Lightning stores complete file paths

Lightning stores all your fastener data in a database file. You can put both the SOLIDWORKS parts and the database file in PDM/3DEXPERIENCE so that all users have access to the same data.

Read more at About the Lightning database.

The file path needs to be identical for all users

A good practice when using PDM is to make the root PDM folder (like “C:\PDM\”) the same for all users. This way, all file paths are identical for all users. This is the most robust setup for SOLIDWORKS file references.

Lightning also assumes that the complete file path is identical for all users. That is because we store the complete file path in our database.

Future plans

We will, at some point, add support for partial file paths. That way, you can have a personal root folder (like “D:\PDM vault\Fasteners\”) and only store the rest of the file path (like “ISO 4014\M10x50.sldprt”) in the Lightning database. We don’t have a concrete date for you, though.