“Failed to Save Document” Oh no!!!

Every so often you may encounter an error that threatens your document’s progress. It’s not the end of the world just some going back and redoing some work. But maybe, it can be saved.

Here’s a few tips to overcome the notorious failed to save document error.

·        Most importantly DON’T close your document until it saves.

·        If you are in a part, try to use ctrl+Q to perform a force regen (it doesn't’t look like it does much but it does more than a rebuild).

·        Do you see anything in the tree that has any rebuild symbols that don’t go away? Try editing the feature and see if it clears.

·        Did you add any new features to the part? If so try suppressing it or rolling back to see if any errors show up.

·        Do you have any configurations? If so cycle through them and try saving again. (this has proven successful in more than one instance.)

·        Are you on a network? Can it save locally?

·        Can you do a save as/copy?

Assemblies:

·        Did you just edit a part? Go back to the last edited part(s) since the last save. Look through the tree for rebuild symbols/errors. Correct these…

·        CTRL+Q and cycle through any configurations in the part level of the last edited model and also again at the assembly level. Try saving again.

·        Does “Save all” work?

·        Can you save any of the sub parts? (If you can save the sub level parts then the assembly save usually will update to being corrected by the parts unless you were adding parts when the error occurred, or you were working on assembly features).

OK so there you have it. These factors are contributors to the “failed to save document” error. If these don’t work there is a possibility of corruption however these steps have been successful in the cases I have handled. If they don’t work and you are really in need of saving them, please contact your friendly neighborhood reseller.

John Van Engen
CATI Technical Analyst

Backup your work!

There is nothing more frustrating than doing a significant amount of work only to have the computer crash and lose everything.  Now, the old adage of "Save Early, Save Often" still applies but there are a few settings in SolidWorks that can make sure that you don't lose all of that work if something unexpected does happen.  In SolidWorks, go to Tools, Options, System Options from the pull down menu and select Backup/Recover.  Auto-Recover saves information about the active document to prevent loss of data when the system terminates unexpectedly (for example, power outage or abnormal termination).  You can set it to save at time intervals or when you make a change.  You should also check the backup settings.

Backup stores a backup of the original document before any changes are saved to the file.  It is one

version before the last saved version of the document.  Backup files are named Backup of <document_name>.  Multiple backups of a document, are named with the most recent version in Backup (1), the next most recent in Backup (2), etc.  Keep the number of backup copies to 1 or 2, so that you don't fill up the hard drive.  Examine the backup directories occasionally to make sure your backup copies do not use up too much space.

Also, if changes to an active document are saved in error, opening the backup file brings the document back to the point before the changes were made. 

If the software crashes or the computer turns off unexpectedly, when you reopen SolidWorks, a Document Recovery tab appears in the Task Pane showing a list of files available to recover.  Simply double click on the file that you want to recover or the click the Open All button to recover the files.  You will notice that the document recovery is only good for recovering information from the last session on an abnormal exit.

Phil Whitaker

Is Innovation a part of your Design Cycle?

What makes
Apple keep coming out with coolest looking gadgets that meet both function and
style of current genre? Why hasn’t Microsoft seen a slump in its growth rate
since its conception? I think we all know Innovation is driving all of them. Is
that the case in your organization?

Software vendors
keep pushing the idea of making analysis a routine part of design – especially up
front in the cycle. The benefits claimed: companies can spot and fix problems
early, cut down on testing numerous prototypes, optimize product performance
and create innovative designs that often would not be feasible without use of
simulation to explore alternative concepts.

Many of these
simulation programs are not interoperable with different CAD packages and PDM
systems. This builds on user frustration by adding to data conversion time
between systems; often involving a lot of rework and in some cases building
geometry from scratch. Another difficulty faced by companies is programs are
aimed at people with certain skill sets, requiring a few degrees and level of
expertise to handle basic design processes. Simulation Packages are closely
tied with Operating Systems and need dedicated hardware adding to costs, hence
difficult to justify by smaller groups.

To obtain the
most objective understanding of potential productivity gains, manufacturers
should calculate their expected Return on Investment (ROI) and consider as many
quantifiable benefits as possible.

