The Bookmark Editor is best correlated to File Explorer for anyone that’s used a PC environment for the last 20 years, which is common amongst us SOLIDWORKS users of many years. Having visited many clients, I have seen grand, complex folder paths with specific files choreographed to populate unique directories. One would browse to a particular folder based on a set structure for release of various products. With a well-designed structure, finding a file usually is very quick.

In 3DEXPERIENCE, the Platform offers Bookmark Editor which functions a lot like File Explorer, but with many additional benefits. Users can access Bookmark Editor on any device, anywhere. As a named user profile, the experience will be the same regardless of what device the user happens to be on that day. It could be said with a named user profile, the experience is yours and yours alone.

Bookmark Editor does many things, but the two most mission critical would include first finding objects of repeated interest, and second, adding structure to the vault (3DSpace). These are the same two things that you would expect within the traditional File Explorer mechanism so many are familiar with.

As seen below, we can easily see a very familiar User Interface. On the left, we see structure, and in the main graphics window, the objects come into view with editable attributes.

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You can customize the column headers with a right mouse click and then selecting Tree List View Options.

Tips for Revisions 

A quick tip is to bring the attribute “Is Last Revision” closer to “Revision”. This way, the user can see whether the Revision they are viewing is the latest or not.

In the picture below, the Red X indicates the object is not the latest revision. You can click the cell and then navigate the Revision Explorer to bring into view the desired Revision of the object. It is redundant to bookmark every Revision of an object, but rather understand it is easy to pivot from one version to another this way.

Seen below is the Revision Explorer interface. This is a common experience in SOLIDWORKS or in the web environment. You can easily pivot from one version to another.

Additional Bookmark Editor Functions 

Beyond these two most basic principles, the tool offers much more. Lifecycle operations are indeed possible through this widget too. You can select the icon below and choose to lifecycle that object directly through a browser. This works on any object, so if you forgot to freeze or release a SOLIDWORKS part, you don’t need to fire up SOLIDWORKS on a PC- you can do it on any device.

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Controlling File Access 

Below, we see the ability to lock and unlock files. This is perhaps the most basic principle within the Platform. Only one person can have a file locked at any given point, and this allows the ability to modify a file so long as it’s in the “In Work” Maturity State. Seen below is the green key and this indicates the file is locked.

Information 

The information button is fundamental to understanding everything about the object. This is the data card and reveals a front-end interface of the company’s most important attributes or variables, information like description, material, part number etc. can be seen here and possibly modified depending on the Platform’s settings.

Comparisons

Compare is a great way to do exactly that- you can see differences between versions or even compare dissimilar objects as well.

Here, I compare Revision A.1 to B.1 of the Moto Knee assembly.

The Compare app is a very convenient way to show differences in report and graphic form. Users also have the ability to generate a Comma Separated Value to be further manipulated in Spreadsheet applications.

Users can duplicate items and structure as well, which is a convenient way to perhaps have an independent project or dependent downstream reference.

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Relations 

Relations will show Contains and Where Used and this is one of the most critical features of a database. This shows the user where objects are used in other products and what objects depend on their presence. It is a very powerful way to show connection and relationships between objects.

Below, we see an example of Contains and Where Used via the Relations app.

Below, we see the ability to duplicate a structure directly in the web environment. There’s no need to fire up SOLIDWORKS to create content.

As can be seen, the Bookmark Editor offers a total experience to controlled access (versions) of files. Once accessed, the file’s life can easily be controlled by a number of easy-to-use, intuitive operations. While the use of Bookmarks is completely optional, being efficient in the Platform would not be possible without its proper use.

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