mono/packages/cad/docs

PolyMech CAD Tools

Automate your SolidWorks workflow from the command line. Batch-convert assemblies, parts, and drawings to STEP, PDF, HTML, XLSX, and more — no GUI clicking required.

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Why pm-cad?

Pain point	pm-cad solution
Manual "Save As" for every file format	One command converts hundreds of files in parallel
No easy way to export BOMs	Generates XLSX bills of materials directly from assemblies
HTML previews require eDrawings seats	Batch-exports interactive HTML webviews via eDrawings API
Configuration variants are tedious	Iterates all configurations automatically with ${CONFIGURATION}
Hard to integrate into build pipelines	Works as a CLI, Node.js library, or Grunt task

Quick Start

# Install globally
npm i @polymech/cad -g

# Convert an assembly to STEP + PDF
pm-cad sw --src="./cad/Global*.SLDASM" --dst="${SRC_DIR}/${SRC_NAME}.+(step|pdf)"

# See all options
pm-cad --help

Installation

Via npm (recommended)

npm i @polymech/cad -g

Windows Installer

Download and run PolyMechCAD-Setup.exe. The installer auto-detects privileges:

• Double-click → installs per-user to %LOCALAPPDATA%, no admin required
• Right-click → Run as administrator → installs system-wide to Program Files

Both modes add pm-cad to your PATH automatically.

What It Does

Format Conversions

Convert between any supported format using glob patterns:

# Assembly → STEP
pm-cad sw --src="./cad/**/*.SLDASM" --dst="${SRC_DIR}/${SRC_NAME}.step"

# Parts + Assemblies → PDF + JPG (recursive)
pm-cad sw --src="./cad/**/*.+(SLDASM|SLDPRT)" --dst="${SRC_DIR}/${SRC_NAME}.+(pdf|jpg)"

# Assembly → Interactive HTML webview (via eDrawings)
pm-cad sw --src="./cad/*.SLDASM" --dst="${SRC_DIR}/${SRC_NAME}.html"

# Draw.io diagrams → PNG
pm-cad sw --src="./docs/**/*.drawio" --dst="${SRC_DIR}/${SRC_NAME}.png"

Bill of Materials (BOM)

Extract structured BOMs directly from assemblies:

pm-cad sw --src="./cad/**/*.SLDASM" --dst="${SRC_DIR}/${SRC_NAME}.xlsx"

Metadata & Configuration Export

# Custom properties → JSON
pm-cad sw --src="./cad/*.SLDASM" --dst="${SRC_DIR}/${SRC_NAME}.json"

# All configurations → JSON
pm-cad sw --src="./cad/*.SLDASM" --dst="${SRC_DIR}/${SRC_NAME}-configs.json"

# Per-configuration STEP + HTML export
pm-cad sw --src="./cad/*.SLDASM" --dst="${SRC_DIR}/${SRC_NAME}-${CONFIGURATION}.+(step|html)"

Pack & Go

Flatten an assembly and all its references into a single folder:

pm-cad pack --src="./cad/Global*.SLDASM" --dst="./packed"

Path Variables

Build dynamic output paths using built-in variables:

Variable	Description
${SRC_DIR}	Directory of the current source file
${SRC_NAME}	Base name without extension
${SRC_FILE_EXT}	Source file extension
${CONFIGURATION}	Current model configuration name

Glob Pattern Syntax

Pattern	Matches
*.SLDASM	All assemblies in current directory
**/*.SLDPRT	All parts, recursively
*.+(SLDASM|SLDPRT)	Assemblies and parts
*.+(step|pdf|jpg)	Multiple output formats

Integration

File Manager (Altap Salamander)

Register pm-cad as a custom menu command (F9) for right-click conversions:

Command:    pm-cad
Arguments:  sw --src="$(FullName)" --dst="&{SRC_DIR}/&{SRC_NAME}.+(step)"

Use --alt=true to switch variable prefix from $ to & when the host app uses $ for its own variables.

