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Using Claude with SOLIDWORKS PDM through the PDMShell MCP Server

Most SOLIDWORKS PDM administrators are used to working through Windows Explorer, administration tools, scripts, and custom add-ins. These tools are powerful, but even a simple question can require several steps. For example: The PDMShell MCP Server provides another way to work with this information. It connects Claude to SOLIDWORKS PDM through PDMShell, allowing users to ask questions about their vault using normal language. What is MCP? MCP stands for Model Context Protocol. It provides a standard way for an AI application such as Claude to connect to external tools and data sources. Claude does not connect directly to the PDM database. Instead, it sends a structured request to the PDMShell MCP Server. PDMShell then performs the requested operation through the SOLIDWORKS PDM environment and returns the result. The basic flow is: Claude → PDMShell MCP Server → SOLIDWORKS PDM Vault This gives Claude access to specific PDM tools without requiring the user to write a command or API application for every request. A practical example In my test vault, I asked Claude:“Can you tell me how many files are in the Unreleased PDFs folder?” Claude used the PDMShell MCP Server to inspect the folder and returned the number of files. It also identified which files were checked in and which file was checked out. I could then follow up with: “Can you undo the checkout on the file ending in R_002?” Because Claude already had the context from the first request, I did not need to enter the complete file path again. This is where the connection becomes useful. It is not only a chatbot answering general PDM questions. It can use tools provided by PDMShell to retrieve current information from the vault and, when permitted, perform an operation. Why use natural language? PDMShell already provides commands for automating common PDM operations. The MCP Server adds a conversational layer on top of those tools. Instead of remembering the exact syntax of a command, a user can describe the result they need. Claude interprets the request, selects the appropriate PDMShell tool, and presents the result in a readable format. This could be useful for: It can also help administrators explore a problem before deciding what action to take. Permissions still matter Connecting Claude to PDM should not bypass the existing security model. PDMShell operates within the permissions of the logged-in PDM user. If that user cannot access a folder or perform an operation, the MCP Server should not provide a way around that restriction. Write operations also need to be handled carefully. Reading the contents of a folder is very different from deleting a file, changing metadata, or undoing another user’s checkout. For that reason, the server should expose only the tools that are required. Important actions should also be reviewed before they are executed. This does not replace PDM administrators The goal is not to let AI make uncontrolled decisions inside a production vault. PDM administrators still define the workflows, permissions, variables, naming rules, and automation requirements. Claude provides a simpler way to interact with the tools that have been made available through PDMShell. The administrator remains in control of what Claude can access and which operations it can perform. Where this can go next The first use cases are straightforward: search the vault, inspect folders, read file information, and perform controlled file operations. The more interesting possibilities come from combining several operations. A user could ask Claude to identify files matching specific conditions, summarize the results, and prepare the next action for approval. That could make routine PDM administration faster while still keeping the vault’s permissions and business rules in place. The PDMShell MCP Server is an early step toward making SOLIDWORKS PDM easier to work with through modern AI tools. It combines the automation capabilities of PDMShell with Claude’s ability to understand normal language and maintain context throughout a conversation.

