File Conversion Rule Editor

The File conversion rule editor help topic is used to help you with the Add/Edit Batch File Conversion Rule dialog box that is used to Add new file conversion rules and, to Edit the existing ones.

Batch conversion rule:

Name	Defines the name of the conversion profile.
File type	Determines the output file format the selected documents are converted into with the selected file conversion rule. See the following Output File Types table for the further information about the supported output file types and their supported source document types.

Conversion Options	Additional conversion options.
Apply conversion rule to	Sets the document type which the conversion rule applies to. Source document types that are not supported by the selected output file format, cannot be selected. Drawings. Apply the conversion rule with the drawing documents. Assemblies. Apply the conversion rule with the assembly documents. Parts. Apply the conversion rule with the part documents.

TIP: Click > to select the boolean from the menu.

Target filename (including the path)

Defines the output filename and destination folder. If the destination does not exist, it will be created during the conversion process.

Click > to select pre-defined options for the output filename and its destination path. The following options are available:

Browse for folder. Opens a folder browser that you can use to manually select the desired target path for the output files.
Model Properties. Retrieve a value of the desired model property into the filename.
Drawing Properties. Retrieve a value of the desired drawing property into the filename.
Weldment Properties. Retrieve a value of the desired cut-list property into the filename.
Cut-List Item name. Retrieves the Cut-List item name to the filename.
Body Number. Add body number of the cut-list item into the output filename. Use this option to convert multibody parts into DXF/DWG format so that all cut-list items of the individual bodies gets converted to separate output files.
Source Filename. Retrieves the filename from the source document and inserts it to the output filename.
Source Path. Retrieves the source document path and includes it to the target filename.

When for example an assembly have some virtual components included, the Source Path attribute consider the parent model's path also as the source path for the virtual components. Because of that, the virtual components are converted into the folder where their parent documents are located at.
Source Configuration. Inserts the name of the model configuration into the name of the output file.
Sheet Number. Inserts the sheet number of the drawing into the filename.
Sheet Name. Inserts the sheet name of the drawing into the filename.
Thickness. Add the sheet metal thickness to the output filename. The thickness value into the output filename is determined based on the SOLIDWORKS Sheet Metal Parameters.

When thickness is used in output filename it’s always presented as decimal number as slash in fractional number can’t be used in filename. The unit in which value is presented is determined by source model document properties as well as the number of decimals. Thickness value is rounded (not truncated) per number of decimals. Trailing zeros are never displayed and the decimal value separator is always a dot (.). The unit is not included.
Material. Add the source component material to the output filename. The SOLIDWORKS Cut-List-Item is the primary place to look the material for. The secondary place to look for the material from is the document itself.

In case the material is not specified for the Cut-List-Item and neither for the SOLIDWORKS document it self, the material is left empty in the output filename.

In the case shown in the picture above that describes the priorities of detecting the component material, the material name included in the output filename of the CustomTools file conversion is 1060 Alloy because it is selected as the material of the Cut-List-Item.
Quantity. Add the total quantity of a component in selected assembly into the output filename.
Instance Number. Add the instance number of the component currently beign converted into the output filename. See the following Example Use Case for more information.
Workgroup PDM File Revision. Inserts the Workgroup PDM file revision number into the filename of the output file.
Time. Inserts the current system time into the filename of the output file.
Date. Inserts the current system date into the filename of the output file.

The backslash "\" after the source file path is added automatically when using source file path in the Target filename. See Example.

Illegal characters in target path including the CustomProperty values included in it are automatically replaced by the underscores (_) during the file conversion process to avoid unexpected issues on the file conversion process.

NOTE: The following filename options are available only if the output file type is Dxf (*.dxf) or Dwg (*.dwg):

Weldment Properties
Cut-List Item name
Thickness

Target Filename Blob Colors:

File conversion rule could have a dynamic output path and the filename. CustomProperties that belong to the different property scopes, are color coded in the Target filename box so that you can recognize the parts of the target path and filename easier. The following colors are used to identify the blobs:

	Model property
	Cut-List property
	Drawing property
	Pre-defined function
	Invalid item

If you get the invalid item blob into the target filename, please ensure that the item selected in the target filename exist and also check the spelling of the target filename item names.

Example Use Case - Target Filename Based on the Source File

Let's say you have a SOLIDWORKS part called 000001 Base Plate.sldprt located in D:\SOLIDWORKS Workspace\Steel Design\. Then, you have a file conversion rule for converting documents to PDF format and, which destination file is set as {DRW_PATH}{DRW_FILENAME} in the Target filename box.

Using the PDF file conversion rule defined as described above, the conversion output file with the path created from the 000001 Base Plate.sldprt is D:\SOLIDWORKS Workspace\Steel Design\000001 Base Plate.pdf.

Example Use Case - Instance Number and Quantity Attributes

Let’s say we have a sheet metal box assembly like shown in the following picture that have four (4) pieces of the same, configured sheet metal plate used as side walls of a sheet metal box. Two of the sheet metal plates are bended from the both ends and two of the plates are not bended anyhow.