Batch Droplets

Create a .bat file and drag-and-drop files onto it:

@echo off
pm-cad sw --src="%~1" --dst="${SRC_DIR}/${SRC_NAME}.+(html)"

For folders:

@echo off
pm-cad sw --src="%~1/**/*.+(SLDASM|SLDPRT)" --dst="${SRC_DIR}/${SRC_NAME}.+(html)"

Node.js Library

import { convert } from '@polymech/cad/cad/sw-lib';

await convert({
  src: './cad/**/*.SLDASM',
  dst: '${SRC_DIR}/${SRC_NAME}.+(step|pdf)',
  verbose: true,
  skip: true
});

Grunt Task

const cad = require('@polymech/cad/cad/sw-lib');

grunt.registerMultiTask('cad-convert', 'Convert SW files', function () {
  const done = this.async();
  convert(this.data.items, { ...options }, this.data.output)
    .then(() => done());
});

// Gruntfile config
'cad-convert': {
  step: { items: products, output: '${SRC_DIR}/${SRC_NAME}.+(step)' },
  html: { items: products, output: '${SRC_DIR}/../resources/${SRC_NAME}.+(html)' },
  bom:  { items: products, output: '${SRC_DIR}/../resources/${SRC_NAME}.+(xlsx)' }
}

Supported Formats

Input

Format	Extension
SolidWorks Assembly	.SLDASM
SolidWorks Part	.SLDPRT
SolidWorks Drawing	.SLDDRW
STEP	.step, .stp

Output

Format	Extension	Source	Engine
STEP	.step	Parts, Assemblies	convert.exe
PDF	.pdf	Parts, Assemblies, Drawings	convert.exe
JPEG	.jpg	Parts, Assemblies, Drawings	convert.exe
HTML (eDrawings)	.html	Parts, Assemblies	ExportHTML.exe
JSON (metadata)	.json	Assemblies	model-reader.exe
JSON (configs)	-configs.json	Assemblies	getconfigs.exe
Excel BOM	.xlsx	Assemblies	bom.exe

Native Toolchain

Under the hood, pm-cad orchestrates a set of C# binaries that talk directly to SolidWorks via COM interop (xCAD + SolidWorks Interop) and eDrawings API.

Binary	Role
convert.exe	Opens models via COM, calls SaveAs for STEP/PDF/JPG. PhotoView 360 ray-trace rendering with configurable quality, resolution, and camera view. Pack & Go support for assembly flattening.
model-reader.exe	Traverses the full assembly tree and extracts per-component data — see Extracted Data below. Outputs a flat properties table + a hierarchical .tree.json.
bom.exe	Inserts a BOM table annotation into the assembly via xCAD, then calls SaveAsExcel to produce XLSX output. Supports custom BOM templates, type (PartsOnly / TopLevel / Indented), detail level, and optional component images.
ExportHTML.exe	Headless eDrawings API export — opens a hidden WinForms host, loads the model, and saves interactive HTML. No SolidWorks license required (eDrawings is free).
getconfigs.exe	Enumerates all configurations in a model and serializes their names + properties to JSON.

Extracted Data (model-reader)

For each component in the assembly tree, the following data is extracted:

Category	Fields
Custom Properties	All configuration-specific + global custom properties (evaluated values)
Mass Properties	Mass, Density, Volume, Surface Area, Center of Mass (X/Y/Z)
Materials	Material name + database per part
Bounding Box	Min/Max X/Y/Z per component
Equations	All equation names and evaluated values
Model States	What's Wrong count, error codes, warning flags, affected feature types
Suppression	Component suppression state

CLI Options Reference

Rendering

Flag	Default	Description
--renderer	solidworks	Render engine (solidworks or photoview)
--quality	2 (Good)	Ray trace quality level
--width	1024	Output image width in pixels
--height	1024	Output image height in pixels
--view	Render	Camera view name
--configuration	Default	Model configuration to use

BOM Options

Flag	Default	Description
--bom-config	Default	BOM configuration
--bom-type	2	BOM type
--bom-detail	1	Detail level
--bom-template	—	Custom BOM table template
--bom-images	false	Include component images

Workflow

Flag	Description
--dry	Preview operations without executing
--cache	Use file hash caching to skip unchanged files
--save	Save the model after processing
--rebuild	Force model rebuild before export
--pack	Pack and go mode
--light	Lightweight mode
--close	Close SolidWorks after each conversion
--alt	Use & instead of $ for variable prefix
--logLevel	Minimum log level (debug, info, warn, error)

Requirements

• Node.js 18+
• SolidWorks 2020–2025 (auto-detected)
• Windows (SolidWorks COM interop)

License

ISC — PlasticHub