SOLIDWORKS Electrical comes with a huge default library of common parts right out of the box, which is very helpful in getting started right away. However, there could come a time where you will need to expand this library with more parts that better fit your project needs. Fortunately, there are different import options that allow you to easily add data to your SOLIDWORKS Electrical libraries. In this article, we will go over how to download, import and manually enter new part data.
>> Read the first part of this series- Building Your Electrical Parts Library: Classifications
Using the SOLIDWORKS Electrical Content Portal
You can download data into SOLIDWORKS Electrical by using the Electrical Content Portal. To access this portal, click on the Help tab in the ribbon menu. Then, click on the Online content portal icon.
A web browser will open and bring you to the login page to the portal. You will need to make an account, which is free if you have an active license. Once logged in, click on the Catalogs option towards the top left of the screen. This is going to list out all major manufactures and their associated files you have access to download.
Once you find your data set you will download the .tewzip file, then, unarchive the file in SOLIDWORKS Electrical by clicking on the File tab in the ribbon menu and selecting the Unarchive environment icon. Choose your downloaded .tewzip file and go through the unarchive wizard and then your data will be added to your library.
Importing Data From an Excel File into SOLIDWORKS Electrical
Let’s say you have a list of parts that you need to have accessible in SOLIDWORKS Electrical. You can also add data to SOLIDWORKS Electrical by importing an Excel file. Click on the Library tab in the ribbon menu and select the Manufacture parts manager icon. Next, click on the Import icon and a window will be displayed like the one below.
Select .XLS in the file or data source field. Then, select the Excel file that holds your data. From here, you will see a preview of your Excel spread sheet and you can click Next following the prompts in the window.
Before it adds the new data, it will do a comparison of the data that already exist in the library and notify you if there is any duplicated data. Once it does the comparison you can then click the import button and the data will be added.
Entering Data Manually in SOLIDWORKS Electrical
The third option to add data to your library would be to enter it in manually. If you choose this method, you are going to want to make sure you have the part spec sheet handy as you will need it to fill in the property fields with this information. First, click on the Library tab in the ribbon menu and select Manufacture parts manager. Click the icon that says Add manufacture part and the manufacture part properties window will open.
You will then fill out all property and circuit information using the spec sheet and click the ok button when you are finished. That’s all you need to do to manually add it to your library.
Whether you need to add individual or multiple pieces of data to your libraries there are several easy options available to you in SOLDWORKS Electrical. Library data does not need to be project specific and can remain in your seat of software until it is deleted. Once you add the data it will be there for use in all current and future projects.
Watch our on-demand webinar for a more detailed walk through of the various ways to build your library as explained throughout this article.
>> Previous article in this series- Building Your Electrical Parts Library: Classifications
>> Next article in this series- Building Your Electrical parts Library: Organization
