3D ContentCentral^® Help

How do I change my personal profile?

To change your personal information:

1. Log in and click Personal Profile.
2. Under Personal Information, click Edit.
3. Edit the information.
4. Click Submit.

To change your public profile:

1. Log in and click Personal Profile.
2. Under Public Profile, click Edit. 
3. Edit the information.
4. Click Submit.

How do I change my email address?

1. Log in and click Personal Profile.
2. Under Login Information, click Change Email.
3. Edit the information.
4. Click Submit.

How do I change my password?

1. Log in and click Personal Profile.
2. Under Login Information, click Change Password.
3. Edit the information.
4. Click Submit.

How do I change my display name?

Your display name is your first and last name from your personal information.

To change your first and/or last name:

1. Log in and click Personal Profile.
2. Under Personal Information, click Edit.
3. Edit your First name and/or your Last name.
4. Click Submit.

Why should I register and create an account?

Registering and creating an account is free. It enables you to:

• Download contributed and supplier-certified components (parts, features, blocks, macros) and share your own with the community.
• Rate and comment on content.
• Maintain My 3D ContentCentral for your specific needs by tagging content with your own terminology. 
• View your updates, favorites, requests, portfolio, contacts, comments, profile, and downloads/views.
• Participate in one of the most dynamic online CAD communities.
• Configure, view, and download supplier components in any 2D or 3D format.
• Request a quote on supplier-certified parts and assemblies.
• Request content you cannot find.

How do I delete my 3D ContentCentral account?

Contact us if you would like us to delete your account. If you also want to remove your 3DCC content such as uploaded models, features, blocks, macros, requests, and comments, you can delete this content in the My 3D ContentCentral section of the Web site.

What browsers are supported?

3D ContentCentral is supported on these browsers:

• Internet Explorer^® 6, 7, 8, 9 and 10
• Firefox^®
• Google^™ Chrome 

What can I search for?

You can search all content types (parts, features, blocks, macros) and contributors, and then filter your results by supplier name/user library, content type/contributor, category, rating, or tag.

To search:

1. Type your search words separated by spaces in the Search box located at the top right of all pages. As you type, suggestions might appear.
2. Click Search or press Enter. The entire 3D ContentCentral site is searched, including datasheets.
   The results appear and you can change the number of results per page and how they are sorted (Best match, Highest rated, Number of downloads). To view different pages of results, click the numbers or < (previous) or > (next) at the top or bottom of the search results.
3. If filters appear in the window, you can use them to refine the results. Possible filters include supplier, content type, category, rating, and tag.
4. You can also select or clear the selection boxes at the top of the search results to show or hide files from Suppliers, Individual Contributors (supplier related), or Individual Contributors (no supplier given). 

Can I search for models by specifications?

No.

What is advanced search?

Advanced search gives you additional options to make your searches more precise. You can search for content that contains:

• A group of words
• A specific set of words such as 9v battery connector
• A specific part number
• One or more words

You can also search for content that excludes one or more words.

Other advanced search options include:

• Search by specific content type (Parts & Assemblies, Library Features, 2D Blocks, and Macros)
• Search by supplier
• Search by category
• Search by minimum rating
• Search datasheets

You can combine any of these search types.

What is the difference between search and find content?

Searching helps you find something specific such as a special type of stepper motor or a particular user.

Find Content lets you explore everything within a topic such as all suppliers in a region or the most wanted parts & assemblies.

How do I find content?

1. Click Find Content.
2. To browse by category, enter a category and click Go. You can also view all model categories by clicking the All Model Categories link.
3. To browse by supplier, enter a supplier and click Go. You can also view all model suppliers by clicking the All Model Suppliers link.
4. To browse by region, click the link under Suppliers by Region and enter the appropriate information.
5. To browse by most wanted content, select an area (Parts & Assemblies, Library Features, 2D Blocks, or Macros) from the drop down list. You can also view all requests by clicking the View All link.

Are downloads free?

Yes.

Downloads are free to registered 3D ContentCentral users. You can download as many components as you want.

How do I download content?

You must be logged in to download content.

1. Navigate to the content you want to download.
2. Click Configure & Download:
   1. Customize any parameters, if needed.
   2. Select Format.
3. Click Download.
4. When the content is ready for download, either drag and drop the link into SolidWorks, or click the content name.

What formats can I download?

Do downloads place cookies on my system?

No.

Downloads do not place cookies. However, other aspects of the system do, such as visiting a supplier's Web site.

How can I share my content with other users of 3D ContentCentral?

