Building SOLIDWORKS Assemblies from ECAD Files You can build a SOLIDWORKS assembly that represents the board, components, and other features in your ECAD data. To build SOLIDWORKS assemblies from ECAD files: If an assembly is open in SOLIDWORKS, close it. If an assembly is open in SOLIDWORKS, CircuitWorks tries to update it instead of building a new assembly. Ensure that the ECAD data open in CircuitWorks represents the model you want to build. For example, apply filters as needed to omit features from the model. Set the SOLIDWORKS Import options from the CircuitWorks Options dialog box. Click Build Model (SOLIDWORKS pane of the Tools tab). Maximize the CircuitWorks application user interface to display the SOLIDWORKS pane tools if required. CircuitWorks scans the ECAD data for possible build issues and displays the results in a dialog box. If CircuitWorks reports build warnings, you can click Cancel to cancel the build, correct the warnings, and restart the build process. However, most warnings do not prevent CircuitWorks from building the assembly. From the CircuitWorks scan-results dialog box, click Build. If a model already exists and you have enabled the option to be warned before overwriting, a confirmation box appears. Click Yes to overwrite the existing model or No to use the existing model. From SOLIDWORKS, save the completed assembly. CircuitWorks creates the board with fixed position. If you move the board and update the assembly, CircuitWorks flags all components as having moved. Contents Building Only Top and Bottom Conductive Layers You can set up CircuitWorks to model only the top and bottom conductive layers in SOLIDWORKS to save build time. Creating Copper Traces as Decals To increase performance, when you use Build Model to create PCB models from PADS or EDMD files, CircuitWorks can represent the copper traces as images instead of physical geometry in the board file. Build Issues When you build an assembly, CircuitWorks reports any warnings or errors before actually building the model. Most warnings do not prevent CircuitWorks from building the assembly, but they give you a chance to make changes. Build Progress CircuitWorks shows build progress in a pane at the bottom of the CircuitWorks application. Importing Properties from ECAD Files You can import ECAD file thermal and other properties as SOLIDWORKS Model custom properties. Building SOLIDWORKS Models from ECAD Files in Batch Mode You can schedule a task in SOLIDWORKS Task Scheduler to build multiple ECAD files as SOLIDWORKS solid models. Parent topicModels Importing SOLIDWORKS Models Building Component Models Recognizing SOLIDWORKS Features in CircuitWorks Editing Hole Features in the CircuitWorks Export Wizard Updating Assemblies Update of Existing CircuitWorks Boards CircuitWorks Options - SOLIDWORKS Import