SolidWorks-Aras Innovator Integration Plugin

A comprehensive SolidWorks add-in that integrates with Aras Innovator PLM, enabling engineers to manage Parts, CAD Documents, BOMs, and file synchronization directly from the SolidWorks interface.

Features

• Browser-based Authentication: OAuth 2.0 flow via system browser (supports SSO, LDAP, etc.)
• Search & Browse: Search for Parts and CAD Documents in Aras with filters
• Local Workspace: Dedicated local folder for Aras-linked files with status tracking
• Check In/Out: Lock items for editing with Aras-native locking mechanism
• BOM Management:
  • Extract BOMs from SolidWorks assemblies
  • Push to Aras (Parts, CAD Documents, relationships)
  • Pull and compare with Aras BOMs
  • Override quantities (e.g., for spares)
  • Exclude helper components
• Property Mapping: Configurable mapping between SolidWorks custom properties and Aras item properties

Requirements

• SolidWorks 2020 or later
• Aras Innovator 12 or later (REST API)
• .NET Framework 4.7.2 or later
• Windows 10/11

Installation

1. Build the solution in Visual Studio
2. Register the add-in (automatic via COM registration during build)
3. Start SolidWorks
4. The "Aras Innovator" task pane will appear on the right side

Manual Registration

If automatic registration doesn't work:

# Run as Administrator
regasm /codebase "path\to\SolidWorksAras.Addin.dll"

Configuration

SolidWorks Installation Path

Edit Directory.Build.props to set your SolidWorks installation path:

<SolidWorksInstallPath>C:\Program Files\SOLIDWORKS Corp\SOLIDWORKS</SolidWorksInstallPath>

Or set it as an environment variable.

Property Mapping

Property mappings are configured in %USERPROFILE%\ArasWorkspace\.property-mapping.json:

{
  "partMappings": [
    {
      "swProperty": "PartNo",
      "arasProperty": "item_number",
      "direction": "bidirectional"
    }
  ]
}

Directions:

• swToAras: Only sync from SolidWorks to Aras
• arasToSw: Only sync from Aras to SolidWorks
• bidirectional: Sync both ways

Usage

Connecting to Aras

1. Open the Task Pane → Connection tab
2. Enter your Aras server URL (e.g., https://aras.company.com/InnovatorServer)
3. Click "Connect via Browser"
4. Authenticate in your browser
5. Return to SolidWorks

Opening Files from Aras

1. Go to Search tab
2. Search for a Part or CAD Document
3. Select an item and click "Open"
4. File is downloaded to workspace and opened in SolidWorks

Pushing BOM to Aras

1. Open an assembly in SolidWorks
2. Go to BOM tab
3. Click "Load BOM"
4. Review components:
   • Check/uncheck "Include" to include/exclude components
   • Adjust quantities in the "Qty" column
   • Map components to existing Aras parts if needed
5. Click "Push to Aras"

Architecture

src/
├── SolidWorksAras.Addin/       # SolidWorks add-in + WPF UI
├── SolidWorksAras.Core/        # Business logic, Aras client
└── SolidWorksAras.SolidWorks/  # SolidWorks-specific integration

Aras Item Types

The plugin works with these Aras ItemTypes:

• Part: Engineering parts with BOMs
• CAD (CAD Document): Container for CAD files
• Part CAD: Relationship between Part and CAD Document
• Part BOM: Part-to-Part relationship with quantity
• CAD Structure: CAD-to-CAD tree structure

Development

Building

dotnet build

Testing

dotnet test

Debugging

1. Set SolidWorksAras.Addin as startup project
2. In Debug settings, set "Start external program" to SolidWorks
3. Press F5

License

MIT