To share one or more items at one time:

1. Click Upload Content.
2. Review the terms and conditions in Step 1 and click Accept.
3. You might be asked to install Microsoft® Silverlight™ and Java™ the first time you run the tool. Follow the onscreen instructions to install them.
4. Drag your content files to the Drag & drop your files here to upload area.
5. When you drop the files on the Drag & drop your files here to upload area, a row is added to the Upload Queue containing:
   1. Status 
   2. File Name
   3. Display Name
   4. Content Type 
6. When you select a single row by clicking its selection box, the File Details appear. You can enter or modify all of the data for the model. Use the arrows at the bottom of the File Details pane to view the information for other files in the Upload Queue. You must enter required (*) information.
7. Select the files you want to upload in the Upload Queue pane and click . A Confirmation dialog box shows the status of the upload. 
8. To remove a file from the Upload Queue, select it and click .  

If you are unable to add files to the Drag & drop your files here to upload area, restart your browser.

If you are unable to upload files using the previous method, you can still use the Single File Upload method:

1. Click Upload Content.
2. Review the terms and conditions in Step 1 and click Accept.
3. Click Single File Upload at the bottom of the Share Models page.
4. Click Browse to locate the content file.
5. Enter the required information in Step 2.
6. Click Upload to complete the upload.

What file formats can I upload onto 3D ContentCentral?

The upload is limited to whatever you can open with SolidWorks. In SolidWorks, save your file with the appropriate file type. You can upload the following formats:

• Parts/Assemblies - .sldprt, .sldasm, .sat, .step, .igs, .x_b, .x_t, .prt, and .asm
• Features - .sldlfp
• Blocks - .sldblk
• Macros - .swp

To upload an Autodesk model, you must first export it from Autodesk in the .sat, .step, or .igs format.

Non-native models appear as imported bodies when downloaded and opened with SolidWorks. The features will not be visible.

Why can't I upload my file to 3D ContentCentral?

There are no set rules to determine whether a file will upload, but there are some general guidelines that may help.

3D ContentCentral is unable to upload files that are too large or too complex, and they must be free of rebuild errors.

Parts:

• Should open and rebuild in less than 90 seconds
• Should contain less than 200 simple features, or 100 complex features such as surfacing

Assemblies:

• Should be smaller than 15 Mb (Zip file)
• Should contain less than 20 components

How do I upload an alternate version?

If you have a corrected version of a model that could be useful to the community, you can post it as an alternative to the current model.

To upload an alternate version:

1. From a model's page, click Alternate Versions.
2. Click Post Alternate Version.
3. In the Post Alternate Version window:
   1. Browse to the file you want to upload.
   2. Describe the advantages of the alternate version.
   3. Complete the Display Name, Category, Sub Category, Supplier Name, Supplier Part Number, and Description fields.
   4. Enter any tags separated by commas.
   5. Click Upload.

How do I upload an assembly?

To upload an assembly, drag and drop the SolidWorks assembly file (.sldasm) to the Drag & drop your files here to upload area.

An assembly with an ampersand (&) in its name cannot be uploaded.

How can I rate content contributed by others?

1. Browse to the contributed content.
2. Under Ratings & Comments, click Be the first to rate this part or Add Comment.
3. Select the star to represent your rating (1 star is the lowest rating and 5 stars is the highest rating).

For example:

4. Type an entry for One line summary.
5. Type an entry for Comment.
6. Click Submit.
7. Click Back to return to the content and view your rating.

How do I report inappropriate content?

You can report content in the User Library that is inappropriate.

1. On the page with the content, click Report inappropriate content.
2. Select an item from the list to describe the problem.
3. Add your feedback for Comments and details.
4. Click Send Report.
   An email is sent alerting SolidWorks of problems with this content.
   The content is reviewed (48-72 hours), and if deemed inappropriate, it is removed from the User Library.

How do I report inappropriate comments?

You can report content in the User Library with comments that are offensive.

1. On the page with the content, click Ratings & Comments, then click Report inappropriate comment under the inappropriate comment.
2. Select an item from the list to describe the problem.
3. Click Send Report.
   An email is sent alerting SolidWorks of the problem.
   The comment is reviewed (48-72 hours), and if deemed inappropriate, it is removed.

How do I report inappropriate tags?

You can report content in the User Library with tags that are offensive.

1. On the page with the content click Tags, and then click Report inappropriate tag.
2. Select the tag from the list that you want to report as inappropriate.
3. Enter a comment and select your reason for flagging the tag as inappropriate.
4. Click Submit.
   An email is sent alerting SolidWorks of problems with this tag.
   The tag is reviewed (48-72 hours), and if deemed inappropriate, it is removed.

