SOLIDWORKS Composer
SOLIDWORKS Composer allows you to easily repurpose your 3D CAD data to develop stunning assembly, operations, and maintenance publications, in parallel with your design process.
Internal ID
2829
From SOLIDWORKS CAD Data to Professional Technical Documentation
At its core, SOLIDWORKS Composer is a tool designed to take your 3D models and 2D images and create step-by-step PDF assembly instructions. However, it can be used for so much more than that.
With SOLIDWORKS Composer, you define your customer’s experience. If you need to provide assembly instructions for a boxed product, a printed PDF manual might be a good fit. If your products need assembly and detailed installation instructions, maybe an animated video is best. What if you are collaborating with a vendor or customer and need to provide a detailed 3D model with fully interactive instructions? In that case you can take all the above and combine it with an interactive 3D player that clearly lays out all the details with a combination of 3D and 2D content. SOLIDWORKS Composer can help you achieve all of this, while remaining associated to the SOLIDWORKS CAD model to ensure your documentation stays up-to-date with any CAD changes.
KEY FEATURES AND BENEFITS
CAD Format Support
SOLIDWORKS Composer supports a wide range of 3D CAD formats,
including SOLIDWORKS, Pro/ENGINEER/Creo®, and Autodesk® Inventor, as well
as neutral file formats such as STEP, IGES, and others.
Update Visual Content
Update content with the latest design changes (geometry, Bill of Materials
(BOM) tree, metadata, and others.)
Faster Content Development
Work directly from 3D CAD data and create 2D and 3D graphical content in
multiple formats, such as raster images (JPG, BMP, TIF, PNG), vector
images (SVG, EPS, SVGZ, CGM), videos (AVI), 3D interactive animations (3D
PDF, HTML, SMG), and executable package (ActiveX control). Easily add
annotations (auto balloons, BOM table, arrows, and detail views) or change
appearances (hide/show, transparency, and colors).
Document Processes
Create step-by-step procedures showing incremental components.
Create Animations
Create a manufacturing BOM independent of an engineering BOM. Customize
parts lists and properties for each view.
HOW CAN HAWK RIDGE SYSTEMS HELP?
At Hawk Ridge, we want you to succeed. We have helped many companies like yours to learn and continue to be successful and efficient with SOLIDWORKS Composer.
- A customer called us under a tight timeframe – they had shipped a product and had to send digital assembly instructions before the delivery was made. We immediately went to work, developed the instructions, and delivered to the end customer before the product arrived on their doorstep.
- One of our customers needed to show a complicated flow analysis combined with an assembly animation. Using Composer, we used small, colored spheres and animated them through pipes and chambers. Our customer was able to highlight the animation at a local event, drawing the attention they wanted.
- We have had multiple occasions where the lead designer – and only Composer user – had unexpectedly left their company. This left a hole the required someone else to get up to speed quickly. We rallied the troops and provided one-on-one training to get them back up and running in record time.
SERVICES
MORE THAN JUST A PROVIDER
We are here for you with live, one-on-one consulting. With our Composer Flight Plan you receive dedicated time with one of our SOLIDWORKS Composer experts, tailored to help with the specific topics you need while getting started with the software.
TRAINING
IMPROVE PERFORMANCE THROUGH TAILORED LEARNING
At Hawk Ridge, we offer a complete Composer training program with three half-day sessions that will get you up and running and creating detailed assembly documentation quickly. We offer live online, live in-person and on-demand training content options to fit your schedule.
SUPPORT
TOP-RANKED SUPPORT, COMMITTED TO YOUR SUCCESS
Specializing in Composer since 2009 we have some of the top SOLIDWORKS Composer experts in the industry. If you ever have a software problem or troubleshooting question, you are in good hands.
SUBSCRIPTION
GET THE MOST OUT OF YOUR SOLUTIONS
Whether you are looking for on-demand training, access to the latest software releases, exclusive resources and offers, or just needing expert support – there's a subscription option for you.
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
Will my content from Composer link
back to SOLIDWORKS in case there is a design change?
Yes, Composer is tied to the SOLIDWORKS file name and when the design is
adjusted it can be easily updated in Composer, and then pushed to your
publications.
Do I need SOLIDWORKS to use
Composer?
No, Composer is standalone software that does not require a connection to
any CAD modeling software. However, 3D models are required in order to use
Composer.
Can Composer licenses be networked
like SOLIDWORKS?
Yes, SOLIDWORKS Composer is available in both standalone and network
licensing so you can either lock it to a specific computer or share it
with multiple users, one at a time.
Can I use SOLIDWORKS Composer to
modify the CAD models?
No, Composer does not have the ability to edit the CAD design, and this is
by intent. The purpose of Composer is to give technical content creators
the ability to use the 3D models without the risk of accidentally
modifying the design.
Does Composer work with SOLIDWORKS
PDM?
Yes, there is a full PDM connection built into the software.
What kinds of 3D models can I bring
into SOLIDWORKS Composer?
Composer is directly compatible with all neutral and most proprietary 3D
CAD files. There are some limitations with proprietary file types, but
there is almost always a compatible file type between the two programs.
What information is imported from
SOLIDWORKS designs to Composer?
This is quite a list but to break it down:
All of this imports directly from SOLIDWORKS to Composer. They also maintain a link back to SOLDWORKS so if they are modified, that change will be reflected in Composer.
- All metadata such as custom properties
- All views such as exploded or configurations
- Assembly level BOM IDs
- 3D PMI data, also known as MBD or DimXpert dimensions
- Textures and part coloring
All of this imports directly from SOLIDWORKS to Composer. They also maintain a link back to SOLDWORKS so if they are modified, that change will be reflected in Composer.
If I don’t have 3D modeling experience, will Composer be difficult to learn?
Absolutely not. SOLIDWORKS Composer is not a CAD program; it is an
authoring tool that imports 3D and 2D content so that a story can be told.
No CAD experience is needed, however if you are familiar with 3D models it
will help since Composer is a 3D program.
YOU'VE GOT QUESTIONS, WE'VE GOT ANSWERS
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