August 1, 2026 1:51 pm No Comments August 1, 2026

PDMShell vs. PowerShell: The CAD Admin’s Guide to Engineering Automation

If you work in engineering IT or CAD administration, you’ve likely spent hours trying to make different software systems talk to each other. When searching for ways to automate these clunky processes, two tools with confusingly similar names always pop up: PowerShell and PDMShell. They sound like variations of the same thing, but they aren’t. One is a massive tool built by Microsoft for managing entire corporate networks. The other is a sharp, niche utility built by Blue Byte Systems specifically for SOLIDWORKS PDM Professional. Let’s break down what they actually do, how they differ, and why you might end up using both. The easiest way to understand the difference is by looking at what they were built to control. PowerShell is for your entire operating system and cloud environment. PDMShell is strictly for your SOLIDWORKS PDM vault. Feature PowerShell PDMShell What does it control? Windows, cloud servers, and networks SOLIDWORKS PDM vaults only Who made it? Microsoft Blue Byte Systems Inc. How do you use it? Advanced programming (.NET objects) Simple text scripts (.pdmshell) Who is it for? IT Admins and DevOps Engineers CAD Admins and Data Managers How do you get it? Built right into Windows Download from pdmshell.com PowerShell is Microsoft’s heavy-duty automation framework. It is incredibly powerful because it doesn’t just read plain text; it understands actual data objects. If an IT admin needs to create 50 new user accounts in Active Directory, back up a server to the cloud, or update software registry keys across an entire department, they use PowerShell. The downside? It has a steep learning curve. Because it is a full programming language tied to Microsoft’s .NET framework, you need a decent grasp of coding logic and complex syntax to get anything done. PDMShell: The SOLIDWORKS Short-Cut. If you’ve ever tried to customize SOLIDWORKS PDM, you know that interacting with its API usually requires writing complex C# or VB.NET code in Visual Studio. For a CAD manager who just wants to get a job done, this is often overkill. That is why Blue Byte Systems built PDMShell. It acts as a friendly middleman for the complex PDM API. Instead of writing lines of heavy code, you write simple text scripts using straightforward, built-in commands like checkout, checkin, or addtovault. It plugs right into your existing PDM Tasks and Dispatch actions, letting you automate boring vault tasks without needing a degree in software engineering.

June 27, 2026 11:15 pm No Comments June 27, 2026

Automate Weekly SOLIDWORKS PDM Check-Ins with PDMShell and Windows Task Scheduler

This article explains how to use PDMShell with Windows Task Scheduler to automatically check in files from a SOLIDWORKS PDM vault folder on a weekly schedule. PDMShell is a command-line tool for SOLIDWORKS PDM that allows administrator to run PDM operations from scripts. By combining PDMShell with Windows Task Scheduler, you can automate recurring PDM tasks such as logging in to a vault, navigating to a folder, searching for files, and checking in files. Before setting this up, make sure PDMShell is installed on the computer that will run the scheduled task. The computer must also have a local PDM vault view, and the Windows account running the task must have access to that vault view. The same user must also have permission to check in the files. In most SOLIDWORKS PDM environments, a user can only check in files that are checked out by that same user. If the files are checked out by another user, the scheduled task will not be able to check them in unless you have a controlled administrative process in place. Click on the Open button then click on Browse PDMShell.com scripts… Download the script called Check In All Files: When the download completes, please click Yes to confirm this dialog: PDMShell will load the downloaded script in the Visual Editor: If you click on the check-in box, you will the parameters of the command. In this instance, the command does a search for all checked out files recursively and check them into the vault. The check options configure the check-in operation.The script will eventually terminate the PDMShell application when done through the Exit PDMShell action: Before scheduling the script, test it manually from Command Prompt: Update the path to pdmcli.exe if PDMShell is installed in a different location. Once the script works manually, open Windows Task Scheduler and create a new task. On the General tab, use a name such as: Select the option to run whether the user is logged on or not. Also enable the option to run with highest privileges. The task should run under the same Windows account that has access to the vault view and owns the checked-out files. On the Triggers tab, create a weekly trigger. For example, you can run the task every Friday at 6:00 PM. On the Actions tab, create a new action using Start a program. Program/script: Add arguments: Start in: On the Conditions tab, review the power and network options. If the task runs on a workstation, make sure the machine is online and connected to the PDM archive server when the task starts. On the Settings tab, it is recommended to allow the task to be run on demand, run the task as soon as possible after a scheduled start is missed, stop the task if it runs longer than a reasonable time, and prevent a new instance from starting if the task is already running. For production usage, keep the script focused on a controlled folder instead of running it against the entire vault. For example: PDMShell and Windows Task Scheduler provide a simple way to automate recurring SOLIDWORKS PDM maintenance tasks. For production environments, always test the script on a small folder first and make sure the scheduled task runs under the correct Windows and PDM user. Few considerations:

June 3, 2026 6:48 pm No Comments June 3, 2026

Automating Bill of Materials Extraction in SOLIDWORKS PDM Using the PDMShell BOM Command

Ride of the Valkyries Alert 🎼 — Don’t listen if you don’t enjoy Wagner. When you are managing complex assemblies inside SOLIDWORKS PDM, generating a bill of materials (BOM) is a routine task, but i’s also one of the most repetitive. This is exactly where the PDMShell BOM command becomes invaluable, eliminating manual exports and saving your from those small tasks quitely eat away engineering hours across large teams. PDMShell solves this problem with a simple but extremely powerful tool: the BOMCommand. The BOMCommand extracts a Bill of Materials directly from a SOLIDWORKS file in the PDM vault and exports it as a clean CSV file. It removes all manual steps by providing a scriptable way to generate BOMs using batch jobs, scheduled tasks, or command-line workflows. If you’ve ever needed fully automated downstream manufacturing data, ERP integrations, or repeatable export pipelines, this command is designed for exactly that.

