The Open command opens existing documents. Solid Edge keeps track of the documents you worked on last, so you can open them quickly. These documents are listed at the top-right of the Application menu; just click the name of a document on the list to open it. You set the number of documents displayed in the list with the Solid Edge Options command on the Application menu.
You can also open a document by double clicking the document name within Windows Explorer.
You can open recently used documents with the Recent Documents command.
There are some options on the Open File dialog box that pertain only to specific types of Solid Edge documents.
When opening draft documents, for example, you can specify that the file opens in inactive mode for viewing and printing. To learn more, see Opening and saving draft documents.
You can use the options on the Open File dialog box to improve performance when opening a large assembly document. For example, you can choose to hide or inactivate components or to open simplified representations of assembly parts. To learn more, see Working with large assemblies efficiently.
When you use the Open command to open a document in a managed library, the document is checked out and copied to the local cache. Options on the Open File dialog box let you specify which revision of the document you want to open. To learn more about opening managed documents, see Opening and saving managed documents.
View and Markup, an Insight Connect application, allows you to share Solid Edge 3D models and 2D drawings electronically. For example, View and Markup enables OEMs and suppliers to review, add markups and comments, and take measurements from your model or drawing, without requiring them to have Solid Edge installed. To learn about this collaborative workflow, see Managing change processes with Insight.
To open any active Solid Edge document in View and Markup, choose Applications→View and Markup from the menu. To open a document from Windows Explorer, right-click the document you want to view, and chooseOpen with View and Markup.
If a draft document or a referenced part document has been modified outside Solid Edge, data in the title block and elsewhere may be missing or not current when the .pcf file is opened in View and Markup. To update this information, open and save the draft document in Solid Edge, and then send it to View and Markup.
Before you can open a draft document in View and Markup, you must save the metafile data file in a special format. To learn more, see Opening and saving draft documents.
If you select a sheet metal document, a Model option is displayed on the Open a File dialog box. You can use this option to specify which body to use when opening the sheet metal file. You can open the design body, flat body, or both. If no flat body exists, the design body is displayed if you set the Model option to Flat or Both.
In Solid Edge, the availability of a document is displayed in the Status bar of the Open File dialog box. The availability is read-write or read-only. You can choose to open a document as read-only by selecting the Read-Only check box on the Open File dialog box. Then you have the additional option of opening just the first level of the document as read-only or all levels of the document as read-only. You can save the setting and automatically open all documents as read-only by clicking Save As Default when you have the Open Read Only check box selected.
You can also use the operating system to set a document to read-only. For example, using Windows Explorer, you can set a document's properties to read-only. This setting overrides the available status assigned in Solid Edge. If a document has an available status, but has been set to read-only in the operating system, then you will not be able to get write access to the document.
To learn more about documents with read-only privileges, see Working with read-only documents.
The Search button on the Open File dialog box allows you to search for documents. You can search any folder, network drive, or managed library. You can search for documents using defined properties or a number of criteria, including mathematical operators and standard Boolean expressions. For a list of valid expressions, see Search criteria list. To learn more, see Searching for documents.
When you first save a new document, Solid Edge provides a default name and folder location. You can give the document a meaningful name and specify where you want to store the document on the disk. You can quickly save changes to an open document by clicking Save on the Application menu.
Note:
If you use the Save As command to save parts that are linked to an assembly, the saved-as copy of the part is not linked to the assembly.
You can set an option on the Save page of the Options dialog box to have Solid Edge prompt you to save all open documents. The Save All Documents Every <XX> Minutes option allows you to define a time interval in which to be prompted. When this option is set and the time interval has expired, a dialog box is displayed when you select a new command. The dialog box prompts you to save all open documents. If you click Yes, the open documents are saved. If you click No, the time interval is restarted.
This option does not automatically save your documents for you, create backup files, or interrupt you while you are using a command. It waits for you to click a new command in Solid Edge before prompting you to save. This approach allows you to work in other applications without being interrupted, and prevents file corruption problems associated with automatic save options in other applications. There are some commands that do not react to the reminder interval. Commands that work within another active command, such as the view manipulation commands, do not react to the reminder interval.
When you open a document that was not created in Solid Edge, such as an AutoCAD .dwg or .dxf file, a Microstation .dgn file, or a Pro/E part or sheet metal file, a translation wizard runs automatically to import the file into the appropriate Solid Edge environment, whether that is Part, Sheet Metal, Assembly, or Draft. To learn more about the types of files you can open, see Opening foreign files in Solid Edge.
For some input formats, there are translation options you can set. For a list of the available translation-option dialog boxes, see Open command.