How do I delete a model?

1. In My 3D ContentCentral, click Portfolio and browse to the model you want to delete.
2. Click Edit this Model.
3. Click Delete this Part.
4. Click Delete it to confirm the deletion.

How do I edit a model's information?

1. In My 3D ContentCentral, click Portfolio and browse to the model whose information you want to change.
2. Click Edit this Model.
3. Browse to the file whose information you want to change.
4. Edit the desired information.
5. Click Update this Part.
6. Close the confirmation window.

How do I request a quote from a supplier?

If included by the supplier, click Request for Quote link. Otherwise, click All products for this supplier to go to the supplier's Web site.

How can I get information about a supplier?

Click Find Content and then select a supplier.

Many companies provide brief descriptions of their services as well as contact details.

• To send email to the company, click the Contact Supplier link in their supplier profile.
• To visit their Web site, click the company Web site link in their supplier profile.

How do I request a new supplier?

1. Click Request Content.
2. Click Request Supplier.
3. In the Supplier Name window, enter the name and click Go.
   • If the supplier belongs to 3D ContentCentral, you can go directly to their catalog.
   • If there are possible matches, you can select from them.
   • If there is not a match, you can request to add the supplier. You will be informed if the supplier joins 3D ContentCentral.

To view a list af all requested suppliers, click the Supplier tab.

How do I request new content?

1. Click Request Content at the top of the page.
2. Under Requests click Request Content.
3. Choose the Content Type from the drop down list.
4. Depending on the content type, enter the necessary data.
5. Click Add Requests.

To view a list of all requested content, click the Content tab on the Request Content page. You can filter the list by types in Open Requests and Filled Requests. 

What are 3DCC Experiments?

3DCC Experiments is an area of 3D ContentCentral where you can explore some of the new features that we are investigating. The experiments may change from time to time, but some of the recent ones are:

• Search Results: Gallery View - View search results in a gallery style and quickly preview models without opening them.
• SolidWorks Feature Search - Searches through 3D ContentCentral for models that contain specified SolidWorks features, such as loft and rib. You can filter the results and use Gallery View.
• Real-time Activity Usage - A window into who is viewing and downloading 3D ContentCentral content from around the world.

Play around with the experiments and let us know what you think by sending us your comments.

Why don't all parts and assemblies display the same?

Some components are contributed by suppliers or other users. Other components come from 3D ContentCentral Partners.

Components contributed by users and suppliers display in a similar style. The main difference is in the identifying information -- users appear as Contributors and suppliers have their company information displayed.

Components contributed by 3D ContentCentral Partners have a different style and typically provide access to their company catalogs.

What is My 3D ContentCentral?

My 3D ContentCentral is your own personal space where you can keep track of your content, comments, and contacts. You can access your:

• Updates
• Favorites
• Portfolio
• Contacts
• Requests
• Tags 
• Comments
• Downloads/Views
• Personal Profile

What are updates?

My Updates shows recent activity for your contacts, content, and requests.

• Contacts
  • An invitee accepts an invitation.
  • You are invited to be a contact.
  • A contact uploads or updates an item.
  • A contact adds a new contact.

• Content
  • Favorite content is updated or deleted.
  • Rated or commented content is updated or deleted.
  • Someone rated or commented on your uploaded content.
  • Someone uploaded an alternative model for one of your favorite models.

• Requests
  • Your request gets filled.
  • Your requested supplier joins 3D ContentCentral.
  • Someone comments on your request.

What are favorites?

My Favorites is similar to bookmarks, and provides quick and easy access to content that you have added to your favorites.

You can view, sort, and edit:

• Favorite Content - Lists your favorite content including name, category, and date added for all types of content (parts, features, blocks, macros)
• Favorite Categories - Lists your favorite categories
• Favorite Suppliers - Lists your favorite suppliers and those from whom you have downloaded
• Favorite Users - Lists your favorite users including name, picture, contact, and date added

What are requests?

My Requests is a record of requests for items that you have made of the community.

You can view, sort, and edit:

• Open requests - Lists requests you posted or voted on that are open (not filled nor removed)
• Filled requests - Lists requests you posted or voted on and were filled by users

You can post:

• New request - Lets you specify Content Type (Parts & Assemblies, Library Features, 2D Blocks, Macros) as a request to the user community

What is portfolio?

My Portfolio is a list of your contributions to the community.

