INSTALLATION GUIDE

SOLIDWORKS PCB 2016

Contents
Legal Notices.................................................................................................................3
1 Overview.....................................................................................................................6
Prerequisites and System Requirements............................................................................................7

2 Installation..................................................................................................................8
Installing SOLIDWORKS PCB............................................................................................................8
Installing SOLIDWORKS PCB Services..............................................................................................8
Changing the Default Admin Login................................................................................................9
Installing SOLIDWORKS PCB Add-In for SOLIDWORKS 2015 SP5 Clients.....................................9
Installing the SOLIDWORKS PCB Connector for Altium Designer...................................................10

3 Post Installation........................................................................................................11
Adding a User to SOLIDWORKS PCB Services...............................................................................11
Logging into the SOLIDWORKS PCB Add-in Repository.................................................................11
Uninstalling SOLIDWORKS PCB Services.......................................................................................12

Legal Notices
1995-2016, Dassault Systemes SolidWorks Corporation, a Dassault Systmes SE
company, 175 Wyman Street, Waltham, Mass. 02451 USA. All Rights Reserved.
The information and the software discussed in this document are subject to change without
notice and are not commitments by Dassault Systemes SolidWorks Corporation (DS
SolidWorks).
No material may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronically
or manually, for any purpose without the express written permission of DS SolidWorks.
The software discussed in this document is furnished under a license and may be used
or copied only in accordance with the terms of the license. All warranties given by DS
SolidWorks as to the software and documentation are set forth in the license agreement,
and nothing stated in, or implied by, this document or its contents shall be considered
or deemed a modification or amendment of any terms, including warranties, in the license
agreement.

Patent Notices
SOLIDWORKS 3D mechanical CAD and/or Simulation software is protected by U.S.
Patents 6,219,049; 6,219,055; 6,611,725; 6,844,877; 6,898,560; 6,906,712; 7,079,990;
7,477,262; 7,558,705; 7,571,079; 7,590,497; 7,643,027; 7,672,822; 7,688,318;
7,694,238; 7,853,940; 8,305,376; 8,581,902; 8,817,028, 8,910,078; 9,129,083;
9,153,072 and foreign patents, (e.g., EP 1,116,190 B1 and JP 3,517,643).
eDrawings software is protected by U.S. Patent 7,184,044; U.S. Patent 7,502,027; and
Canadian Patent 2,318,706.
U.S. and foreign patents pending.

Trademarks and Product Names for SOLIDWORKS Products and Services

SOLIDWORKS, 3D ContentCentral, 3D PartStream.NET, eDrawings, and the eDrawings
logo are registered trademarks and FeatureManager is a jointly owned registered trademark
of DS SolidWorks.
CircuitWorks, FloXpress, PhotoView 360, and TolAnalyst are trademarks of DS SolidWorks.
FeatureWorks is a registered trademark of Geometric Ltd.
SOLIDWORKS 2016, SOLIDWORKS Standard, SOLIDWORKS Professional, SOLIDWORKS
Premium, SOLIDWORKS PDM Professional, SOLIDWORKS PDM Standard, SOLIDWORKS
Workgroup PDM, SOLIDWORKS Simulation, SOLIDWORKS Flow Simulation, eDrawings,
eDrawings Professional, SOLIDWORKS Sustainability, SOLIDWORKS Plastics, SOLIDWORKS
Electrical, SOLIDWORKS Composer, and SOLIDWORKS MBD are product names of DS
SolidWorks.
Other brand or product names are trademarks or registered trademarks of their respective
holders.
COMMERCIAL COMPUTER SOFTWARE - PROPRIETARY
The Software is a commercial item as that term is defined at 48 C.F.R. 2.101 (OCT
1995), consisting of commercial computer software and commercial software
3

Legal Notices

documentation as such terms are used in 48 C.F.R. 12.212 (SEPT 1995) and is provided
to the U.S. Government (a) for acquisition by or on behalf of civilian agencies, consistent
with the policy set forth in 48 C.F.R. 12.212; or (b) for acquisition by or on behalf of units
of the Department of Defense, consistent with the policies set forth in 48 C.F.R. 227.7202-1
(JUN 1995) and 227.7202-4 (JUN 1995)
In the event that you receive a request from any agency of the U.S. Government to
provide Software with rights beyond those set forth above, you will notify DS SolidWorks
of the scope of the request and DS SolidWorks will have five (5) business days to, in its
sole discretion, accept or reject such request. Contractor/Manufacturer: Dassault Systemes
SolidWorks Corporation, 175 Wyman Street, Waltham, Massachusetts 02451 USA.

