to
add properties to a file. It can provide pull down lists and can help
control the data so it is more organized.
Brad Harding

 

Brad, how much does that software cost? Im downloading the trial right
now. It looks like it integrates into SolidWorks. This is good and
bad. Good that its easy to get to, within the Feature manager, bad
that they may have issues with upgrades as far as the integration.

How long has your company been using it? Is it easily customizable, or
do they customize it for a fee?

Also, do you have any sample templates that your company uses? Im
curious how you handle revisions and custom propertys, as well as what
properties you put in the model (part/assy) and what (if any)
properties you put in the drawings.

 

To all that replied, my first question was "Where does your company
input the custom properties? Model or Drawing or both?

 

Mr. Monkey,

I set my client's up with a basic PDM system that populates
configuration properties at the model level.
Enabling "Link" mode ties the drawing to the model. When creating the
first drawing of the model the title block is populated
with the model configuration properties. The user can open up the meta
data form and change the drawing title to whatever they want. You can
also set the option to map drawing/model properties to one another. For
example, Revsion Descriptions and ECO numbers are picked up by the
drawing from the model. Since they are linked they will always get
approved together - no use having to duplicate entry of data.l

The PDM system populates the configuration properties on the fly so
never actually look at them directly. Just looked and a sample part has
63 configuration properties.

Len

 

All the custom properties I and my clients use are set in the model and
report in the drawing. The only custom property I have in the drawing is
one that refers to the PDM Revision of the drawing.

John Layne
www.solidengineering.co.nz