Sww 2008 Automating Your Designs Excel, Vba And Beyond

Automating Your Designs Excel, VBA, and Beyond Paul Gimbel Razorleaf Corporation

OK, Fine. Here’s What We’ll Do
Obligatory Introductions
Overview – Automation: Why? How Much? Who?
Background For Our Example
Automation Choices
Excel Can Do That?
Gimme a V! Gimme a B! Gimme an A!
Commercially Available Solutions
How To Choose
Questions and (if you’re lucky) Answers

Not Sure If You Should Stay Here or Go See Michael Craffey’s “Drawings For The Masses”?
Free Code!!!
New ways of approaching automation with the same tools
What can you do with SolidWorks?
What can you do with SolidWorks and Excel?
What can you do with SolidWorks, Excel and VBA?
What can you do if you have money?
(Michael’s talking about DXF’s, PDF’s and eDrawings)

DISCLAIMER!!! More Information Than Time
There is so much that you can do with this stuff!!
Liz wouldn’t give me a 14 hour session
I may have to talk faster than the guy at the end of a car commercial
Everything is documented in the PowerPoint
Download it from the SolidWorks World Site
Download it from the Razorleaf Site (link on the handout)
Give me a business card and I’ll email it to you
Read the Presenter Notes
Come on up after the session with any questions
Take my business card...take a few and hand them around

Paul Gimbel, Business Process Sherpa
Yes, that is my official title
Certified SolidWorks Professional (since program inception)
Certified SolidWorks Trainer/Support Technician (10 years)
Only Certified DriveWorks Enterprise Implementer
RuleStream Implementer (Certification Program Pending)
VB and SolidWorks API developer as needed
Business Development Leader – Design Automation Group
Business Development Leader – Business Process Group
Plays Well With Others…most of the time

Where To Start
“It’s All About The Process” – The Sherpa
The most important thing to understand is the design process
Immediately followed by the notion that it might change
Map out your current process
AS IT IS PERFORMED! Not how the ISO document says it should be performed.
Ask around to the people that actually do the work
Understand and prioritize your goals
Time to market? Customizability? Standardization? Just lazy?
Plan your vision – What will life look like?

Yup. This Slide AGAIN Process Technology From “Technology Induced Change And The Line Manager”, Dr. Eliot Levinson Mutual Adaptation Pure Automation Flexible Technical Implementation Non-Implementation Rigid Flexible Rigid

“It’s All About The Process”
Don’t just write a macro to push the same buttons
Re-evaluate what SolidWorks can really do for you
See the two previous (hidden) slides
Download the presentation and open it in PowerPoint
See my two previous SolidWorks World presentations
www.razorleaf.com/SWWorld/2005_pgimbel_Process.zip
www.razorleaf.com/SWWorld/2006_pgimbel_Automation.zip
Go see Matthew Cummins “Planning for Change: Tips and Tricks for Design Automation” @ 4:30 today

Reality Check
A couple automation realities you should know about:
100% automation is generally unachievable
Typically, the last 10% of automation will not be worth it
Customers will always request something you didn’t plan for
Your drawings are probably going to require clean-up
People will fight your efforts
Your end users will be even stupider than you imagined
Testing will take you far longer than you expect
Your system will require ongoing maintenance and updates

Your Options
Pure SolidWorks functionality
SolidWorks Macros
Microsoft Excel (and some VBA, of course)
Maximized use of Excel and VBA
Custom developed application
Commercially available solution partner product
AutoDesk Inven…nah, who are we kidding.

Pure SolidWorks
Configurations
Design Tables
Smart Components
Mate References
Design Checker
SolidWorks Task Scheduler
DriveWorksXpress
FeatureWorks

What Do You Mean SolidWorks Has Limitations!?!?
All of these functions require interaction with the user
SolidWorks is required
Great for your reseller, not so great for your budget
Puts non-engineers in an uncomfortable environment
Requires at least some SolidWorks training
Do you really want a salesperson opening your models!?!?
Data management issues
One file with tons of configurations?
How big is that file, eh?
Multiple people can’t edit one file
Revision questions
Save As Copy every time?
What about updates?

