What Windchill supports the Unite Technology?

dpasholk · ‎Mar 08, 2016

I can OPEN solidworks part if I am off line with no server. I am on Windchill 10.1 M050, and Creo 3.0 M070. and only get IMPORT.

Thanks for your help.

LoriSood · ‎Mar 09, 2016

Dan,

I think the issue you are seeing is documented here: https://support.ptc.com/appserver/cs/view/solution.jsp?n=CS202059

See also https://support.ptc.com/appserver/cs/view/solution.jsp?n=CS188975

TomU · ‎Mar 09, 2016

PTC intentionally "broke" the unite functionality when Creo is connected to Windchill so they wouldn't lose revenue from people not buying the appropriate Windchill Workgroup Manager. Of course if you don't actually own SolidWorks, buying the WGM isn't going to do you any good...

ChrisPLM · ‎Mar 11, 2016

Tom,

if you are right, that is going to be a pain....

Dobi · ‎Sep 25, 2023

I thought Unite also had the "(un)intended" consequence of breaking parametric links of SW (or other non-Creo CAD) to it's associated references like 2D drawings? So even though you COULD in theory open the files and edit them with Unite, the resulting object would cease to be a SW file and would then be overtaken as Creo. In the end, if the purpose is a multi-CAD assembly this was not a useful feature.

dpasholk · ‎Mar 10, 2016

How to save a Unite Technology OPEN part into Winchill

File > Manage Session > Server Management.
Double click on <NO SERVER>.
Right Mouse Button on the Windchill Icon, below <NO SERVER>.
Check box Work Offline…
Close.
File > Open
Set the Type to SolidWorks Part (*.sldprt).
Navigate to where the SolidWorks Part is saved and select it.
Open.
Check the view Manger > Orient. The standard view are there.
If not run the mapkey CSV, create standard views.
Check the Model Tree, only a Solidworks id #, no model build history there.
Check the Layer Tree.
Run the mapkey LAY, to add our standard layers.
File > Save As > Save a Copy.
File Name, enter the part name. OK
Check in File > Open, it should be there with a blue box icon next to its name with the .prt file extension.
Select it and Open it.
Close the .sldprt part.
Go back online and connect to the server.
Make sure your Workspace is linked to your Windchill folder of the same name.
See me if not. I can create a folder and show you how to link it up.
Check your Active workspace.
File > Save > Save and upload.
File > Check In > Auto Check In.
Check the bottom dialogue line for Checkin succeeded.

This process is all I could come up with. Any comments are most welcome.

Thanks for everyone help. Dan

TomU · ‎Mar 10, 2016

Creo Unite technology basically imports the SolidWorks data as "dumb" geometry and saves it to a ".creo" file. If the process you've come up with actually does check in both the generated .creo file AND the native SolidWorks file, then I'm guessing they are being checked in with the authoring application set to Creo, NOT SolidWorks. This probably doesn't matter now, but if you ever get SolidWorks actually connected to Windchill, then it might. I don't think Windchill will allow SolidWorks to open files that were checked in as Creo files, but I could be completely wrong. Let me see if I can test this...

dpasholk · ‎Mar 10, 2016

From Brianna Dixion.

If you are offline or not connected to Windchill, then you can perform open and import of the Solidworks model. However, you are connected to WindchillWorkspace, then you can only IMPORT the Solidworks model from a disk. You cannot open Solidworks files from a disk. This limitation is to avoid opening the Solidworks model in Creo, saving it to workspace, and trying to check it in. The reason we have this limitation is because Solidworks data requires the Solidworks WGM to get it into Windchill. Once the models are in Windchill, you can open or import the native Solidworks model from workspace without any issues.

Marco_Tosin · ‎Mar 14, 2016

This is the article with the comment cited.

Did You Know? Unite Technology

Marco

JTBaker · ‎Sep 25, 2023

@dpasholk wrote:
From Brianna Dixion.
If you are offline or not connected to Windchill, then you can perform open and import of the Solidworks model. However, you are connected to WindchillWorkspace, then you can only IMPORT the Solidworks model from a disk. You cannot open Solidworks files from a disk. This limitation is to avoid opening the Solidworks model in Creo, saving it to workspace, and trying to check it in. The reason we have this limitation is because Solidworks data requires the Solidworks WGM to get it into Windchill. Once the models are in Windchill, you can open or import the native Solidworks model from workspace without any issues.

"Once the models are in Windchill, you can open or import the native Solidworks model from workspace without any issues." This statement doesn't seem to be true. I'm running Windchill 12.0.2.6 with Creo 7.0.11 and Solidworks 2022. Like stated above I can use Unite outside of Windchill but with the server turned on I can't assemble solidworks parts to creo assemblies from SW parts checked in with the WGM or from outside of WC. Is there any plans to integrate this functionality into WC so that it's useful without having to do imports and shrinkwraps to hack things together?

Dobi · ‎Sep 25, 2023

You're likely looking at a combination of Windchill and Creo issues.

Are you using Solidworks and Creo in Windchill?

Creo 3.0 is quite old at this point and it doesn't even show up here but this shows the Creo to other CAD compatibility.

If you are doing any sort of multi-CAD you really need the WGM and separate workspaces (and managed cache) between WGM and Creo. Otherwise, there's a whole world of hurt with cache corruptions, WLD syncdown errors, etc.

JTBaker · ‎Sep 25, 2023

I'm on creo 7 with this issue... just reviving to post to see if this got better. We are multi-cad company using the WGM for solidworks. This came up for me becuase I'm using Creo Cabling to design harnessing for a product that was designed in Solidworks... right now I just use unite outside of windchill and make a shrinkwrap of the sw design then delete it back out of the assembly... i move the shrinkwrap to a skel for use in the harness design.

Dobi · ‎Sep 25, 2023

What version of Solidworks are you using? Creo 7.0.9.0 ought to support 2022 for Open/Import directly in Creo (observing the "thou shall not edit a non-Creo file in a Creo workspace" rule )

Creo supports multi-CAD only if Creo is the top level assembly. So for cabling, you would have a Creo assembly with a SW component BOM and then you do your routing between those components. We do this with NX and Creo today.

JTBaker · ‎Sep 26, 2023

it works find when you are set to "No Server" but connected to Windchill it won't work.