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17-Peridot
ScottMorris17-Peridot
17-Peridot
March 3, 2026
Question

Solidworks: What is Your Primary Representation Format for Drawings?

  • March 3, 2026
  • 2 replies
  • 73 views

Version: Windchill 12.0

 

Use Case: We are publishing Solidworks CAD using Creo View Adapters in Windchill 12. The default representation is created as a PDF document. We would like to customize the name of the PDF to include the Revision Info, but renaming the PDF is not supported if it is the primary representation type. If the file is renamed, it cannot be opened in Creo View directly from Windchill because the name is different.


Description:

Curious if anyone is using a format other than PDF for their primary 2D representations created in Windchill for Solidworks Drawings? DXF maybe? 

 

CVA supports the following 2D formats for Solidworks: DWG, DXF, EDRAWINGS, PDF & TIFF

 

We have a customization that will rename the PDF files to a more user friendly name along with the Windchill revision. Unfortunately, PTC does not support renaming the primary representation, only secondary content. 

 

Is anyone using DXF as their primary representation in Windchill for Solidworks Drawings with PDF as secondary output? I am nervous about making the change because it will have an impact on any action or function that relies on the default representation such as Windchill Packages.

 

I still need PDF to be the primary deliverable, just cannot find a good way to give the PDF an effective name during the publishing process. Maybe I've missed a simple solution in the publish rules? 

Here are a few PTC TS KB references

  1. https://www.ptc.com/en/support/article/CS349681 (How to Rename Additional Files)

  2. https://www.ptc.com/en/support/article/CS333616 (Unable to open Representation in Creo View)

  3. https://www.ptc.com/en/support/article/CS143519 (How to change the Viewable reference in a PVS file)

  4. https://www.ptc.com/en/support/article/CS346522 (CreoView fails to open PDF representations)

2 replies

D
DmitryC14-Alexandrite
14-Alexandrite
March 3, 2026

I doubt that there is a simple solution for this. However, I know of a workaround that may be useful for you.

 

We have SolidWorks as our primary CAD package and have PDFs as our deliverables. When we first implemented Windchill, we used Wincom utilities to mass upload historic drawings (including scans of old paper drawings). We have been using the same utilities ever since for occasional manual uploads when SolidWorks misbehaves and refuses produce an acceptable PDF.

 

These utilities create a proper representation that can be opened in Creo View.

It should be possible to create something similar to delete/create a new representation with a new PDF filename automatically after publishing.

 

Here's an example of the utility use:

windchill net.wincomco.windchill.wincom.reputils.impl.commands.WComRepUpdate -oid VR:wt.epm.EPMDocument:123456789 -default true -file "C:\temp\123456_A17.pdf" -name 123456_A17.pdf ....

 

Resulting representation:

CreoView_example.png

Representation_example.png

 

 

 

 

H
HJ115-Moonstone
15-Moonstone
March 6, 2026

Hi,

We're publishing SolidWorks, but first could you clarify the use of Packages, because if I recall correct we used it to collect the pdf's & dxf from EPMDocument Attachments, ie. secondary content and the specific reason to have a AfterLoader was to have the file name changed to include revision AND have the file stored in Attachments so it would be available for Package. If the pdf was available only 'under' representation it would not be picked in the Package.

 

Also, a while back I recall I played with the worker settings to have the dxf as the primary representation, but AfterLoader in place the pdf with the modified file name was still saved under Attachments as was expected. This is something to be retested, though, but maybe you can test the same.

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