SolidWorks Macros
Designed to drive the SolidWorks User Interface
Not all that automation-friendly
OK to use for small functions
Some 5 or 6 step operation that you want to hotkey
Can be tough to share due to peoples individual settings
Often requires specific pre-selections
Everything plays on the screen (video performance aspect)

The Road To Excel
Design Tables alone don’t address
User Interface
Input values as opposed to output values
Advanced Excel functionality
Leverage Excel
Use Excel User Interface tools
Add-Ins (Analysis Pack, Solver, etc.)
Data validation
User Defined Functions
Macros

Excel and SolidWorks – So Happy Together
Three Methods To Integrate SolidWorks and Excel
Design Table
Embedded in the SolidWorks model
Must edit through SolidWorks
Edit Table In New Window to gain access to Excel
MUST BE IN THE DESIGN TABLE SHEET WHEN YOU EXIT!!
External Spreadsheet with Macro to drive SolidWorks
Requires SolidWorks API programming
Separates workbook from SolidWorks model
Does not require SolidWorks (until macro is run)
Shareable (through Excel Share Workbook functionality)
Can be used to drive multiple SolidWorks files
Can be used to drive other things as well, not just SW
Spreadsheet with Macro Inserted as OLE Object

What Excel Brings To The Party (a six pack?)
Formatting
Charts
Design Binder
Easy User Interfaces
Advanced equation functionality
VBA
Custom functions
Macros
Object-Oriented Programming (well, sort of)

Just A Little Bit Of Work Makes A Huge Difference Some People’s Idea of an Excel User Interface Less Than Twenty Minutes Of Work

Building User Interfaces in Excel
Data Validation
Lists, error and warning dialogs, tool tips
Input Messages Error Messages Warning Messages In-Cell Dropdowns

Data Validation
Conditional Formatting
Control user’s attention based on input

Data Validation
Tools, Protection
Unlock/show only cells you want them to be able to change

Control Toolbox
VB-style input devices that can fill in your cells
Data Validation
Tools, Protection

Control Toolbox
VB-style input devices that can fill in your cells
Data Validation
Tools, Protection
Pictures, Diagrams, Charts
Help users understand what information they need to input
F dMax

Formatting
Charts
Design Binder
VBA
Custom functions
Macros

Calculations in Excel
Name Your Cells and Ranges
Just as in SolidWorks, it makes equations easier to read
Add Comments
In adjoining cells or with the comment tool
Keep your formulas simple whenever possible
Multiple calculation steps are easier to troubleshoot
Intelligent Layouts
Don’t scatter stuff all over the place
Consider cells that may need to be adjacent for lookups, etc.
Give this collection of cells a single name

Working with Ranges in Excel
Index: Return the value at row n , column m
Match: Which row is this value in?
Specify which order values are in (asc/desc) or exact matches
Combine with Index to do a lookup on any column
VLookup/HLookup: Find value in first column/row
RangeLookup = FALSE: “No, I only want exact matches”
RangeLookup = TRUE: “Yes, find me the closest match”
VLookup(110,VoltageRange,2,FALSE) = 1.73 VLookup(290,VoltageRange,2,FALSE) = N/A# VLookup(359,VoltageRange,2,TRUE) = 3.48 360 2.9 240 1.73 110 Impedance Voltage 2.9 Searches until it finds a value that is “greater than” the search value, then goes back to take the previous one.

Dealing With Unknown Quantities
Count: How many numbers are in the range?
CountA: How many non-blank cells are in the range?
Columns/Rows: How many columns/rows are in the range?
DGet: Return any value in a range based on criteria
Criteria1 Criteria2 Criteria3 Criteria 4 Range “Holes” DGet(Holes,”Dia”,Criteria1) = 0.250 DGet(Holes,”Number”,Criteria2) = 2 DGet(Holes,”Number”,Criteria3) = #NUM! DGet(Holes,”Dia”,Criteria4) = #VALUE!

