SOLIDWORKS task-pane add-in

Publish deliverables directly from SOLIDWORKS

PDMPublisher for SOLIDWORKS gives designers and engineers publishing and document utilities directly inside SOLIDWORKS. Open a drawing, part, or assembly, choose a reusable profile, and publish the deliverables your team needs without rebuilding the export steps by hand.

This version is built for interactive publishing from the active SOLIDWORKS session. Profiles store output locations, filename rules, formats, reference handling, drawing sheet behavior, annotations, conditions, and other publishing options.

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PDMPublisher for SOLIDWORKS CommandManager with Publisher Macros — Run commands from the PDMPublisher CommandManager tab or Tools menu. The task pane provides contextual help.

Best fit

Use PDMPublisher for SOLIDWORKS when publishing should start from the document currently open in SOLIDWORKS and be controlled from the SOLIDWORKS CommandManager or Tools menu.

Different from the PDM task product

This version stores settings as reusable profiles. If publishing should be launched by SOLIDWORKS PDM Professional as a task, workflow action, or schedule, use the PDM task version instead.

Feature highlights

Reusable profiles

Create publishing profiles for customers, departments, release packages, supplier exports, or internal review workflows.

Active-document publishing

Publish the open SOLIDWORKS drawing, part, or assembly and optionally process resolved references using the selected profile.

Built-in logs

Use the Logs window to review publishing steps, generated files, warnings, and errors without leaving the SOLIDWORKS add-in.

Save As New

Create a controlled copy of the active SOLIDWORKS document with reusable filename, destination, property, drawing, PDM, and post-save macro settings.

Clone Tree

Copy an assembly tree with per-file names and destinations, optional companion formats, PDM revision handling, Property Doctor processing, and ZIP output.

Property Doctor

Review and update document, configuration, and cut-list properties across the active document and its resolved references.

BOM Manager

Configure default BOM columns, display type, grouping expressions, and condition-based component exclusions.

ERP Sync

Review and synchronize products, mapped properties, attachments, and manufacturing BOMs with ERPNext, Odoo, or a custom connector.

Publisher Macros

Run supported PDMPublisher commands from SOLIDWORKS VBA macros using editable examples and saved utility profiles.

Profiles and presets

Save, load, edit, and share profile sections so common publishing jobs stay consistent across users.

PDMPublisher for SOLIDWORKS annotation editor

Annotations and output control

Add watermarks, QR codes, custom properties, formatted text, and controlled drawing sheet output to published deliverables.

Clone Tree document copy plan

Clone complete document trees

Plan names and destinations for every included file before copying, while keeping SOLIDWORKS references connected to the new documents.

BOM Manager main window

Review and standardize BOM data

Review the assembly hierarchy and quantities, choose property columns, find and group rows, ignore components, and exchange BOM data with Excel.

Main add-in workflows

Publish settings in the SOLIDWORKS add-in

Publish settings

Configure the publish job

Set formats, export locations, filename rules, reference processing, drawing sheet behavior, configurations, flat patterns, merged PDFs, bookmarks, and package options.

Annotations editor in the SOLIDWORKS add-in

Add production-ready marks

Apply formatted text, custom properties, watermarks, QR codes, and repeatable annotation layouts to exported drawings and PDFs.

Conditions editor in the SOLIDWORKS add-in

Control what gets included

Build property-based rules with groups and logic so the active document and references are included, skipped, or reviewed before export.

Detailed publishing logs

Review every publish result

Check generated files, skipped items, warnings, errors, condition decisions, and processing details from the current SOLIDWORKS session.

About page in PDMPublisher for SOLIDWORKS settings

Manage version and appearance

See the installed version, licensing and update links, and appearance options for working comfortably inside SOLIDWORKS.

Capabilities included

Profile-based publishing

Save complete publishing setups for different jobs, customers, departments, suppliers, and release package types.

Built-in starter presets

Start from common DXF, STEP, or PDF and STEP profiles, then customize the setup for your own standards.

Profile sharing

Share selected profile sections with other users by file transfer or PIN-based profile sharing where available.

Many export formats

Create PDF, 3D PDF, DXF, DWG, STEP, IGES, STL, Parasolid, ACIS, eDrawings, images, and other supported outputs.

Drawing sheet control

Export all sheets or only sheets matching naming patterns, with controlled sheet-name output for published files.

Configuration export

Publish multiple part and assembly configurations, include configuration names in filenames, and filter configurations by pattern.

Reference processing

Process the active assembly and its resolved references so model packages can include the files downstream teams expect.

Flat-pattern DXF

Export 1:1 sheet-metal flat patterns with bend lines, sketches, bounding boxes, forming tools, and filename collision protection.

