Questions and answers

Where can I buy CUSTOMTOOLS if there are no CUSTOMTOOLS resellers in my country?

If ATR Soft does not have a local reseller in your country, then licenses and services can be bought directly from ATR Soft. Installation, if required can be performed remotely and payments are done via bank transfer.

I am already using SOLIDWORKS

Old design data made in SOLIDWORKS can be imported into the CUSTOMTOOLS database, by using the Import tool. After that all new files created with CUSTOMTOOLS will automatically be added to the CUSTOMTOOLS database.

I am using an older version of SOLIDWORKS, will CUSTOMTOOLS work?

The latest version of CUSTOMTOOLS (e.g. 2020) supports the 4 latest version of SOLIDWORKS (E.g. From 2017 to 2020). If you use older release of SOLIDWORKS then it is possible to download compatible release of CUSTOMTOOLS from our Customer portal. If you want to upgrade SOLIDWORKS (e.g. 2020) to the latest release, then you have to use the latest release of CUSTOMTOOLS (e.g. 2020)

Do I need one CUSTOMTOOLS license per SOLIDWORKS seat?

It is not compulsory to have a license of CUSTOMTOOLS per SOLIDWORKS seat. On the other hand, it is highly recommended in order to optimize the work of the whole design team and get full benefits of CUSTOMTOOLS.

Can I combine different types of licenses?

CUSTOMTOOLS is available in floating and standalone licenses for the Basic and Professional Edition. Both packages and types of licenses can be combined in a multi-users environment.

I cannot activate my CUSTOMTOOLS license?

CUSTOMTOOLS licenses needs to be activated on our license server. The license activation is performed through the web and an internet connection is required. In most of the case when the license cannot be activated it is because you have no permission to the license file: CustomTools.lmlic located in C:\ProgramData\ATR Soft\CustomTools\Licenses. You need to right click on the license file, select Properties, activate the Security tab grant rights to the correct users.

In case you cannot activate your license because you do not have an internet connection or your firewall is blocking the access to our server, your license can be activated by ATR Soft.

What does the CUSTOMTOOLS maintenance include?

Users with valid subscription are entitled to receive technical supports and upgrade to major release of CUSTOMTOOLS. First level support is provided by your local CUSTOMTOOLS resellers and ATR Soft offers second level support. In addition, users with a valid subscription are entitled to upgrade to major release of CUSTOMTOOLS. Users without maintenance are entitled to upgrade to Service Packs of their current version of CUSTOMTOOLS.

Is CUSTOMTOOLS a PDM system?

Even though CUSTOMTOOLS uses a database, it is not a PDM system, as in CUSTOMTOOLS a user optimizes the management of data related to the SOLIDWORKS files while a PDM system optimizes the management of those SOLIDWORKS files.

Can I use CUSTOMTOOLS with SOLIDWORKS PDM?

CUSTOMTOOLS can be used along with SOLIDWORKS PDM even though CUSTOMTOOLS is not fully integrated with SOLIDWORKS PDM Standard and Professional. CUSTOMTOOLS offers great enhancements to the PDM users.

Do I need to create a CUSTOMTOOLS profile per user?

No, as all the users are sharing the same profile. CUSTOMTOOLS settings are stored in the profile.

Can I prevent users from modifying the CUSTOMTOOLS Profile?

Yes, in the CUSTOMTOOLS Administration tool you can manage the user rights to access the CUSTOMTOOLS profile and database if the rights have been assigned to your user.

What is the password of the user Admin in CUSTOMTOOLS?

By default, the user Admin does not have any password defined. When the CUSTOMTOOLS login dialog appears with the user Admin active, click on the Login button to connect to the CUSTOMTOOLS database. A password can later be added by editing the settings of the user Admin in the Administration tool.

Can I use CUSTOMTOOLS if I am working out of office?