More Cool Excel Functions
Indirect: Display range/cell based on a formula
Ceiling/Floor: Rounds up/down to the next multiple
SumIf: Totals all of the values in a range that meet a criteria
=SumIf(ThicknessRange,”>0.25”,PriceRange)
DSum: Add values from records that meet a criteria
Error Trapping:
IsErr
IsError
Error.Type
IsNA
IsBlank
IsLogical
IsNumber
IsText
IsNonText
Type

Formatting
Charts
Design Binder
VBA
Custom functions
Macros

OK, Enough Easy Stuff…On To The VBA
Use VBA to AUGMENT Excel
Custom functions
Macros
Connections to other programs (like SolidWorks)
Do As Much As You Can In Excel
Easier to troubleshoot
Easier to maintain
Faster to develop

Custom Functions – Repetitive Calculations
Tired of typing in the same equations?
Public Function CylVolume(Radius As Double, Height As Double) As Double
Dim Pi As Double
Pi = 4 * Atn(1) ‘ArcTangent of 1 = pi/4…I think
CylVolume = Pi * Radius * Raidus * Height
End Function
Now you can just use:
= CylVolume(Radius, Height)
or
=CylVolume($B$4, C5)
(if you haven’t been paying attention and you don’t know that you’re supposed to name your cell ranges)

Custom Functions – Fill in Excel Gaps
Excel missing a function you want? No problem!
Public Function Divisible(Value As Double, Divisor As Double) As Boolean
Dim Compare As Integer
Compare = CInt(Value / Divisor)
If Compare = (Value / Divisor) Then
Divisible = True
Else
Divisible = False
End If
End Function
Now all I do is put THIS in my cell:
=If(Divisible(Length,StdSpacing),Length / StdSpacing,0)
Note : Because we’re converting a Double to an Integer, this only works for numbers up to 32767. This was not an issue in my application as the model only supported up to 48”. But you may want to put a check in there so you don’t get overflow errors.

Custom Functions - Conversions
What about converting units or data types? (or both!)
Public Function FeetInches(TotalInches As Double) As String
Dim Feet As Integer
Dim Inches As Double
Feet = Application.WorksheetFunction.RoundDown(TotalInches / 12,0)
FeetInches = Feet & “’ “
Inches = (TotalInches – (Feet * 12))
If Inches > 0 Then
FeetInches = FeetInches & “- “ & Inches & chr(34) ’(34 is ASCII for “)
End If
End Function
Now you can use the equation:
=“LENGTH = “ & FeetInches(Length)
To get:
LENGTH = 4’ – 6.125”
The example in your handout actually picks up on increments of 1/32”

Custom Functions - Handling Sets of Data
Excel Cannot Really Handle Arrays Of Data
It can do ranges, but ranges need a known number of cells
Paul’s Solution:
Store lists of values in a single cell (ex. “1.25|17|21.1375|9”)
Create a series of functions to manipulate these lists
ListQty – How many entities are in the list?
GetListValue – Give me the n th member of the list.
FindValueInList – Is this value in the list? Where?
SortList, FlipList, InsertIntoList – Control the order
RangeToList – Convert a range of cells into a list
Don’t like the pipe (|) character? Just change it to whatever you like in the SPLIT/JOIN commands.

How To Program In VBA
The Ultimate Process For Non-Programmers:
Determine what you want your program/code snippet to do
Think of some “keywords” to describe it (if you know the functions you need to use, you’re ahead of the game)
http://www.google.com (add “VBA” and/or “Excel” to search)
Ctrl-C
Ctrl-V
Tweak
Also look to Excel VBA and SW API Help files. They’re actually helpful. I know! I was shocked, too. Also check out www.krugle.org

Programming Tips For Excel
DOCUMENT THE $#^@ OUT OF EVERYTHING!!!
Anything after an apostrophe (‘) is a comment…use them!!
Option Explicit
It’s the “Require Fully Defined Sketches” of the VBA world
Intellisense…good. Typing…bad.
If you don’t see the option that you need, something’s wrong.
Compile and Test Often
Programmatic sanity checks
Insert Test Code
Use Debug Tools
Step Into, Step Over, Watches, Breakpoints

The Object Browser

Getting Around In Excel With VBA
To access a named cell (you named them all, right!!?!?)
Thickness = Worksheets(“Calcs”).Range(“TestCell”).Value
Running through the cells in a named range
Dim MyCell As Excel.Range ‘Even a single cell is treated as a range
For Each MyCell in Worksheets(“Calcs”).Range(“TestRange”)
Total = Total + MyCell.Value
Next MyCell ‘Looping through the TestRange
What if you have rows (i.e. a multi-column range)?
Dim MyRow As Excel.Range ‘We’re going to cycle through the rows
For Each MyRow in Worksheets(“Calcs”).Range(“TestRange”).Rows
Total = Total + MyRow.Cells(1,3).Value ‘Row 1, Column 3 of the range
Next MyRow ‘Looping through the TestRange

