SOLIDWORKS - BLUE BYTE SYSTEMS INC.

Understanding the Flattened BOM View in SOLIDWORKS PDM 2024

Managing complex assemblies and tracking part usage across multiple levels of a product structure can be time-consuming. To simplify this, the new flattened BOM view in SOLIDWORKS PDM 2024 introduces a powerful way to display all components in a single consolidated list directly within the bill of materials tab in the PDM file explorer. What is the Flattened BOM View? The Flattened BOM view displays your product structure as a simple list of components, without indentation. Unlike indented or structured BOMs, this view focuses on showing each component only once, regardless of how many times or at what levels it appears in the assembly. Key Benefits Still Using an Older Version of PDM (Older than 2024)? If you’re working with older versions of SOLIDWORKS PDM that don’t support the Flattened BOM view, you can still achieve similar results using the PDM2Excel add-in. PDM2Excel: Flattened BOMs for Everyone PDM2Excel allows you to export a Flattened BOM with rolled-up quantities, even if your vault is running a pre-2024 version of SOLIDWORKS PDM. This makes it a valuable tool for teams that need up-to-date BOM exports without upgrading their entire PDM infrastructure. With PDM2Excel, you can: Whether you’re using the built-in tools in SOLIDWORKS PDM 2024 or leveraging PDM2Excel in earlier versions, Flattened BOMs can significantly improve how you analyze and share your bill of materials. For more information about PDM2Excel or help with upgrading your vault, reach out to Blue Byte Systems Inc.

July 6, 2025 11:16 pm No Comments October 19, 2025

Don’t Export BOMs to CSV Files – SOLIDWORKS PDM

Say goodbye to the limitations and frustrations of exporting Bill of Materials (BOM) as plain CSV files from SOLIDWORKS PDM. With the powerful PDM2Excel, you can now export your BOMs directly into Excel using your own customized templates, complete with your company header and even thumbnails. This solution not only enhances the visual appeal of your BOM exports but also streamlines your workflow with greater flexibility and professionalism. Why Avoid Exporting BOMs to CSV Files? Don’t export BOMs to CSV files if you want to maintain a professional and visually structured document. CSV files, while simple and widely supported, often lead to a bland and unformatted presentation of your BOM data. They lack the ability to retain company branding, structured headers, or any graphical elements like thumbnails, which are essential for clear communication and professional documentation. Exporting BOMs as CSV files can result in extra manual work to reformat and organize the data in Excel, which is time-consuming and prone to errors. Export BOMs with Your Own Excel Template PDM2Excel is a task add-in for SOLIDWORKS PDM that enables you to export BOMs using a customized Excel template stored within your PDM vault. This means you can define your own headers, layout, and design, ensuring consistency with your company’s branding and documentation standards. How It Works Step-by-Step Guide to Exporting BOM to Excel Using PDM2Excel Stop settling for hideous CSV exports and elevate your BOM documentation with PDM2Excel. If you want a live demonstration or have questions about integrating this powerful tool into your workflow, feel free to reach out to BLUE BYTE SYSTEMS INC. through their website or LinkedIn. They offer personalized demos to help you get the most out of your SOLIDWORKS PDM experience: For more information and to schedule a demo, visit: PDM2Excel Demo and Q&A

June 29, 2025 12:33 pm No Comments October 13, 2025

How to Configure the SOLIDWORKS PDM Bill of Materials for PDM2Excel

PDM2Excel is a task add-in for SOLIDWORKS PDM that allows you to automatically export Bills of Materials (BOMs) from PDM into formatted Excel files. It can be triggered manually or as part of a workflow, and it supports custom templates and computed columns. This guide explains how to configure the SOLIDWORKS PDM bill of materials for PDM2Excel so your BOM template works perfectly with the task. The goal is to ensure that the exported excel contains accurate quantities and expected metadata. Step 1: Create or Edit the BOM Template Open the SOLIDWORKS PDM Administration Tool and expand the “Bills of Materials” section. Double-click an existing BOM template, or right-click and select “New Bill of Materials” to create one. Name the BOM template appropriately (for example: Engineering BOM) and set the type to “Bill of Materials”. Ensure the following columns are included: Step 2: Use <Reference Count> for Quantity It is critical that the column used for quantity is <Reference Count>. This field shows the actual number of times a component is referenced in an assembly. Do not use “<Reference Count (BOM Quantity disregarded)>”, as that is meant for weldment cut lists and does not behave correctly in standard BOM exports. Step 3: Configure the Template in the PDM2Excel Task When creating or editing a PDM2Excel task in the Administration Tool, go to the Options tab and set the Template field to the BOM template you configured (e.g., Engineering BOM). This step is required. If no template is selected, the task will fail: Output In the output example below, we created a Parts Only Bill Of Materials with two quantity columns, one using <Reference Count> and the other using <Reference Count BOM Quantity disgarded> to illustrate the difference. Notice that <Reference Count> has the quantities rolled from the parent assemblies. For questions or assistance, contact Blue Byte Systems Inc. at amen@bluebyte.biz

