General Product Questions:
Q : What is eDrawings for Creo?
A : eDrawings Professional for Creo is a plug-in for Creo which allows the user to generate accurate representation of 2D and 3D product designs of native Creo files as read only eDrawings file. eDrawings is the first email-enabled visualization and communication tool used to share product design more effectively with everyone involved.
Q : What are the advantages of eDrawings for Creo?
A : The most tangible advantage the eDrawings for Creo publisher provides is that it makes the content read only. This provides you a secure means of sharing the data without being plagiarized.One of the primary uses published file provides is to enable working in collaborative work environments. The published files are ultra compact (Approximately 5% size of the original CAD file) in nature, thereby making communication via email, a realistic possibility.You may selectively provide the end recipient of the published file with measurement capabilities and password protect your file for added security.
The end recipient can view the published eDrawings file with the free eDrawings Viewer and use the markup feature to effectively communicate the review objective.In addition you can save an eDrawings file as an exe. Here, the Viewer component is coupled with the file. This would enable the end recipient to view the file without having to install eDrawings.You can also embed the published file in html format and have it as a part of your online catalog. This would provide your customers a better picture of the capabilities without compromising on data security concerns.
Q : What are the pre-requisites for installing eDrawings for Creo?
A :You need to have Creo installed on your machine or on a Network location before you install eDrawings for Creo.If Creo is not installed, then only eDrawings Viewer will be installed when installing eDrawings for Creo.You need to have Administrator privileges to install eDrawings for Creo on the machine.
Q : What versions of Creo are supported?
A :We currently support Creo Parametric 1.0, 2.0, 3.0, 4.0, 5.0, 6.0, 7.0, 8.0, 9.0 & 10.
Q : Which operating systems are supported?
A : 32 Bit: Microsoft® Windows® 7.
64 Bit: Microsoft® Windows® 10 / 8.1 / 8 / 7.
Q : Does eDrawings for Creo support 64-bit version of Creo?
A :If you are running 64-bit version of Creo, one would need to install the 64-bit version of eDrawings for Creo. However if you’re running a 32-bit version of Creo on a 64 bit Operating System, you need to install the 32-bit version of eDrawings for Creo.
Q : I have installed eDrawings for Creo but cannot find *.prt,*.asm, or *.drw in eDrawings Open file menu?
A :The eDrawings Viewer cannot open native Creo files directly. The product eDrawings for Creo consists of two components
- The publisher component
- The viewer component
The publisher component is implemented as a plug-in for Creo. The viewer component provides a means of viewing the published files.
On installing the software, a menu-item ‘eDrawings’, gets added in Creo. Open a file in Creo and click eDrawings – > Publish to publish the file. The published file opens up in the eDrawings Viewer.
Q : I have multiple versions of Creo installed. Can eDrawings for Creo be configured with all/selected versions?
A :eDrawings can be configured for use with multiple versions of Creo. The installer performs this configuration and detects all supported available versions of Creo installed. The user can select the versions of Creo for eDrawings to be installed.
Q : Which licensing models are supported by eDrawings for Creo?
A :eDrawings for Creo is available both with Node lock license and Floating license.
Q : Does the end recipient need to have eDrawings Viewer installed in order to measure and markup review-enabled eDrawings?
A :If a review-enabled eDrawings file is sent in either executable (.exe), Zip (.Zip) or HTML (.html) format, the end recipient need not have eDrawings Viewer installed to measure and markup a review-enabled eDrawings file.
Q : Why is the measurement disabled in my eDrawings file?
A :Measure Enabled/ Disabled is a property of the eDrawings file. This attribute of the file is set when the file is created using the PROFESSIONAL version of eDrawings for Creo.If a file is published from Creo and it opens up in the eDrawings Viewer, this setting is available for the first File Save action ONLY. Once set the same is not available henceforth for the same file neither can it be modified. A file thus created would extend Measure along with all other PROFESSIONAL features to the end recipients as well.The Measure capability would NOT be available for files created using the FREE publisher. End recipients of such files would NOT be available to make measurements or use any other PROFESSIONAL feature.
Q : I have the PROFESSIONAL version of eDrawings for Creo. How can I disable measurement in the eDrawings file I create?
A :You may disable measurement using any one of the below methods.
Method 1:
From Pro/ ENGINEER interface select eDrawings > Publish.
The published file opens up in the eDrawings Viewer.
In the eDrawings window, select File > Save
Uncheck Enable Measure in the Save As window and save the file.
Open the file and observe that the measure function will be disabled for this file.
Method 2:
From the Creo interface, select eDrawings > Save.
The eDrawings Options dialog comes up.
Uncheck Allow Recipient to measure under Save Options.
Click OK.
From the Creo interface, select eDrawings > Save
The eDrawings Save dialog comes up. Browse to specify a path and enter the file name.
The current file gets published and is saved to the specified location.
Open the file and observe that the measure function will be disabled for this file.
Q : Is it possible to install eDrawings for Creo if Creo is installed in a network server?
A :It is possible to install eDrawings for Creo if Creo is installed in a network server. For details regarding the installation process please contact eDrawings Support with the entire setup details.
Q : Is it possible to install eDrawings for Creo on a Network server (separate folder) outside Creo directory?
A :It is possible to install eDrawings for Creo outside Creo directory. For details regarding the installation process please contact eDrawings Support with the entire setup details.
