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HELiOS 2022

| Aktuelles | Software Updates

HELiOS 2022, the latest version of our PDM software, is now available. One developmental focus was on the performance increase in various areas, from the combined search in the HELiOS Deskop and the object search in the HELiOS Internet Server to the workspace in the MultiCAD interfaces.

The significantly simplified editing of attribute values directly in the HELiOS user interface as well as the enhancements in the display of units should also be emphasized. In order to further meet requirements for international work, the range of functions for the display of units (e.g. length or volume units or time specifications) has been significantly expanded in HELiOS 2022. For example, with the help of attribute management, it is possible to work with unit categories for database attributes that also distinguish between EU and US units. These are displayed accordingly in masks and result lists of the HELiOS interface and automatically converted.

Also new is that as of HELiOS 2022, the previous ISD.PDM.API will be dropped and replaced by the new API from HELiOS.Interface. This is an API independent of HiCAD with which you can conveniently create, search for or change objects such as projects, documents and articles. Workflow editing can also be facilitated with the API. No additional module is required to use the API, but it does require participation in a training course and programming knowledge.

Last but not least, the functionality of the Inventor and SOLIDWORKS integration modules has also been extended.

Highlights

HELiOS general / HELiOS Desktop

Discontinuation of the ISD.PDM.API
From HELiOS 2022 onwards, the previous ISD.PDM.API will be discontinued and replaced by the new API from Helios.Interface.

HELiOS.Interface - API
The HELiOS.Interface API is an API independent of HiCAD with which you can conveniently create, search for or change objects such as Projects, Documents and Articles. Workflow editing can also be facilitated with the API. Working with the API does not require an additional module, but it does require participation in a training course and programming knowledge.

Enhancements in handling units
In order to further meet requirements for international work, HELiOS 2700 has extended the range of functions for input and output of units (e.g. units of measurement, time) accordingly. With the help of HELiOS's attribute management, you can work at database attribute level with unit categories that also distinguish between EU and US units. When installing a new HELiOS standard database from Version 2700 onwards, the corresponding unit categories including the standard unit are already defined for many FLOAT attributes. Legacy data are not initially converted by update installations, but you can do so by manually changing the unit category once. The Standard unit for display stored in the HELiOS Attribute Editor is then used accordingly for display in result lists.

Open, with options from result lists

  • As with the functions Open + Edit or Open, read-only, you can also execute the function Open, with options of HELiOS documents directly from result lists via a button.
  • The dialogue has been extended by further selection options, which mainly concern the MultiCAD interfaces. Via the menu items Updating of attributes and Updating of components to newer indices you can control the loading behaviour of documents in such a way that the updating of database attributes or the document revision is restricted or prevented altogether.This makes sense, for example, if you only want to load documents of large assemblies in read-only mode for viewing instead of editing and want to save performance time.

Edit attribute values
In the HELiOS UI there are various ways to change the values of certain attributes: For example, you can call the function Edit attribute values in detail masks of objects, whereupon all attributes of the corresponding HELiOS object (Article, Document, Project, ...) are listed in the dialogue window. At this point you have the possibility to change the attributes that may be changed. Alternatively, you can also right-click on a specific attribute field in result lists and then call up the Edit attribute value function from the context menu to change this specific value (if it is permitted). The range of functions and editing options at these points has been extended. For example, you can edit the current revision index of a HELiOS object in this way even without administration rights. Basically, all possible attributes of a corresponding object type are available for editing in the editing dialogue.

Copy & Paste attribute values
In addition to the extensions of the range of functions for editing attribute values, the possibility of copying and pasting attribute values via the clipboard has been created. Multiple selection of target objects to transfer the copied value to several fields simultaneously is also possible. Of course, you can also transfer the copied attribute value in this way to other applications such as Office or to an ERP system.

Show Classification tab in Find document/article dialogue
You now have the option of setting whether or not the Classification tab should be displayed in the respective search window for documents or articles (or in the combined search window). In the HELiOS Options dialogue window, open the General tab and, under Find, activate the Show Classification tab in Find document/article dialogue checkbox. The checkbox is deactivated by default.

Create follow-on sheet with link
The behaviour of the document input function Create follow-on sheet, with link has been modified to consider only links whose automation behaviour has been defined with Apply when creating new follow-on sheets. This behaviour is analogous to the taking over of links in connection with the creation of revision indices and ensures that only reasonable links to the follow-on sheet are created.

Optimised performance for Combined search
When working with the Combined search, it could happen in the past that executing the search without specifying further search conditions resulted in longer loading times, as in this case all entries of the database are listed for the selected links. For HELiOS 2022 (v. 2700) a significant performance improvement could be achieved at this point. With 160,000 search results, it takes only about 5 seconds to build up the list of results (with only very low latency to the database).

Uploading files from HELiOS into the ISD File Centre
In the Help menu of the HELiOS Desktop and the mask editor you will find the new menu item Upload file into the ISD File Centre... . With the help of this function you can upload files directly from HELiOS into the ISD File Centre, e.g. in connection with the ISD Support for an already existing support ticket.

