A SolidWorks Guide to An Efficient Design TeamThis guide is designed to help you lay out a road map to create an efficient design team using SolidWorks 3D CAD Software and add-in products. If you are a CAD Manager, a Designer, or an Engineer looking for advice on implementation or improvements to your SolidWorks system then this guide is for YOU.

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Copyright 2009 Javelin Technologies Inc. | 1-877-21-WORKS (96757) | sales@javelin-tech.com

Javelin is Canada's leading provider of SolidWorks software and services for Ontario, and Atlantic Canada. Our SolidWorks solutions combined with our comprehensive training and mentoring programs, high level customer service, and over 10 years of industry experience; will help your team get your products to market faster.

GuidetoanEfficientDesignTeam JavelinTechnologies

TableofContentsIntroduction.................................................................................................................................................................................................3

Step1:Hardwareandinstallationwithaplantomaintain.........................................................................................................................3

Step2:Options,ToolbarsandAddins........................................................................................................................................................3

Options...................................................................................................................................................................................................3

Toolbars..................................................................................................................................................................................................4

Addins....................................................................................................................................................................................................4

Sharingcustomization.............................................................................................................................................................................4

Step3:Chooseyourcustomproperties......................................................................................................................................................4

Step4:Standardizetemplatesandtitleblocks............................................................................................................................................5

Step5:Setupsharedlibraries......................................................................................................................................................................6

DesignLibrary.........................................................................................................................................................................................6

SolidWorksToolbox................................................................................................................................................................................7

Step6:SetupJavelinsupport......................................................................................................................................................................7

Step7:Makeaplanforskilllevelimprovement..........................................................................................................................................7

Step8:Createastandardizedfolderstructure............................................................................................................................................8

Step9:Makearevisionmanagementplan.................................................................................................................................................8

Step10:Planforcollaboration....................................................................................................................................................................8

Step11:Defineyourprocesses...................................................................................................................................................................9

Step12:Automaterepetitivetasks...........................................................................................................................................................10

AdministrativeTasks.............................................................................................................................................................................10

DesignTasks..........................................................................................................................................................................................10

SalesTasks............................................................................................................................................................................................11

Step13:Integratewithotherengineeringdepartments...........................................................................................................................11

ElectricalEngineering............................................................................................................................................................................11

ManufacturingProgramming................................................................................................................................................................11

Step14:Adoptcontinuousimprovementmentality.................................................................................................................................11

Appendix....................................................................................................................................................................................................12

DriveWorks...........................................................................................................................................................................................12

PropertyLinksXpress.............................................................................................................................................................................12

SolidWorks............................................................................................................................................................................................12

SolidWorkseDrawings..........................................................................................................................................................................12

SolidWorksEnterprisePDM..................................................................................................................................................................12

ZukenE3.WireWorks...........................................................................................................................................................................12

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IntroductionThisguideisintendedtohelpcompanieslayoutaroadmaptocreateanefficientdesignteam.Itisnotmeanttobe all inclusivebut instead isdesigned topoint you in the rightdirection throughout an implementationprocess.Itcanalsohelpyougetbackontrackifyoufeelthereisroomforimprovementwithhowtheteamisrunning.

Step1:HardwareandinstallationwithaplantomaintainInordertomakethebestuseofSolidWorksandrelatedproducts, it is importanttohavetherightcomputerhardware.Sincetherecommendedhardwarespecificationsvaryyearoveryear,itisimportanttorefertotheSolidWorkswebsitewhenpurchasinganewcomputer. SolidWorkshaspublishedacomprehensivewebpagethatwillguideyouinselectingacertifiedvideocard,downloadtheappropriatedriversaswellashelpyouselectpreconfiguredDelldesktopsandmobileworkstations:

http://www.solidworks.com/sw/support/videocardtesting.html

With appropriate hardware in place, it is also important to have a plan for installation. It is a strongrecommendationbyourservicesteamtocreateandmaintainanadministration imageforengineeringgroupswithgreaterthan10computers.Thebestwaytoinstalloffofoneoftheseadministrativeimagesiswithabatchfilethatissetupspecifictoyournetwork.JavelinserviceshashelpedmanyclientscreateandmaintainthesesothatallSolidWorksrelatedproductsareinstalledwithasingleclickandeveryoneontheteamhastheoptiontoremainsynchedonthesameservicepack.

