The main goal of the project was to learn to use the SolidWorks API and to automate the design of tabs. The basic function of the code it to create a tab in Solidworks CAD based on dimensions inputted by the users. The user can then view the part file and continue to modify dimensions until they are ready to save the file.
In order to run this code you will need access to Solidworks and a coding environment in windows. I used Solidworks 2019, Anaconda for Windows, and Git for Windows.
A python wrapper called PyWin32 also needs to be installed. It allows you to gain access to the Win32 API and allows you to create and use COM objects. To install use the following:
conda install pywin32
To start you need to open the SolidWorks application manually, so the start of the code has something to dispatch to. Depending on what version of the SolidWorks you have installed, the variable swYearLastDigit may need to be changed. For example, if you have SolidWorks 2013 you would set that variable equal to 3. It is worth noting that for older versions of SolidWorks the SolidWorks API may have changed and I have not tested the code on any older versions. However, it should work perfectly for versions 2019 and 2020.
swYearLastDigit = 9
sw = win32com.client.Dispatch("SldWorks.Application.%d" % (20+(swYearLastDigit-2)))
You also need to make sure the following setting is turned off:
More information can be found at the project website