Keeping DriveWorks PowerPacks Up to Date for Enhanced Functionality

DriveWorks PowerPacks are plugins for the core DriveWorks Pro software installation. They include additional specification tasks, generation tasks, and functions that you can incorporate into your projects.

These PowerPacks are created for DriveWorks by DriveWorks, so you can be assured of a seamless integration. As these are separate, optional modules from the core application, they might be missed during the upgrade process. I’ll briefly discuss what these PowerPacks are and then give you all the information you need to ensure they are upgraded properly.

What PowerPacks Are Available?

There are a variety of PowerPacks available for DriveWorks, each with its own specific use case. To see what tasks and functions are included in each PowerPack, visit the DriveWorks Labs page of the online Help.

The available PowerPacks are listed below:

• Specification PowerPack
• SOLIDWORKS PowerPack
• Image PowerPack
• DriveWorks PowerPack for Microsoft Azure
• CAMWorks PowerPack
• SOLIDWORKS CAM PowerPack
• Salesforce PowerPack
• SYSPRO PowerPack

How to Download PowerPack Plugins

PowerPacks are a type of plugin that is not installed automatically with the core DriveWorks application. Anyone on an active subscription has access to the PowerPacks from the DriveWorks portal.

If you are no longer on subscription and using an older version of DriveWorks, you’re still entitled to the version of the PowerPack that was available when your subscription expired. In that case, contact our dedicated Technical Support team, and we will be happy to provide a download link.

DriveWorks Versions vs PowerPack Versions

When a major version of DriveWorks Pro is released, a corresponding major version of the PowerPacks is released as well. For example, DriveWorks Pro 23 and DriveWorks Specification PowerPack 23. Likewise, just as DriveWorks has service pack updates, the PowerPacks have service pack updates as well.

However, service pack updates to DriveWorks Pro PowerPacks are released independently from the core DriveWorks Pro software application. The benefit of this is that it allows DriveWorks developers to make new functionality available for clients more quickly. There is no need to wait for the next major release or service pack update of the core application.

How to Upgrade DriveWorks PowerPacks

When it comes time to upgrade the core software, don’t forget to upgrade any PowerPacks you have installed. Notice that the PowerPacks and other plugins are listed as separate apps on the computer.

You can view and upgrade your PowerPacks with the following steps:

1. Open the Windows Start menu.
2. Select Installed apps.
3. Search for “PowerPack” in the installed programs.
   

   Viewing the installed PowerPacks in the Installed apps window

Each application has its version number in the name, so this is an easy way to ensure that every module of the software is upgraded to the same major version. The service pack version of the PowerPacks may differ from the core application, but should be the same major version.

This is also a good opportunity to review the PowerPacks you had installed previously and see if there are any additional PowerPacks available that you’d like to install and start using.

Key Considerations

As with any software upgrade, there are things to keep in mind to keep the software running smoothly in the future.

Cleaning Up Old Installations

A DriveWorks upgrade doesn’t replace an old version. Rather, the new installation is installed alongside the old installation, if one exists. For this reason, I recommend uninstalling old versions of DriveWorks to keep things neat and tidy.

Once your group data is upgraded, you won’t be able to open it in an older version of DriveWorks, anyway. The old versions can either be uninstalled before or after your upgrade.

Anticipating Errors

What if you upgraded DriveWorks and forgot or didn’t know to upgrade the PowerPacks? Suppose one of your projects uses the generation task, Export Mass Properties, which is part of the SOLIDWORKS PowerPack.

If a PowerPack is missing or not the expected version, you’ll see an error message like the one below.

DriveWorks Missing Plugin error dialog

Typically, you can just cancel the pop-up and install the missing PowerPack. However, it is already installed and updated; you can select Find Reference and browse to the relevant dll files.

Automatically installed Plugins

The following two plugins are automatically installed with DriveWorks Pro.

• DriveWorks PDM Professional plugin
• DriveWorks PDF Integration

Accessing the DriveWorks plugin settings

Access information and settings for these plugins in the DriveWorks Settings. Notice, you can also see which PowerPacks are installed on this Settings dialog.

Extending Automation with DriveWorks

DriveWorks is the perfect tool help automate, configure, price, and quote your design for customer specifications. The PowerPacks extend this automation further with additional out-of-the-box functionality to reduce the tedious, manual effort needed to produce design documentation.

To learn more about using DriveWorks for SOLIDWORKS automation, watch our webinar here.