Absolute Row and Column References
Can I just put in Row and Column references, like:
Thickness = Worksheets(“Sheet1”).Range(“A1:A1”).Value
Thickness = Worksheets(“Sheet1”).Cells(4,9).Value
Sure, but I would have to slap you silly
Readability…Minus 10 style points
What if the range moves…Minus 10 style points
Debugging…Minus 10 style points
Scalability…Minus 10 style points
Portability…Minus 10 style points
Chances of anyone else understanding your code…Minus 30!

Object-Oriented Programming (or some facsimile thereof)
One of the hardest, most confusing concepts in programming (Or so I’m told)
Class – A definition of something like a window or bolt
Property – A parameter value that an object has
Method – Something that an object can do
Collection – A bunch of objects, like an array, just of objects
Dot (.) – Something you will type a lot of
Separates an object from its property or method
Ex. Bolt.Length or Window.Pane.item(“top”).Glass.Thickness
Instantiate – To make a real thing as defined by a class
Ex. Upper Flange Bolt #3 or Kitchen Window Over Sink
Those are then called “instances” and “objects”

The SolidWorks API is Sort Of Object-Oriented
Example:
Dim swApp As SldWorks.SldWorks
Dim swModel As SldWorks.ModelDoc2
Dim swFeatMgr As SldWorks.FeatureManager
Dim swFeat As SldWorks.Feature
Dim swWzdHole As WizardHoleFeatureData2
Set swApp = Application.SldWorks
Set swModel = swApp.ActiveDoc
Set swFeatMgr = swModel.FeatureManager
…
Set swWzdHole = swFeatMgr.CreateDefinition(swFmHoleWzd)
swWzdHole.HoleDepth = 0.15
swWzdHole.HoleDiameter = 0.0555
…
Set swFeat = swFeatMgr.CreateFeature(swWzdHole)
…
Early Bound Object Declarations aka “Fully Qualified” (+5 Style Points) Object assignment (instantiation) requires the keyword Set HoleDepth and HoleDiameter are Properties of the WizardHoleFeatureData2 object CreateDefinition and CreateFeature are Methods (functions)

Object-Oriented Programming and You (an example)
Windows are made up of components
Glass Panes
How many panes?
Dunno. 1, 2, 3, maybe 4
How thick are they?
Each one could be different.
What kind of glass?
Each one could be different.
Complex algorithms required
Other parts, too
But we’ll just focus on the glass
Product is ever evolving

Option 1: Loooooong Lists
Assume the MAXIMUM number of components
Brute force all of the values out
Imagine this with a dozen instances, each with a dozen parameters! That’s … um … carry the three … plus eleven … over e to the x … That’s a LOT of cells! (yes, I know it’s 144, unless you’re counting the unit and label cells in which case it’s 432, but if you don’t count the blank cells, then it’s an even 300, plus another 12 for the component title cells, which technically are one because they’re merged, but you can count them as three if you want making 336.)

Option 1: Macro Code
Your macro code has a limitation built in
For Counter = 1 to 4 Do…
You constantly have to test to see how many panes there are
If Worksheets(“Calculations”).range(“Thickness3”).Value = “” Then…
If you add the ability for another pane, you’re searching all through the code to replace the 4’s with 5’s
Your programming is in one long lump o’code
Lots of variables, or constant read/write to worksheets
Debugging is a lot harder, more variables to watch

Option 2: Object-Oriented Approach
Window Object has GlassPane objects
How many? An unlimited number!!!
Each window has a Window object, an object that holds all of the GlassPanes and an object for each GlassPane Table can expand as much as it needs to

Option 2: Macro Code
No quantity limits!!
For Counter = 1 to Window.GlassPanes.Count Do
No guessing how many panes there are
You already have the ability for an unlimited number of panes, no code upgrades needed
Programming is nice an organized
Write it once, use it as many times as you want
No extra variables, no need to constantly write to the worksheets
Window.GlassPanes.Item(n).Thickness
Watching an object shows all of its properties (easy debug)