Copyright Notices for SOLIDWORKS Standard, Premium, Professional,

and Education Products
Portions of this software 1986-2015 Siemens Product Lifecycle Management Software
Inc. All rights reserved.
This work contains the following software owned by Siemens Industry Software Limited:
D-Cubed 2D DCM 2015. Siemens Industry Software Limited. All Rights Reserved.
D-Cubed 3D DCM 2015. Siemens Industry Software Limited. All Rights Reserved.
D-Cubed PGM 2015. Siemens Industry Software Limited. All Rights Reserved.
D-Cubed CDM 2015. Siemens Industry Software Limited. All Rights Reserved.
D-Cubed AEM 2015. Siemens Industry Software Limited. All Rights Reserved.
Portions of this software 1998-2015 Geometric Ltd.
Portions of this software incorporate PhysX by NVIDIA 2006-2010.
Portions of this software 2001-2015 Luxology, LLC. All rights reserved, patents pending.
Portions of this software 2007-2015 DriveWorks Ltd.
Copyright 1984-2010 Adobe Systems Inc. and its licensors. All rights reserved. Protected
by U.S. Patents 5,929,866; 5,943,063; 6,289,364; 6,563,502; 6,639,593; 6,754,382;
Patents Pending.
Adobe, the Adobe logo, Acrobat, the Adobe PDF logo, Distiller and Reader are registered
trademarks or trademarks of Adobe Systems Inc. in the U.S. and other countries.
For more DS SolidWorks copyright information, see Help > About SOLIDWORKS.

Copyright Notices for SOLIDWORKS Simulation Products

Portions of this software 2008 Solversoft Corporation.
PCGLSS 1992-2014 Computational Applications and System Integration, Inc. All rights
reserved.

Copyright Notices for SOLIDWORKS Standard Product

2011, Microsoft Corporation. All rights reserved.

Copyright Notices for SOLIDWORKS PDM Professional Product

Outside In Viewer Technology, 1992-2012 Oracle
4

Legal Notices

2011, Microsoft Corporation. All rights reserved.

Copyright Notices for eDrawings Products

Portions of this software 2000-2014 Tech Soft 3D.
Portions of this software 1995-1998 Jean-Loup Gailly and Mark Adler.
Portions of this software 1998-2001 3Dconnexion.
Portions of this software 1998-2014 Open Design Alliance. All rights reserved.
Portions of this software 1995-2012 Spatial Corporation.
The eDrawings for Windows software is based in part on the work of the Independent
JPEG Group.
Portions of eDrawings for iPad copyright 1996-1999 Silicon Graphics Systems, Inc.
Portions of eDrawings for iPad copyright 2003 2005 Apple Computer Inc.

1
Overview
SOLIDWORKS PCB is a PCB (printed circuit board) design tool integrated with the SOLIDWORKS
3D design software to enhance collaboration between electrical and mechanical designers. You
can make changes to component placement, board shape, and mounting holes on a PCB in
the SOLIDWORKS 3D design software, and sync those changes with SOLIDWORKS PCB using
easily-managed engineering change orders (ECOs).
To use SOLIDWORKS PCB in conjunction with the SOLIDWORKS software you need:
SOLIDWORKS PCB
SOLIDWORKS PCB Services
SOLIDWORKS PCB Add-In
Altium Designer can also be integrated with the SOLIDWORKS software. To use Altium Designer
in conjunction with the SOLIDWORKS software you need:
SOLIDWORKS PCB Services
SOLIDWORKS PCB Add-In
SOLIDWORKS PCB Connector
SOLIDWORKS PCB is a PCB design tool. It is installed separately from the SOLIDWORKS
software.
SOLIDWORKS PCB Services provides a communication link between SOLIDWORKS PCB and
the SOLIDWORKS software. It includes Microsoft Internet Information Services and a database
that stores data used to synchronize the work of the electrical and mechanical designers.
SOLIDWORKS PCB Services is installed separately from the SOLIDWORKS software, but does
not require a separate license. In network environments it is typically installed on a share
server that is not running the SOLIDWORKS software. However, it can also be installed with
other SOLIDWORKS PCB components on a single machine. SOLIDWORKS PCB Services must
be running at all times. It must also have uninterrupted, bidirectional communication through
firewalls and virus scanners with clients running SOLIDWORKS PCB and the SOLIDWORKS
software, and with any clients running Altium Designer that are going to be integrated with
the SOLIDWORKS software.
SOLIDWORKS PCB Add-In allows SOLIDWORKS software clients to integrate with SOLIDWORKS
PCB and Altium Designer. It is pre-installed by default by SOLIDWORKS 2016 SP3, and can
be separately installed for SOLIDWORKS 2015 SP5.
SOLIDWORKS PCB Connector is an add-in to the Altium Designer client that allows it to integrate
with the SOLIDWORKS software using SOLIDWORKS PCB Services. It is installed from the
Altium Designer client.