Step2:Options,ToolbarsandAddinsWith a clean installation of SolidWorks it is important to take amoment to customize it to your companypreferencesandsharearecommendedsetupwith theentire team. A littlebitoftime investedherecanbereturned very quickly because designers may otherwise never discover settings or toolbars that have thepotentialtosavethemalotoftime.

Options

There are numerous options thatmanipulate how SolidWorksbehaves. There are a few that our technicalsupportteamrecommendsonaregularbasis ifacustomer is lookingtoboostsomeperformanceandkeep incontrolofthebehavior.Belowareafewoptionsthatarerecommendedforeverysystem;however,itisworththeinvestmentintimetohaveathoroughreadthroughalloftheoptions.

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Toolbars

Customizingtoolbarseffectivelycanhavealargeimpactonadesignersproductivity.Similartosystemoptions,it is recommended to go through them thoroughly and add tools that will likely be used for your designtechniquesand remove tools thatwill rarelybeused. Acommonlymissed toolbar is theShortcutbar. BydefaultthisdynamictoolbarcanbeaccessedbyhittingSonthekeyboard. Itspurpose istogiveadesignertheirmost common tools for sketching,modeling, assembly and drawing rightwhere themouse iswithoutnavigating to a fixed toolbar. Itof course can alsobe customized andevenmapped todifferent keys. Ifadesignerhasaspacepilotorafourthbuttonontheirmouse,thistoolbarshouldbeoneofthefirstthingsthatitcontrols.

Addins

TherearenumerousaddinsforSolidWorksthatwillextendonthefunctionality. IfthereareaddinsthatarecommonlyusedsuchasSolidWorksToolboxorSolidWorkseDrawingsitwouldberecommendedtoallowthemtoloadonstartup,butothersshouldonlybeactivatedwhenrequired.

Sharingcustomization

WiththetimeinvestedincustomizingtheseSolidWorkssettingsaswellasfollowingsomeofthenextstepsontemplatesandlibraries,it isimportanttosharethesesettingsonallcomputers.Agoodwaytodothisiswiththe Copy settings wizard. Once this tool is used to save the settings, they can be opened from othercomputers or simply used as a backup in case settings have gone corrupt and are causing problems. Thesettingsfilecanalsobe incorporated intoanadministrative image installofSolidWorks,sothatthesesettingsgetcarriedovertoallfutureinstallsoftheproduct.

Step3:ChooseyourcustompropertiesCustom properties are textual fields associated with files. The purpose of them is to fill in title blocksautomatically,populatebillofmaterialsandtofindandorganizefilesmoreeasily.Determiningwhichcustompropertiesyoushoulduseisrelativelysimple.Simplydecidewhatisimportanttoshowonthetitleblockorinthebillofmaterialsandthenconsiderifthereisanythingelsethatwillhelpwithfindingfiles.Therearesomecases aswellwhere extra customproperties are added for special cases like linking effectivelywith an ERPsystem.

One of the more challenging issues that companies have is getting designers to fill in the properties in astandardizedway.EnterprisePDM,whichisSolidWorksmainstreamdocumentmanagementproduct,canhelp

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quiteabit inthisareabecause it isexcellentatdriving informationautomatically intofileswithoutanyeffort.AnothertoolthatJavelinhasdevelopedtohelpwiththissituationisPropertyLinks.ThistoolhelpsdevelopdropdownlistsfordesignerstoselectfrominastandardizedwayandcanevenpullinformationfromanERPsystemorothercompanydatabase. There isa freeversionof this tool thatoffersmanyadvantagesover thenativeSolidWorksmethods,availablehere:http://www.javelintech.com/propertylinksxpress

Step4:StandardizetemplatesandtitleblocksTemplate files can give adesigner ahead starton each filewhendesigning. Forparts and assemblies, thedocument properties are the most important part to review (i.e. Units and standards) and in some casespredefined material can be created. (i.e. If many parts were made out of some stock material). The mostimportant templatehowever isadrawing templatebecause itwill includea titleblock that canbe setup toautomaticallypopulatewithyourselectedcustomproperties.Creatingadrawingtemplatecanbedoneeasilybyfollowingthesesteps:

1. Openadrawingwhichisclosetowhatyouarelookingfor2. Addaviewofapartwithallofyourcustompropertiesalreadyadded3. Editthesheetformatlayer(rightmouseclickonpaper>Editsheetformat)4. Manipulatethelinesusingregularsketchtools5. AddormanipulatecustompropertiesusingtheNotetool(seebelow)

6. EditTitleBlockintherightclickmenuandselectwhichpropertiesshouldbeeditable(seeabove)7. EditSheettoexitoutofthetitleblockediting8. Reviewthedocumentpropertiestoensuretheycoincidewithcompanystandards(ie.ANSIorISO)9. SelectSaveAsfromthefilemenuandchooseDrawingTemplate10. Ifdesired,theSheetformatlayercanbesavedseparatelywhichallowsadesignertoswitchbordersin

middrawing.ThiscanbedonebyselectingSaveSheetFormatunderthefiledropdownmenu.

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Step5:SetupsharedlibrariesUsingsharedlibrariesnotonlymakessurethateveryoneisusingthesamecompanystandards,itcanalsomakea designermore efficient because they can leverage thework another designer has donemore effectively.Common shared libraries and folder paths can be accessed through the system options. (See below) It isimportant to review each of these paths and determine if its important to point all designers to the samelocation. Ifthesharedcontentshouldberevisionmanagedorappear inbillofmaterialsthenEnterprisePDMshouldbeconsideredasalocation.Ifnot,thenasimplenetworkfoldershouldbesetup.

DesignLibrary

Thedesign library is located in the taskpaneand isan idealspottoshare files. Adding folderstothedesign

librarycanbedonefromthelibraryitselfbyselectingthe icon. Manyusersdonotrealizehowgreatitcanbeforsharingalotofothercontentaswell.Commoncontentthatisoverlookedislistedbelow:

Drawingnotes Blocks Weldandothersymbols Tables

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SolidWorksToolbox

SolidWorksToolboxistheSolidWorkslibraryfornuts,boltsandotherfasteners.Thefoldercontents(bydefaultinC:\SolidWorksData)shouldbemovedtothenetworkorinsideoftheSolidWorksEnterprisePDMvaultforbettercontrolandcollaboration.Oncethere,itisimportanttopointeveryonetothatlocationandalsotorunthroughthetoolboxsetupwizardtosetupallofthepreferencesforeveryonetoshare. (Seebelow)Itcanbeaccessedthroughthesystemoptionsorunderthetoolboxdropdownmenu.(Note:ToolboxmustbeselectedundertheAddinsareaforconfiguringitanduse)

Step6:SetupJavelinsupportIt is important to be aware of the Javelin support contact information andencourage users to use it if they run into difficulty. The most convenientmethod of making the contact information available is to install JavelinsSolidProfessor addin. This will list the contact details and other usefulinformationinthetaskpane(Seeright)ofSolidWorksandwillalsoencourageuserstocontinuouslyimprovetheirskillsbyprovidingthemwithshorttrainingvideos.Theinstallationandaportionofthetrainingcontentarefreeandcanbedownloadedfromthelinkbelow:

http://www.javelintech.com/solidprofessor

Step7:MakeaplanforskilllevelimprovementPropertrainingcannotonlymakeanenormousdifferenceforproductivitybutcanalsoleadtofilesthatareinfinitelyeasiertochangeandleverageforfutureprojects.Ifyouareunsureofthegeneralskillleveloftheteam,agoodwaytoevaluateitiswiththeSolidProfessorassessment:www.javelintech.com/assessment

Javelinhas alsohelpedmany clients evaluate their currentdesignprocess to ensure the team isusingbestpracticesandisawareofsomeofourautomationmethods.Oncethesituationhasbeenproperlyassessed,itisimportanttolayoutaplanthatwillmoveskillleveltotheoptimallevelandwillalsomaintainthatskilllevelasthesoftwareevolves.(Note:makesuretotakeadvantageofJavelinscomplimentaryupdatetrainingforeverynewrelease)