OOP Excel Style: The Basics
Think of your class structure like your assy structure
In most cases
Right-Select, Insert, Class Module
Define your properties and methods
Instantiate as needed
Always use fully qualified names
ex. Window.GlassPanes.Item(n).GlassPane.Thickness
Easier to read and debug (yes, it’s longer)
Intellisense keeps you from having to type

Defining a Class
Standard methods to put in:
Class_Initialize: Gets run each time this class is instantiated
Public Sub Class_Initialize()
Anything you want to happen automatically
End Sub
Name Property: Can be used to identify an item in a collection
Have a variable in the class called sName (indicates it’s a string)
Private sName As String
Public Property Get Name () As String
Name = sName
End Property
Public Property Let Name (uName As String)
sName = uName
End Property
Get allows you to get the value Let allows you to set the value

Collection Classes
Class_Initialize creates the collection
Private mcolGlassPanes As Collection
Private Sub Class_Initialize ()
Set mcolGlassPanes = New Collection
End Sub
Add
Private Sub Add(uGlassPane As GlassPane)
mcolGlassPanes.Add uGlassPane
End Sub
Remove
Private Sub Remove (ByVal varID As Variant)
mcolGlassPanes.remove varID
End Sub
You can pass this an index number or the value of the Name property

Alternate Add Method
Instead of passing an object, you can just pass values
Private mGlassPane As GlassPane
Public Sub Add(uThickness As Double)
Set mGlassPane = New GlassPane
mGlassPane.Thickness = uThickness
mcolGlassPanes.Add mGlassPane
End Sub

Collection Classes (Continued)
Item: allows you to refer to a single element of the collection
Public Function Item(ByVal varID As Variant) As GlassPane
Set item = mcolGlassPanes(varID)
End Function
Count: Returns the number of elements in the collection
Public Get Count() As Long
Count = mcolGlassPanes.Count
End Property
You can pass this an index number or the value of the Name property

Ready? Set? … Instantiate!!
To add another panel (Using a nice User Interface)
Private Sub cmdAddPane_Click()
Dim iName As String ‘The input name
Dim iType As String ‘The input type
Dim iThk As Double ‘The input thickness
iName = Worksheets(“Input”).Range(“InputName”).Value
iType = Worksheets(“Input”).Range(“InputType”).Value
iThk = Worksheets(“Input”).Range(“InputThk”).Value
cPanes.Add iName, iThk, iType
Worksheets(“Input”).Range(“InputName”).Value = “”
Worksheets(“Input”).Range(“InputType”).Value = “”
Worksheets(“Input”).Range(“InputThk”).Value = 0
Msgbox(“You have successfully added a pane! Aren’t you just so cool?”)
End Sub
*Coating property removed from code due to space, but it’s done the same way. *

Auto-Instantiation
Take a whole list of cell values and create the panes:
Dim cPanes As GlassPanes
Dim MyRow As Excel.Range ‘Excel range object
Dim iName, iType, iCoating As String ‘The input values
Dim iThk As Double ‘The input thickness
For Each MyRow in Worksheets(“Input”).Range(“Glass”).Rows
iName = MyRow.Cells(1,1).Value
iThk = MyRow.Cells(1,2).Value
iType = MyRow.Cells(1,3).Value
iCoating = MyRow.Cells(1,4).Value
cPanes.Add iName, iThks, iType, iCoating
Next MyRow

Accessing Your Instances
Use Me when referring to the object that you’re in
Ex. In the code for the Window class, you would use:
Me.ModelNumber (property of the Window class)
Me.CalculateRValue (method of the Window class)
Me.GlassPanes.Count (method of a child of the Window class)
Use the Item method by passing an index or a Name
dThk = Me.GlassPanes.Item(3).Thickness
dThk = Me.GlassPanels.Item(“Outside”).Thickness
Real Life Example: Me.Walls.Item(“Front”).Panels.item(Me.Walls.item(“Front”).Panels.Count).CeilingLocks.item(1).LocalLocation

