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Parts With Existing CAMWorks Data

Question asked by Brian Suchland on Apr 21, 2017
Latest reply on Apr 29, 2019 by Michael Buchli

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As a current CAMWorks user, my concern was how nice will SolidWorks CAM play with parts I previously programmed in CAMWorks. Upon opening a 2.5 axis mill part that was previously programmed in CAMWorks 2012 SP1, SolidWorks CAM pops a message that reads: "The SOLIDWORKS CAM data in this model will be converted when saved."

How can there be previous SOLIDWORKS CAM data? It didn't exist previously. Shouldn't this not prompt that CAMWorks Data was present and it will convert it to SOLIDWORK CAM data? Sorry this reads confusing to me, and there are differences between the two versions of which somethings may not convert so I though this should be made intelligent enough to detect CAMWorks vs SOLIDWORKS CAM. Anyone else agree?

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SW CAM Data Converted When Saved.JPG21.9 KB

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Michael Buchli Apr 21, 2017 8:26 PM
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Brian,

Thank you for the question. As you may know SOLIDWORKS CAM is powered by CAMWorks. One of our goals was to make sure the SOLIDWORKS CAM and CAMWorks are compatible. This would allow existing users of CAMWorks to communicate with SOLIDWORKS CAM users and vise versa. The message you are seeing is the ability to convert the 2012 data to 2017 in the same fashion that you would with CAMWorks 2017 or a SOLIDWORKS CAD file . We want to make sure that whether you program a part with CAMWorks or SOLIDWORKS CAM, you can share your ideas. This would also allow a user to have some seats of SW CAM and a couple seats of CAMWorks without the need to recreate a program. We are also working on some other scenarios for different use cases that cannot be shared at this time.

Kind Regards,

Mike
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- Brian Suchland @ Michael Buchli on Apr 24, 2017 8:55 AM
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  Michael, thank you. I'm fully aware of what the message I'm seeing is and says. I was simply saying it really does not make sense in this exact scenario.
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Edgaras Eddie Rutkauskas Apr 29, 2019 9:02 AM
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Hi, is there a way to stop this notification from showing up every single time? Just had to update over 20 parts with tsk scheduler and had to click OK for each part... Thanks
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- Michael Buchli @ Edgaras Eddie Rutkauskas on Apr 29, 2019 9:52 AM
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  I had a call with R&D this morning on this question, and we are looking at a possible reg setting that could turn this off during the update with task scheduler, but it would also turn all notifications off. The other option which could be done today is to turn off the SW CAM addin during startup, and the data will be updated without bringing up the cam data for a rebuild. This would eliminate the message and move the CAD data to the newest version. We will do some more looking on our side and let you know if we have another possibility today beyond turning off the addin during a task scheduler update schedule.
  
  Mike
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John Pesaturo Apr 29, 2019 10:17 AM
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Brian, (CC:Michael)

We use CAMWorks here and I'll be honest I almost fell over when we had recently upgraded to SW2019. We saw the same message and honestly it scares the crap out of me. Right off the "Go" we went and made sure all installs of the upgraded software had SW CAM disabled. The last thing we want is someone going into a file and rebuilding it. Let alone going in and messing around with CAM that was previously done. Personally, I think this was a huge oversight on SWX (Dassault) part as this should not even be possible.

I 100% agree that these two systems should not be able to see each other. Who in there right mind wants someone who has absolutely no CAM background playing around with existing programs. I sure as **** do not.

First Message ...

Second Message ...
How long do you think it will be before someone hits OK? My guess is right off the bat ... Shame on you SWX, what in the hell were you thinking?
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- Michael Buchli @ John Pesaturo on Apr 29, 2019 10:21 AM
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  John,
  
  Thank you for your message and explanation of your process. The updating of CAM files has always worked the same as a SOLIDWORKS File. When you open a CAD file today, it automatically updates or asks for a rebuild. You as a user have an option to ignore the update as it pertains to the part and assembly file. Please keep in mind that you can turn off the addin and it will ignore the request to update. Generally, if a user is not supposed to work with CAM files, they would not have the addin turned on and would never see the CAM data or the message to update. Only the CAM people would use this add-in and have the option to make the changes. It would be the same if a CNC programmer opened simulation and made changes to a study as it prompts for an auto-update as well when the file changes. Also, keep in mind that document management systems will also keep the updates separate. PDM will allow a file to be rolled back if an accidental update arises.
  
  I will take your notes above and see what can be done in the future to lower the risk. This is an update that affects all add-ins using the CAD model, not just CAM.
  
  Mike
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- Michael Buchli @ John Pesaturo on Apr 29, 2019 11:20 AM
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  Along with turning the addin on or off, you can adjust these settings which control how updates happen on rebuild. These options make it customizable to how a company operates with CAM data.
  
  In the SW CAM options, you can change what happens when a file updates from Generating new features to rebuilding operations. If you want it to rebuild to sync the cad updates with cam and not extract new features, you can adjust settings here. This helps to protect what was already created.
  
  You can also turn off the rebuild warning message if you want. Keep in mind that if it is turned off, then you will need to manually rebuild or pay attention to design changes as it will not prompt if the file has changed on the CAD side. Using tools like PDM would help as you can use workflows to determine the state and whether it needs a rebuild for mfg processes.
  
  There is also a prompt setting to show the dialog on file open or save. (below the arrow)
  
  Another area that could be adjusted per part for the rebuild is the "Mill Features" tab. It allows you to change what it finds in rebuild and feature recognition per part. So if you finished a program and did not want any additional features added, you can turn these off, and it will not look for new features during a rebuild or design change. The toolpaths will update from any existing features/operations, but SW CAM will not add any new features it finds. This is how I "lock" a program when I am completed with programming on my machine. Keep in mind, I design and program so I am aware of any changes in the file.
  
  All of these settings can be stored per part or saved in the SW part or assembly template, so they automatically apply as new files are created. Depending on a companies workflow, these adjustments can help prevent accidental updates or confusion but may require more communication between teams as designs change because the update may not be automatic.
  
  Mike
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