New for SW2024

[Ryan-3DS]

Ryan, when you store your SolidWorks files in the 3Dexperience platform, are they stored natively or are they converted over to the CGM format used by the other 3Dexperience apps?

It is my understanding you would be using Power'By to access your native SW data. If your objective is to share data between the Design apps and SW desktop then you have to go through a few steps. As you already know, the the design apps are based on CGM and the platform's unified data architecture. You would use an import/export command. I believe a sldxml file is export file type. I'm not very knowledgeable on the SW side of DS, but I recall that there is a 3DEXP PLM service add-in that would alleviate the import/export needs.

Now here is the thing that a lot of people don't get..the 3DEXP platform is not a file-based PDM system. The CAD data is not file-based and this is what throws everyone for a loop. Ah..the end of the world is here..This platform is a unified object-based data model system. In layman's terms, your CAD file is broken out into object-based artifacts in a database. In an enterprise or small company where you have many people who need to utilize different "parts" of a traditional CAD file, you will immediately recognize the benefits of an object-based data model vs. a file-based data model.

I don't dare go any further or be called out as a "sales" or "marketing" guy.

[Ryan-3DS]

...The whole idea of a parametric tree is..... that's right, it is parametric.

Sorry, but I need to correct your nomenclature here. I'm surprised @matt didn't. You don't have a "parametric tree". You have a history-based tree populated with features. Some features may be parametric. Others may not be parametric.

[mp3-250]

.

[Arthur NY]

Sorry, but I need to correct your nomenclature here. I'm surprised @matt didn't. You don't have a "parametric tree". You have a history-based tree populated with features. Some features may be parametric. Others may not be parametric.

Ya know.... I tip my hat to you sir, I like how you explained that. It's a much more valid and appropriate way of looking at things. Nomenclature is, above all else, what separates us from the animals!!!

[Ryan-3DS]

Kind of, but the convenient thing would be to build on center then pattern on center.

But on an even number of the pattern, you are not actually building "on center" but building from an offset value from the center. With an odd number, you are building on center.
I guess it all depends on how you want to define "on center".

[bnemec]

But on an even number of the pattern, you are not actually building "on center" but building from an offset value from the center. With an odd number, you are building on center.

edited, corrected odd to even.
That's exactly the point. Should be able to sketch the profile at midpoint of pattern regardless if there's even or odd number of occurrences. Otherwise how do you know how far to offset the seed before the pattern is defined? If it's a odd even number the pattern turns off the seed as it's not in the pattern.

I guess it all depends on how you want to define "on center".

I hope that's not open for debate.

[Pernils]

Being able to pre-create a hole wizard sketch is huge, and should have been possible YEARS ago. My hole patterns use symmetry a LOT, and often with the origin. I wrote a macro that works like the mirror command, except that it will mirror about all selected construction lines... Or if none are selected, it draws a vertical and horizontal construction line at the origin and then mirrors about both of those. One click that saves about 6 or 7 clicks multiple times in a part, except... Macros are disabled while the hole wizard is active!

But even ignoring the macro issue, I'm pretty sure it's the only feature that requires you to activate the feature command, then sketch. Every single other command lets (or even requires) you sketch first and command after.

Would it better if they fixed so that a hole is not represented by a dot. As the dot is used from SW point of view to get the midpoint of a line.
The stupidy is rather mind boggling if you are coming from another environment.

Seems that they are targeting to break SW even more than they have achieved so far.

[mp3-250]

I just found the following NEW bug.

it sais "discovered level 2023 sp5"
does it mean that my admin image will FAIL to run with our users with admin rights in 2023 sp5 as well??

Installing Solidworks 2024 with a regular user but with Administrator privileges ("Run As Administrator"), you will not be able to install the program.
Portfolio / Domain: SOLIDWORKS Desktop / E-Apps
Product: Integration
OS: Windows 11
Detected level(s): SOLIDWORKS 2023 SP5
Description

If you attempt to install the software with a regular user but with Administrator privileges ("Run As Administrator"), you will not be able to install the program. You get an error message:

"Cannot start SOLIDWORKS Installation Manager without Microsoft WebView2 runtime. Please install Webview2 runtime or repair if it is already installed."

