Introduction to WorkManager at LBNL
This is a fairly detailed introduction to the WorkManager PDM system at LBNL. An overview of the system
concepts and basic usage is included here. You may proceed by reading this document straight
through, or hit a link to the topic of interest below. Please contact James Osborn
if you have comments, feedback, or questions about this document.
Just what are PDM, EDM, Document Control, and Electronic Signatures?
WorkManager is known as a PDM system. PDM stands for Product Data Management. Sometimes
the term EDM is also used for Engineering Data Management. For our purposes, they are the
same thing. The purpose of a PDM system is to organize and control design data.
The organization of the design data involves storing information
about the data into a searchable indexed database. Keeping the title block information stored
directly in the database (instead of passing it along via drawing cards) minimizes the likelihood
of typographical errors and ensures that the information in the system is always current. This
also gives the designer direct control of the title block information
on their documents. Keeping the title block information in a database provides for fast efficient
searches on any field in the database. This facilitates finding documents later.
Design data Document Control involves storing the data into a secure network storage location
combined with version control, document
states, and electronic signatures. Using a network storage location means that the data no longer resides
on your local computer nor in your home directory. Instead it is stored in the WorkManager filer server where
access to the data is controled based on ownership and state.
Version control corresponds very closely to the concept
of drawing revisions used for years LBNL. However, in the WorkManager system, the initial version
of a document is always A - there is no blank revision available as previously done with LBNL prints.
The versions are automatically started at A and incremented when new versions are created.
Within WorkManager, all documents
have a document state associated with them: work, pending check, checked, or released. New documents are
automatically created in the work state. Changes made to a document in the work state are usually
saved back to the system overwriting the previous data. When the document is complete,
the designer changes the state to pending check (or checked if self-checking). A checker
can then change the state to checked and an approver can release the document. When a
document is in a released state, then the only way to make changes to it is to create a new version.
The new version is automatically started in the work state, just like a brand new document.
Each change in state is recorded in the database so that a record of the changes in state are maintained.
The concept of an Electronic Signature relies on the fact that the login authentication used to access the system
assures that whomever makes changes to the data in the system is the person that corresponds to
their login. Each change in state causes the system to record that change, the date
of occurrence, and the login which made the change. This recording process corresponds to an
electronic signature. To maintain data integrity and security, users should choose non-obvious passwords and should
never share them with other users.
To understand access control to the data in WorkManager, a useful phrase to remember is Who, can Do What,
To What, and When. Who refers to the login name. Do What refers to the action such as modifying attributes
or deleting. To What refers to which specific documents or parts are in question. When refers to the current
state of the document. Access
to the data in WorkManager is controlled using Access Control Lists which tell WorkManager Who can Do What, To What, and When.
If you find yourself unable to make the changes you require, talk to your WorkManager administrator (
James) to make the required ACL changes.
It's also helpful to compare where things are stored in a Traditional CAD environment versus CAD in a WorkManager environment. The table below describes how CAD data and information is stored in a traditional environment and the WorkManager equivalents. Note that all data and information is contained in the WorkManager Vault. This is a generic term for WorkManager's network file server and database server which together control access to the data based on logins, permissions, and states.
|
Traditional CAD |
CAD with WorkManager |
CAD Item |
Storage
Format |
Storage
Location |
Storage
Format |
Storage
Location |
SD 3D Part |
PKG File |
Hard Disk |
3D
Document
(MODEL_3D class) |
WorkManager Vault |
SD 3D Assy |
PKG File |
Hard Disk |
3D
Document
(MODEL_3D class) |
WorkManager Vault |
Anno Drawing |
MI File |
Hard Disk |
2D
Document
(DRAWING_2D class) |
WorkManager Vault |
Title Info |
Paper |
Drawing Card |
Masterdata
Part
(MASTERDATA class) |
WorkManager Vault |
Release
Signature |
Paper |
On Print |
Document State |
WorkManager Vault |
Traditional SolidDesigner and Annotation Relationships and Storage
In order to better understand how WorkManager will be used in the LBNL environment, first consider how 3D models
and 2D prints are presently stored using SolidDesigner and Annotator, respectively. There are several ways to do
it, but the most common practice is to store several files to the hard disk. First, a Package file is stored
which contains the whole assembly including sub-assemblies and sub-parts. Then, posslibly multiple 2D prints are each
stored to separate MI files, one for each detail and assembly
drawing. The 2D prints are linked to the 3D models by the viewsets. Unfortunately for the user, the link is
only established by manually loading the correct package file and correct MI file at the same time. There is no way
to know which go together except by carefully organizing and naming your files. Also unfortunately for users who
share information, the files are stored into each user's directories separately. Finding and loading what another
user is working on can be a tedious and laborious process.
