When sharing SOLIDWORKS models externally, it’s often important to keep your design confidential to protect your intellectual property. In this blog, we’ll see the options available for REMOVING INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY FROM SOLIDWORKS files.
1. Defeature:
Defeature is a tool where you can remove details from a part or assembly and save the results to a new file in which the details are replaced by dumb solids (that is, solids without feature definition or history). You can then share the new file without revealing all the design details of the model.
Click Tools pull-down menu > Click Defeature
This will then open up a simple 3-step wizard, which will help manage what you want to remove and hide from those spying eyes.
The options available will depend on the file type you are working on:
Defeature – Components, Bodies
For assemblies, you can specify components to remove from the model. For multibody parts, you can specify bodies to remove from the model.
Defeature – Motion
If you want to allow motion in an assembly, you can remove details from groups of components and allow motion between the groups.
Defeature – To Keep
In parts and assemblies, you can specify features to retain, such as mounting holes, which might otherwise be removed by the Defeature tool.
Defeature – To Remove
In parts and assemblies, you can specify to remove features that were not automatically removed.
Defeature – Feature Removal Complete
In parts and assemblies, you can save the less-detailed model in a separate part file.
You can see from the images below the before and after effect of Defeature on the same SOLIDWORKS file.
Another great advantage of Defeature is when you create CAD neutral formats such as ‘. STEP’ the file size is greatly reduced.
Benefits Of Defeature
- Find and delete bodies or components – internal and based on relative size.
- Creates new model.
- Good way to create less-detailed part from complex imported parts.
2. Save Assembly as a Part (Exterior Surface):
If you need to protect intellectual property of an assembly model, saving it as a part is one of the easiest ways to do this. When saving an assembly as a part, you can direct SOLIDWORKS to save only exterior faces.
To do this, go to File > Save As, then change the Save as type to SOLIDWORKS Part (*.prt; *.sldprt). Under Geometry to save, select Exterior faces, then click the check box for Preserve geometry references and click Save. A part will be saved in the location of your choosing, which will be comprised of outer surfaces only.
The recipient of this model will not be able to use FeatureWorks to build a Feature Tree from the surfaces, ensuring REMOVING INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY FROM SOLIDWORKS effectively.
3. Save Assembly as a Part (STL):
To do this, go to File > Save As, then change the Save as type to SOLIDWORKS Part (*.prt; *.sldprt). Then save the part as an STL file format. This will create separate Graphics Bodies but in a single file. This method is also useful for 3D Printing processes while still REMOVING INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY FROM SOLIDWORKS models.
Publish to eDrawings or 3D PDF:
If you wish to share a file for viewing only, consider saving the file as a 3D PDF, or publish it to eDrawings. Both methods allow you to share your models in a way that the recipient can only open the file in a viewer (with limited measurement capabilities).
- To publish a file to eDrawings, go to File > Publish to eDrawings.
- If you do not wish to allow the recipient to measure the model in eDrawings, go to Tools > Options > System Options > Export, then change the file format to EDRW/EPRT/EASM and uncheck Okay to measure this eDrawings file.
- To save the file as a 3D PDF, go to File > Save As then change the Save as type to Adobe Portable Document Format (*.pdf) and click the Save as 3D PDF checkbox.
Author Details: Palaniyappan T is an Elite Application Engineer with a background
in Mechanical Engineering, specializing in customer success. He serves as a Team Lead for Technical Support and also a Customer Success AE, leveraging almost 10 years of experience with SOLIDWORKS CAD, SOLIDWORKS PDM and also with the
3DEXPERIENCE Design Ecosystem. His expertise has enabled him to successfully assist over 100 customers in resolving technical challenges, improving their design workflows, and achieving their goals.
Contact Us: Have questions or need assistance? Feel free to reach out!
Email: mktg@egs.co.in
Phone: +91 94454 24704
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