I'm trying to discuss a complex articulated robotic end
effector with a client that has an older version of solidworks.
That means that I can't just send him the assembly. So that's where
the incredibly useful eDrawings comes in, right?
Wrong.
I distinctly remember using eDrawings 2004, and having it keep track of all the dynamic mates in my model so that a client could drag parts around and see how it moves. That made eDrawings incredibly useful for demonstrating complex articulation. Why on earth did SW get rid of that ability and then try to feed its customers some bullshit about how it's an exciting new feature that ignores all the mates so that you can drag the components around to your own exploded view.
Just keep the function and put in a check box to disable the mates when you want.
WTF.
If anyone knows a way around this, please let me know, while I still have some hair left.
-Eugene
Wrong.
I distinctly remember using eDrawings 2004, and having it keep track of all the dynamic mates in my model so that a client could drag parts around and see how it moves. That made eDrawings incredibly useful for demonstrating complex articulation. Why on earth did SW get rid of that ability and then try to feed its customers some bullshit about how it's an exciting new feature that ignores all the mates so that you can drag the components around to your own exploded view.
Just keep the function and put in a check box to disable the mates when you want.
WTF.
If anyone knows a way around this, please let me know, while I still have some hair left.
-Eugene
eDrawings only stores the graphical and spatial representation of parts and assemblies. It does not support mates or relationships (and never did).
It does indeed support moving around components in an assembly even today. But that movement is not constrained in any way.
Are you perhaps thinking of saving out the animation / explode sequences from a SolidWorks assembly into an eDrawings EASM file ?
Regards,
Vajrang.