So what does
it take to own a package that fires innovation? A few that come to my mind are

- Cost
of software

- Training

- Maintenance

- Hardware

Can
we justify this by

- Improving
product quality

- Avoiding
field failures

- Reducing
physical prototypes

- Decreasing
material costs

- Lowering
training, retaining esteemed team members

- Communicating
better with partners

In a Utopian
world there is no doubt the software pays for itself. These goals should also
be quantified against who you choose your partner in providing these
technologies to you. Features and Performance offered by a simulation tool can
be maximized by understanding vendor track record. Does the vendor understand
your business and are they flexible enough to follow market trends?

Computer
Aided Technology has seen organizations that implement analysis software
benefit by

• 30% faster time to market



• 20% reduction in field failures



• 15% reduction in product recalls



• 32% reduction in prototypes



• 23% reduction in physical tests

If you are
interested in finding out how to implement innovation, ask Computer Aided
Technology about numerous case studies and practical examples they have come
across over last 16 years.

Rajat Trehan

Product Manager - Design Validation

Computer Aided Technology Inc.

CSWP - EXAM Free-Ninety-Free - Win a Trek Fuel EX 5.5 bike

For those of you that did know and I didn't until today. You can take your Certified SolidWorks Professional exam and be entered to win an amazing Trek Fuel EX 5.5 bike. I have a link to a video on how to get the free exam along with the link to the contest. Check out both and win yourself a dirt flinging piece of steel and rubber.

How to get the free exam
Contest Details

 

Ignoring Radiation can cause Eggs to Boil...

I was at
COSMOS User Group meeting in Racine, WI. Knowing a good majority of them, I was
very happy to be surrounded by familiar faces. You know summer has kicked in;
when everyone keeps talking about latest grill on the market helping their culinary
skills to utopian levels. As everyone contributed their fascinating story, one
caught my attention the most.

An attendee claimed,
keeping a tray of eggs close to the grill caused the eggs to boil. Having
learnt from this experience, next time he kept beaten eggs; only to find a
crappy omelet in its place. The entire episode had his brain working in
overhaul. Humbled by the loss, he wanted to make sure he does not go hungry next
time. What he could not understand, how could the eggs get cooked if they were
not in direct contact with heat source?

The same
question can be asked a little differently. How can we feel heat from Sun, even
though we are not in direct contact? Radiation is the word we were looking for!
Radiation does not need a medium of transfer, it can happen in vacuum too. For
Radiation to occur, temperatures involved should be significant. Now, this is
obvious since both the Sun and grills operate at high temperatures.

COSMOS or
SolidWorks Simulation can be used to solve for radiative effect. How much an
object gets heated by radiation depends on how much is it exposed to heat
source. This is called as View Factor. View Factors are calculated using number
of rays traced from a surface. COSMOS uses an algorithm for Ray Tracing. This
technique models path taken by light when it hits an optical surface. There are
three possibilities to a light ray once it hits a surface (a) reflection (b)
refraction (c) absorption. This is the same technique that is used in designing
cameras and binoculars.

So next time
you are enjoying grilled food, make sure Radiation is not cooking you a meal!!!

Rajat Trehan

Product Manager - Design Validation

Computer Aided Technology Inc.

What makes me qualified to post Redneck Workarounds (Week 3)

Here is this week’s installment of my personal Redneck Workarounds.

Electrical – When we moved in to our house 2-1/2 years ago the builder put in a two hanging chandeliers and they hung so low that everyone kept walking into them so rather than cut the wires and shorten the chain I got out the Zip ties (by the way these are the next best thing to bailing wire) and shortened up the chain and that is the way they remain to this day.

Before

After

Notice I used 2 for extra holding power

Remember that it is easier, more adventuress and sometimes more dangerous to work with the tools at hand than to walk 15 feet to get the proper tool for the job.

Josh Altergott – CATI Support Team Leader

Where Did the Color Go?

Many users notice as they start working in SolidWorks 2008, that their Edit Color and Edit Texture options are grayed out and inaccessible.  This is due to the new RealView appearances added in 2008.  In SolidWorks 2008, you can either be in a mode to Edit Color and/or Texture, or you are in RealView mode and can edit the RealView appearance.  If you are using RealView, the colors and textures are disregarded and are not modifiable.  Instead, a RealView appearance is used.  The RealView appearance includes a material finish, transparency setting, and color.  The mapping of the appearance onto the model can also be modified.