WorkManager Part and Document Relationships and Storage
Now consider how WorkManager handles the same situation. All the 3D objects and 2D prints are stored into WorkManager
directly; there are no files stored on the hard disk. Each assembly, sub-assembly, and part are stored into separate
documents in the system. The links are automatically established which tie them together. Storing each object into
separate units like this permits partial loading of assemblies. It also permits ownership of sub-assemblies or parts to
be spread over different users while the entire assembly is still linked together.
WorkManager treats the information about the 3D and 2D documents separately from the documents themselves. This information
about the documents is called masterdata and is stored in a separate record called a masterdata part. Masterdata part
records contain the title block information such as title lines and category codes. Storing the masterdata separate from
the documents permits having a 3D model and a 2D print linked to the same information. It is also possible to have multiple
versions of 3D models or 2D prints or other kinds of documents (such as text files, Word documents, or FEA files, eventually)
to all be linked together as children of the same masterdata part record. It is also possible to have masterdata parts
which have no documents associated to them. As an exmaple, this permits the addition of bulk materials or other parts that are
not modeled, to be included in the Bill of Materials on an assembly drawing.
Since 2D prints are associated to the same masterdata part record as the assembly or part from which they are generated, it
is easy to load the correct 3D model and 2D print at the same time. And since the masterdata part attributes contain all the
required fields for the print (such as category code, title lines, print number, etc.), these fields are automatically filled
out correctly in your title block for you. When you need to change any of the information on your title block, you do it in
WorkManager and then push this data into your print - this is called updating your title block. This process ensures that the information you see on the print corresponds to what is in the database.
WorkManager Bill Of Materials
WorkManager also facilitates the creation of Bills of Materials (BOMs) for assembly prints. There is an implicit BOM that is
contained within every masterdata part. Initially this implicit BOM contains only the masterdata for itself. To create an Assembly BOM, a WorkManger command called Get 3D is used to automatically scan your SolidDesigner model structure to
build the BOM for you. Once transferred to WorkManager, you specify the position numbers for each item. Quantities are
automatically generated for you based on shared parts in your model, or you can modify the quantities if desired. Next you store
the BOM back to the database. Then you can use the Update BOM command to push this BOM table with title block and
print number information for the entire assembly back into SolidDesigner and Annotation. Within Annotation, placing the
correctly filled out BOM table and BOM position flags is a snap. This procedure is somewhat involved, but pays off for
large and/or complicated assemblies.
Logging Into WorkManager
There are two parts to activating WorkManager. Within SolidDesigner you must activate the Design Management module. Design Management is just CoCreate's latest marketing name for WorkManager. They are the SAME thing.
Once Design Management is activated in SolidDesigner, startup WorkManager. You can find the WorkManager client program in your start menu, or in the quick launch tool bar.
WorkManager requires that you login to identify yourself to the system. Note that this login will usually be the same as your regular login, BUT the password is independent. You can set the password to be the same if you want to. See Changing Your WorkManager Password below. Contact your WorkManager administrator (James) if you forget your password.
Changing Your WorkManager Password
Your WorkManager administrator (James) will supply you with a temporary password
for your first login to WorkManager. To promote the security of the system, you
should change your WorkManager password immediately. You can set it to the same as your regular login password if you
like. But do NOT share your password with other users. To change your WorkManger password, you must access the administration window. Choose the Admin menu item from the Extras menu.
This brings up the Admin window from which you can choose the Change Password... command from the File menu.
The Change Password window appears and requires that you enter your new password twice for confirmation.
Note that your password cannot contain more than eight (8) characters.
After changing your password, you can close the administration window by hitting the X in the upper right
hand corner of the window.
The WorkManager Interface
The WorkManager user interface is known as the Editor and is divided into several portions.
The upper portion of the WorkManager Editor is known as the Masterdata Part Editor. Its
purpose is to search for masterdata parts in the system, make new masterdata parts, and modify existing data
associated with masterdata parts already in the system. The attributes that describe your
masterdata parts are listed here. Attributes are also called meta-data because they are
data (descriptive information) about other data (the drawings and models themselves).
