Video Tutorials - What would you like?

Welcome back, Luke and surely many have been missing you too

I think VB .NET is more popular and many here still have  trouble making their first Add-in. It'd be nice if you have some video tutorials about this.

i like to see the basic, intermediate, advanced and highly advanced tutorials in C# programming because im not a programmer and i like to learn how to use it to create program that is usefull to me

Hi Luke, welcome back.

Great idea on the video and thanks for sharing your thoughts about them. I would suggest to go from basic level with simple tasks first, like save as PDF, DXF from drawing or export models as step, iges, etc. This would help people with no or little expertise with programming and specially with C# to absorb the information at an adequate pace.

Hello Luke,

I've done a couple of simple taskpane add ins and would was thinking of trying to play around with the PropertyManagerPage. It would be nice to see a detailed video on utilizing this for beginners.

Luke,

That sounds great! You have already helped me in the past. But please, what is your YouTube channel ID?

Hi Luke,

Great idea. Why not start with SolidWorks SDK template itself? I mean:

1. Explaining how DLL is registered.

2. Creating Command Manger and Command Group.

3. Addition to Menu Bar.

4. Adding Add-in buttons and flyout group.

5. Adding custom bitmap images for add-in buttons.

6. Embedding resources and finally,

7. Set up and Deployment of the add-in.

These are the basic stuffs need to be learned for any beginner to start writing an add-in. Once they understand these points it will be lot more easier for them.

Regards,

Luke,

A little off topic, but watched your video on the rapid fire mod to the game controller. Your solder-in overlay is REALLY a slick approach!

Daen

I plan to create a C# open-source API for the crappy SolidWorks interop dll's that wraps them up and makes them work as expected, easy to use and fully documented with video tutorials of them.

What exactly wrong with current API?

Not sure if it's too far out there but I would like to see the process for interfacing with a relational database such as SQL

Whether that is a standalone C# tutorial, or coupled with SOLIDWORKS.

End goal being something as simple as reading a dimension or property from SOLIDWORKS, and writing it to a particular cell in the DB. And then querying something from the DB, and write back to SOLIDWORKS.

Start from basics please on API.

Luke,

Have you looked at this framework?  GitHub - Weingartner/SolidworksAddinFramework

It's got a very slick way of performing automated unit tests inside SolidWorks.  There are also a few functions I find very useful.  I've learned a lot about functional programming and extension methods by reading through the code but am not convinced this is the best approach for a framework for the general audience.  I thought I would mention it in case you could borrow some ideas for SolidDNA

Hello all,

My requests is based on what i think might be useful to many users and couple for myself but hope all they get in a video at some point!!

*add read only  and write access fields in taskpane link to users custom properties ..

*Drop down menus that can have a couple of options and save to a custom property field.

*Add buttons for saving PDF and DXF . Or both at same time.( edited 24/12/16)

I wanted to expand on this point.. i know alot of engineers encluded myself get requests to package an assembly to be sent to a outside company to be welded.. usually this takes a bit of time as you have to both print DXF &PDF of the drawings  and create a BOM showing qauntities . Is it possible to have a button "sub-contract" thats create a folder structure .

A.  kits every DXF flat pattern (removes title block,text etc ) and place in folder based on material size.

B. A folder  call PDF.

C. A Folder for report export a number of reports.

- plasma/laser report

- cutting report

- full BOM report.

The report would consist of the user custom properties field..

Iknow there is all different macros that does bits above . But to combine them would save time and confusion and you missing parts... This would mean the engineer would get to do want they enjoy more(design). Rather admin...

*Button( user new icon) to link to personal marcos..outside of taskpane ?(is that possible?). Ie centre of gravity macro.

*  green/red button indicator if part or assembly is fully defined( check for minus in part features or assemblies)  This one is more for myself . The Purpose to have a quick visual check that part/ assemby good.

* quick print button that prints drawings of open assemblies or parts or both in order of the tree. ( perhaps too close to Batchprocess2 this feature...  )

Thanks Luke

Is there anyone else out there if these features would help?

good afternoon

interested examples

1. The shape, the read data from the model (size, weight, volume)

2. Storing data file property from the mold being computed according to the formulas or the table based on the size, weight, volume model

Thanks Luke for new video. We all starting to see how much fun you can have with your help!

Hello Luke,

as requested, here are some ideas of useful API for me ( and I guess for some other SW users):

- a small function useful for sheet metal parts drawings : hide all the sketches of one part but those used for flat patterns.

- rename all the sketches in one part, using the feature name with a prefix or suffix (cut-extrude 1 -> sk_cut-extrude 1). Useful when I want to configure the state of several features (that I rename to improve the readability) and associated sketches.

- automatic update of the family table based on an external Excel spreadsheet on several parts included in an assembly in one clic. Small warning: it seems that sometimes, the family table doesn't update even in the edit mode, I have to edit and validate the command line itself (='[my_excel_filepath]\excel_2_SW.xlsm]SW_datas'!E5 for example) to have the new value updated.

- export preparation of a whole assembly that would first delete all the unused features included in each part, then delete all the unused configurations , then convert the family tables into configurations and finally save the new light assembly with all its light parts under a new name , to keep the original files safe.

I haven't found these API for the moment, but maybe I just missed them. If so, my apologies.

One final note  : for API beginners, I find VBA easier to understand than C#, but I'm gonna watch and try to understand your youtube courses.

I wish these ideas will inspire you, I go and subscribe to your channel right now to see if they do ...

Regards.

Sebastien.

PS : sorry if I don't use the correct naming, I use the french version of SW

A really cool tool would be one that repairs broken in-context references of renamed assemblies.  This is the scenario I come across periodically:

1. I create a new concept model with in-context references.  The part files with in-context references are all virtual components.
2. For the second concept iteration, I save the assembly to a new filename - but the in-context references all break.  So, Now I must go through all of the sketches and features with in-context references and 'repair' them under the new assembly filename.

A macro/addin to do this automatically would be awesome!  What do you think?  Can you do a video on how to manipulate the in-context references?

Hello Luke!

Would be nice to discover EPDM side as well, such as checking if files exist, checking in/out, getting latest version etc...

Alex.