Looking for API developer to help with Solidworks compatibility

[Form3 D.]

Hi Folks,

We love dropbox at our small company, but it doesn't play so nicely with Solidworks...which we also love. 

If dropbox could just sync the hidden system files that solidworks generates when a file is opened, then we think it may solve our problem.

If there is a developer out there that could help with that it would be great to connect!

[joeldgilbert]

I may be able to help out depending what your needs are. Let me know if you would like to connect and discuss your issues and where you want to go with SOLIDWORKS/Dropbox.

[Wolverine]

I am trying to create a macro from so many days but it is not working. The macro is about changing given Geometric Tolerance in drawing, Please help me with that.

[Wolverine]

I am trying to create a macro from so many days but it is not working. The macro is about changing given Geometric Tolerance in drawing, Please help me with that.

[jdgilbert]

I have a good deal of experience with SOLIDWORKS macros, if you have a sample file or other info you can share I would be happy to help troubleshoot the issue. 

[Form3 D.]

Hi Joe,

Turns out your reply back in 2022 went to an unmonitored inbox. Oops.

We're still battling this issue with Dropbox and Solidworks. The problem is that Dropbox does not know when a solidworks file is open by another user when files are accessed on local dropbox folders. It's very common for us to have multiple users accessing the same fileset. Two people working on seperate parts, but both have the assembly open for reference/checking clearances etc. When users are both working off our server locally, solidworks handles this really well - only allows read-only opening. Alerting when changes have been made by other users. When we have two users remotely working on locally synced dropbox folders, the result is lots of duplicate files unless there is lots of communication between users (which is not always easy across time zones). Our dream would be that locally stored and synced dropbox files would work the same way as when working locally together.

My (vague) understanding is that Solidworks handles these functions with the hidden system files (the ones with a ~ in front of them). However, Dropbox does not sync those files. I had hoped that forcing dropbox to sync hidden system files would make it all work. Might be wishful thinking.

We have tried Solidexperience cloud storage as a way to manage this, but it failed miserably and couldn't reliably sync between different local drives. Dropbox is just so beautifully simple. 

Do you think it would be possible to do this?

[joeldgilbert]

It might help to enable the 'Enable Multi-user Environment' options under the Collaboration settings in System Options within SOLIDWORKS. I have not yet found any way to force Dropbox to sync those temporary files, so I'm guessing there's a security or technical reason why that isn't allowed. Here is an article I put together a while back that explains optimal settings for using SOLIDWORKS with cloud storage services: Utilizing Cloud Storage with SOLIDWORKS - MLC CAD Systems (mlc-cad.com)

The other option would be to use a cloud-hosted network drive which should be more 'real-time', but ultimately the best-practice solution is some form of document management system. The company I work for (MLC CAD Systems) hosts PDM servers for some of our clients, they are able to connect via VPN from different locations and access all of their data, while the PDM system handles check-in/check-out/approvals and prevents issues with concurrent edits.

Another option to consider that is native to SWX is 3DEXPERIENCE cloud-based data management. The idea behind this system is essentially Dropbox/OneDrive that has been designed around working with CAD data. It started out pretty primitive but they have been adding features pretty regularly. Here's an article/video with the latest features available on that platform: SOLIDWORKS Cloud Services 2024 (mlc-cad.com)

[DBoxTips]

Hello,

If after trying out the great tips above by @joeldgilbert this is still an issue, I would like to give a shot at it. I have experience with solving hard problems on top of Dropbox. Feel free to get in touch by adding “.com” to my forum username and entering it in a browser.

Thanks,
Andrew (DBoxTips)