 

If RealView has been turned off, you can then edit the colors and textures as done in prior versions of SolidWorks.  The RealView appearance is then ignored and the colors and textures are seen instead.

 

Design Better!

Leslie Lougheed

The SolidWorks Option File

Hello everyone,

I just wanted to create a quick post that points over to my article in the CATI newsletter.  The article is all about the SolidWorks option file.  The options file is used to better control your network license.  When helping to setup network licenses for our customers I always include a option file even if the only thing that it controls is the time out feature.  You can jump to the article using the link below.  If you would like more detail let me know, if enough people are looking for more information I will put together a part two.

http://www.cati.com/articles/articles_2008/Tech0608KS.html

Keith Schaefer

What makes me qualified to post Redneck Workarounds (Week 2)

Last week I had posted one of my personal Redneck Workarounds and forewarned everyone that I would be posting additional ones so here is this week's installment.

Painting – I was painting stairwell in my house that is over 15’ from the ground to the ceiling I was able to use a roller on a pole for the walls, one of those fancy pads with rollers to cut in along the ceiling but the problem I ran into was how to paint the inside corners without having to go out to the store and by more stuff. So I took a brush that I used for cutting in around the trim and some blue painters tape (I would have used duct tape but that would have meant I had to walk to the garage) and taped the brush to the pole. This worked great except for the fact that the pole was 8’ long so I put my paint tray on the other side of the room. You should of see the looks I got from my wife while I was swinging an 8’pole with a brush covered in paint around the house, thanks god for hard wood floors as it is easier to clean the drips of paint up off the floor.

Remember that it is easier, more adventuress and sometimes more dangerous to work with the tools at hand than to walk 15 feet to get the proper tool for the job.

Josh Altergott – CATI Support Team Leader

(no this is not my car, I took it while driving @ 80mph on the way home from a NASCAR race )

Trouble shooting Mesh: “Element 7413 belongs to unsupported element group”

While working with complex geometry (having small features,
chamfers, fillets, sharp corners) mesh it might fail. Many a times COSMOS tells
you what node or element failed. The reason for failure is usually the element
was over stretched in trying to accommodate for features. The next logical step
would be to apply local mesh controls in regions of failure. But first we need
to locate where is that node or element located. To do so. ….

1.              1. Write
down the node or element you wish to locate.

2.           2. Right
click on mesh icon and click on “List Selected”.

3             3. Activate
radio button for node or element.

4.           4. Select
the component from solids folder or surfaces (from SolidWorks feature Manager
Design   Tree) , click update.

                  Rajat Trehan

                 Product Manager - Design Validation

                 Computer Aided Technology Inc.                     

                   

      

What makes me qualified to post Redneck Workarounds

Like Adrian said in his original post for Redneck Workarounds Blog that he hails from the Deep South so that in itself makes him qualified to post to our blog but many people have asked what makes me qualified to post to this blog other than Adrian says I am the closest thing to a redneck north of the Mason Dixon Line.

For me I think that Adrian’s definition of a Redneck Workaround defines my way of life.

Redneck Workaround – A redneck workaround is spawned from a need for a creative, cost effective solution, or, an overwhelming bent toward laziness or some combination thereof.

Below is one of my most recent redneck workarounds and please check back as we will be posing some more of our personal Redneck Workarounds.

Auto Repair – This is one is the extreme of laziness and saving money. I had about a year ago a car that the ground wire going from the starter to the frame had corroded and broken away from the starter and this wire is necessary to be able to start the car. So to start the car I always had to take a passenger with me so that way I could open the hood and hold the wire to the starter and my passenger could turn the key for me. This went on for about 2 months before I finally broke down and bought a new starter and replaced it. After that the car ran great and I never had an issue again. Do not know why I did not just buy the replacement sooner other than I had a solution that worked.

Like I said Redneck Workarounds are a way of life for me and I have many other examples that I will share with you in the upcoming weeks.

Remember that it is easier, more adventuress and sometimes more dangerous to work with the tools at hand than to walk 15 feet to get the proper tool for the job.

Josh Altergott – CATI Support Team Leader