These attribute fields contain the information that you see in your title blocks.
Notice that there is a scroll bar at the right of the part editor which allows you
to access all the attributes.
The lower portion of the WorkManager Editor window is known as the Document Editor.
This part of the window is analogous to the masterdata part editor above, but shows document
attributes instead of masterdata part attributes. The attributes you will find in the document editor
are specific to documents. For example, you will find revision and sheet information here.
You can load information into the document editor by clicking on a related document you
found above in the part editor.
Also contained in the lower portion of the WorkManger Editor window is the Command Status Line.
This area will prompt you with what WorkManager is expecting from you at any given time. If you find
yourself confused about what WorkManager is doing, look here to see what it is asking for.
The two editors are used together. Typically, you will search for things in the system by using the masterdata
part editor (upper portion of the window). This will reveal a related documents list which is displayed
in the center portion of the Editor between the masterdata part and the document editors. Clicking on the documents
in this list will cause them to be displayed in the document editor (lower portion of the window).
An important concept in WorkManager is the link or relationship between masterdata parts and the documents
associated with them. It is possible to have masterdata parts with no related documents and it is possible to have
documents that are not related to any masterdata part. To confuse matters more, it is possible to have a masterdata
part showing in the part editor and simultaneously an unrelated document in the document editor. To graphically remind
you when the current masterdata part and the current document are related (or linked), a button appears at the top of the
document editor which says LINKED when the current masterdata part and the current document are linked. If this button
is not present, then the current masterdata part and current document are not linked.
Searching for Masterdata Parts
Suppose you want to locate a masterdata part that you are working on, or locate an old design that
you know is in the system. You can use the masterdata part editor to search on any or all attributes,
and you can use the * (asterisk) as a wild card character. For example, suppose
you wanted to locate all parts created by the user "osborn" but you aren't sure of the exact spelling.
You think it might be osbourne or osborne, but you're not sure. You can do a search using
wild cards to find all users whose login contains SBO by using a search criteria with leading and trailing asterisks.
First hit the clear button to make sure all fields are blank. Next type in your search criteria, in this case, type
*sbo* into the creator field. And finally hit the Find button. Notice that
the display mode says Query. This indicates that the information currently in the
attribute fields is being used for a query.
WorkManager pops up a Query Results on top of the lower half of the Editor window. The query
results contains a list of all masterdata parts which match your search criteria. If the list is empty,
or the part you are looking for is not in the results, then try another search criteria.
To find the specific masterdata part you are looking for, you may select (by clicking on) a master data
part in the query results overlay. The masterdata part editor then displays the selected part so you can
examine the masterdata attributes to determine if you have the right part. Don't forget about the scroll bar to the right
of the masterdata information which will allow you see additional fields that are there. When you have the
part you are looking for, hit the Exit button from the query results.
Notice that the display mode now says Show instead of Query. This is your indicator that
the information displayed in the masterdata part editor corresponds to an actual part in the system. Pay attention
to the display mode as you use WorkManager. It will always say Show when you are looking at a real part. It will
always say Query when WorkManager assumes you are about to perform a search. This can happen by accident if you
start typing in the attributes field for a currently displayed part. For your own benefit, always hit Clear before
performing a search. And don't type any information in the attributes fields unless you are doing a search, or unless
you are using the Edit command to modify the attributes for the currently displayed part.
Selecting Related Documents
Once you have identified the desired masterdata part, you will probably want to load a 3D or 2D document, or look at the
parts structure. Any documents related to the selected part are automatically listed in the Related Documents portion
of the Editor window. You my further restrict this list to reduce the number of displayed items using the pull down menu
at the top of the related documents list. This pull down will allow you to restrict the list to released documents only
for example.
Click on the desired document at it will be displayed in the document editor in the lower portion of the window. The
document attributes will be displayed
for that document and the display mode will indicate Show which means you are viewing information for an actual document
in the system.
It is possible to search for documents in the document editor in a completely analagous method as searching
for masterdata parts. Simply hit the Clear button in the document editor, type in your search criteria, and hit
the Find button. A Query results window will overlay the top portion of the window with any found documents.
In general, it is more appropriate to search for masterdata parts instead of documents because the masterdata
records contain the title block information.
