Toolbox problem with different machines.

Hi,

When I move a large assembly from my work machine to my laptop and
open it all the fasteners change to the largest possible size. The
setup, version of SW (2004 sp2.1) and directory paths are identical.
All the parts with issues are from the Toolbox.

When I open the assembly I get a dialog box with the following message
"The following component configurations could not be found", and a
list of all the fasteners. I cannot replace any fasteners -- the
"Edit Toolbox Definition" is grayed out. I can add fasteners from
the toolbox on the laptop, and the file ->open -> show references
shows they have the same path as the ones that won't load.

SW Tech support thinks I have a path permission or access problem with
the Toolbox directory under the SW install directory -- I don't.

This works both ways -- assemblies created on the laptop are not
loadable on the desktop.

I have also looked at the "create copy" flag in the toolbox browser
options dialog box -- this doesn't seem to be what I want, and I would
have to keep changing the directory to keep copies in as I work on
different designs.

Any bright ideas ??

 

G:

First step is to get a new reseller, or at least to make sure that your
reseller starts putting someone competent on the phone. I assume by "SW
Tech support" you mean your reseller's tech support, SolidWorks direct
support knows the answer to this in their sleep. Anyone working at a
reseller who can't tell what's going on right out of the box with this
should be doing something else.

This is the problem created by Toolbox being installed without the
entire database of parts, just a single initial configuration for each
fastener type, and then the rest of the size configurations are created
on the fly as you put parts into your assembly, so the correct
configurations only exist on the computer where the parts were first
created. It's an underlying flaw in the design of the Toolbox product
which SW has not fixed for literally years. The only ways you could
have avoided this would have been to have real the Toolbox FAQs, already
made the mistake or to have talked to someone who knew the problem was
going to happen (presumably your reseller).

The way to fix it is to either do a network install of Toolbox with all
of the computers pointing to the network library or use the "Copy
Parts" switch and have the copy directory somewhere where everybody can
see it. I highly recommend the "copy parts" solution, since if a part
is missing, the worst that happens is that it gets suppressed until you
can find it, whereas if a config is missing, it gets replaced with
another (inappropriate) configuration, and if you save it that way,
well, that's what you've got, the largest size of fasteners everywhere.

If you have a laptop that you take out of the network to do SW work, you
will need to copy the Toobox parts to that machine somewhere where SW
can find it. I recommend using Tools, Options, File Locations,
Referenced Files.

If you want instructions for the network install, go to the SW website
in the knowledge base area.

Good Luck.

matt

 

When I was doing the CAD Admin gig, I built my own library. It took about
the same amount of time as getting Toolbox right and it was a lot lower
maintenance. I gave up some things like Smart Fasteners, but gained a lot
of peace of mind.

If you buy a new machine, you will need to bring your old library forward.
If you just install from the CD and then get an assembly from someone else
that doesn't contain the TB parts the other guy created with his assembly,
you will quickly find out about this problem.

The most reliable way to use Toolbox is to avoid configurations, and go
with the "copy parts" option. It gives each size a quirky but distinctly
different file name, and you never get the wrong size. The worst that
happens is that it will get suppressed. The way Toolbox installs by
default is the absolute worst way you could do it if you were trying to
play a bad prank on someone; installed locally using configurations with
only the default config created.

If you get a SolidWorks assembly from someone else, make sure it has their
toolbox parts with it.

matt

 

John,

Short of networking your Toolbox data files, the best most foolproof way I've found is to save a copy of the fastener to
the folder for the job you're working on. For instance, I use primarily socket head cap screws. After I insert the first
SHCS, I open the SHCS file from the assembly and "Save As" to my working folder. All of the additional sizes (config's)
will be added to this file. When I need to move it, take it home, save it to the network, it's not going to be looking
for files strewn about or config's that don't exist on a certain machine.

HTH,

Malcontent