Saving Plastics Studies

It is good practice to save your work as you set up and run the simulation, and before you close the session.

SOLIDWORKS Plastics saves analysis information in the part document, and also in several files that contain configuration-specific data.
  • The part file saves information such as the details of the study, the domain assignment, and boundary conditions such as injection location and mesh parameters.
  • The software creates a folder in the same location as the part file, with the same name as the part file. Subfolders contain configuration-specific data. Each subfolder contains files that have the same name as the configuration, and file name extensions that identify the origin of data.

Plastics Analysis Files

The table lists the type of data saved in each analysis file.

File name extension Format Data Type
ADV3 ASCII Fill analysis summary (abridged)
ATP3 ASCII Air trap results
BC3 ASCII Boundary conditions for Fill, Pack, and Warp
BCM3 ASCII Mesh-based boundary conditions for Fill and Pack
BCO3 ASCII State of mesh-based boundary conditions that are out of date
CLP ASCII Clipping plane
CPU ASCII Computational parameters settings
DS3 ASCII Specific Warp analysis results such as demolding stress, and input for Abaqus.
EXINFO ASCII Extra information such as Auto Solid/Shell Mesh process (use for Mesh Detail)
EXINFO3 ASCII Mesh summary (accessed by selecting Mesh Details)
FFB3 BINARY Animation for flow filling data (0% ~ 100%)
FR3 ASCII Detailed results from Fill analysis
FR3S ASCII Fill surface results (needs surface geometry file PG3S)
FS3 ASCII Packing end frozen pressure, post-filling end pressure, frozen birefringence for Warp
FT3 ASCII Fill results: Temperature
GRL3 ASCII Points/Grid position in the X-Y Plot
GX3 ASCII Fill and Pack results: Clamp force, inlet pressure, melt front flow rate results
KD3 ASCII Fill and Pack analysis summary
KD3.HTML HTML Analysis summary of Fill and Pack (accessed from Run > Open Report Text File > Fill Text)
KLG3 ASCII Log of Fill analysis with details such as % volume filled, flow rate, pressure, etc.
MAL ASCII Properties of the polymer, mold material, coolant, and insert
MCH ASCII Properties of the representative molding machine used
MDATA ASCII Mesh parameters
OP3 ASCII Indicates whether settings have been applied (green check mark in the PlasticsManager tree)
PG3 ASCII Mesh - Nodal coordinates and element information
PR3 ASCII Complete results of a Pack analysis
PRC ASCII Fill and Pack process settings
PT3 ASCII Pack results: Temperature
PV0.BMP BITMAP Current model view image
PV3 BINARY Model preview image
PXB3 BINARY Fill and Pack results: Pressure and temperature versus time
PXB3F BINARY Fill: Temporary file for restart
RS3 BINARY Pack results: Residual stress at post-filling end
RST3 BINARY Filling restart (based on 10% cells filled)
WD3 ASCII Warp analysis summary
WD3.HTML HTML Warp analysis summary (accessed from Run > Open Report Text File > Warp Text
WDL3 ASCII Fill: Weld line results
WLG3 ASCII Warp analysis log
WN3 ASCII Warp results reference node
WR3 ASCII Warp analysis complete results
WR30 ASCII In-mold and de-molding residual Von Mises stress values.
WR34 ASCII Warp analysis residual stress results
WR37 ASCII Warp analysis thermal results