The Info Part Command
Often you will need to make sure the WorkManager Editor window is displaying information that corresponds
to a 3D model or 2D print that you are working on in SolidDesigner or Annotator. For example, when you first
check in a 2D print, you will want to call up the masterdata record in WorkManager for the parent assembly or
detail part. You can search for the masterdata part using the techniques described previously. However,
the quickest and easiest way to call up the correct master data part for something that is already
loaded in SolidDesigner is to use the Info Part command.
The Info Part command is available from the Database menu in SolidDesigner. After hitting the Info Part menu pick, identify the assembly or part by clicking on it or double-clicking on its entry in the structure or draw browser. Note that Info Part will NOT work unless the part or assembly has been previously checked into WorkManager. It is only good for find WorkManager masterdata part records for an existing 3D part or assembly.
After selecting the desired 3D part or assembly in SolidDesigner, the WorkManager Editor window pops up showing the masterdata part record and the document which corresponds to the object you selected. Info Okay buttons appear in the editor which highlight the correspondence.
The Structure Browser
The Structure Browser in WorkManger is similar to the structure browser in SolidDesigner. However, it can show information about your documents (which map directly to SolidDesigner 3D parts and assemblies) or it can show information about your masterdata parts including BOM relationships (which map to title block information on your 2D prints). You can use the WorkManager structure browser to navigate your assemblies and BOMs to work your way up or down a hierarchy to find what you are looking for. Open the structure browser by first starting with some masterdata part or document and hitting the Struct button in the masterdata part editor, or in the document editor. Note that if no masterdata part or no document is current, WorkManager will not be able to open the structure browser.
If you use Struct from the masterdata part editor, the structure browser will open rooted with the current masterdata part record. If you use Struct from the document editor, the structure browser will open rooted with the current document. Once opened, you can toggle the display of masterdata parts and documents on and off from within the browser. You can see the number of levels to show in the hierarchy. To show All Levels, clear the Max Levels field.
Work your way Down the hierarchy to show children of selected masterdata parts or documents using the Down button. Work your way Up the hierarchy to show parents of the selected masterdata parts or documents using the Up button.
Click on the desired masterdata part or document in the structure browser to make it the current masterdata part or current document in the Editor. The Editor window is also brought to the front. Using this technique, you can look at all the attributes in the Editor for a masterdata record that you selected in the structure browser.
Loading SolidDesigner Documents
Once you have located a SolidDesigner part or assembly in the WorkManager document editor, you may want to load it into SolidDesigner for viewing or to make changes. For small assemblies, the regular Load command loads the whole assembly into SolidDesigner in one step. For large assemblies, the Partial Load command allows you to load some or all of the assembly. Note that when you select a SolidDesigner document, the document editor class will show MODEL_3D.
A Partial Load browser appears when you select the Partial Load command. This browser is very simlar to the Structure Browser. Highlight the desired parts and/or sub-assemblies that you desire to load and hit Okay.
Using the Partial Load command causes the entire assembly tree to show up in SolidDesigner, but only the 3D data for the selected parts or sub-assemblies are actually loaded. This allows you to work on parts of large assemblies more efficiently. Parts which were not selected during the partial load, appear in the SolidDesigner structure browser with "ghost" icons to let you know that SolidDesigner knows about these parts, but they are not currently loaded. The lock icon also appears since you are not allowed to make changes to parts which are not fully loaded.
If you need to work on some parts that you did not include during a partial load, you can use the Reload command from the database menu in SolidDesigner to fully load additional parts or assemblies. Once reloaded, the
ghost icon becomes a regular solid icon, and the lock icon disappears, provided you have permission to modify the
selected data.
The reload command can also be used to bring in current 3D data if someone else has changed it and stored it back to the WorkManager system. This would be useful for example if several users were working on different parts of an assembly. Ownership and the right to modify different sub-assemblies could be assigned to different users, but the whole assembly could be loaded by all the users. When one user makes a change to his/her part of the assembly, the other users could update their sessions with the changed data using the reload command.
Checking In SolidDesigner Documents
When you save your 3D models into WorkMangager, each individual 3D part, assembly, and top level assembly are stored into
separate MODEL_3D documents in WorkManager. There are links created in WorkManager between these documents so that if you load
a top level assembly, it automatically grabs all the appropriate sub-parts and sub-assemblies as required. When you save your
models, you need to consider what kind of category code breakdown you want for your assembly. The following figure shows an
example category code breakdown.
