File Bloat?

I've got a modestly complex part, the file for which has bloated to ~4.2
Meg. Doing a "saveas" brings it back down to ~2.1 Meg.

What causes the bloat?
What (other than "saveas") will get rid of it?
Any way to prevent it in the first place?

 

Michael,

The size doubling is a result of using the MS file format. It's called a
compound file and has something to do with OLE functionality.

There are a couple of utilities for stripping the redundant data from SW
files. One of these is Ecosqueeze http://www.ecocom.com/eng/index00.htm

This is what we use, and we haven't experienced any problems as a result. SW
Corp. discourages using it, don't really know why.

Use at your own risk. your milage may vary.


Regards

Mark

 

If your part contains several configurations, my best guess ist that the
increase in filesize is pure useless bitmap information which SWX03 ->
creates when you activate your configurations. Apparently these
configuration specific preview bitmaps are intended for Add-ins like
PDM-works etc... but like most of the 'new fancy features' it ends up
effecting SWX performance... which isn't so great to start with....

You can actually check if my assumptions are right by closing your part, use
open command to browse your part and check the preview window and the
configuration window beneath it. If you get different preview images when
selecting a new configuration then SWX has obviously saved these pictures to
your file, and thus the bigger file size. By doing a SaveAs SWX will erase
these configuration specific preview bitmaps, which you also should be able
to check in the same way...

I've contacted my VAR and according to him, today there is no way to prevent
SWX from saveing these preview images when you activate your
configurations... only thing that works is doing a SaveAs afterwards... I've
made an enhancement request at SWX-homepage (-> I think configuration
specific bitmap previews should be optional) and I hope that anyone else
reading this will do the same...

And NO: Unfrag won't remove these conf. specific bitmaps. Apparently the
newest Ecosqeeze version should be able to do this but I've made tests and
the decrease in filesize is not nearly as good as when doing a SaveAs...

One might say that storage space is cheap, BUT:

At my work we use different kind of prefabricated parts like "Hollow
section.sldprt" which ususally consists of ~100 configurations (different
tube sizes). I'd say we have about 50 different parts like this "Hollow
section.sldprt" an we copy them to the project we are working in, renaming
them and perhaps changes the length or ad some drilled holes etc... In SWX01
the filesize was 355kb but after saving it with SWX03 it had bloated to
4,6Mb.... Normally we have 100-200 parts originating from these
prefabricated parts in one project and doing a little math shows how much
more storage space (>400Mb) we'd need for IMO useless bitmap information....
Keep in mind we save our work over a network connection so every increase in
filesize will have an effect on performance...

so.... if you also feel that the raw performance (not the fancy features and
widgets but loading and saveing time +filesize) of SWX is constantly
decreasing please make an enhancement request to SWX-corp that bitmap
previews should be optional...

KimSky

 

The size doubling is a result of using the MS file format.functionality.

Exactly right. Office-compatible documents use this 'storage' to store
not only the properties you see when right-clicking, say, an Excel
file while in windows explorer, but sometimes more. With the case of
Solidworks, it is much more.

Its not just the preview bitmaps, but previews from older versions of
SW, feature create/modification information, and even a parasolid
model for each configuration.

The 'squeeze' programs will remove a lot of this stuff, especially if
it is 'dead' info: information related to deleted
features/configurations, paths, etc, but once you re-save the
document, SW will put some of the data back in.