CircuitWorks Options - SOLIDWORKS Import

You can set options that affect how SOLIDWORKS builds and displays models.

To display CircuitWorks Options - SOLIDWORKS Import:

From the CircuitWorks Options dialog box, click SOLIDWORKS Import .

To display the CircuitWorks Options dialog box, do one of the following:

  • From CircuitWorks, click the CircuitWorks application menu , then click Options .
  • From SOLIDWORKS, click Tools > CircuitWorks > CircuitWorks Options.
Show part creation in SOLIDWORKS

When building an assembly, shows the creation of new component models in SOLIDWORKS. Selecting this option significantly reduces CircuitWorks performance.

Constrain sketch geometry in SOLIDWORKS

Adds constraints to fully define each sketch entity. Selecting this option minimizes the risk of geometry being accidentally changed in SOLIDWORKS but also reduces CircuitWorks performance slightly when creating new SOLIDWORKS parts.

Fix components in place in SOLIDWORKS

By default, CircuitWorks inserts component models into the correct location in a SOLIDWORKS assembly but are left unconstrained to float. Select this option to fix components in place. Selecting this option significantly reduces CircuitWorks performance for large assemblies.

Set component's configuration to part number
Lets you specify the configuration for the component in the CircuitWorks Tree.
  1. In the CircuitWorks Tree, right-click a component and click Properties.
  2. In the Component Properties panel, specify a SOLIDWORKS Configuration and click .

    The selected configuration applies to all instances of this component.

When selected, Use Instance specific configuration is cleared.

When Set component's configuration to part number and Use Instance specific configuration are cleared, the software uses the last saved configuration of the part.

Use Instance specific configuration Lets you specify the configuration for each instance of the component in the CircuitWorks Tree. The selected configuration applies to that specific component instance. You can select different configurations for different instances of the component. If you do not specify a configuration for some of the instances, the component inherits the configuration from the parent component configuration.
  1. In the CircuitWorks Tree, right-click a component instance and click Properties.
  2. In the Component Instance Properties panel, specify a SOLIDWORKS Configuration and click .

    The selected configuration applies to the specified instance of this component.

When selected, Set component's configuration to part number is cleared.

When Set component's configuration to part number and Use Instance specific configuration are cleared, the software uses the last saved configuration of the part.

Add CircuitWorks coordinate system to each new component

Creates a CircuitWorks-specific coordinate system using the coordinate data from imported components.

By using a common coordinate system, users can share components more easily and be sure that CircuitWorks places them in the correct orientation in an assembly.

Save these custom properties into each new model

Adds the following custom properties to each component model CircuitWorks creates: Component name, Part number, and Component height. Standard custom property names are defined in CircuitWorks, but you can specify different property names.

All the custom properties are of the type 'text', except component height, which is a number. IDF 3.0 and above support properties that are defined in the ECAD system. Any component properties found in the ECAD system are added to the component custom properties, for example, 'Capacitance', '0.0025uF'

Use this option to satisfy predefined BOM templates, drawing borders, or an existing PDM system.

Use SOLIDWORKS templates when creating new documents
Uses SOLIDWORKS templates to control document properties such as colors, fonts, and dimension styles. When selected:
  • From Part template, click Browse to select a *.prtdot file.
  • From Assembly template, click Browse to select a *.asmdot file.

When cleared, CircuitWorks uses the default SOLIDWORKS settings when creating new documents.

Set the feature tree to show
When CircuitWorks creates a SOLIDWORKS assembly, selects what to display in the SOLIDWORKS FeatureManager design tree:
  • SOLIDWORKS Component Name
  • ECAD Part Number
  • ECAD Component Name
  • ECAD Reference Designator
For best performance, select SOLIDWORKS Component Name.
Model keep-out & keep-in areas as
Specifies how keep-out areas, keep-in areas, and user-defined outline types are represented in the SOLIDWORKS assembly:
  • Parts within SOLIDWORKS Assembly - CircuitWorks builds a separate part file for each keep-out or keep-in area. These models are automatically named and saved in the Outlines folder (see CircuitWorks Options - Models). When building the board model, CircuitWorks inserts the separate part files into the assembly.
  • Features on Board Part - CircuitWorks sketches and extrudes each area as a feature within the SOLIDWORKS part file that represents the board.
Model traces, pads, vias, and filled areas as

Ignore (Fast)

Excludes traces, pads, vias, and filled areas from the SOLIDWORKS model.

Imported Bodies (Slow)

Defines traces, pads, vias, and filled areas as bodies in the SOLIDWORKS model. You cannot edit the imported bodies.

Imported Surfaces (Slow)

Defines traces, pads, vias, and filled areas as surfaces in the SOLIDWORKS model. You can edit the surfaces, but the resulting model might be very large.

Zero-height components
Specifies how CircuitWorks handles components in the ECAD file with zero or undefined height:
  • Ignore - Omits zero-height components from the assembly.
  • Show as 2D Sketch - Inserts a part into the assembly containing the 2D sketch of the component outline.
Zero-height components are shown with a   icon in the CircuitWorks Tree. You can specify a component height in CircuitWorks before building the board model.  
Conductive layer modeling Specifies how CircuitWorks treats conductive layers in PADS files on import:

Only top and bottom layers (faster)

Displays only the top and bottom conductive layers in CircuitWorks. This is the fastest option.

Complete (slower)

Displays all layers in CircuitWorks.

Create teardrops

Creates teardrops in the SOLIDWORKS model where teardrops are defined in the ECAD file.

Create via holes

Creates holes in the SOLIDWORKS model where the vias are defined.