Q : Is it possible to install eDrawings for Creo using command line?
A :It is possible to install eDrawings for Creo using command line (Silent Installation). For details regarding the command line installation please contact eDrawings Support
Q : How can I upgrade to the latest version of eDrawings for Creo from an earlier version?
A :Users with versions of eDrawings for Creo later than 5.1 can directly check online for Product updates.Select eDrawings -> Help and About -> Check for Updates from Creo interface to check for Updates.If a new version is available, you would be directed to the download page for download. Uninstall the old version and install the downloaded version.For users with versions earlier than 5.1, you can view the above-mentioned page here.
Q : When installing eDrawings for Creo I receive the following error message.
A :The error occurs if you do not have sufficient write privileges or the Pro/ ENGINEER installation directory is set to Read only mode. To resolve the error make sure that you have sufficient write privileges and the Pro/ ENGINEER installation directory is not set to Read only mode.
Q : The eDrawings menu does not appear in the Pro/ ENGINEER interface after installing eDrawings for Creo. What should I do?
A :Please check the contents of the Protk.dat file. The Protk.dat file can be located from the following directory Pro/ ENGINEER install DirectorytextThe contents of the Protk.dat file should be as shown below:name eDrawings
startup DLL
delay_start FALSE
exec_file $PRO_DIRECTORY$PRO_MACHINE_TYPEobjproeconnector.dll
text_dir $PRO_DIRECTORY
endIf the contents have been verified to be correct, please try the following:
- In Pro/ ENGINEER interface select Tools > Auxiliary Applications
- The Auxiliary Applications dialog comes up.
- Click on Register Browse to the Protk.dat file and select it. Click Open.
- eDrawings would be listed in the Auxiliary Applications dialog.
- Click Start. The eDrawings menu should now appear in the Pro/ ENGINEER main menu.
If the above doesn’t help, please contact eDrawings Support.
Q : The eDrawings is unable to find the Creo while installing eDrawings for Creo. What should I do?
A : Make sure that you are running the correct installer of eDrawings, i.e. 32Bit version or 64Bit version.
If incorrect installer is used, it will not detect the installed Creo version.
You can check what Creo version you are running? is it a 32Bit or 64Bit?
You can check this as follows:
- Start Creo.
- Go to Help>System information. (There is a category Machine Information, where the CREO Parametric type is written).
- If it is I486_NT you’re using a 32 bit Creo and if it’s X86E_WIN64, you’re using a 64 bit Creo.
Depending on this you have to use a 32Bit or 64Bit eDrawings installer version.
After choosing correct installer if you still face same issue then please provide installation path of Creo in ‘Add Pro/E’.
e.g. ‘C:\Program Files\PTC\Creo 3.0\F000\Common Files’ or ‘C:\Program Files\PTC\Common Files\M030’.
*Above mentioned path may different on your machine.
If the above doesn’t help, please contact eDrawings Support.
Licensing:
Q : Which licensing models are supported by eDrawings for Creo?
A :eDrawings for Pro/ ENGINEER is available both with Node lock license and Floating license.
Q : When configuring the license I receive a message “The license key entered is not valid for this version of eDrawings publisher. Please contact your license vendor for obtaining the new license key”.
A :The error occurs if you are configuring the license for new version of eDrawings for Creo with the old license key and your Update Support Plan has expired. The old license will not work. Please contact eDrawings Support to enroll for Update Support Plan and obtain a new license.Note: If the license is purchased with Update Support Plan the license will be valid for new versions of eDrawings for Creo released on or before the Update Support Plan expiry date. A higher version license is backward compatible and would work with a lower version product.
Q : When configuring the license I receive a message “An invalid license key was entered. Please try again”
A :This message comes up if you have not entered the complete license string when configuring the node locked license. Please make sure that there are no breaks in the license strings that you enter.
Q : When configuring the license I receive a message “The license key is not valid for this machine”.
A :This message comes up if the Host ID of the machine you’re configuring the license on does not match the one the license was generated for.
Q : When configuring the license I receive a message “A demo license key has already been configured on this machine. Please get a professional key”.
A :This message would come up when configuring the license if a demo license has been previously configured on the machine.
Q : When publishing a file I receive a message “Cannot connect to eDrawings License server. The server may be down. Operating as a free publisher”.
A :This message comes up if the machine hosting the License Server is not available on the network or if the same has been shut down. This message would also come up is the License server has been shut down.Please ensure that the License Server is up and running and the same is available on the network as well.
Q : When publishing a file I receive a message “All eDrawings licenses are currently in use. Operating as a free publisher”.
A :The appearance of this prompt is governed by the setting Alert on free publishing.
This setting is accessible from eDrawings > Options
This is intended for users with a floating eDrawings for Pro/ ENGINEER license. This message comes up if all the licenses have been checked-out.
Q : When publishing a file I receive a message “eDrawings license has not been configured. Operating as a free publisher”.
A :This message comes up if the eDrawings license is not configured. Configure the license using the license configuration tool with a valid license. However if you have a floating license, make sure that Geometric License Server is up and running and the licenses are checked out from the license server.
Q : Does eDrawings support License Borrowing?
A :License borrowing is currently not supported.
Q : Is it possible to reserve or deny licenses to a particular set of users in Floating License setup?
A : It is not possible to reserve or deny licenses to a particular set of users in eDrawings.