For this example, we desire to apply a different category code for each sub-assembly (EX-00-01, EX-00-02, and EX-00-03), and
another higher level category code for the top level assembly (EX-00-00). The way to handle this is to check in each sub-assembly
separately first, supplying the appropriate category code. Once all the sub-assemblies are checked in, then check in the top level
assembly. Note that the check in for each sub-assembly applies the category code information for that assembly to all of its child
sub-parts and/or sub-assemblies. It is NOT required to first seperately check in the lower level sub-parts and/or sub-assemblies
unless further sub-category code breakdown is required. Also note that the check-in of the top level assembly applies the category
code only to itself since the lower level assemblies have already been checked in. In other words, the initial application of
the category code information applies at first check in and is not overwritten by subsequent check ins. If you need to change
the category code breakdown after you have already checked in an assembly, it can be accomplished, but you have to navigate the
masterdata parts structure within WorkManager and edit the masterdata parts attributes manually to make these changes. See
Modifying Title Block Information for more information on making changes to masterdata part record attributes.
A similar technique can be used to spread ownership of sub-assemblies across different users. The following figure shows an
example assembly structure in which ownership is aportioned among several different users. To accomplish this, each user checks
in their sub-assemblies first. Then another user (or possibly one of the original users) loads all the checked in sub-assemblies
from WorkManager at the same time, groups them under a top level assembly and checks that into WorkManager.
Procedure for creating and checking in new SolidDesigner models to WorkManager:
- Create a new 3D model, a single part or assembly is fine. You may simply load a package file that you
have previously saved to disk. Use the Save 3D Data command from the database menu within SolidDesigner.
- SolidDesigner will prompt you to identify objects to check in. You may select your assembly by double-clicking
on it within the SolidDesigner Structure Browser, or you can use the Select command to specify assembly and then
click on your model. You can also use the Select command to do a Select List, and thereby identify multiple unrelated
assemblies or individual parts to check in at the same time.
- WorkManager will bring up the Store SD MODEL dialog.
This dialog will indicate that there is no part relation; this is because since you have not checked the 3D model
in yet, it is not related to the current masterdata part in the editor (if any). The dialog will also indicate New SD document because
you have not checked it into the system yet. The dialog will present you with the option to Create New Document, or Create New Document and Part. Since this is the first time you have checked in the assembly, there is no masterdata records in the system for
it yet, so select the Create New Part and New Document option.
- WorkManger will bring up a WARNING dialog to inform you that you are about to create new masterdata parts in the
system. You will be prompted for the category code information to apply to all parts and sub-assemblies. Note
that the corresponding TITLE lines automatically fill in for you when you select the sub-category code components from the
pull down lists for each sub-category. Ignore the 4th sub-category component. If you choose the wrong sub-category,
you can start fresh by hitting the Clear
button at the bottom of the window. You can also supply a default TITLE3 which will be filled in for all parts and
sub-assemblies. Using this can be confusing because then your entire assembly will have the SAME TITLE3 for each part and
sub-assembly. However, if you prefer to name the components in your assemblies with the same prefix text, you can supply this
here. Then later you can modify the attributes for the masterdata part records to add additional text to the TITLE3 line. See
Modifying Title Block Information for more information on changing masterdata part record attributes.
Hit Okay when you have finished specifying your default cagetory code for the new data.
- Next, you will be given the opportunity to edit the masterdata part record attributes for the top level assembly.
If you are checking in a large assembly, there can be a significant delay before this window pops up.
You may choose to supply the TITLE3 STRING for the top level assembly at this time. If you are using a paper
drawing card, you may choose to enter the print number at this time. If you plan to use an electronically assigned
print number, leave this field blank for now. When this procedure is finished, you may electronically assign a print
number using the procedures described in Auto-assigning a Print Number. Hit Okay to accept
the masterdata information for the top level assembly.
- The last step in checking your SolidDesigner model gives you the opportunity to edit the 3D document attributes for the top level assembly. There is no need to modify any of these values. So just hit Okay to finsish the check in procedure.
Procedure for saving changes to existing SolidDesigner models to WorkManager:
- Use the Save 3D Data command from the database menu within SolidDesigner to save changes to your SolidDesigner
model.
- SolidDesigner will prompt you to identify objects to check in. Typically you will identify your top level assembly regardless
of where in your model that you have made changes. WorkManager determines where the changes have occured and only saves changes to the required objects.