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Step8:CreateastandardizedfolderstructureIt is important to thinkabouthowyou shouldorganizeyour files into folders. Investing the timeupfront todeterminehowtoorganizeyourfolderseffectivelywillbereturnedwitheasewhennumerousemployeesareworking inastandardizedway. Herearesomeoftheconsiderationswhendetermininganappropriatefolderstructureforyourbusiness:

Areyouproductbasedorprojectbased Howmanyprojectsorproductsaredesignedayear(ifthenumberisover50thenyoushouldconsider

puttingtheminasubfolderforeachyear)

ArerevisionsgoingtobemanagedinfoldersorautomatedwithEnterprisePDM Areotherdepartmentsgoingtobeviewingorcontributinginformation Aretherecertainfilesthatneedmoresecureaccessrights

OnceafolderstructurehasbeendetermineditisbesttocreateatemplateinEnterprisePDMthatwillcreateitautomatically based on information captured by a user with the appropriate rights. This way you canautomaticallydriveitintoofficedocumentsanddrawingtitleblocks.

Step9:MakearevisionmanagementplanRegardlessofthefrequencyatwhichchangesoccur, it isextremely importanttohaveadocumentedplanforhowrevisionsarecapturedandspecificallywhentheyshouldtakeplace.Withoutthisplan,designerswillwastevaluabletimerenamingfilesandfixingbrokenreferencesanditmaybeextremelydifficulttorollbacktoearlierrevisions inapredictableway. Evenmore importantly,somerevisionsmayaccidentallynotbecapturedandremodelingworkmaybeneededtorestoreapreviousstate.

Without a PDM system you may want to try using the Pack and Go functionality in SolidWorks to takesnapshotsoftheassemblyandassociateddrawings.Ifthisisthedesiredtechnique,itwillstillbeimportanttoclearlydefinewhentitleblocksaremanuallychangedtoreflectanewrevision.WithEnterprisePDMitismucheasier todefinewhen revisionsoccur (i.e.When ithas already been approved formanufacturing, then anychangesneedtobecapturedasanofficialrevision)andupdatetitleblocksautomatically.Italsohastheabilitytoreliablyrevisefilesindividuallyinsteadofasanentirepackage.

MakingaplanandstickingwithitisthemostimportantaspectofISOcertification.Thisiswhyautomatingtherevisioncontrolcanhavesuchalargeimpactontheefforttoobtainandmaintaincertificationssuchasthese.

Step10:PlanforcollaborationFordesignerstoworktogetheronaprojectthefilesneedtobecentralizedinanorganizedway.Workingoffofanetworkdrivemaysolvesomecommonproblemsbut isfarfromperfect. Themostcommoncomplaintforworkingoffofanetworkdriveistheopenandsaveperformancebutitalsocommonlyleadstooverwrittenfilesand broken references. The recommendedway of having engineerswork together effectively is EnterprisePDM. With its checkin and checkout functionality, it has the ability to coordinate any size of engineeringdepartmentandbecauseitseamlesslyworksfromalocalcacheoffiles,performanceisnevercompromised.

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Oneotherchallenge thatmanycompaniesare facing iscollaborationoutsideof theirwalls. EnterprisePDMbecomesanessentialtoolinsituationswheremultiplebuildingsneedtoworktogetherbecauseitoffersoutoftheboxfilereplicationbetweensites.(Seebelow)Italsoofferstheabilitytoworkdirectlyoutofawebportalwhicheliminates theconfusionofemailing filesorposting toFTPsites for thepurposeofcollaboratingwithsuppliersorclients.