The installation only works if you are currently logged-in as an Administrator.
[/quoted]

[AlexLachance]

I just found the following NEW bug.

it sais "discovered level 2023 sp5"
does it mean that my admin image will FAIL to run with our users with admin rights in 2023 sp5 as well??

That's odd, I installed mine without issue

[mp3-250]

probably it referes to the install of 2024 FROM 2023 SP5 under win11, but I would like to confirm it before testing it myself.

[Glenn Schroeder]

Would it better if they fixed so that a hole is not represented by a dot. As the dot is used from SW point of view to get the midpoint of a line.
The stupidy is rather mind boggling if you are coming from another environment.

Seems that they are targeting to break SW even more than they have achieved so far.

I don't understand. When using the Hole Wizard the holes aren't represented by a point. Placing the points determines the center of the holes. What workflow would you prefer?

[Pernils]

I don't understand. When using the Hole Wizard the holes aren't represented by a point. Placing the points determines the center of the holes. What workflow would you prefer?

Most of the workflow with 3d modelling is based around making sketches that the user uses to add or remove volume.
SW have populate the tool box with some more smart sketch elements like "Midpoint line" and "Center retangle". But as connect etc have no idea about midpoint of a element they have in those "smart" sketch element made a workaround to use the dot as helper.

And to make it even more worse they have in their hole "wizard" the dot to be represent the actual center of the darn hole. So with this decision they render some of the "smart " sketch element unusable. Its must be some a evil decision from some developer or just brain dead UI designer.

I haven't 2024 but it seems from preview videos that used/linked sketches in the hole wizard can be populated with dots like in midpoint line etc. In other word they just don't dare to break the old tradition to always be inconsistent.

The workflow I preferer is that holes in hole wizard should not be represented with anything that exist in the sketch tool box. Download SE community and to see how they have done it.

[mp3-250]

Most of the workflow with 3d modelling is based around making sketches that the user uses to add or remove volume.
SW have populate the tool box with some more smart sketch elements like "Midpoint line" and "Center retangle". But as connect etc have no idea about midpoint of a element they have in those "smart" sketch element made a workaround to use the dot as helper.

And to make it even more worse they have in their hole "wizard" the dot to be represent the actual center of the darn hole. So with this decision they render some of the "smart " sketch element unusable. Its must be some a evil decision from some developer or just brain dead UI designer.

I haven't 2024 but it seems from preview videos that used/linked sketches in the hole wizard can be populated with dots like in midpoint line etc. In other word they just don't dare to break the old tradition to always be inconsistent.

The workflow I preferer is that holes in hole wizard should not be represented with anything that exist in the sketch tool box. Download SE community and to see how they have done it.

I can relate.
Try to convert from holes to slots having already line inside the sketch... or using a rectangle with a center point as a skecth reference for the holes without an additional hole going to the center point as well.

I saw a user starting a 3D sketch from the hole wizard and the holes were floating somewhere outiside the geometry as he was convinced he was drawing the points on a flat face instead of in the middle of the air...Well anyway good luck in using a 3D sketch and retain full control over the feature spanned over multiple faces.

[Pernils]

I can relate.
Try to convert from holes to slots having already line inside the sketch... or using a rectangle with a center point as a skecth reference for the holes without an additional hole going to the center point as well.

I saw a user starting a 3D sketch from the hole wizard and the holes were floating somewhere outiside the geometry as he was convinced he was drawing the points on a flat face instead of in the middle of the air...Well anyway good luck in using a 3D sketch and retain full control over the feature spanned over multiple faces.

As I new on this "train wreck" of design tool don't have the fully background picture of the UI design changes that have been implemented over the years to improve the user workflow....
So perhaps you can be so kind to explain in what situation its beneficial to only have the visual of a threaded throwhole just to be only visible one side of your model ?
Current I have a sheetmetal part with some regular throwholes and threaded ones and I can't figure out the must have visual feature that prevent me to visual see what hole is threaded if a rotate the part and looking form the other side.

I find it sort of slow to click on each of them just to see what feature that will be highlighted in the feature tree. But perhaps this is just the Dassult idea on this, to slow down the user so he/she have some time to think.

