We are currently working on Solidworks 2013 (without PDM) and we have problems working with several people.
We don't work on the same assemblies but sometimes some of the parts are common.
We had chosen to use the multi-user environment, but we had problems with registrations and data loss with this option: Solidworks crash, part always read-only even after the other one had left the hand...
Instead, we chose to open referenced documents as read-only. This solution solved our problems, but it created new ones. It has slowed down the use of the software very much! A large assembly that used to open in 1 minute, now opens in 5 minutes (stopwatch in hand..).
I looked on the forum to see if the topic had ever been brought up and I couldn't find anyone who had these slowness issues following this option.
It doesn't seem like buying a PDM license is enviable at the moment.
Do you have any options that should be checked? Settings that should not be activated at the same time? Solutions to work together and reduce the risk of data loss?
We have been working in multi-user mode without PDM for several years.
We have not noticed frequent problems with data loss. Just random management of the "read/write" rights of the files. We very often have to pass on his rights by simply right-clicking on the element concerned. This requires good organization and understanding in the BE.
For information: we are three simultaneous users in SW2018 version
I don't have a solution either: there are 5 of us under Solidworks 2018 using shared standard parts. These parts are read-only on the server, we don't have any slowdown.
We were previously in 2016 with the same parts management system and didn't have any slowdown either...
We have some crashes and access problems but it's difficult to attribute them to one cause or another: between the structure of the network, the moment when users access (to open or save) files simultaneously, individual SW crashes, the number of users (in our case, on the same project it varies between 1 and 5).
You say that you have abandoned the multi-user option but have you tried to combine it with the second option.
Thank you for your feedback! I think I've solved the problem.
After several tests by playing with different settings, it turns out that it was not the "Open referenced documents in read-only" option that slowed down the opening but the activation of complex assemblies!
I don't understand because it seems to me that this option was intended to facilitate the opening of large assemblies but since I unchecked it we are back to the same opening time as before, a little more than 1 min instead of 5min.
There must be a contraindication with other parameters that we have checked.
I re-enabled the multi-user option as well as you all advised me.