Step11:DefineyourprocessesEvery company has some form of processes that makes it run. The most common process that designdepartmentsimplementisanapprovalprocess.Tomakeadesigndepartmentrunefficientlyitisalsoimportanttoevaluatewhattakesplaceonadailyorweeklybasisandshouldthereforealsohaveanassociatedprocess.By implementing processes, design teams work together systematically and can therefore obtain goalsefficiently.Hereisalistofcommonprocessesthatdesigndepartmentshavemappedout:

Approvalprocess Changeorrevisionprocess Deliveryofdrawingpackagetoclientorshopfloorprocess Salesprocess(forcompaniesthatinvolveengineeringinsalesactivity) Purchasingprocess Designprocess(i.e.Datareuse,templates,useofspecificfunctionalitylikeSolidWorksWeldments) Billofmaterialsapprovalprocess

This is another key area where Enterprise PDM is helping companies out. By centrally coordinating andenforcingmostoftheseprocesses,companiesfindthattheyarereliablyfollowedwhilesavingtimeandeffort.Ifyouhaveacompanyflowchartmadeup,itcaneasilybegraphicallyrecreatedinthesystem.(Seebelow)

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Step12:AutomaterepetitivetasksNowthatyouhaveprocessesdefined,itisimportanttoidentifyandautomaterepetitivetasksthatarepartofthat process. The most common tasks that companies automate are administrative ones like printing orproducing PDFs, but depending on your product, theremight be an opportunity to automate a portion orperhapstheentiredesignprocess.Ifyouareanengineertoordertypecompanyandtwodesignersassignedwiththesamedesignparametersshouldtheoreticallyproduceidenticaldesigns(becausetheyarefollowingthesamedesign rules), then there isagoodchance that these rulescanbemappeddirectly intoDriveWorks tocontrol SolidWorks tooutput the samedesign inamatterofminutes. Here isa listof some common timeconsumingtasksthatJavelinishelpingcompaniesautomate:

AdministrativeTasks

1. Exportingdrawingsasotherformatswhenapprovedformanufacturing(i.e.PDF,DWG,DXF,eDrawing)2. Printingentiredrawingpackagesandsendingfilestotheappropriateprinterbasedonsheetsize3. ExportingBOMforimportintoanERPorMRPsystem4. Fillingintitleblockswithapprovername,dateandupdatingrevisionnumbers5. Informingdesignersorotheremployeeswhenafileneedstheirattention6. Creatingprojectfolderstructuresandcommonprojectfiles(i.e.Projectplan,quotes,assemblies,etc)

DesignTasks

1. Changingdimensionswithoutknowledgeofhowthemodelsweredesigned2. Replacingcomponentsbasedonselectedoptions3. Suppressingandunsuppressingcommonfeaturesbasedonrulesaboutthedesignandoptionsselected4. Producingupdateddrawingpackageswithproperlyscaledviews

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SalesTasks

1. Producingquotesbasedonrulesaboutthedesignoutput(i.e.Massofmaterials,numberofcuts,etc.)2. ProducingcustomerdeliverablessuchasphotorenderingsoreDrawingsofdesignproposal3. Bypassingengineeringalltogetherforcompletelyautomateddesigns

Step13:IntegratewithotherengineeringdepartmentsNow that the mechanical engineering group is working efficiently, there is still room for engineering wideimprovementsby integratingwithotherdepartments. The topdepartments thatareusually integratedwithMechanicalEngineeringareElectricalEngineeringandManufacturingProgramming.

ElectricalEngineering

Dependingonthetypeofelectricalengineeringthatyoudo,therecommendedsolutionmayvary.Forsmallerelectronicsandcircuitboarddesign, it is importanttounderstandthefullcapabilitiesofCircuitWorkswhich isintegratedwithSolidWorksPremium. Fordoing logicalschematics forwiringandcableharnesses (aswellasmostotheraspectsofelectricalengineering) it is important tounderstand theelectricaldesignproduct thatJavelinworkswithcalledZukenE3WireWorks.Notonlydoesitoffermanyadvantagestoelectricalengineers,italsointegrateswithSolidWorksRoutingforcablesizingandEnterprisePDMforaunifiedbillofmaterials.

ManufacturingProgramming

Many companieswill take this stepmuchearlierbecause ithas thepotential to reaphigh rewards,but it isimportant to leverage your 3D models as best you can for CNC code generation. Javelin has somerecommendationsbutitcanchangealotdependingonyourneedssoitisbesttotalkwithus.