Split-body output

Support manufacturing workflows that need separate outputs for bodies, configurations, or derived model deliverables.

PDF packages

Merge exported PDFs, add a table of contents, include PDF bookmarks, and prepare cleaner review or release packages.

Annotations and watermarks

Add custom text, SOLIDWORKS properties, watermarks, QR codes, and formatted annotations to drawings and PDFs.

Conditional publishing

Use condition groups to include or skip files based on properties and publishing rules before outputs are created.

Custom filenames

Build file names from document properties, configuration names, sheet names, revisions, dates, and other placeholders.

Flexible export locations

Publish to local folders, network paths, PDM folders, or format-specific destinations for PDFs, DXFs, STEP files, and more.

ZIP archives

Create a single ZIP package of exported documents for suppliers, review workflows, release bundles, or customer handoff.

Open export folder

Jump directly to the generated output folder after publishing so users can review, send, or package files faster.

Detailed job logs

Review successful exports, warnings, errors, skipped files, and processing details from the built-in Logs window.

Common publishing workflows

Create a supplier package with PDF drawings, STEP models, and a ZIP archive from the active assembly.
Export manufacturing DXFs from sheet-metal parts using 1:1 flat patterns, bend lines, and controlled file names.
Publish drawing PDFs with watermarks, QR codes, custom properties, selected sheets, bookmarks, and a table of contents.
Generate separate deliverables for multiple configurations while filtering out configurations that should not be released.
Maintain separate profiles for prototype, released, customer, fabrication, and purchasing output packages.
Create a renamed copy of a part, assembly, or drawing with Save As New while carrying its associated drawing and applying property cleanup.
Clone a complete assembly tree into a new project structure and optionally package companion PDF, DXF, or STEP files in a ZIP archive.
Review and normalize custom properties across an assembly with Property Doctor before publishing or copying it.
Standardize BOM columns, hierarchy, grouping, and component exclusions with BOM Manager.
Push reviewed products, mapped properties, attachments, and manufacturing BOMs to ERPNext or Odoo, and review proposed property changes before Pull writes to SOLIDWORKS.
Automate supported Save As New, Property Doctor, Clone Tree, and ERP Sync workflows through Publisher Macros.

Integrations, automation, and shared resources

PDMPublisher extends beyond file export with reviewed ERP synchronization, macro automation, reusable formulas, shared data sources, drawing discovery, PDM-aware operations, and portable settings.

ERPNext connector

Configure an official connector for reviewed item, property, file, and manufacturing BOM synchronization with ERPNext.

Connector guide

Odoo connector

Connect through an Odoo API key, map SOLIDWORKS properties, upload files, and synchronize reviewed products and manufacturing BOMs.

Connector guide

Custom ERP connectors

Build a .NET connector with PDMPublisher.ERPExtension.dll, implement the connector interfaces, package it, and test it in ERP Sync.

Developer guide

Publisher Macros

Edit and run VBA examples that obtain the add-in through GetAddInObject and call supported commands with saved profiles.

Automation guide

PDM-aware operations

Select a local PDM vault view for serial numbers, vault-root placeholders, automatic check-in, and supported PDM-aware tools.

Drawing discovery

Search configured drawing folders, subfolders, and SOLIDWORKS referenced-document locations for matching drawings used by document utilities.

External SQL sources

Define reusable SQL Server connections and queries for supported dropdowns, tests, formulas, and property-driven workflows.

Advanced formulas

Create named formulas once and reuse them for filenames, folders, properties, and other supported PDMPublisher values.

Import, export, and reset

Move supported settings between computers, preserve reusable configurations, or reset a section when rebuilding a setup.

Language and regional formatting

Select the shared display language and Canadian regional formatting used by PDMPublisher on the current computer.

Community and Premium editions

Review the included Community capabilities and the limits or additional workflows unlocked by a Premium license.

Compare editions

License management

Activate, review, and manage the license used by the SOLIDWORKS Add-in, with direct access to support and update resources.

Translate appears in the interface as a planned feature and is not presented here as an available production capability.

Why teams use it

Engineering teams often need the same outputs again and again: a PDF for review, a DXF for sheet metal, a STEP file for a supplier, or a drawing package for manufacturing. PDMPublisher for SOLIDWORKS turns those repeated export routines into profile-based actions that are easier to run and easier to standardize.

The result is less manual saving, fewer missed configurations or sheets, and a cleaner handoff from design work to the teams that depend on accurate published files.

Need automated publishing from SOLIDWORKS PDM Professional instead? See PDMPublisher for SOLIDWORKS PDM.