Solid Edge Tips

Tip 1 - Installing Solid Edge using Ida

Tip updated 2012-09-05

Solid Edge ST4 can be installed on Win XP, Vista, or Win 7 using Ida (a University-wide software distribution utility provided by Queen's ITServices) :

1. The Solid Edge install files are large and will take a long time to download. We recommend you use a high-speed wired connection when installing.

2. If you have not done it yet, install Ida from http://www.queensu.ca/its/software/ida.

3. Ida will launch - you will see a red Ida "i" icon in the Task Bar.

4. If you see a balloon from the Task Bar saying Ida has recommendations, click on it, or right-click Ida's i icon in the Task Bar and select Task Manager to open the Task Manager. If you are registered in the course, Solid Edge ST should appear in the list of tasks, but if it's not there

• Select Install... off the Packages menu
• Check off the Solid Edge ST 104.0.0.82 (main program) checkbox
• Check off the Solid Edge ST 104.0.7.4.(update patch) checkbox
• Click Add

5. Click Submit in the Ida Task Manager. Ida will install the base SE package and then install the current update patch.

6. At the end of the install Ida should have new recommendations in the Task Manager - 2 "tweaks" which configure software. If you don't see the tweaks listed in the Task manager

• select Add... off the Tweaks menu
• Check off the Configure Solid Edge for APSC161 checkbox
• Check off the License Solid Edge checkbox
• Click Add

7. Click Submit in the Ida Task Manager. Ida will add the license file to the install folder, copy a template to be used by APSC161 students to the template folder, set Solid Edge to start in the "Ordered" environment and update the menu displayed on startup.

http://www.plm.automation.siemens.com/en_gb/products/velocity/solidedge/overview/system_requirements.shtml

Tip 2 - Getting started

To help you get started, go to "Help - Contents" and then read through the following:

• User Inteface
• Element and Object Selection
• Drawing Production Overview / Drawing View Creation
• Drawing 2D Elements / Geometric Relationships
• Drawing in Solid Edge
• Design Modification
• Create a part
  • Modeling synchronous and ordered features
  • Part modeling workflow overview
  • Drawing sketches of parts

Tip 3 - Producing exploded view in Assembly

• To produce an exploded view, go to the Tools/Explode-Render-Animate environment and select Auto Explode.
• If you have difficulties exploding the view using the automatic option, you can make changes using the manual explode tool.

Tip 4 - Fixing Display Problems

• If you are experiencing problems with display of part models in SE Part or Assembly, there may be a compatibility issue between Solid Edge and your graphics card.
• One way to work around this is to change the generation of the 3-D model display to “Software Driven” setting. 
• To change this setting:
  1. open a SE Part document
  2. open "Solid Edge Options" by going through the round Application Button in top-left corner; select View tab (see image below)
  3. uncheck “Automatic Selection” under the “Application Display” & choose “Software Driven” from the pull-down list
  4. accept warnings, close the Part file & open it again to activate the new setting
• If your current setting is “Software driven” and you find the display refresh slow, you can experiment with other available settings under “Application Display”.

Revised 2012-09-05