Note however, that any newly added parts or assemblies will inherit
the category code information from the assembly that you identify at this step. So if you have added new parts or sub-assemblies into your
model at a level in your assembly that uses a different category code than the top level assembly, then you should check in that sub-assembly
first so the new objects will inherit the correct category code information. If there are other sub-assemblies using different category codes
with changes, check in those sub-assemblies separately using the same procedure. Work your way up in this fashion to the top level assembley
until all changes are saved. See the information at the beginning of this section for more information on storing
your model with a sub-category breakdown structure.
You can tell which items have changed in your assembly buy looking at the SolidDesigner structure browser. The icons in the browser
will change to include tiny object changed indicators (which look like tiny floppy disks), indicating that changes need to be saved.
After you save all changes to your model, all these object changed indicators will disappear.
- WorkManager will bring up the Store SD MODEL dialog. Depending on what is current in the WorkManager
editor, this dialog will say different things:
- If the WorkManager editor is already showing the correct masterdata part record and the correct SolidDesigner 3D document,
then the dialog will indicate SD-Part = curr. part in editor and SD-Doc = curr. Doc in editor. These indicators imply
that the object you are saving directly corresponds to the current masterdata and document in WorkManager. This is a good thing!
Note that these indicators are accompanied by green letter "I" Info Okay buttons letting you know that there is correspondence
between the WorkManager editor and the identified 3D object. To save changes to your model, hit the Overwrite current document button.
- If the WorkManager editor is not showing any masterdata part record or document at all (clear interface), then the store dialog will indicate
Editor contains no part and Editor contains no document. These indicators let you know that the WorkManager editor doesn't
have a clue about what you are checking in, yet. Info NOT Okay buttons with red exclamation points highlight this condition.
Hit the Use SD part and Use SD document buttons to cause the WorkManager editor to make current, the correct masterdata part record
and the correct 3D document in the editor. Also the Info Okay with the green letter "I" appears and you can proceed to save
changes as above.
- It is also possible that the WorkManager editor is showing the the wrong masterdata part or document. In this case, the store
dialog will indicate
SD-Part <> curr. part in editor and/or SD-Doc <> curr. Doc in editor. These indicators let you know that the WorkManager editor
is showing the wrong masterdata and/or 3D document in the editor. Info NOT Okay buttons with red exclamation points highlight these conditions.
Hit the Use SD part and/or Use SD document buttons to cause the WorkManager editor to make current, the correct masterdata part record
and the correct 3D document in the editor. The Info Okay with the green letter "I" appears and you can proceed to save
changes as above.
- If you have only machined parts or moved them around, your changes are immediately saved and that is it. If you have added
new 3D parts or sub-assemblies to your model, you are presented with a warning dialog. This warning just indicates that you are
adding new masterdata part records and 3D documents to the system. Hit Okay to save your model. Note, that any new 3D parts and/or sub-assemblies
will inherit the category code information from the highest level parent assembly that you check in. To enforce a sub-category code breakdown
structure, check in each parent sub-assembly before checking in your top level assembly. See the information at the beginning of this section for more information on storing
your model with a sub-category breakdown structure.
Loading Annotation Documents
Once you have located an Annotation document in the WorkManager document editor, you may want to load it into Annotation for viewing or to make changes. Use the Load command to load the drawing into Annotation.
Note that when you select an Annotation document, the document editor class will show DRAWING_2D.
Checking In Annotation Documents
Procedure for creating and checking in new Annotation prints to WorkManager:
- Create a new Annotation drawing. For the owner, identify the desired parent 3D part or assembly.
For the drawing frame, select one of the WorkManager compatible drawing frames WM-A, WM-B, WM-C, WM-D,
or WM-E. You can always change the frame to a different size later.
- Check-in your 3D models BEFORE checking in your Annotation prints. This may be the first time you
check in the model, or more likely you are re-checking it in to save the new viewsets created when you started
the Annotation print. Checking in the 3D model before the print ensures that a masterdata part is created which
has the appropriate category code and title block information. You can find more information on checking in your
3D models in Checking In SolidDesigner Documents.
- Before you check-in your new Annotation print, use the Info Part command from SolidDesigner and identify
the same part or assembly you used in the first step. This will cause the masterdata part for the same 3D part or assembly
to be current in the WorkManager masterdata part editor. If you just saved the parent 3D part or assembly in the previous
step, it will already be the current masterdata part and you may omit this step. For more information about using the
Info Part command, see The Info Part Command.
- Use the Save 2D button from Annotation to save your new Annotation print to WorkManager. Hit the Okay button
in the Save 2D Data confirmation dialog that appears.
