SOLIDWORKS Custom Component Names in Assemblies and Design Tables

Have you ever wanted your design table properties to reference component names instead of file names? Instead of saying $CONFIGURATION@123456789 have you wanted it to say $CONFIGURATION@BOX without changing your filename? Well I have some advice for you.

Let's say I have 2 Parts with 2 configurations each. The names of these files are the part numbers.

I want to make an assembly with two configurations: Big and Small. "Big" has the configurations of the parts that are big. "Small" has the part configurations that are…you guessed it…small.

Design table currently looks like this:

See how our properties are referencing the filename? I don't want that.

Let's fix that. First we have to disable our component names from automatically updating.

Go to Tools->Options or just select Options for the main toolbar.

Go to System Options->External References and uncheck the "Update component names when documents are replace" box. Click ok

Now go to the component properties for each of your components.

In the component name box enter the part's new name. Click ok.

Components' names have now updated in feature tree.

And they have been updated in the Design Table.

Thanks,

Christian Maldonado, CSWE

Computer Aided Technology, Inc.

PS – If you have never been, you have to attend SOLIDWORKS WORLD next year in Dallas. Place is awesome! So many cool things and people.