If you are able to connect remotely to the server where the CUSTOMTOOLS database is installed, then you are able to use CUSTOMTOOLS. On the other hand, if you cannot access the server where the CUSTOMTOOLS database is installed, then you are not able to use CUSTOMTOOLS, unless you have a license of the CUSTOMTOOLS Administration tool and a local database.

Can I copy/move files in the Windows Explorer?

• If you are using the CUSTOMTOOLS Basic, then you can use the Windows Explorer to copy files. Please note that the new copied files will not be imported automatically into the CUSTOMTOOLS database. If files are moved in the Windows Explorer, the CUSTOMTOOLS database will not updated either. Files can be re-imported into the CUSTOMTOOLS database by using the Import feature
• If you are using the CUSTOMTOOLS Professional, then we highly recommend you to not copy files through the Windows Explorer as you can use the Copy feature of CUSTOMTOOLS. By using that feature, copied or moved files will automatically be imported in the database.

Can I delete files directly in Windows Explorer?

It is not recommended as files that are deleted in the Windows Explorer will not be removed from the CUSTOMTOOLS database. The best practice to remove files from the CUSTOMTOOLS database or hard drive is to use the CUSTOMTOOLS Search, Where used or Print and Convert by using the Delete files option from the File operation.

Does CUSTOMTOOLS supports SOLIDWORKS configurations?

CUSTOMTOOLS offers many tools that will enhance the use of configurations in SOLIDWORKS. especially when it comes to custom property management, batch printing and conversion, search.

Does the integration between SOLIDWORKS and my ERP require programing work?

• No, if you want to import data from your ERP into the custom properties of your SOLIDWORKS documents. You only need to create a link with the external data source in the Administration Tool, then in the CUSTOMTOOLS options you need to create a Database search group and link properties to that search group.
• Yes, if you want to export data from SOLIDWORKS to your ERP, then the integration needs to be done with additional programming work depending on your ERP and the integration that you want to implement.

What does the no-project in the custom properties means?

Files that were created prior to CUSTOMTOOLS have not been assigned to any project. When importing those files into the CUSTOMTOOLS database it is not possible to assign them to a specific project. When the custom property pane is opened those files are marked with the no-project option. You can then select a project if you want to assign them to a specific project.

Where can I configure CUSTOMTOOLS?

All settings of CUSTOMTOOLS are stored in a profile. A profile is shared between the different users of the same design environment. The profile settings can be accessed from the CUSTOMTOOLS Options, accessible from SOLIDWORKS or the Administration Tool. Change in profile are automatically applied to all users once the Options are closed and saved.

What should I do if I need to move my CUSTOMTOOLS license?

If the local machine is used as the server for the CUSTOMTOOLS database, then you first need to make a backup of the CUSTOMTOOLS Database with the free edition of the Microsoft SQL Server Management Studio Express for example. Then transfer your CUSTOMTOOLS License. Then install CUSTOMTOOLS on the new machine, activate your license and restore the CUSTOMTOOLS database.

If the CUSTOMTOOLS database is installed on a separate server, then you only need to transfer your license from your current machine and activate it on a separate one.

Upgrading the CUSTOMTOOLS to a new major release or service pack?

All CUSTOMTOOLS packages can be downloaded from our Customer center by using your company name and serial number. In order to upgrade CUSTOMTOOLS you need to have the SQL rights in order to upgrade the CUSTOMTOOLS database. All CUSTOMTOOLS users must use the same version and service pack of CUSTOMTOOLS. Before performing any upgrade, we highly recommend to take a backup of the CUSTOMTOOLS database with Microsoft SQL Server

I'm using SOLIDWORKS PDM Professional. Can I only purchase ERP Connector license to have integration in PDM?

No, you can't. The ERP connector is an add-on module for CUSTOMTOOLS Professional. That's why you need to have at least one CUSTOMTOOLS Professional license. In this case you might want to consider buying a network license of CUSTOMTOOLS Professional for one concurrent user. In that case any given user in SOLIDWORKS PDM can export to ERP but only one concurrent user may do that at any given time.