Batch convert SOLIDWORKS drawings to PDF (folder or vault)

Batch converting SOLIDWORKS drawings to PDF is the job nobody wants on a Friday afternoon: forty drawings, one release, one deadline. PDMPublisher does it two ways. From the add-in, every drawing of an open assembly in one Publish. From a SOLIDWORKS PDM Professional task, any set of vault files picked by right-click, imported from a CSV, listed as Scheduled Items or moved through a workflow transition.

What you get

A folder of .pdf files, one per drawing, named by your pattern, optionally zipped with Archive all exported documents (.zip). In the add-in the batch is the assembly structure: with Adobe PDF ticked, PDMPublisher exports the same-name drawing of the assembly and every referenced part and sub-assembly. In the task it’s the file selection.

The task takes a batch three ways. Select files in File Explorer and run it from the right-click Tasks menu. Use Ask user to specify files on task launch to add files or import From CSV. Or put a saved list on Scheduled Items for a PDM schedule.

The manual way, and why it doesn’t scale

Open drawing, File > Save As, PDF, name it with the revision, save, close, next. Forty times. Then compare the folder with the BOM to find the ones you skipped.

It takes an afternoon, it’s done again after every ECO, and the filenames follow whoever did it that day.

Batch convert SOLIDWORKS drawings to PDF with the add-in

1. Open the top-level assembly with every reference resolved (Get Latest first). Each component’s drawing must sit beside it with the same filename.
2. On the PDMPublisher tab, select Settings, then Publish.
3. Set Export location, such as (TopAssemblyFolder)\Exports\(Revision), and the Filename pattern, such as (FileNameWithoutExtension)-(Revision); .pdf is added for you.
4. Under File formats, tick Adobe PDF (pdf).
5. Under Sheets to export, keep All sheets, or pick Sheets matching name with a wildcard such as Sheet* or (ConfigurationName)* to leave internal sheets out.
6. Tick Export references to file formats individually so every referenced part and sub-assembly’s drawing is exported, not only the assembly drawing.
7. On the Conditions page, add rules for which references are included, such as a custom property that must not equal Purchased. Tick Ignore sub-assembly children when condition checks fail to skip a rejected sub-assembly’s parts too.
8. Tick Archive all exported documents (.zip) when the batch should travel as one file.
9. Select PDMPublisher > Publish, confirm the review dialog, and check Publishing results afterwards.

PDF is a Community Edition format, but Community is limited to 5 references per run. A real assembly’s drawing set needs Premium.

Automate it as a PDM task

PDMPublisher for PDM Professional takes the batch from the vault instead of an open assembly, so the selection can be any set of files.

1. In PDM Administration, right-click Tasks, select New Task, choose PDMPublisher and name it. Tick the task hosts under Execution Method.
2. On the Options page, set Export Location ((VaultRootFolder)\Exports\PDF, no trailing backslash) and Filename; PDM variables such as ($PartNumber) are in the >... menu.
3. Under File Formats, tick Adobe PDF. Keep Export affected document on.
4. Set Sheets to export and the Sheet name pattern as in the add-in.
5. For assemblies, set a BOM Template and enable Export references to file formats individually. Enable Use PDM search to locate drawings for drawings stored away from their models.
6. Enable Ask user to specify files on task launch to let the launcher pick the batch: Add vault files, import From CSV, expand assemblies, untick files, tick formats per file. Drawings show as view-only children and export when their parent is ticked with a 2D format like pdf.
7. For unattended batches, list the files on Scheduled Items and set up the Scheduling page. Scheduled Items override every other selection, so only use them for a fixed list.
8. Pick Use this version of SOLIDWORKS (a year on the task host, or Latest). For release workflows, enable Get latest revision only so the version tied to the newest revision is exported.
9. While validating, enable Vault Activity Logs with Log Folder (Vault Only) at (VaultRootFolder)\Logs\PDMPublisher; Task Details then lists every file checked in.

Settings that matter for a PDF batch

Setting	What it does	Tip
File formats	Tick Adobe PDF (pdf); invalid formats are dropped.	Several formats per job.
Export references to file formats individually	On an assembly, writes each referenced part and sub-assembly (and with PDF, its same-name drawing) as its own file.	Task: needs a BOM Template with name, configuration and quantity columns.
Template (task)	PDM BOM layout used to work out references, configurations and quantities.	Must include <Name>, <Configuration> and <RefCount>.
Ask user to specify files on task launch (task)	Dialog to add files, import a CSV, pick configurations and formats, review the location.	Leave off for fully automated workflows.
Scheduled Items (task)	Saved list of vault files run on a PDM schedule or without a selection.	Overrides right-click and launch selections.
Use PDM search to locate drawings (task)	Finds a drawing that isn’t beside its model via PDM search or Where Used.	Drawing and model names must match.

Naming and folders

Placeholders resolve when the job starts, so every PDF is named and filed the same way:

• (FileNameWithoutExtension)-(Revision) in (TopAssemblyFolder)\Drawing Package\(Revision): the whole set in a folder per assembly revision.
• (FileFolder)\Sheet\Export as the launch-dialog location: each PDF in a subfolder of its own drawing’s folder.
• (VaultRootFolder)\Released PDFs\(FileNameNumberRange): numeric filenames grouped into folders of a thousand.

Customize Location (Premium in the add-in, standard in the task) gives the pdf row its own folder, overriding the main Export location for that format only. Send pdf to the released folder and dxf from the same batch to the laser share.

Tips and troubleshooting

• Not all drawings of an assembly captured? The assembly and its references need local copies where the job runs. Get Latest first; this is by design.
• CSV import reads a filename, file, filepath or path column (or the first usable name per row), searches the vault and takes the first match. Duplicates already listed are skipped.
• Task stops with an error at launch? No files were selected and no Scheduled Items are set up. It needs one or the other.
• A component produced no PDF? It has no same-name drawing beside it. In the task, enable Use PDM search to locate drawings.

Availability

Available in PDMPublisher for SOLIDWORKS (the add-in) and PDMPublisher for PDM Professional (the task).

Documentation and related features

• Run a Publish Job (PDMPublisher for SOLIDWORKS)
• Ask User to Specify Files on Task Launch
• SOLIDWORKS drawing documents
• SOLIDWORKS assembly documents
• Conditional assembly processing
• Run as a SOLIDWORKS PDM task
• SOLIDWORKS PDM integration
• Convert an assembly to a PDF drawing package
• Batch convert SOLIDWORKS files in PDM
• Convert SLDDRW to PDF

Frequently asked questions

How do I batch convert SOLIDWORKS drawings to PDF?

From the add-in, open the assembly, tick Adobe PDF and Export references to file formats individually, and Publish. From PDM, select the files and run a PDMPublisher task, or feed it a CSV or Scheduled Items.

Can I convert a whole folder of drawings in the vault to PDF?

Select the files in File Explorer and launch the task from the right-click Tasks menu. Or enable Ask user to specify files on task launch and import the list From CSV.

Can the batch run overnight on a schedule?

Yes. Set up the task’s Scheduling page and list the files on Scheduled Items; PDMPublisher runs that list every time the schedule fires.

Is a batch PDF export free with the add-in?

PDF is a Community Edition format, but Community is limited to 5 references per run. A bigger batch needs Premium, or the PDM task, which is licensed per vault.