- Next, you will be given the opportunity to edit the document attributes
for the print. If necessary, copy the Unique No. from the masterdata part editor to the Unique No. in the part editor.
If desired, modify the Description field and/or the Drawing Type in the document editor and hit Okay.
The print is saved to WorkManager. Subsequent saves to the drawing will automatically go to the same place.
- A dialog will pop up asking: Okay to relate the current document to the current part? Hit the Okay button to
create the link between the 2D print you just checked in to the current masterdata part showing in the masterdata part
editor. Assuming you used the Info Part command properly in previous steps, the current masterdata part should correspond
to the 3D part or assembly which owns your print. Relating the 2D print to this masterdata part ensures that the print will show up in the related documents for this masterdata part.
Procedure for saving changes to existing Annotation prints to WorkManager:
- Use the Save 2D button from Annotation to save changes to your print. Hit the Okay button
in the Save 2D Data confirmation dialog that appears. Changes to your drawing will be saved back to
the original store location.
- If your aim is to create a New Version of an existing print, select the new version option in
the Save 2D Data confirmation dialog before hitting Okay. WorkManager will automatically increment the
version of your drawing and put the new version into the Work state.
Modifying Title Block Information
The attributes in the masterdata part editor are pushed into your title blocks, so modifying these
attributes is the method you will use to fill in your title blocks. First locate the masterdata part
for which you wish to change the title block information. You may use the methods discussed in
Searching for Masterdata Parts, or you might use the Info Part command discussed in The
Info Part Command. With the desired part displayed in the part editor, hit the Edit button.
Change the desired attributes, and hit the Okay button. AVOID changing the Unique No.. Most
likely you will modify title and category code attributes as needed. Notice that the available
category codes are preprogrammed into the system and when you select category codes, the appropriate title strings
automatically are filled in for you. If you are using an
existing paper drawing card, then you may enter your print number manually along with the other
title block information. If you want to use an electronically assigned print number, then see Assigning
an Electronic Print Number. Note that the display mode says Rename instead of the usual Show or Query.
After making changes to a masterdata part, you will probably want to update your title block in the associated print. If you have not already, load the print from WorkManager into Annotation. See Loading Annotation Documents for more details on this step. Within Annotation, use the Update TB command to bring the masterdata part information from WorkManager into your Annotation print. Save the print back to WorkManager. See Checking In Annotation Documents for more details on this step.
Auto-assigning a Print Number
With the WorkManager system, you may choose to stop using paper drawing cards altogether. Several drawing series
have been preallocated for use in WorkManager so that these series do not exist on any physical cards anywhere.
First make sure the required masterdata part is current in the editor. Then use the Assign Print Number
command from the Part menu to assign the next available print number for your project. A number will
be filled in the Print No. field (read-only) and if acceptable, hit Okay to assign that number. You will probably want to update
your title block in your Annotation print, as discussed above in
Modifying Title Block Information, after assigning a print number.
Changing Document States
Documents may take on one of several states: work, pending check, checked, and released. A typical designer would create new documents in the work state and promote them to the pending check state. A checker or approver would then check the documents and promote them to a checked state. Finally, an approver would promote documents to a released state. It is possible for a user with the required permissions to promote a document all the way from work through released without involving any other users. In this case, the user would self-check, and self-approve the documents.
To take a document from a work state through the release state requires that you specifically choose to make a change to the state. First locate the document in the editor for which you wish to change state. Hit the States button to pop up a dialog giving you the allowed state changes. The allowed states will depend on your permissions in the system as well as what the current state is for the document. Select the desired new state and hit Okay. Note that changing the state for a drawing does NOT change the state for the associated detail 3D part or 3D assembly. It is up to the user to release the 3D documents at the same time the 2D documents are released. Similarly, changing the state of a specific 3D assembly document does NOT change the state for sub-assemblies or parts. It is up to the user to release sub-parts and/or sub-assemblies when it is desired to do so. You will probably want to update
your title block, as discussed above in
Modifying Title Block Information, after changing the state of your print.
Creating a BOM
The Bill Of Materials in WorkManager is stored in the MASTERDATA part record of the target Assembly. By default the BOM contains only an entry to
the assembly itself. Use the following procedure to create a BOM which lists the components in an assembly:
Procedure for Creating a BOM
- First identify the MASTERDATA part record corresponding to your
target assembly, and hit the Navigate BOM button in the MASTERDATA part editor.