Step14:AdoptcontinuousimprovementmentalityNowthatyouvegonethroughthisguideandarehopefully implementingsomeoftherecommendations,youareonthepathtohavinganefficientdesignteam.Astechnologyevolves,businessgoalschangeandmarketsopenuporclose,itisimportanttoreflectbackonthisguideortalkwithsomeonefromJavelinperiodicallytoseeifthereisopportunityforfurtherefficiencygains.Belowisourcontactinformation:

Phone:187721WORKS(96757)

Salesemail:sales@javelintech.com

Supportemail:support@javelintech.com

Web:www.javelintech.com

GuideAuthor:eric.vanessen@javelintech.com

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AppendixListedbelowismoreinformationabouttheproductsfeaturedinthiswhitepaper:

DriveWorks

DriveWorks isaSolidWorksAddinproductthatallowsyoutocaptureandreusetherulesneededtospecify,design, manufacture and EngineertoOrder. With DriveWorks you can automate repetitive tasks andautomaticallygeneratedesignandmanufacturingoutputsrequiredtocreatenewandvariantproducts.Youwillsavetimeandbeabletospecifytheproductswhilstmaintainingyourengineeringcontrols.

http://www.javelintech.com/main/products/driveworks_design_automation.htm

PropertyLinksXpress

PropertyLinksXpress is a FREE SolidWorks addin product, created by Javelin, that allows the easy andconsistent input of custom file properties into SolidWorks documents. Integrated with the SolidWorksPropertyManager,simplytypeorselectvaluesfrompredefinedliststoaddcustompropertiestomodels.

http://www.javelintech.com/propertylinksxpress

SolidWorks

Straightforward3DCAD software,offeringunmatched 3Ddesign capabilities,performance, and easeofuse.Evaluatemoredesignalternatives,reduceerrors,andenhanceproductquality.Create3Dmodelsfromexisting2Ddatawiththebestavailabletransitiontools.Enjoyunmatcheddesigncommunicationcapabilities.

http://www.javelintech.com/solidworks

SolidWorkseDrawings

SolidWorkseDrawingsisanidealtoolforanyonethatneedstosharedataandcollaboratewiththeirextendeddesign team.SolidWorkseDrawingseliminates thecommunicationbarriers thatdesignersandengineersdealwithdaily. SolidWorkseDrawingsgives youand yourextendeddesign team the toolsnecessary to visualize,interpretandcollaboratewith2Dand3Dproductdesigndata.

http://www.javelintech.com/main/products/solidworks_edrawings_professional.htm

SolidWorksEnterprisePDM

SolidWorks Enterprise PDM is a product data management (PDM) software solution based on proventechnologythatcanbedeployedinafractionofthetimerequiredforotherenterprisePDMsystems.Helpingorganizations to manage and share product data more effectively and automate workflow to allow bettercollaboration fromengineering to theshop floor,resulting inbetterproducts, lowercosts,and faster time tomarket.

http://www.javelintech.com/pdm

ZukenE3.WireWorks

E.WireWorks is a Windows-based, modular, scalable and easy-to-learn system for electrical design of wiring, harnesses, and cable assemblies. Its modules include Schematic (for circuit diagrams), Cable (for advanced electrical design), Panel (for cabinet and panel design), and Formboard (for wiring harness nail board drawings).http://www.javelintech.com/main/products/e3wireworks.htm

IntroductionStep 1: Hardware and installation with a plan to maintainStep 2: Options, Toolbars and Add-insOptionsToolbarsAdd-insSharing customization

Step 3: Choose your custom propertiesStep 4: Standardize templates and title blocksStep 5: Setup shared librariesDesign LibrarySolidWorks Toolbox

Step 6: Setup Javelin supportStep 7: Make a plan for skill level improvement Step 8: Create a standardized folder structureStep 9: Make a revision management planStep 10: Plan for collaborationStep 11: Define your processesStep 12: Automate repetitive tasksAdministrative TasksDesign TasksSales Tasks

Step 13: Integrate with other engineering departmentsElectrical EngineeringManufacturing Programming

Step 14: Adopt continuous improvement mentalityAppendixDriveWorksPropertyLinksXpressSolidWorksSolidWorks eDrawingsSolidWorks Enterprise PDMZuken E3. WireWorks