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SolidEdge-VarHandler

Francesco Arfilli 2025

Solid Edge VarHandler helps you do engineering analysis on parts and assemblies in motion. You can create scripted animations, trace out keypoint paths in 2D or 3D, check interference through a range of motion, and more.

It works by stepping through values you define on variables you select. The variables can be processed sequentially or in parallel, or a combination of both.

Main Form

Setup

To get started, open the file in Solid Edge. Then, prepare your analysis using the following steps and options.

  • Reset Reset. Clears the list and reloads variables that have Autotune enabled (see below).

  • Add Add. Opens the Select Variables dialog. You can choose variables and/or dimensions, either created by the user and/or by the system. Once selected, variables are presented in a panel for checking/editing. (For read-only variables, editing is disabled).

Slider

  • Range. Set the desired range by editing the numbers on the track bar.

  • Loop Loop. Cycle continuously from low to high and back.

  • Play Play. Click to move to the end of the range. Click again to move back.

  • Settings Settings. Set the number of steps between low and high.

  • Autotune Autotune. Enable this option to save range information to the file.

  • Remove Remove. Delete the variable from the form.

  • Expose name. Change the variable's expose name by double-clicking the name at the top of the panel.

  • Current value. Change the variable's current value by dragging the track bar indicator, or editing the value in the displayed formula.

  • Excel Export. Saves the results to excel for plotting or further analysis.

Tracker

  • Tracker Track. Enables key point tracing. For model files, key points are defined with a Coordinate System. For drawings, they are defined with a Block. In either case, the item must be named "Tracker".

    • Trace Trace. Records the keypoint motion path with a spline curve. Click to enable. (It looks like this Trace when enabled.)

    • Closed curve. Enable this option to create a closed trace curve.

    • settings Settings. Set the number of decimal points to use in the report.

    • Remove Remove. Delete the tracker.

  • Update Update. Runs the Update Document command after each step. This is necessary to visualize changes that occur beneath the top level of the file.

  • Save Images Save Images. Saves an image at each step.

  • Check Interference Check Interference. Runs the Check Interference command at each step.

  • Workflow Workflow. Opens the Workflow panel (see next).

WorkFlow

A workflow is a sequence of "events". Each event changes each variable from its start value to its end value in a certain number of steps.

WorkFlow Form

The variables are those added during setup. The start value is from the previous step, or from initialization. The end value is set in the event panel. (If the start and end are the same, which is common, no change occurs). The steps parameter sets the number of analysis points for the event.

At each step in each event, any analysis you set up (trace, check interference, etc.) will be performed.

The workflow controls are detailed below.

  • Open Open. Loads a saved workflow. See below for more information on *.csv files.
  • Save Save. Saves the current workflow to disk.
  • Close Close. Closes the current workflow.
  • Add Add. Adds an event to the current workflow.
  • Play Play. Runs the events from beginning to end. While playing, the Skip button turns into a Stop button. Click that to stop play. Note the current event will proceed to completion.
  • Skip Skip. Sets the event number where play starts.
  • Step Step. Plays the next event and stops. CTRL-Click plays the previous event.
  • Settings Settings. Set the number of steps for the event.

Format for *.csv files

The rows in the file contain variables, the columns represent events. Here is an example.

[REF]Notes   Whatever  Whatever  Whatever
[REF]Event   1         2         3
Steps        20        5         20
robot_x      33
robot_y      11.75     20
...

Only changes to the variable need to be entered. The parser will fill in blanks with previous values. Any line starting with [REF] is ignored. The Steps variable is required.

Example video of a Workflow in action here.

Releases

All released versions here.

Release notes

  • 0.1 Very initial and rude one

  • 0.2 Better error handling, variable selector and stay on top

  • 0.3 Decimal support for initial value, Play button, Loop button, Stay on top, Manual value edit

  • 0.4 Support for System and User Variable and Dimensions, export results to excel, settings button

  • 0.5 Correctly handled the range values, enabled 2D\3D tracker

  • 0.6 Multiple variable selection, tracker widget, and ability to trace the tracker with a spline curve

  • 0.7 Update document option, Workflows

Known limits

  • Only user variables supported
  • Supported units are mm, in, degree, second, and scalar. Other units will result in a warning.

Example videos

  • Video in action here.
  • A second video in action here.
  • 2D Tracker tracing a spline here.
  • 3D Tracker in assembly here.

Example files

The following links open in GitHub. To download, click the download button as shown.

  • Example file of the 2D tracker here.
  • An example assembly is provided here.
  • An example interference check is provided here.
  • An example motor sizing calculation is provided here.

Example images

2D Trace

Trace

Assembly

Crane

Populated variable table

Variable table

Exported results in excel after processing

export

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