In this article, you will learn how to:
Navigate your parts from the plug-in,
View, edit, insert or update a part,
Create a new part or import one from a local folder,
Use the Active part panel to save your work.
Navigating and finding a part
Browsing the Aletiq parts is done using the search bar and filters, as in the web application interface:
Opening a part
Choosing the revision to open
You can choose the revision you want to view or edit.
View
By clicking View, the plug-in opens the part in read-only mode, without creating a new revision in Aletiq. The Active part panel does not show a save button in view mode.
Edit
By clicking on Edit, Aletiq opens the the selected revision if it is in draft status, or creates a new draft revision of the part if the selected revision was approved. The part is locked🔒 so other users cannot edit it anymore
If it is an assembly it is possible to select the components to be modified. It is also possible to select which revision of the parts are going to be used in the assembly
Insert into an assembly
Insert lets you add existing parts to the open assembly.
Update an assembly
The Update button changes the components' revisions in the assembly to the latest
Creating a new part
The Aletiq plug-in lets you create a part directly from the New part button.
💡 You can also create a new part by duplicating an existing part in the Aletiq database
💡 Automatic item numbering is available when creating a part: Aletiq can assign a reference according to the configured naming convention.
Importing a part from a local folder
When you open a part from your local drive that is not saved yet in Aletiq, the plugin detects it and proposes to save the part:
"Active part" panel
The Active part panel lists the parts open in the CAD software, shows the last save date in Aletiq, and lets you save your changes before closing the part.
💡 Your work is saved locally in case your CAD software crashes or you forget to save in Aletiq. Your changes will be recovered at the next startup.
Save CAD files
Once your changes are complete, you can save your CAD files to Aletiq
The save window lets you:
Select which CAD files to update / ignore
Select, for each CAD file, which variants to update / ignore
Create new CAD files in the database, by configuring their identifier, name, and revision
Retrieve your last SolidWorks session
If SolidWorks crashes, you can recover the files that were open during your last working session
💡 The files will be reloaded into the workdir, the temporary folder used by Aletiq
💬 A question? Contact our team via the Aletiq chat.