Workspace Manager
The Workspace Manager is a cross-application tool for session management of HELiOS documents. Since its use, which used to be required mainly for the multi-CAD interfaces, can now also be relevant when working with the HELiOS Desktop or the HELiOS Office interface, you will find the call in the HELiOS Options at Database > General > Local session.

HELiOS Multi-CAD general

Performance
HELiOS 2022 has achieved significant performance improvements of the Multi-CAD interfaces. These include the HELiOS Workspace available in CAD applications such as Inventor or SOLIDWORKS, via which, for example, the loading, saving and closing of parts, assemblies or drawings, as well as the processing control, the transfer of new data and the derivation of existing documents could be significantly accelerated. A significant increase in performance was also achieved in the general saving of larger model structures.

New features for New in HELiOS, deriving, index creation
New in HELiOS, the dialogue for transferring the CAD model structure into the HELiOS database, has been revised and extended.

  • The newly added button Select all documents at the top of the window makes it possible to select only newly added documents with one click and to exclude documents in the process.
  • The option When selecting document also automatically select article under General settings replaces the former option Allow pure document selection. If this option is set, the corresponding article is automatically selected when a document is selected. If you do not create article masters for all document masters, you should work here with the checkbox deactivated.
  • As with New in HELiOS , you will also find the extensions and changes in the similarly structured functions Derive model structure and the new Revision index for model structure dialogue window.

Workflow assignments
In previous versions you found the setting options for the automatic assignment of CAD file types to a HELiOS Workflow in the context of MultiCAD interfaces in a separate menu window . With the update to HELiOS 2022, this assignment has been integrated into the global HELiOS options. In the delivered default setting, all file types are assigned to the HELiOS Workflow CAD Document (R). Of course, you can still make corresponding changes and additions at this point.

HELiOS Options: Updating of attributes
In connection with the newly created possibility to control the updating of attributes when using the function Open, with options, the global HELiOS Options for Autodesk Inventor and SOLIDWORKS have been extended to allow this setting to be configured in general. Opening documents without checking and, if necessary, updating the attributes of all substructures can save a considerable amount of loading time, but to avoid possible data collisions or losses, it is recommended to proceed in this way primarily with documents that have been opened in read-only mode.

Improved handling of opened locally changed files
When opening locally modified files from the HELiOS Workspace for which a newer version exists on the server, a corresponding message will be displayed. If you click OK in the message window, the local change is discarded and the server state of the file is reloaded and opened. If you click Cancel, the local version from the workspace is opened. If there is a new server version for files that have not been changed locally and are opened from the workspace, the newer server version is automatically loaded. This is not only the case with the MultiCAD interfaces, but also with other applications coupled with HELiOS, such as Office.

Discontinuation of old MultiCAD interfaces for HELiOS 2022
As of HELiOS 2022, the following versions of the MultiCAD interfaces will no longer be supported:

  • AutoCAD (Mechanical) 2018
  • Inventor 2018
  • Navisworks 2018
HELiOS and HiCAD

Discontinuation of the ISD.PDM.API
From HELiOS 2022 onwards, the previous ISD.PDM.API will be discontinued and replaced by the new API from Helios.Interface.

Output of units via the Report Manager
If you work with the unit categories introduced in HELiOS 2022, you have the possibility to output the standard display units of relevant attributes also when transferring HiCAD product structures to the Report Manager. The standard display unit is also used when displaying the attributes in the product structure tree.

HELiOS and Inventor

Performance
In addition to general performance improvements of the HELiOS-MultiCAD interface, significant performance increases could also be achieved when opening and saving complete structures in Inventor.

Open, with options
The HELiOS function Open, with options... can be called up via the document context menu (e.g. with RMT on result list entries) or from document detail windows. This offers file type-specific options that you can take into account when opening a document. For the Inventor interface, two additional setting options are available from HELiOS 2022:

  • For Inventor assemblies you can select an Express mode,
  • For Inventor drawings, the option Postpone updating is available.

 

HELiOS and SOLIDWORKS

Attribute assignments: Conversion of the standard mapping to labels
With HELiOS 2022 an adapted standard attribute mapping is delivered. By changing the mapping for naming component names to labels, a significant performance increase could be achieved when opening SOLIDWORKS assemblies. Existing mappings that are not changed by an update installation should be adapted to the new standard manually. Please also read the further notes on this.

Revise model structure
The new Revision index for model structure function is used to version HELiOS documents or parts and assemblies based on the CAD model structure, as with the New in HELiOS input dialogue or the Derived drawing function. You can select for each document whether you want to index only this document or whether the link to an article should be taken over or broken up.

HELiOS Vault Server

Improved replication behaviour

  • Some optimisations in the behaviour of the Vault Server guarantee a stability gain in replication management between different locations with the current HELiOS version. This improvement also affects cloud environments in particular.
  • In addition, cross-site replication has been improved to work stably in the case of "overlaps" that can occur with very short update intervals (i.e.: a current replication is still running while the next one is already initiated).

New: HELiOS.Interface - API

Workspace Manager in HELiOS Options


Enhancements in handling units

Open, with options from result lists


Show Classification tab in Find document/article dialogue

Revise model structure

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