SheetMetalBox
Picture 1. The Sheet Metal Box assembly referred in this example.

In this case, you may want to convert the DXF files from the sheet metal parts so that the output file names contain the part’s instance number and total quantity of the parts in the whole assembly like follows.

<Path>\DXF\<PartNumber> <Configuration> <Instance no> of <Quantity>.dxf

To include the instance number and part’s total quantity in the output filename, include the following attributes in the Target filename of the file conversion rule used to convert the files into DXF.

Instance Number
Quantity

So, the Target filename format in this example is {DRW_PATH}\DXF\{DRW_FILENAME} {SRC_CONF} {Instance number} of {Quantity}.

Full path including the filename of an assembly referred in this example is D:\Workspace\SOLIDWORKS Design\Sheet Metal Boxes\000003 Default.sldasm. Using the output filename mentioned above in the File Conversion Rule, the output files' paths including the filename will be as follow:

D:\Workspace\SOLIDWORKS Design\Sheet Metal Boxes\DXF\000001 Default 1 of 2.dxf
D:\Workspace\SOLIDWORKS Design\Sheet Metal Boxes\DXF\000001 Default 2 of 2.dxf
D:\Workspace\SOLIDWORKS Design\Sheet Metal Boxes\DXF\000001 Bended 1 of 2.dxf
D:\Workspace\SOLIDWORKS Design\Sheet Metal Boxes\DXF\000001 Bended 2 of 2.dxf

Using the Windows Environment Variables:

You can also use the Windows environment variables to define the target path of the file conversion. The percent signs (%) in the both ends of the folder name means that the folder has been defined as the local environment variable.

For Example: %TEMP%\%USERNAME%-DRW_FILENAME saves the output files into the temporary folder of the user which is currently logged into the Windows.

Complicated output path definitions could be implemented with help of the CustomTools Add-in scripts. If you need a script to define some more specific or otherwise complicated rules for the file conversion output folders, please contact CustomTools support by an email and specify your advanced conversion rule needs as accurate as possible.

Specify location at runtime

The destination where the converted documents are saved is defined during the batch conversion processes.

Output File Types:

With CustomTools, you can convert your SOLIDWORKS documents to the following file formats.

		Supported Source Document Types
File Type	File Extension	Parts	Assemblies	Drawings
DWG	*.dwg			•	Additional Options
DXF	*.dxf			•	Additional Options
eDrawings Drawing	*.edrw			•	Additional Options
JPEG Image	*.jpeg	•	•	•	Additional Options
Adobe PDF	*.pdf	•	•	•	Additional Options
TIFF Image	*.tif	•	•	•	Additional Options
VRML	*.wrl	•	•	•	Additional Options
ACIS	*.sat	•	•	•	Additional Options
ParaSolid	*.x_t	•	•	•	Additional Options
ParaSolid Binary	*.x_b	•	•	•	Additional Options
IGES	*.igs	•	•	•	Additional Options
STL	*.stl	•	•	•	Additional Options
STEP	*.step	•	•	•	Additional Options
Adobe PhotoShop	*.psd	•	•	•	Additional Options
IFC 2x3	*.ifc	•	•
VDAFS	*.vda	•	•
Universal 3D	*.u3d	•	•
3D XML	*.3dxml	•	•
Adobe Illustrator	*.ai	•	•	•
Microsoft XAML	*.xaml	•
CATIA Graphics	*.cgr	•	•	•
CATIA HCG	*.hcg	•	•	•
HOOPS HSF	*.hsf	•	•	•
eDrawings Part	*.eprt	•			Additional Options
eDrawings Assembly	*.easm		•		Additional Options

3D Model tab:

Selected assembly or selected individual parts. Determines the configuration of the 3D model which are processed with the file conversion rule.

Last active configuration	Process the configuration that was active last time the model was saved.
All configurations	Process all configurations of the selected model.
Embed in single file	Select this option to embed all configurations of the model to one output file. NOTE: This option is available for the eDrawings part (.eprt) and assembly (.easm) file types only.
Named configuration	Process the configuration having the name specified in the Named configuration box.

Configurations Filter Blob Colors:

CustomTools file conversion rules could filter the model configurations to be processed. Filtering the configurations could be done by the sheet names using the boolean operators that are considered as the pre-defined functions. Pre-defined functions are color coded in the Named configuration box so that you can recognize the parts of the filter easier. The following colors are used to identify the blobs:

	Pre-defined function
	Invalid item

If you get the invalid item blob into the format string of your sheet name filter, please ensure that the item selected in the sheet name filter exist and also check the spelling of the sheet name filter item names.

Drawing tab:

Sheets to convert. Determines how to choose the drawing sheets to be processed on the batch operation with this file conversion rule.

To process all sheets from all the drawings in the list, type an astersik (*) into the Sheets which name contains box or, leave the Sheets which name contains box empty.