[mp3-250]

our legacy settings is a fancy fake thread texture on the threaded hole face.

https://help.solidworks.com/2021/englis ... hreads.htm

[mp3-250]

As I new on this "train wreck" of design tool don't have the fully background picture of the UI design changes that have been implemented over the years to improve the user workflow....
So perhaps you can be so kind to explain in what situation its beneficial to only have the visual of a threaded throwhole just to be only visible one side of your model ?
Current I have a sheetmetal part with some regular throwholes and threaded ones and I can't figure out the must have visual feature that prevent me to visual see what hole is threaded if a rotate the part and looking form the other side.

I find it sort of slow to click on each of them just to see what feature that will be highlighted in the feature tree. But perhaps this is just the Dassult idea on this, to slow down the user so he/she have some time to think.

the train wrecked many years ago.
the UI is way better now: at least SW does not crash so often clicking a command icon or changing a body color....compared to what used to be.

[Frank_Oostendorp]

This could be what I have been asking for for 20 years :
(could not test it yet)
image.png

Well, is is almost correct, almost, just a few small details

[Glenn Schroeder]

I downloaded and installed it earlier this week, and after the much-more-painful-than-it-should-have-been process of getting our IT people to update the server got done this morning (because they've only been doing that every year since 2009) I'm about to start using it.

I will give updates if anything jumps out at me.

[bnemec]

I downloaded it. Went to update our license server and no can do. 2024 needs server 2016 and I'm not moving the license server for this. Might try to get trial license from VAR...

[jcapriotti]

I downloaded it. Went to update our license server and no can do. 2024 needs server 2016 and I'm not moving the license server for this. Might try to get trial license from VAR...

What OS is your server?

[mp3-250]

snl 2024 could be installed on
windows server 2019, but windows server 2016 is not supported anymore.

[bnemec]

What OS is your server?

sorry, typo/wires crossed. SW2024 does not work on server 2016 which is what we have.

[jcapriotti]

sorry, typo/wires crossed. SW2024 does not work on server 2016 which is what we have.

Ok....I'll just say we've done in place OS upgrades from 2016 to 2019 with little issues with most apps. I do need to do the same for our SNL server though. It's in Azure so the upgrade is easy and we can do a rollback if needed. I'll let you know how it goes.

[AlexLachance]

We upgraded to move to 2023 without any issue, it's just a big job to do, off working hours.

[Glenn Schroeder]

This could be what I have been asking for for 20 years :
(could not test it yet)
image.png

It's too bad they put the drop-down blocking the next cell, so we have to click somewhere else to clear it before typing in that cell. I pissed and moaned about it over on the Swamp and have been promised it will be fixed.

My personal favorite so far
- Display override dimension in different color
- Reattach dangling dimension with a PROPER reattach command
- Highlight reference element when selecting a dimension
- Auto-save after mesh & simulation

I never thought Save As Previous Version will get implemented... how the software handle incompatible feature might be a can of worm thought

I've tried that one a few times, with mixed results. Sometimes it works great, and other times I have to delete the dimension and add a new one. By the way, grabbing the red box at the end of the extension line and dragging to re-attach no longer works at all.

[Frank_Oostendorp]

Frank_Oostendorp wrote: ↑Thu Sep 14, 2023 10:25 am
This could be what I have been asking for for 20 years :
(could not test it yet)

"It's too bad they put the drop-down blocking the next cell, so we have to click somewhere else to clear it before typing in that cell. I pissed and moaned about it over on the Swamp and have been promised it will be fixed."

Well, there is a bug in the units for surface area.

[AlexLachance]

Out of curiosity, why do you guys need units shown with your dimensions..? Are there times when BOMs call out different units?

We have some plates in MM rather then inches and we display their thickness in decimals, it's not very intuitive but it gives the desired result.

[zwei]

I've tried that one a few times, with mixed results. Sometimes it works great, and other times I have to delete the dimension and add a new one. By the way, grabbing the red box at the end of the extension line and dragging to re-attach no longer works at all.

Ugh... sound like a huge pain
Why do they remove the existing function

[Frank_Oostendorp]

Out of curiosity, why do you guys need units shown with your dimensions..? Are there times when BOMs call out different units?

We have some plates in MM rather then inches and we display their thickness in decimals, it's not very intuitive but it gives the desired result.

For some products, we need to put the mass, density, volume, surface area on the drawing, and a number without the correct units is nothing. All the dimensions on the drawing, are in millimeters, as indicated in the title block, conform the used standard.

