Some Quick Basics
This topic outlines key operations for using Windchill PDM with Creo Parametric.
Connection to a Windchill Server
Server registration enables connection and interaction with a Windchill server from Creo Parametric.
Registering a Windchill server enables you to work in a collaborative design environment. Instead of a local working directory, you manage your designs in a project-related workspace (essentially a private folder on the Windchill server). For more information, see Workspace Page Functionality.
In a connected session, your work can be saved and uploaded to a secure server location. For more information, see Saving and Uploading Objects. When you are ready to share your work, you check it in to the Windchill commonspace. For more information, see the Windchill Help Center topic, “Introduction to the Workspace.”For more information, see Introduction to the Workspace.
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The preference > (which specifies the maximum number of objects to be displayed in a Windchill table) does not apply to the workspace Object List table.
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What is involved?
Use the Server Management utility to register a PDM server:
• Click > to access the Server Management window.
• Enter a name and valid URL for the server.
• Select a workspace.
• Set the workspace to be your active workspace and make the server your primary server.
• Your server and workspace then appear in the Folder Navigator.
For more information on server registration, see Getting Connected Using the Server Management Utility.
Storing New Designs
Proper storage of and access to design files is a key aspect of Windchill PDM.
Once you have created or modified your design files, you can store them appropriately on the Windchill server. The benefits that the Creo Parametric interaction with Windchill bring include:
• Product- or project-centered design environment (pre-defined templates, parameters)
• Access to other designs both within your project and in enterprise libraries.
• Workspace preferences can be leveraged to automatically store your designs as you have specified, minimizing the amount of required user input.
What is involved?
Check in—Saves, uploads, and creates a new iteration of the object on the server, making your design available to others with server access. For more information on checking in design files, see Checking In Objects.
Developing Existing Designs
You can access existing designs on the PDM server.
PURPOSE
Collaborating with other designers or developing your own designs is made easier because Creo Parametric has access to your Windchill database. Windchill automatically checks for proper access to design files and enables you to view files and (upon checkout) reserve them for modification.
What is involved?
• Browse or Search in Windchill—Allows you to find files by browsing server locations or by criteria-based search.
• Add to Workspace—Places design metadata and (optionally) content into your workspace.
• Check Out—Adds data to your workspace and locks the server copy, giving you sole modification rights. For more information about searching in Windchill, see online help.
For more information about Add to Workspace and Check Out, see Adding Objects to the Workspace and Checking Out Objects.
Keeping Designs Current
Working with appropriate versions of objects is essential.
In any collaborative environment, it is important to know that you are working on the appropriate version of your design, as design work may be shared among different teams. By default, your workspace preferences specify that you work with the latest versions of design files. Alternatively, you can set custom preferences to ensure that a particular configuration is specified. Status symbols in your workspace listing table indicate whether a current object version meets your specifications. For more information on object status, see About Object Status.
Explicit commands available in the workspace allow you to update your files if a new iteration becomes available in the commonspace.
What is involved?
• Update—Brings workspace files current with latest iterations available on server.
• Synchronize—Freshens workspace files with latest information from the server (for example, attribute modifications done by you in a standalone Windchill session).
For more information on updating and synchronizing workspace objects, see Keeping Workspace Objects Up-to-Date.
Additional PDM Activities
The previous sections have outlined some basic actions that are part of using Windchill PDM with Creo Parametric. The following sections of this chapter and the chapter, Advanced Techniques, discuss these and additional PDM topics in detail.