You can view, sort, edit, and share your contributions. My Portfolio displays your contributions by content type, including:

• Name 
• Date Added 
• Health 
• Rating 

What are tags?

My Tags  is a list of the tags you applied to content. When you click on a tag, you see a list of all content with that tag.

What are comments?

My Comments is a list of:

• Comments that you have posted for any content
• Comments others have posted for your content
• Comments others have posted for your requests

What is personal profile?

My Profile is your personal information.

You can view and edit:

• Public Profile
  • Picture - Your 3D ContentCentral profile picture
  • Skills - Your related areas of expertise
  • Interests - Your related interests
  • About - Information about you
  • Website - Your personal website
• Login Information
  • Email
  • 3D ContentCentral password
• Personal Information
  • Name (first, last)
  • Title
  • Company
  • Address (street, city, state, Zip/Postal code, nation)
  • Phone (office, home, mobile)
  • IM
  • Primary CAD package used
• Settings
  • Allow suppliers whose models you download contact you by email
  • Allow users to contact you by email regarding models you contribute
  • Notify you by email when your requests are filled or comments are added to your uploaded content

What are downloads/views?

My Downloads/Views is a list of the content you have downloaded from 3D ContentCentral or viewed. You can view and sort any content you have downloaded or viewed. The list is grouped by content type.

What are tags?

Tags let you label content using terminology that is familiar to you. For example, a �key� to you might be very different than the �key� label used by someone else. With tags, you can choose the label that you want to use, and not be forced to use someone else�s label.

Once you start adding tags, you can use them to help you find items on 3D ContentCentral, or think of them as bookmarks to help you recall items in the future. Tags also let you see how other users label items, and that can help you discover other items with similar qualities. You can add your own tags to any content, or use someone�s tag that is already there.

For more information about tags, see the Wikipedia article.

How do I add tags?

From a content page, click Tags then Add Tags.

1. Type one or more tags, separated by commas, in the Add Tags window.
2. Click Add.

How do I view tags from a content page?

From a content page, click Tags.

How do I edit tags?

You can edit tags you have added to content. From the content page that includes the tag you want to edit:

1. Click the Tags tab.
2. Click Add Tags and edit the tags in the Add Tags window.
3. Click Update.

What are contacts?

Contacts are people in your personal network on 3D ContentCentral. Expanding your contact list expands your network and gives you access to the larger community.

My Contacts  is a list of your individual contacts on 3D ContentCentral.

How do I add contacts?

You can invite contacts individually, or import them as a group from an address book such as Gmail or Hotmail.

To add contacts individually:

• From a contributor's page, click Add this user to My Contacts.
• From a 3D ContentCentral Spotlight, click Add this user to My Contacts.
• From My 3D ContentCentral, click Contacts. Then click Invite Contacts, enter the email addresses and first and last names, and click Send Invitation.

To add contacts by importing them as a group from Gmail or Hotmail:

1. From My 3D ContentCentral, click Contacts, then click Invite Contacts.
2. Under Import contacts from address book, enter your Email ID and select Gmail or Hotmail.
3. Enter your Password.
4. Click Import Contacts.

To invite contacts individually:

1. From My 3D ContentCentral, click Contacts, then click Invite Contacts.
2. Under Enter email address and send invitation by email, enter First name, Last name, and Email address for each person.
3. Click Send Invitation.

   You can change the invitation message by clicking Preview/Edit Invitation Text.

3D ContentCentral determines if your requested contacts belong to 3D ContentCentral. If they belong, they are sent an invitation to join your contacts and when they accept, they are added to your contacts. If they do not belong to 3D ContentCentral, they will be added to your contacts when they join 3D ContentCentral.

How do I import contacts?

You can import contacts from your Hotmail or Gmail accounts.

To add contacts by importing them as a group from Gmail or Hotmail:

1. From My 3D ContentCentral, click Contacts, then click Invite Contacts.
2. Under Import contacts from address book, enter your Email ID and select Gmail or Hotmail.
3. Enter your Password.
4. Click Import Contacts.

How do I list contacts?

From My 3D ContentCentral, click Contacts, then click Contacts or Imported Contacts.

How do I email contacts?

From the contact's page, click Contact User.

How do I change my email template?

1. From My 3D ContentCentral, click Contacts, click Invite Contacts.
2. Click Preview/Edit Invitation Text.
3. On the Invitation Email Preview screen, change the text and click Save.

How do I remove a contact?

From My 3D ContentCentral, click Contacts. You can remove a contact by clicking the next to the contact's image. To confirm the removal, click Remove Contact.