[AlexLachance]

For some products, we need to put the mass, density, volume, surface area on the drawing, and a number without the correct units is nothing. All the dimensions on the drawing, are in millimeters, as indicated in the title block, conform the used standard.

To cheat the units not being displayed I added a "lbs" text next to my weight in my cartridge. Our ERP knows we work in pounds/inches so it doesn't need to be told the units, which is what was making me wonder your need for them. We do basically the same thing for volume and surface callouts. I know it's a "cheat" but it's not that demanding if everything is set the same.

[Frank_Oostendorp]

To cheat the units not being displayed I added a "lbs" text next to my weight in my cartridge. Our ERP knows we work in pounds/inches so it doesn't need to be told the units, which is what was making me wonder your need for them. We do basically the same thing for volume and surface callouts. I know it's a "cheat" but it's not that demanding if everything is set the same.

image.png

Nice work around. I use this in house for many years. Now try to handle co-operation with others all over the world.

[KQuigley]

Just to annoy everyone, I'm going to like this comment. There is a lot of functionality in the platform if you need to collaborate with others.

Amazingly enough, we can collaborate in realtime, with 10 others, apply mark ups and save notes…..using Teams.
Hell we can even share the file via a Dropbox link!

Guess what? That platform also works for every app!

[Alin]

New enhancements are now added every service pack. For users like me who are in LDR mode a lot, having breadcrumbs available in LDR mode is huge (2024 SP1).
Next month (2024 SP2) we get the Component Preview Window in LDR, also.

[mp3-250]

for me having a bit of PDM actually working without a minefield of bugs would be huge.
administrative tools are so bugged they break more things than the problems they are supposed to fix.
For once I would like the devs to come to my place and enjoy their UI in Japanese with beautifully truncated dialogs...

[dave.laban]

New enhancements are now added every service pack. For users like me who are in LDR mode a lot, having breadcrumbs available in LDR mode is huge (2024 SP1).
Next month (2024 SP2) we get the Component Preview Window in LDR, also.

I'm intrigued by how well this will work. Annually the Beta testing period was the time to try out new features in a relatively limited group, and I recall a few instances over the past few years where announced enhancements were dropped / delayed following Beta testing / feedback.

With enhancements coming in each SPR, when is the public testing meant to take place? Or does this, and the Beta testing, now disappear in to the night with us on the path to only have a Connected, and hence continuously updating version of SW be the only option?

[mp3-250]

example: the new transparency in drawings available i 2023 is half broken in sp5. sw devs managed to even break sw document properties in regard to that setting.
a hotfix was finally released last week to address half of the problem, just in time for me to deploy sw on 100 pc.
in one month of testing i found at least 3 bugs that needed an hotfix or that made sw crash or other new functions impaired in the very same release they were introduced.
I just wait and ban those beautiful new gimmicks until they will actually work (around sw 2120 sp19)

[SPerman]

New enhancements are now added every service pack.

Very few of us consider this an improvement. As I said in another thread:

If the agile philosophy is "We'll fix it in the next release" you have to actually do that part.

[Glenn Schroeder]

I've probably mentioned it here before, but there were unintended consequences with the new "Reattach" feature for dimensions that had lost a reference. It seems to work fairly well if only one reference was lost, but if there were two lost references then it doesn't work at all.

To top it off, instead of adding "Reattach" in the right-click drop-down to the existing functionality, they completely removed the ability to do anything by clicking on the blue box at the end of the extension line. If you want to change the distance from the end of the extension line to the reference, (which I often do if I'm dimensioning to the outside of a relatively large arc) that's too bad. And if the dimension hasn't lost the reference, but you want to move one of them, you can right-click on the dimension and select "Reattach" from the drop-down, and that works great, as long as the one you want to move is the one the software selected. If not, too bad. Delete it and create a new one.

I reported all this to my VAR (GoEngineer), and SW has acknowledged it as a bug and it has gone to the development team to be fixed. Hopefully soon.

[Pernils]

In 2023 they seems to have fixed somewhat the hole wizard when it comes to sketching.

Midpoint line is removed for the sketch toolbox. (its just face palm...)

In 2024 have they also fixed the other smart sketch feature problem by just removed it from the user ? (Thinking here center retangle.)

Another thing in Hole wizard.

Shouldn't blind involve that end user can with the mouse dragging the depth ? In other words be consistent with the behaviour found in Protrusion and Cutout ....

