FormatWorks Configurations

FormatWorks Standard modular SolidWorks' add-in for import wide variety of CAD data formats in SolidWorks (some of them are not supported by SolidWorks). Data translators are available as options and can be configured separately. FormatWorks offers automatic repair & healing eliminating possible incompatibilities preventing SolidWorks to form valid solids.
Combined with the manual repair tools, it offers the best solution for SolidWorks users to quickly and easily get valid models. It resolves frustrating problems such as: surfaces that won’t knit together, model errors, deformation, and unusable models when using standard SolidWorks import tools. Automatic repair & healing ensures correct model definition (solid) in SolidWorks. Error classification and specialized manual repair tools provide easy to use work flow to solve most complex CAD repair tasks difficult or impossible to conduct in SolidWorks. You have access to extensive diagnostic capabilities that identify and classify errors which prevent SolidWorks from forming valid solids in SolidWorks. Each problem entity is separated and transferred including the neighbours to a separate SolidWorks document. You operate only on a small model part, which greatly simplifies the most complex repairs. The model is automatically updated with the modified parts. FormatWorks provides an ideal solution for single user requiring CATIA data translation in SolidWorks.

FormatWorks Professional is designed for smooth import of large 3D Models and complex assemblies into SolidWorks. The powerful preview capability allows visualisation of CAD data prior to translation to SolidWorks. Users can select parts of the model for translation to SolidWorks by defining model entity name, colour, groups or picking entity directly on the 3D model. Large and multiple data sets can be automatically translated using batch translation. Batch translation operates without any user interaction. The process is fully controlled and will automatically recover in case of unexpected error or SolidWorks crash. The results are stored in SolidWorks format on selected disc volume together with log file.

FormatWorks Server is designed for multi-user configurations. The data translation is performed on the server. The data translators supporting different CAD formats are installed on the server. The translation results can be shared between different users (FormatWorks Clients) form one central server.
FormatWorks Client can submit translation job to a server and on-line monitor translation status. The jobs are queued on the server. Each job can be given a priority. The higher the priority is the faster the results will be available. System administrators can also assign priorities to different clients giving faster response to high priority clients.
FormatWorks Server operates as independent application and does not require a SolidWorks license. The FormatWorks Server is an ideal solution for large organisations requiring own central data translation capability. The data translation runs on a separate server not loading SolidWorks seats, which results in better utilisation of SolidWorks licenses. The server is modular and can be configured in function of specific data translations needs (CAD formats).

Batch translation

The batch translation option (for FormatWorks) provides automatic translation of large data sets into SolidWorks. The batch translation will be typically performed without user interaction overnight. To ensure smooth operation the batch mode option includes special controls and settings making the whole process fully automatic. The most important functions:

• Time-out control in case a file can not be opened
• Automatic SolidWorks recovery in case of abnormal termination
• Automatic application restart after abnormal termination
• Definition of repair options (as a function of required results or objectives)
  • geometry 2D/3D
  • topology
• Verification of the file existence in the source directory
• Automatic storage
• Logging of all activities

FormatWorks Upgrade Policy

All FormatWorks products are upgradable. You can start with FormatWorks Standard then upgrade it to FormatWorks Professional followed by an upgrade to FormatWorks Server. The CAD data translators supporting different import/export formats are fully interchangeable between all FormatWorks products.