Overview

This chapter includes the following topics:

Prerequisites and System Requirements

Prerequisites and System Requirements

Before installing, you must have the following prerequisites:
a SOLIDWORKS PCB serial number.
a SOLIDWORKS PCB Connector serial number for any Altium Designer clients that are
going to be integrated with the SOLIDWORKS software.
Ensure that your machine meets the following system requirements, prior to installing
the software.
SOLIDWORKS PCB
Operating System:

Windows 7 or newer

RAM:

4Gb+

Processor:

Intel Core i3 processor or equivalent

Disk Space:

1.2 Gb (Install + User Files)

SOLIDWORKS PCB Services

Operating System:

Windows 7 or newer/ Windows Server 2008

or newer

RAM:

6Gb+

Processor:

Intel Core i3/i5 processor or equivalent (2

or more cores)

Disk Space:

20Gb

2
Installation
You can access all the SOLIDWORKS PCB install software from the Downloads page of the
Dassault Systmes SOLIDWORKS Customer Portal.
Then from the SOLIDWORKS tab, download the install files for:
SOLIDWORKS PCB
SOLIDWORKS PCB Services
SOLIDWORKS PCB Add-In

This chapter includes the following topics:

Installing
Installing
Installing
Installing

SOLIDWORKS PCB
SOLIDWORKS PCB Services
SOLIDWORKS PCB Add-In for SOLIDWORKS 2015 SP5 Clients
the SOLIDWORKS PCB Connector for Altium Designer

Installing SOLIDWORKS PCB

To install SOLIDWORKS PCB:
1. When the Setup Wizard launches, click NEXT to continue with the installation.
2. On the License Terms page, click I AGREE.
3. On the Serial Number page, enter the SOLIDWORKS PCB serial number and click
NEXT.
4. On the Destination Folders page, enter destination folders for program files and shared
documents, and click NEXT.
5. On the Ready to Install page, click NEXT to continue with the installation.
6. On the Installation Complete page, click FINISH.

Installing SOLIDWORKS PCB Services

To install SOLIDWORKS PCB Services:
1. When the Setup Wizard launches, click Next to continue with the installation.
2. On the License Terms page, accept the license terms and click Next.
3. On the Select Destination Location page, enter a destination folder for the
SOLIDWORKS PCB Services files, and click Next.
4. On the Select SOLIDWORKS PCB Services Data Directory page, enter destination
folders for the SOLIDWORKS PCB Services database and revisions files, and click
Next.
8

Installation

5. On the SOLIDWORKS PCB Services Configuration page, accept the default port of
9780 or enter another open port, and click Next.
6. When a dialog box prompts to install the Microsoft Internet Installation Services
package, click Yes.
7. On the Completing the SOLIDWORKS PCB Services Setup Wizard page, click Finish.

Changing the Default Admin Login

SOLIDWORKS PCB Services provides a default administrator account with the following
credentials:
admin for Username
admin for Password
For better security, it is highly recommended that you change the login credentials for
this account.
To change the default admin login:
1. Open a web browser, and in the address bar, enter the machine name and port
number in the form: http://server name:port number.
The default port number is 9780.
2. On the Sign in to SOLIDWORKS PCB Services page, enter admin as the username
and admin as the password, and click Sign In.
3. On the SOLIDWORKS PCB Services menu, click Users and click the Users tab.
4. Click the link associated with the admin account or click the Edit User icon
5. Modify the user information, username, and password.
6. Click Save.

