DriveWorks
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Design Automation and Sales Configuration
DriveWorks is a powerful automation tool for SOLIDWORKS that allows you to build a product configurator without the need for a programming background. DriveWorks can scale with your automation needs. It will help you easily speed up the engineering department but can go far beyond that to help you build a 3D product configurator that your customers can use directly on your website.
DriveWorks is an ideal fit for manufacturing companies that allow customers to order custom products. The software will help you with the automation and optimization of your design process and workflows when you have multiple custom variations of a product that you only want to design once the order comes in.
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Automate Creation of SOLIDWORKS Parts and Assemblies
Adjust dimensions, features, custom properties, color, material, and control which parts are placed in the assembly based on defined design rules.
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Automate Creation of Drawings of Parts and Assemblies
Generate a full drawing package automatically with full control over scale, annotations, and view layout.
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Rich Form Creation Tools for User Inputs
Use the simple form creation tool to lay out an appropriate user interface and choose from a wide range of user interface form elements.
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Rules Builder with Functions Wizard
Leverage intelligent help for the creation of rules to drive the design. Develop logic without needing to write programming code.
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Real-Time Testing During Form Creation
Test the impact of your choices as you develop rules and logic by testing through the form creation interface.
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Queueing and Unattended Generation for Model Creation
Schedule and sequence model creation tasks without needing user input for each iteration.
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Generate Documentation
Generate more robust, customizable documentation to create Excel, Word, and XML documents.
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Advanced Form Controls
Advanced form controls enable you to create more modular and visually appealing user interfaces such as the date picker, frame controls, data tables, macro buttons, 3D previews, and the child specification control.
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Generative Modeling
Execute native functionality within SOLIDWORKS to create features on the fly such as running custom macros and dynamically building assemblies.
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Connect with External Databases
Read or write with external data sources, including SQL server, ODBC, MySQL, Oracle, or SAP.
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Interactive Step-Through of Model Generation
Walk sequentially through the model generation process for detailed debugging.
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3rd Party Integration
Integrate DriveWorks with virtually any system using SQL / ODBC connections, web services, XML file import and export, or the fully documented API. Direct plugins are available for Salesforce and Syspro for quicker integration.
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SOLIDWORKS PDM Integration
Retrieve and save content in SOLIDWORKS PDM. Access file and folder data card values, serial number generators, and perform direct searches.
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Built-In CPQ and Dashboard Applications
Utilize pre-built applications for developing Configure-Price-Quote (CPQ) workflows and take advantage of dashboards to monitor status and other project information.
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Web-Connected Functionality
Leverage DriveWorks Live to build online experiences, allowing staff and customers to configure products and become more engaged with your products.
Harnessing Automation with DriveWorks
By utilizing DriveWorks, Knapheide was able to streamline and automate the creation of thousands of product configurations, leading to substantial time savings and cost reductions. This automation not only increased efficiency but also enabled Knapheide to allocate resources more effectively, ultimately enhancing productivity and competitiveness in the market.
Additionally, DriveWorks provided Knapheide with greater flexibility and scalability, allowing the company to adapt to changing customer demands and market trends with ease.
Services & Customer Benefits
Frequently Asked Questions
No. DriveWorks was developed to look and feel like you are writing Excel formulae rather than visual basic code. It was developed by engineers, for engineers to develop their own automation without needing to be a programmer.
Automation projects can range from a few minutes to several months. We strongly recommend developing a project plan and tackling automation steps in phases, learning at each step. Our team can help you make a plan to learn the software, break your goals into phases, and achieve your automation goals in a smooth and efficient manner.
No. You can add the required modules at the appropriate phase of the project, and we can help you plan out the project phases.
Yes, however DriveWorks operates on a master model approach so you must have source models and drawings created ahead of time. These source models are used to first capture the design information we want to change before we eventually get new models from them.
Yes, DriveWorks Professional has various mechanisms we can use to communicate with your ERP. It can communicate directly with foreign databases as well as produce XML files which may be imported using your ERP.
Although we do offer services to do this very thing, the power behind DriveWorks is that it enables you to build your automation yourself very easily.
DriveWorksXpress is included in every level of SOLIDWORKS and includes entry-level functionality to get you started with design automation. It uses the same engine as DriveWorks and can help you create simple parts and drawings with simple controls. However, for real-world automation projects you’ll likely need to consider Solo or Professional.
DriveWorks Resources