November 30, 2025 5:48 pm No Comments May 10, 2026

Why “Class Not Registered” Happens When Loading SOLIDWORKS PDM Add-ins

If you have ever tried loading a PDM add-in and hit a confusing startup error, understanding why “class not registered” happens when loading SOLIDWORKS PDM add-ins is the first step to fixing it. This issue usually points to a broken or incomplete COM registration, often caused by mismatched permissions or missing system components. When a SOLIDWORKS PDM add-in fails to load with the message: Failed to load add-inReason: Class not registered the cause often isn’t the add-in code or COM registration itself: It’s the elevation context in which the host application runs. Windows isolates COM registrations between two different scopes: COM Registration Scope Registry Location Accessible When Per-User HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Classes\CLSID The process runs non-elevated (normal user context). Per-Machine HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Classes\CLSID The process runs elevated (as Administrator) or system-wide. When you register your SOLIDWORKS PDM add-in (e.g. CardSync.dll) using regasm or the PDM Administration tool, it is normally stored under the current user’s profile (HKCU). However, if the host process like File Explorer, PDM Explorer, or even your test harness (Orca.Tests.exe – At Blue Byte Systems, we have developed our very own unit testing framework for add-ins), runs as Administrator, Windows will block access to any COM object registered per user. That’s exactly what the “Class not registered” dialog means. SOLIDWORKS PDM Explorer itself is not designed to run elevated. When your own executable or service is launched as Administrator, it now operates in a different COM security boundary and cannot see the user-level registration of your add-in. In the example of the screenshot above, I’m debugging inside Visual Studio (ADMIN) and launching my process from there. The moment Visual Studio is elevated, every child process (including your test harness) inherits that elevation, and therefore loses access to the per-user COM registry hive. Microsoft’s Official Explanation Applications that are run-elevated (whether manifested as RequireAdministrator or selected via Run as Administrator), as well as applications run from an Administrator account where UAC is disabled, cannot access any COM objects configured per-user. (Source: MSDN – “Manifestation” and Stack Overflow discussion) How to Fix or Avoid It Our Practical Advice If your application interacts with SOLIDWORKS PDM’s COM APIs, never run it as Administrator unless the add-in is registered per-machine.

October 15, 2025 6:37 pm No Comments May 10, 2026

What’s New in PDM2Excel 2025

PDM2Excel has become the go-to tool for companies looking to automate the export of Bills of Materials (BOMs) from SOLIDWORKS PDM into Excel spreadsheets. It streamlines workflows by reducing manual work, ensuring consistency across teams, and giving businesses a reliable way to format and distribute engineering data. With the 2025 release, and especially with the focus on what’s new in PDM2Excel 2025, the tool introduces several highly-requested improvements, simplifying setup, expanding export capabilities, and improving output customization. Key Features in 2025 1. No Need for a Document Manager API Key In earlier versions, administrators had to configure the Document Manager API license key before using PDM2Excel. 2. Create New Display States and Export in One Spreadsheet Engineers often need BOMs with different views or display states in one place. 3. Background Color Customization Presentation and readability matter when sharing BOMs with management or suppliers. 4. Weldment Quantity Aggregation For companies using weldments, handling quantities in BOMs has always been a challenge. Why These Updates Matter These changes aren’t just incremental — they reflect feedback from real-world engineering teams: PDM2Excel continues to evolve as the standard for PDM-to-Excel BOM automation, ensuring teams can spend less time exporting data and more time building products.

August 19, 2025 4:43 pm No Comments May 10, 2026

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FREE SOLIDWORKS PDM Plugins

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FREE SOLIDWORKS PDM Plugins

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