Hmm and why have they made the explanation picture of countersunk to scale with the dimension? With long holes it just render it useless.

Maybe its fixed in the latest release ...

[AlexLachance]

In 2023 they seems to have fixed somewhat the hole wizard when it comes to sketching.

image.png

Midpoint line is removed for the sketch toolbox. (its just face palm...)

In 2024 have they also fixed the other smart sketch feature problem by just removed it from the user ? (Thinking here center retangle.)

Another thing in Hole wizard.

image.png

Shouldn't blind involve that end user can with the mouse dragging the depth ? In other words be consistent with the behaviour found in Protrusion and Cutout ....

Hmm and why have they made the explanation picture of countersunk to scale with the dimension? With long holes it just render it useless.

Maybe its fixed in the latest release ...

Blind obviously means you can't see the result and therefor can only hope for the best.

[Glenn Schroeder]

In 2023 they seems to have fixed somewhat the hole wizard when it comes to sketching.

image.png

Midpoint line is removed for the sketch toolbox. (its just face palm...)

In 2024 have they also fixed the other smart sketch feature problem by just removed it from the user ? (Thinking here center retangle.)

Another thing in Hole wizard.

image.png

Shouldn't blind involve that end user can with the mouse dragging the depth ? In other words be consistent with the behaviour found in Protrusion and Cutout ....

Hmm and why have they made the explanation picture of countersunk to scale with the dimension? With long holes it just render it useless.

Maybe its fixed in the latest release ...

I've been using stand-alone sketches to drive my Hole Wizard features for a long time (when I'm placing the points to define the hole locations I just drop them coincident with end and center points from the sketch). It works well, so I haven't investigated the new functionality. I know some people are hung up on having that one extra feature in the tree, but I don't mind.

[Frank_Oostendorp]

I've been using stand-alone sketches to drive my Hole Wizard features for a long time (when I'm placing the points to define the hole locations I just drop them coincident with end and center points from the sketch). It works well, so I haven't investigated the new functionality. I know some people are hung up on having that one extra feature in the tree, but I don't mind.

And saving these stand alone sketches as blocks makes re-using complex hole patterns very easy.

[Alin]

Very few of us consider this an improvement. As I said in another thread:

If the agile philosophy is "We'll fix it in the next release" you have to actually do that part.

It depends how much time you spend working with assemblies. This is very useful for me and many of my clients. They asked for it:

https://youtu.be/cr3lNYmgpYw

[SPerman]

It depends how much time you spend working with assemblies. This is very useful for me and many of my clients. They asked for it:

https://youtu.be/cr3lNYmgpYw

I wasn't speaking of that particular feature, but the idea of adding new features with every release.

[Alin]

I wasn't speaking of that particular feature, but the idea of adding new features with every release.

SPs will introduce simple to implement enhancements that have a big impact. Think about what we call “the missing 5%”.

Major releases will continue to introduce more complex enhancements that will be the subject of the annual Beta testing.

In the case I mentioned, the enhancement was easy to add, with negligible chances to cause regressions, while being extremely useful for a large number of users.

[mp3-250]

SPs will introduce simple to implement enhancements that have a big impact. Think about what we call “the missing 5%”.

Major releases will continue to introduce more complex enhancements that will be the subject of the annual Beta testing.

In the case I mentioned, the enhancement was easy to add, with negligible chances to cause regressions, while being extremely useful for a large number of users.

I do not belive for a second the "negligible chance to cause regressions" part.

SW devs released the suppression of the pdm login dialog in sw 2023 and they went as far as advertising it in the monthly news a while ago.
it turned out this new enhancement , if used, will broke another critical PDM setting (update cache on login) so you cannot have both.
I realized it the very first day I tested 2023 and reported to the author of the news (which is a pdm dev) and my VAR.
solution:do not use it until you upgrade to 2024 and a certain SP...

SW devs do not realize, or do not take my reports seriously when I say, that sw and PDM and most admin tools, including their UI are a minefield of bugs and need to be rewritten.
l stomped in an admin Image bug by chance the other day, where I noticed the option dialog would not save the settings on exit and they were reverted back when reopening the same dialog.
these thIngs will lead to a lot of configuration errors.

with the current level of QA it is a receipt to disaster to include new enhancements at every SP.