While Solidworks offers various methods for managing custom properties, the provided reference describes adding properties specifically within the Solidworks CircuitWorks Component Library. This process involves defining properties directly within the CircuitWorks database for electronic components.
Here's how you can add custom properties to components within the Solidworks CircuitWorks Component Library, based on the reference provided:
Adding custom properties in CircuitWorks allows you to associate specific, non-geometric data with electronic components, which can be useful for documentation, bill of materials generation, and data management.
Steps to Add Custom Properties in CircuitWorks
Follow these steps to define custom properties for components in your CircuitWorks Component Library:
- Open the CircuitWorks Component Library Dialog: Access the CircuitWorks Component Library interface within Solidworks.
- Select a Component: In the left-hand pane of the dialog box, locate and select the specific component to which you want to add a custom property.
- Initiate Property Addition: Click the Add Property button. This action will open a new dialog box for defining the property.
- Define Property Name and Value: In the New Custom Property dialog box, you must specify the Property name (e.g., "Manufacturer", "Part Number", "Tolerance") and the corresponding Property value for the selected component (e.g., "Resistor Inc.", "RES-0402-10K", "±5%").
- Configure Optional Settings: You can select optional settings, such as Apply to all components, if you want this property field to be available for all components in the library (though the value will likely need to be set individually).
- Confirm Property Addition: Click OK to save the new custom property definition for the selected component.
| Step | Action | Description |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Select Component | Choose the component in the CircuitWorks library. |
| 2 | Click Add Property | Open the property definition window. |
| 3 | Type Name and Value | Enter the name and specific value for the property. |
| 4 | Select Optional Settings | Choose options like applying the property field universally. |
| 5 | Click OK | Save the new custom property for the component. |
Note: This method adds properties to the component definition within the CircuitWorks library. When you build a Solidworks assembly using this CircuitWorks data, these properties can be transferred and associated with the corresponding Solidworks components.
This specific process is focused on managing data for electronic components within the CircuitWorks environment, which is a specialized Solidworks add-in for handling ECAD/MCAD collaboration. Solidworks also offers other methods for managing custom properties directly within part, assembly, and drawing files, such as manually adding them in the File > Properties dialog or utilizing Solidworks PDM for more advanced property management and data import/export capabilities. However, the provided reference details the method specific to the CircuitWorks Component Library.