Installing SOLIDWORKS PCB Add-In for SOLIDWORKS

2015 SP5 Clients
The SOLIDWORKS PCB Add-In is installed on workstations where designers are running
the SOLIDWORKS software. It is pre-installed by default by SOLIDWORKS 2016 SP3.
You can install it separately for SOLIDWORKS 2015 SP5.
To install SOLIDWORKS PCB Add-in with a SOLIDWORKS 2015 SP5 client:
1. Go to the Downloads page of the SOLIDWORKS Customer Portal, and from the
SOLIDWORKS 2015 tab, download the SOLIDWORKS PCB Add-in file.
2. When the Setup Wizard launches, click Next to continue with the installation.
3. On the Select Destination Location page, enter the destination folder where you want
to install the SOLIDWORKS PCB Add-in, and click Next.
4. On the Ready to Install page, click Install to continue with the installation.
5. On the Installation Complete page, click Finish.

Installing the SOLIDWORKS PCB Connector for Altium

Designer
Altium Designer is a PCB (printed circuit board) design tool. Users who have licensed and
installed Altium Designer can integrate it with the SOLIDWORKS software by installing
the SOLIDWORKS PCB Connector.
To install SOLIDWORKS PCB Connector on a machine running Altium Designer:
1.
2.
3.
4.

Sign in to your Altium Account if you are not signed in automatically.

Launch Altium Designer, open the DXP tab, and click Extensions and Updates.
On the Extensions and Updates page, click the Purchased tab.
Scroll down to the Software Extensions section. Then on SOLIDWORKS PCB Connector,
click the down arrow in the top right corner of the tile to download and begin the
installation.

5. In the Confirm dialog box, click Yes to continue with the installation.
Note: You must perform steps 6 and 7 in the order specified to avoid activation
and installation problems.
6. On the PCB Connector Registration page, enter the SOLIDWORKS PCB Connector
serial number and click Register.
7. In the Confirm dialog box, displayed by the Altium Designer application, click Yes to
restart the system and complete the installation or click No to complete the installation
later.
To deactivate a SOLIDWORKS PCB Connector license, on the Help menu, click
SOLIDWORKS PCB Connector Licensing > Deactivate Licenses.

10

3
Post Installation
After installing SOLIDWORKS PCB and its components, you can add user accounts to
SOLIDWORKS PCB Services, so that users can access boards from the repository.
Additional tasks include instructions for logging into the SOLIDWORKS PCB Add-in repository
and uninstalling the software.
This chapter includes the following topics:

Adding a User to SOLIDWORKS PCB Services

Logging into the SOLIDWORKS PCB Add-in Repository
Uninstalling SOLIDWORKS PCB Services

Adding a User to SOLIDWORKS PCB Services

To add a user in the SOLIDWORKS PCB Services website:
1. Open a web browser and in the address bar, enter the server name and port number
assigned to SOLIDWORKS PCB Services. For example, in the form: http://server
name:port number.
2. On the Sign in to SOLIDWORKS PCB Services page, enter your administrator username
and password, and click Sign In.
3. On the SOLIDWORKS PCB Services menu, click Users and click the Users tab.
4. Click the Add User button and type the following:

First Name
Last Name
User Name
Password
Email address
Phone number

Also, you must select a User Role and check the Member box to associate the user
with a group.
5. Click Save.
The user is listed in the User tab. You can edit the user information as needed.

Logging into the SOLIDWORKS PCB Add-in Repository

In SOLIDWORKS, when you select a new board or pull an existing board from the PCB
Add-in Task Pane, you must login to SOLIDWORKS PCB Services to access the repository.

11

To login and access the SOLIDWORKS PCB Add-in repository:

1. From the SOLIDWORKS Task Pane, click the SOLIDWORKS PCB Add-in button
.
2. Click New Board Assembly or Pull Board From Vault.
3. Login to SOLIDWORKS PCB Services:
a) Specify the server name and port number assigned to SOLIDWORKS PCB Services.
For example, type in the form: http://server name:port number.
b) Type your Username and Password, and click OK.

Uninstalling SOLIDWORKS PCB Services

To uninstall SOLIDWORKS PCB Services:
1. Click Start > All Programs > SOLIDWORKS version > SOLIDWORKS PCB
Services > Uninstall SOLIDWORKS PCB Services.
2. When you are prompted to remove SOLIDWORKS PCB Services and its components,
click Yes.
3. When you are prompted to delete all SOLIDWORKS PCB Services data, click No.
You must click No if you want to prevent all data and revision files from being
deleted permanently.

12