How to obtain license for SolidWorks Electrical?

[hplevyak]

I'm loving this EAA benefit! I've installed Solidworks...but can't find a way to add SolidWorks Electrical Design.

Can you help me out with how to download this option of the program as well?

Thanks,
Howard

[Jeffrey Meyer]

I'm not sure, but it's possible that the original download already includes SW Electrical and it just needs activation.
Try going to Tools > Add-Ins

If it's been downloaded and installed then it should be in the list of Add-Ins (probably called "Circuitworks").
If it's there then just check the box next to it. If not then I don't know how to download it.
Hope this helps.

[hplevyak]

Thanks for the try Jeff...but that doesn't work for me. I only have the SolidWorks Student Edition product registered...nothing else shows up. Hopefully someone else may find a way to install the SolidWorks Electrical Design.

It sure would be a nice add-on to include! I have plenty of electrical diagrams for my GlaStar I'd like to refresh using it.

Howard

[AnnaWood]

I'm loving this EAA benefit! I've installed Solidworks...but can't find a way to add SolidWorks Electrical Design.

Can you help me out with how to download this option of the program as well?

Thanks,
Howard

It looks like SolidWorks Electrical is not part of the Student Design Kit download.

https://forum.solidworks.com/external-link.jspa?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.solidworks.com%2Fs w%2Fdocs%2FStudent_Access_Product_Matrix_LB.pdf

[Jeffrey Meyer]

Hi Howard,

I'd be interested to know what exactly you would have done with SW Electrical if you had been able to install and use it.
If it was for 3D cable routing then there are several workarounds that you can use - they're not as elegant as SW routing per se, but for your one-time personal use they may be good enough.
(For clarity sake, I mean workarounds within SolidWorks, using the standard modeling tools.)

[hplevyak]

Jeff,
I would like to use the SolidWorks Electrical Schematic design package. I wouldn't need it for use within SolidWorks (e.g., cable routing). I'm currently using OmniGraffle to create all my electrical schematics. It works ok, but I have to build all my own symbols.

I have a 1 pager "Overview Full Aircraft electrical system schematic", then a one pager for each piece of equipment wired to the buss (e.g., EFIS, EIS, GPS, Comm/NAV radios, clock, AoA, engine preheat, etc.). This is a technique I learned from Bob Knuckoll's AeroElectric connection book.

It's a great reference for debugging elecrical gremlins years after the build has completed. Anytime I have an issue, I review the overview schematic, then pick up the one page equipment schematics...and can easily see how the airplane is wired to debug, wire labels, connections, and reference to a Excel spreadsheet for DSub pin assignments.

It sure would be a nice feature to add as part of the EAA benefit. I think many many of our members would see value in using it. Check out the video at the link below.

https://www.solidworks.com/sw/products/electrical-design/solidworks-electrical.htm

Howard

[Jeffrey Meyer]

Howard,

Yep, it sure looks like a great piece of software for the electrical side.
Unfortunate that it's apparently not included in the member benefit :(.

[LooneyBird]

At the announcement the Dassault folks, indicated that they would be open to this. They see the demand. You might have to wait. It would make another announcement next year as big thing. Here's hoping they don't wait that long. There seems to be great demand for the current config. Let this roll out and in a couple of months check back.

I am sure you will see SW electrical in the near future available.

[KatieB]

Hi, is there any update to adding the Electrical Schematics package since the last post?

[hplevyak]

Hi Katie,
I've not heard any more news on the Electrical Schematics package. I was able to obtain a two week trial license...and I think it would one spectacular enhancement to the core benefit that EAA & SolidWorks are providing to us! Electrical design and especially documentation of the aircraft electrical schematics are an area that many of us fall short on. Imagine the safety improvement alone if we could develop a set of schematics that could be shared across our EAA membership! I sure hope Jeff can provide some news.
Howard

[Jeffrey Meyer]

Hi Katie,
.... Imagine the safety improvement alone if we could develop a set of schematics that could be shared across our EAA membership! I sure hope Jeff can provide some news.
Howard
Howard, unfortunately I can't provide any news on this - I don't have any direct connection to DS or SW VAR's, nor influence upon the package provided in the EAA membership benefit. I can give my humble opinion on why I suspect you won't see the SW Electrical Schematics package included in the benefit any time soon (I sincerely hope I'm wrong:():

From the point of view of DS, the whole purpose of the student package is to get us used to using SW in our designs so that when the time comes for us to need CAD software professionally, we will choose SW instead of competing products. One of the conditions of the benefit is that the users need to be self-supporting i.e. no effort from SW or the VAR. And when such time comes, the vast majority of commercial licences will not include the costly SW Electrical option. So why give it away for free, when, as a commercial user who needs the functionality, you will buy it anyway?
This is a perfectly legitimate way of doing business and promoting a product, and I certainly don't have any objection to it.

Philosophy aside, I do have a sort of work-around - viz, precisely what you (Howard) have done - use a non-integrated external software package to support the majority of your electrical needs - there is no shortage of such software. A case in point is a cute open source freeware program called TinyCAD (https://sourceforge.net/projects/tinycad/).
The software seems to be quite easy to learn, it's intuitive, it has quite a comprehensive library of symbols, and it can export wire lists, data for PCB layout, and even SPICE electronic simulation. You can add user defined meta-data to each symbol such as your favorite brand of shampoo or even a link to the location of an associated SolidWorks part/assembly file.
I haven't used TinyCAD in any serious way so I can't comment on how useful it actually is, but I'm quite confidant it will meet a substantial part of our amateur needs.
Jeffrey

[Cory Puuri]

We are currently conducting a survey of those who requested download instructions for SOLIDWORKS, to build support for our continued SOLIDWORKS benefit strategy. Two particular efforts we would like to pursue are:
a) building a network of training that combines volunteers who are willing to conduct training at EAA Chapters, free online training, and for-fee training from GSC; and
b) expanding the functionality of SOLIDWORKS to add the electrical module, FEA, CFM and a parts database

We cannot guarantee that DS SolidWorks will fulfill our requests on item B; however, they've been very supportive of growing this relationship to this point.

I can say that based on my conversations with DS SolidWorks, the primary reason we were provided the Student Design Kit instead of the Student Engineering Kit (includes all items in B above) was that they did not have a delivery platform for the SEK at the time of launch. The SEK version was only available to engineering schools using a different distribution method.

I should have the results of the survey compiled soon, and then I will reach out to DS SolidWorks to share the findings and plan next steps.

[LILPORTER]

Hi Cory, There maybe a more current update on this topic, but I have not found it yet. Can you please update me in regards to the engineering kit?

Thanks, Steve C

[Cory Puuri]

Sorry for the delay. DS SolidWorks has said they are working on electrical and they said that they can't give us the Student Engineering Kit at this time. I am continuing to work on establishing a framework for getting the SEK version. It may be a limited distribution option for those who have completed training or certification.