Sheets which name contains	Defines the conditions used to determine how to choose the drawing sheets on batch operation with this file conversion rule. You can add more advanced rules to choose the desired sheets by using the following boolean operators: AND & OR \| NOT ! See the Using the Boolean Operators sub-topic in this help page to read more about using the boolean operators to determine rules for selecting the drawing sheets to be processed by the batch file conversion rule.
...and is referenced by model configuration	Additional option related to the Sheets which name contains box to make the sheets to be selected also by the referenced model configuration. For example if you have Sales* typed in the Sheets which name contains box and you have the and is referenced by model configuration option selected, the drawing sheets are selected if the sheet name and, the referenced model configuration of the sheet matches to the conditions.
Select last active sheet if condition(s) not met	Use this option to ensure that the batch operation have at least one drawing sheet selected. When this option is selected, the last active drawing sheet is processed even if any sheet does not meet the conditions defined.
Embed all sheets in the same target file	Create a single file with all the sheets used in the drawing. NOTE: The Embed all sheets in the same target file option is available only for the PDF, *eDrawings (.edrw), dxf and dwg** documents.

NOTE: The Sheets which name contains option and the text box associated to it, are not enabled if the selected document type is part or assembly.

Sheet Name Filter Blob Colors:

CustomTools file conversion rules could filter the drawing sheets to process. Filtering the sheets to convert could be done by the sheet names using the boolean operators that are considered as the pre-defined functions. Pre-defined functions are color coded in the Sheets which name contains box so that you can recognize the parts of the filter easier. The following colors are used to identify the blobs:

	Pre-defined function
	Invalid item

Execute rule when:

After file is saved in SOLIDWORKS

Enable/Disable the automatic file conversion on Save operation.

This option cannot be selected with the DXF and DWG file conversion rules which have the Generate file from assembly according to the sheet metal part thickness option selected in their additional conversion options.

When you have the After file is saved in SOLIDWORKS option selected, the following special behaviors are applied:

The Save as Copy action. The file conversion is executed only for the copied part and the original part is not processed.
Mirroring the part. The file conversion is executed on save of the mirrored part.
Mirroring a component to make an Opposite hand version. File conversion is executed only for the new part and the source part is not processed.
Toolbox parts. File conversion is not executed against the toolbox parts.

Options available for all document types:

Open output directory after rule is completed

Select this options to open the output folder defined in the Target filename box with the Windows Explorer after the file conversion is finished.

When you simultaneously run several file conversions having this option selected, the output folder of each file conversion rule having this option selected appears after the successful batch operation.

NOTE: In case where more than one file conversion rule have the same output path defined in the Target filename box, only one instance of the Windows Explorer with the same output path appears after the file conversion.

Overwriting an existing file:

The Overwriting an existing file options are used to determine what to do on file conversion operation if the file with the same name already exist in the target path.

Always	Overwrites existing files without any prompt during the batch operation.
Never	The existing files are never overwritten during the batch operation.
Prompt	The user gets prompted to decide whether or not to overwrite the file that already exist.

DXF/DWG Flat Patterns from the SOLIDWORKS parts:

You can make the DXF and DWG flat pattern documents straight from the SOLIDWORKS parts without creating the SOLIDWORKS drawings first.

To do that, create a file conversion rule which output file type is DXF or DWG and which applies to the part documents (Parts).

TIP: Also the multibody parts are handled by the file conversion rules that output file format is DXF or DWG.

Examples

Using the Boolean Operators:

The following examples shows how the boolean operators could be used to determine drawing sheets' selection rules based on the sheet names.

Boolean (symbol)	Syntax	Keywords in Sheet Names	Name Rule in Printing Profile	Description	Sheet Names to be Selected (Examples)
AND (&)	<Keyword 1>&<Keyword 2>...	Sheets which name contain the following words: Layout Sheet	Layout&Sheet	Keywords Layout and Sheet are looked for from names of the sheets included in drawings refereced by the models in a structure the PrintAndConvert is used to be executed against. Sheets that name have both of the keywords included in an order they are defined in the selection rule, are included in the batch print operation.	Layout Sheet Conveyor Layout Sheet Conveyor Layout Drawing Sheet
OR (\|)	<Keyword 1>\|<Keyword 2>...	Sheets which name contain at least one of the following words: Layout Sheet	Layout\|Sheet*	Keywords Layout and Sheet are looked for from the sheet names included in drawings referenced by the models in structure opened in the CustomTools PrintAndConvert feature. In this example, we also have some wild characters included in the keywords. Wild characters are considered as any set of characters in the sheet name. Sheets that name starts with a word Layout or if the sheet name contain a word Sheet in anywhere, are included in the batch print operation.	Layout Sheet Layout Drawing 3D Sheet 1
NOT (!)	!<Keyword 1>&!<Keyword 2>...	Sheets which name does not contain the following words: DXF DWG	!DXF&!DWG	Keywords DXF and DWG are looked for from the sheet names included in drawings referenced by the models in structure opened in the CustomTools PrintAndConvert feature. If a drawing's sheet name contain a word looked for, it is excluded from the batch print operation. All other sheets except the ones that name contain a word defined in the selection rule, are selected and processed by the batch print operation.	All other sheets are selected but, the ones named similar like shown in the following list, are excluded: DXF Sheet DWG Sheet Sheet from DXF Layout's DWG Sheet