Publishing Graphics for Printed Documentation – SOLIDWORKS Composer
SOLIDWORKS Composer - Publishing Graphics for Printed Documentation
In today’s technologically advanced world, creating comprehensive and visually appealing documentation is vital. Whether you’re drafting assembly instructions, repair manuals, or training guides, leveraging the right tools is crucial. SOLIDWORKS Composer is one such tool that empowers you to produce high-quality content by utilizing existing 3D CAD files to create graphical elements for your printed documents.
Understanding SOLIDWORKS Composer
SOLIDWORKS Composer falls within the realm of technical communication software, providing users the ability to access and transform 3D CAD models into visually rich graphics. These graphics can be enhanced with arrows, text, and other elements, ensuring they effectively convey the intended message. Once created, these images are easily exportable for use in documentation, making the process of explaining complex procedures straightforward and efficient.
The Documentation Workflow
One of the great aspects of SOLIDWORKS Composer is its compatibility with various word processing software. In this webinar summary, we explored using Microsoft Word as an example, but the principles discussed apply to any similar software. Understanding how your Composer graphics integrate with documents is important for maintaining efficiency in your workflow.
Setting Up Your Document
The first step in creating your document is exporting an initial placeholder image from SOLIDWORKS Composer. This placeholder helps you set up your document’s layout while maintaining the integrity of each image’s aspect ratio, thereby avoiding distortion. By using placeholders, you can progress with your document’s formatting even before completing all graphics in Composer.
Linking and Formatting Images in Word
Inserting images into Word involves using the “Insert and Link” option. This approach not only embeds the image but also maintains a connection to the original file. This means that when your graphics are updated, your Word document can be quickly refreshed to reflect the latest changes without any manual reconfiguration of image placement or formatting.
To streamline this process, customize your Microsoft Word interface by adding the “Edit Links to Files” command to the Quick Access Toolbar or ribbon. This feature is indispensable when updating linked images in your document efficiently.
Publishing and Updating Content
With a Word document prepared, updating content as design changes occur becomes a simple task. If your team makes geometric changes to models, you can update your existing SOLIDWORKS Composer files to reflect these changes. The powerful synchronization capabilities of Composer ensure your views are automatically revised, retaining all previously added enhancements like exploded views and annotations.
Once changes are made, republishing images from Composer and refreshing the links in Word ensures your document always contains the most current and accurate data.
Conclusion
In summary, using SOLIDWORKS Composer in conjunction with Microsoft Word offers a robust solution for creating and maintaining technical documents. The ability to seamlessly update graphics and documents minimizes effort and maximizes productivity, allowing you to focus on delivering high-quality, professional-grade materials.
Technical Support
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About the author
Kali is an Elite Applications Expert based in Phoenix, Arizona. Since 2013, she has been providing SOLIDWORKS training, technical support, and services to MLC CAD Systems customers throughout the country. Her background includes industry experience as a Metrology Applications Engineer and an education in Aerospace Engineering.