June 28, 2025 11:19 pm No Comments November 19, 2025

How to Register a SOLIDWORKS Add-in DLL (64-bit)

If you are developing a SOLIDWORKS add-in as a .NET Framework (version 4 and older) application, you will need to register your SOLIDWORKS Add-in DLL so that SOLIDWORKS can find it and load it. This guide explains how to register a SOLIDWORKS add-in DLL (64-bit) and covers manual registration for developers who will register from the command-line program. Disclaimer: This method will only work for the old legacy .NET Framework 2, 3, and 4. Step-by-Step Instructions (64-bit or Any CPU) This is normal during development. You should, when in production, use a strong name key to sign your assembly. What About 32-bit Registration? What About 32-bit DLLs? You are only required to register 64-bit DLLs for all of today’s current versions of SOLIDWORKS, as all of them run as SolidWorks 64 bit applications. The only time you would, in fact, have to register a 32-bit DLL is if you’re targeting SOLIDWORKS 2013 or earlier. The process is the same, but uses the 32-bit version of RegAsm.exe: C:\Windows\Microsoft.NET\Framework\v4.0.30319\RegAsm.exe Unregistering The Add-in If you want to remove the add-in (e.g., cleaning up or switching between builds), just run: C:\Windows\Microsoft.NET\Framework64\v4.0.30319\RegAsm.exe /unregister PDMPublisher.dll Still Need Help? At Blue Byte Systems, we develop and maintain professional SOLIDWORKS add-ins for automation, analysis, UI enhancements, and system integration. If you are experiencing problems or require a dependable API resource, we are here to assist you with guides like how to register a SOLIDWORKS add-in DLL (64-bit). 👉 Contact us today to find your custom solution!

June 10, 2025 10:59 am No Comments October 9, 2025

SOLIDWORKS PDM Add-In Registration Error – Failed to extract add-in from <Path> Class not registered

If you’re haunted by a persistent SOLIDWORKS PDM add-in registration error when loading your add-in, you are not alone. One of the most common causes of this issue is how the associated processes are launched, particularly when they are run with elevated permissions. The Root Cause SOLIDWORKS PDM can run from several processes, such as: When any of these are launched as Administrator, they run with elevated privileges — a different User Access Control (UAC) level than normal. This mismatch causes unexpected behavior, one of which is the failure to load PDM add-ins correctly. Even if your add-in DLL is built correctly and deployed properly, the add-in may simply not appear or fail silently when this UAC conflict exists. Solution 1: Run as a Local User (Not as Administrator) The most reliable fix is also the simplest: Always run SOLIDWORKS, Windows Explorer, or any PDM-related process as a standard user — not as Administrator. If you’re using shortcuts or launch scripts, ensure they’re not set to “Run as administrator.” You can right-click the executable, go to Properties > Compatibility, and make sure “Run this program as an administrator” is unchecked. Solution 2: Clear Add-in Cache from Local App Data Another potential fix — especially when you’ve previously had add-in registration issues or made frequent changes during development — is to clear out the cached add-in data. Here’s how: ⚠️ Important: Be sure to close any PDM-related processes (like Windows Explorer or SOLIDWORKS) before clearing this folder. Still Stuck? We Can Help If you’re still running into issues or need professional help developing or debugging SOLIDWORKS PDM add-ins, feel free to reach out. At Blue Byte Systems, we specialize in advanced PDM automation and custom development. Contact us to learn more.

June 10, 2025 10:08 am No Comments November 18, 2025

Configuring Any SOLIDWORKS PDM Task (PDMPublisher)

SOLIDWORKS PDM tasks allow administrators to automate routine operations like file conversion, publishing, or printing, saving time and reducing errors across engineering teams. This article walks you through the process of configuring any SOLIDWORKS PDM task, using any compatible task add-in such as PDMPublisher. Whether you’re exporting PDFs or triggering custom workflows, properly configuring a task ensures consistency, control, and efficiency across your vault. Step 1: Create the Task Step 2: Configure the Execution Environment On the Execution Method page: Step 3: Configure Task Settings Depending on the add-in, you may see one or more configuration tabs. For PDMPublisher, configure the following: Step 4: Finalize Click OK to save the task. Troubleshooting Task Menu Not Visible?If you don’t see the Tasks menu in File Explorer, it’s possible your user or group settings have disabled task access:

June 7, 2025 4:45 pm No Comments November 18, 2025

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SOLIDWORKS PDM aDD-INS

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