VERY Quick Lesson In Debugging
Run the code to see if it works. If it does, great! Otherwise, it will show you where the problem is or just stare at you.
Use Breakpoints at each major stage to see where it trips
Click in this column to add a breakpoint

VERY Quick Lesson In Debugging
Run the code to see if it works. If it does, great! Otherwise, it will show you where the problem is or just stare at you.
Use Breakpoints at each major stage to see where it trips
Break at the last working area and Step (Shift+F8) through
If it trips in a function or subroutine, use F8 to step into it
Still can’t figure it out? Watch the values as you approach the problem spot by hovering over variables or “add watch”

Error Trapping (If It Can Happen, It Will)
Test for conditions to ensure that they don’t happen
Anywhere that something could go wrong
Bad Input is #1 source of problems
Calculations Gone Wrong is a close second
Collection.Count = 0 / Nothing Selected rounds out the trifecta
On Error GoTo (just in case)
Public Sub RunMe()
On Error GoTo errhandler
…
errhandler:
If err.Number > 0 Then msgBox(“Dude! “ & err.Description)
End Sub
Check it out! The errors in VBA are an object.

Where To Go From Here?
Build some test code to test portions of your code
Comment out lines
Hard code values
Use msgbox()
Use a macro to kick everything off
Right-Select, Add Module to house the macro
Have the macro be on an event (ex. cmdButton_Click)
The macro will instantiate your top-level
Your top-level can instantiate everything else or
User-interaction can instantiate components as required

Connecting to SolidWorks
Add the SolidWorks library to your project
Tools, Macros, Visual Basic Editor
Tools, References, SolidWorks 2008 Type Library
Now you have SW Intellisense
Define your SolidWorks App
Dim swApp As SldWorks.SldWorks
Establish a SolidWorks object
Attaches to an existing session
Launches SW if it is not open
Set swApp = CreateObject("SldWorks.Application")

Things To Note About SolidWorks API Programming
Fairly well documented in the API Help File
Macro Record, not really as helpful as everyone thinks
All units are in METERS!!
ERROR TRAP EVERYTHING!!!
Check EVERY object  If Not(Object Is Nothing) Then…
Check your document type
Check any preselects
Verify data types before passing anything to SolidWorks
Check data types of anything you receive from SolidWorks
Beware of anything that may require user interaction
Close everything out when you are done
(Not enough time to go in depth into SolidWorks API programming, sorry)

Automation Approaches
Use SolidWorks to solve complex geometry calculations
Mass properties
Interferences/Clearances
Multi-dimensional sketches
Do as much OUTSIDE of SolidWorks as possible
SolidWorks is sloooooow (comparatively speaking, of course)

So What About VB or .NET?
Yeah, I promised I would address it.
Mostly the same techniques as Excel.
Slightly better performance
But SolidWorks is almost always the slowest link
A little more secure (user’s can’t muck about in the code)
Extensible to the web ASP.NET
More difficult to maintain
Recompiling code
Requires Visual Studio (or equivalent) and knowledge thereof
Managing versions of the .NET Framework

Even Better Than Excel VBA? (Maybe)
SolidWorks Solutions Partners
Help with the creation of user interfaces
Help with the capture and storage of rules
Help with the driving of SolidWorks models
Help with the creation of derivative SolidWorks drawings
Roll out solutions to non-SolidWorks users
Provide server components to generate the SolidWorks data

What To Look For In A SolidWorks Solution Partner
How much programming do you want to do?
Rules can be expressed in VB.NET, Excel, Proprietary languages
Some allow programming to supplement the application
How do you want the users to interact?
Some run inside of SolidWorks (requires seats, some SW knowhow)
Do you need multiple people to specify a new unit simultaneously?
Some run inside of a SolidWorks model, and cannot do this
Some use SQL Server back ends to help support this
Where are the models going to be generated?
Server components free up your machine/require fewer SW seats
Do you want/need a Internet/intranet browser-based interface?

Thanks for doing your part, you sure are smart!
Got Questions?
Thank you!
FILL OUT YOUR EVALUATION FORMS
I get $5 for each one turned in!
Paul Gimbel Business Process Sherpa [email_address] www.razorleaf.com

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Sww 2008 Automating Your Designs Excel, Vba And Beyond

by Razorleaf Corporation on Feb 02, 2010

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