4 Replies Latest reply on Oct 4, 2013 11:35 AM by Charley Saint

    Folder Structure

    Raymond Fletcher

      I’ve been having a rather heated debate about folder structure in our vault. The Engineers are claiming that their assemblies experience long load times due to folder structure. We are new to the EPDM and I structured the folders based off what I thought was needed. I believe it’s how the Engineers are saving their files.


      I have a folder for "Common Engineering" which is for parts that can be used across may assemblies. I also have a folder that has more product specific part and where the assemblies are saved.




      Does folder structure have that much of an impact on load speeds?


      How does one structure their folders correctly?


      Would saving drawings as ‘detached’ help me out?




      Thanks for the help

        • Re: Folder Structure
          Christopher Lloyd

          Hi Raymond,


          As far as I'm aware, the folder structure that you have set up should not impinge on assembly loading times. Loading times for assemblies can be due to a number of reasons. First and foremost, it could be due to the network that the vault is on. If it's a small network with a lot of data being pushed through it, that would loading times a lot. Where I work, this is a big issue, and even meanial tasks such as saving your work (be it an assembly, part or drawing) can take a little while to complete. Secondly, it could be the hardware of your PC. What are your system specs? 8GB of RAM is about right for anything SW related.


          Folder structure wise, that is completely down to you and the way your company is run. It really doesn't matter. Do what works for you.


          Hope that helps.



            • Re: Folder Structure
              Raymond Fletcher

              The PC hardware meets SW requirements.


              The server only has the EPDM.


              What I find interesting is how they can load an assembly where all the parts are in one folder within a minute  -VS- the more organized folder structure which takes about 3 minutes

                • Re: Folder Structure
                  Charley Saint



                  The only reason I could think that would happen is if the search routines were kicking in to resolve broken references. You don't use SolidWorks Explorer to move files around in the vault do you? Using the SolidWorks->Move command from the right click menu will tend to leave a local copy of the file behind and I've seen some weird things happen. After you open the assembly on a PC check the performance log at %appdata%\SolidWorks\SolidWorksPerformance.log and you should see something unusual to help you explain this.