DriveWorks glossary

Plain-English definitions of the DriveWorks vocabulary, from the products and modules to the parts of a project, plus the manufacturing and business-system acronyms that come up on every implementation.

Products and modules

DriveWorks

Design automation and sales configurator (CPQ) software for SOLIDWORKS, made by DriveWorks Ltd. Rules decide the dimensions, features, and properties of a model and the content of documents, driven by answers entered in a form.

DriveWorksXpress

The entry-level design automation tool included free in every seat of SOLIDWORKS. It drives one model from a form and rules.

DriveWorks Solo

Design automation for a single engineer, running inside SOLIDWORKS. It adds a full form designer, tabular data in rules, multiple drawings, and generated documents such as quotes and bills of materials.

DriveWorks Pro

The full DriveWorks platform, sold as modules. It adds shared groups with users and teams, SQL Server support, browser access, unattended generation, and integration with other business systems.

DriveWorks Administrator

The DriveWorks Pro module where projects are built: forms, rules, tables, macros, documents, and captured models.

DriveWorks User

The DriveWorks Pro desktop module for people who fill in forms and create specifications but do not edit projects.

DriveWorks Autopilot

The DriveWorks Pro module that generates models, drawings, and documents unattended, usually on a server. It can also watch a database, a folder, or a web service for jobs from other systems.

DriveWorks Live

The DriveWorks Pro module that serves forms to a web browser, so sales teams, dealers, and customers can configure products on any device without CAD installed.

DriveWorks Pro Server

The DriveWorks Pro service that makes a shared group available to other DriveWorks modules and machines.

Integration Theme

The recommended theme for DriveWorks Live. It has a REST API and a JavaScript client SDK, supports a fully customizable interface, and lets a form be embedded in another web page without an iframe.

Web Theme

The older DriveWorks Live theme, with ready-made skins and embedding through an iframe.

Specification PowerPack

A set of extra tasks and functions for DriveWorks, with names that begin with Spp. It covers things such as writing to tables, working with XML and JSON, and file operations.

DWX

Community shorthand for DriveWorks, in the same way SWX is shorthand for SOLIDWORKS.

Parts of an implementation

Group

The container for a DriveWorks implementation: its projects, users and teams, security, group tables, and captured models. An individual group is a file used by one person; a shared group is stored in SQL Server and used by many.

Project

One configurator or tool inside a group: its forms, rules, tables, macros, and documents. A project is stored as a .driveprojx file.

Specification

One run of a project: a single set of answers and everything generated from them. A quote for one customer order is one specification.

Specification Flow

The states a specification moves through, such as Running and Completed, with the transitions and operations that move it between them. The flow decides when documents and models are released.

Specification Macro

A sequence of tasks that runs during a specification, started by a button, an event, or the specification flow. Macros are how DriveWorks sends an HTTP request, writes to a database, or updates a table.

Form

The screen a user fills in. A project can have several forms, shown in order by navigation rules.

Control

One item on a form: a text box, combo box, check box, button, and so on. Rules refer to a control's value by its name followed by Return.

Rule

A formula, written in an Excel-like syntax, that returns a value. Rules decide control properties, model dimensions, file names, document content, and almost everything else in a project.

Default Value

A control property whose rule supplies the control's value. DriveWorks pushes the result into the control whenever the result changes.

Variable

A named rule whose result can be used by other rules. Referred to with the DWVariable prefix.

Constant

A named value that macros can change during a specification. Referred to with the DWConstant prefix.

Simple Table

A table of data stored in one project and entered at design time. Changes made at runtime last only for that specification.

Calculation Table

A table whose cells and columns hold rules, evaluated live during a specification. Used for filtering, sorting, and reshaping data.

Group Table

A table stored at group level, readable by every project in the group and updatable at runtime.

Captured model

A SOLIDWORKS part, assembly, or drawing whose dimensions, features, custom properties, and other parameters have been registered with DriveWorks so that rules can drive them.

Model rule

A rule that sets the value of one captured parameter of a model: a dimension, a feature's suppression state, a custom property, a file name.

Generation task

A task DriveWorks runs in SOLIDWORKS while generating a model or drawing, such as running a macro or exporting a file format.

.driveprojx

The file extension of a DriveWorks project file.

ProjectStyles.css

A stylesheet placed next to a project file to theme its forms in DriveWorks 22 and 23. GroupStyles.css does the same for every project in a group.

Manufacturing and business terms

Design automation

Using rules to produce the models, drawings, and documents for a product variant, instead of an engineer editing them by hand for each order.

CPQ

Configure, price, quote. Software that lets a salesperson or customer configure a product, price it, and produce a quote.

ETO

Engineered to order. Each order needs some engineering work before it can be built.

CTO

Configured to order. Each order is a combination of predefined options, with no new engineering.

BOM

Bill of materials. The list of parts, quantities, and sub-assemblies in a design. Engineering produces it; purchasing and production use it to decide what to buy and make.

ERP

Enterprise resource planning. The business system that holds items, bills of materials, inventory, orders, and accounting, intended as one source of truth across departments.

CRM

Customer relationship management. The system where sales and marketing keep customers, contacts, and opportunities.

CAD

Computer-aided design. The software engineers and designers use to create 2D drawings and 3D models.

SWX

Shorthand for SOLIDWORKS, the 3D CAD software that DriveWorks automates.

Routing

The ordered list of operations and work centers needed to make a part, held in the ERP alongside the bill of materials.

Common questions

What is a specification in DriveWorks?

A specification is one run of a DriveWorks project: a single set of answers entered in the form, plus the models, drawings, and documents generated from them.

What is the difference between a DriveWorks group and a project?

A group is the container for a whole implementation, including users, security, shared tables, and captured models. A project is one configurator inside that group, stored as a .driveprojx file.

What is DriveWorks Autopilot?

DriveWorks Autopilot is the DriveWorks Pro module that generates models, drawings, and documents unattended, typically on a server, and can pick up jobs from a database, a folder, or a web service.

What does DWX mean?

DWX is community shorthand for DriveWorks, in the same way SWX is used for SOLIDWORKS.