- The Navigate BOM window is used to view existing BOM structures, or to open an existing BOM to make changes to it. To make a new BOM, use the Open command, identify your target assembly, and hit Okay.
- The BOM Editor appears listing any existing BOM entries. Use the Edit button to make changes to your
new BOM.
- The list of available commands expands when the Edit button is activated. The most imporant button you will use will be the Get 3D button
which is used to scan your SolidDesigner model and use the 3D structure to build your BOM. Note, the 3D model which corresponds to your target
assembly must be loaded from WorkManager into SolidDesigner for the Get 3D command to function properly. New BOM entries are added to your
BOM based on your SolidDesigner model structure. You will need to run the Get 3D command in the future if you add 3D parts to your model. In this
case, you may get a Warning in WorkManager for the existing entries in your BOM when it tries to add the already existing items.
- Next, you must supply Position Numbers for each new item in your BOM. If you duplicate any position numbers, WorkManager will warn
you about it so you can correct the problem. You MUST supply a position number for each item.
- Once you have entered all your numbers, use the STORE button to save your BOM changes back to the database. WorkManager changes
the color of the stored entries to let you know they have been stored. Subsequent changes to any of the entries causes the modified entries to
change color. Note also that WorkManager reorders your BOM entries according to the position numbers you have supplied. If you decide you don't
like the order, you can simply overwrite the position numbers to change the order. Store your changes again after modifying any of the position
numbers.
This completes the creation and modification of your BOM. Follow the same procedures to add new items to your BOM that you have added to your
SolidDesigner assembly. To generate an assembly print based on this BOM, see Creating an Assembly Print below. If
you exit the BOM Editor at this point, you will see that the BOM Navigator has updated its contents to show your new BOM entries.
Creating an Assembly Print
To create an assembly print, first generate a BOM for your target assembly. See Creating a BOM above for more
details. Use the following procedure to create your assembly print:
Procedure for Creating an Assembly Print
- Use the procedure discussed in Checking In Annotation Documents to create a print with an assembly
as the parent. You may omit the steps about checking in the print into WorkManager until you complete this procedure.
- Once the drawing is created and you have updated views and title block, switch into SolidDesigner. Use the Info Part command
to identify the target assembly in WorkManager. See The Info Part Command for more details.
- In WorkManager, use the Navigate BOM button for the target assembly as discussed above in Creating a BOM.
- Use the Transfer button to access the Update BOM command. The Update BOM command is used to push the BOM you
created in WorkManager into your SolidDesigner/Annotation session. Note, you can also use the Update BOM command from the BOM Editor as
discussed above in Creating a BOM.
- The Update BOM sends the BOM information into SolidDesigner and pops up a Current BOM Table dialog. Accept the new BOM
information by hitting Apply.
- Switch back into Annotation and access the BOM menu. Use the Draw BOM command to place the BOM on your print.
- Specify the Build Direction, Anchor Point, and hit the Draw button. Place the BOM table on your drawing
and if acceptable hit Okay. Note, if you are not happy with the build direction or anchor point, simply change them and hit Draw
again, before hitting Okay.
- Use the Create Position Flags button to apply position flags to your print. Place each flag on your drawing by clicking on
the geometry which corresponds to the required flag, and then placing the BOM balloon on the print. As flags are placed, geometry which
still requires a flag is highlighted in GREEN; geometry that already has a flag or has no BOM entry will highlight in RED when you identify
it. Note that the index numbers automatically correspond to the position numbers you specied during the BOM creation.
- Use the Update command to update your BOM table and position flag numbers. This command will update the REQD number, the ITEM
number, the PART NO., and the DESCRIPTION fields on your BOM. Unfortunately, it will NOT ADD NEW ROWS. To add new rows corresponding
to new items in your BOM, you must REDRAW the BOM table. Delete the BOM table using the Delete 2D command, then redo steps 6 & 7 to place
a fresh copy of the BOM table on your print.
This completes the steps to create an assembly print using Annotation and WorkManger. Make sure to check the print back into WorkManager
after making changes. See Checking In Annotation Documents for details on this process. You should also check
in your 3D model if you have just created the print to ensure the viewsets are saved. See Checking In SolidDesigner
Documents for details on this process.
This is the end of the Introduction to WorkManger at LBNL.
If you have questions or comments, please contact James Osborn (JROsborn@lbl.gov).