Solidworks API - Reading data from a text file

Question

I'm new to Solidworks API and VBA. I have created a text file which contains coordinates of vertices of many (like 200) polygons and I want to draw simple 3D objects from this data. I recorded this macro in Solidworks for a pentagon and I tried to put a for-loop in it to draw my 200 pentagon in a row. I know I have to read a column of vertices from my text file and use it in the Part.SketchManager.CreateLine(x1, y1, z1, x2, y2, z2) commands. but it doesn't work. Many errors occurs which means there are many thing that I don't know to run this code as I expect.

if you think i have to tell more details, Please tell me to complete the question!!!

' ******************************************************************************
' C:\Users\Abbas\AppData\Local\Temp\swx7040\Macro1.swb - macro recorded on 02/11/20 by Abbas
' ******************************************************************************
Dim swApp As Object

Dim Part As Object
Dim boolstatus As Boolean
Dim longstatus As Long, longwarnings As Long

Sub main()

Set swApp = _
Application.SldWorks

Set Part = swApp.NewDocument("C:\ProgramData\SolidWorks\SOLIDWORKS 2016\templates\Part.prtdot", 0, 0, 0)
swApp.ActivateDoc2 "Part4", False, longstatus
Set Part = swApp.ActiveDoc
Dim myModelView As Object
Set myModelView = Part.ActiveView
myModelView.FrameState = swWindowState_e.swWindowMaximized
boolstatus = Part.Extension.SelectByID2("Top Plane", "PLANE", 0, 0, 0, False, 0, Nothing, 0)
Part.ClearSelection2 True
Dim skSegment As Object
Set skSegment = Part.SketchManager.CreateLine(0#, 0#, 0#, 0.043745, 0#, 0#)
Set skSegment = Part.SketchManager.CreateLine(0.043745, 0#, 0#, 0.06038, 0.030036, 0#)
Set skSegment = Part.SketchManager.CreateLine(0.06038, 0.030036, 0#, 0.031422, 0.064231, 0#)
Set skSegment = Part.SketchManager.CreateLine(0.031422, 0.064231, 0#, -0.016327, 0.049752, 0#)
Set skSegment = Part.SketchManager.CreateLine(-0.016327, 0.049752, 0#, 0#, 0#, 0#)
Part.ShowNamedView2 "*Trimetric", 8
Part.ClearSelection2 True
boolstatus = Part.Extension.SelectByID2("Line5", "SKETCHSEGMENT", 0, 0, 0, False, 0, Nothing, 0)
Dim myFeature As Object
Set myFeature = Part.FeatureManager.FeatureExtrusion2(True, False, False, 0, 0, 0.001, 0.001, False, False, False, False, 1.74532925199433E-02, 1.74532925199433E-02, False, False, False, False, True, True, True, 0, 0, False)
Part.SelectionManager.EnableContourSelection = False
longstatus = Part.SaveAs3("C:\Users\Abbas\Desktop\Part4.SLDPRT", 0, 2)
Part.ClearSelection2 True
Set Part = Nothing
swApp.CloseDoc "Part4.SLDPRT"
End Sub

I need to create sth like this in solidworks...

Answer 1

First, you can't always use a recorded macro directly. It has to be cleaned up and corrected at some points. The macro recorder is not able to record every exact function you use in solidworks.

This is a cleaned version of your recorded macro:

Option Explicit

Dim swApp As SldWorks.SldWorks
Dim boolstatus As Boolean
Dim longstatus As Long, longwarnings As Long

Sub main()

    Set swApp = Application.SldWorks

    Dim Part As ModelDoc2
    Set Part = swApp.NewPart ' open new part document (with standard template file defined in system-options)
    Set Part = swApp.ActiveDoc

    ' select front plane
    boolstatus = Part.Extension.SelectByID2("Ebene vorne", "PLANE", 0, 0, 0, False, 0, Nothing, 0)

    ' create new sketch on front plane
    Part.SketchManager.InsertSketch (True)

    Dim swActiveSketch As Sketch
    Set swActiveSketch = Part.SketchManager.ActiveSketch

    Dim skSegment As Object
    Set skSegment = Part.SketchManager.CreateLine(0#, 0#, 0#, 0.043745, 0#, 0#)
    Set skSegment = Part.SketchManager.CreateLine(0.043745, 0#, 0#, 0.06038, 0.030036, 0#)
    Set skSegment = Part.SketchManager.CreateLine(0.06038, 0.030036, 0#, 0.031422, 0.064231, 0#)
    Set skSegment = Part.SketchManager.CreateLine(0.031422, 0.064231, 0#, -0.016327, 0.049752, 0#)
    Set skSegment = Part.SketchManager.CreateLine(-0.016327, 0.049752, 0#, 0#, 0#, 0#)

    ' close active sketch
    Part.SketchManager.InsertSketch (True)

    Part.ShowNamedView2 "*Trimetric", 8
    Part.ClearSelection2 True

    boolstatus = swActiveSketch.Select2(False, 0)

    Dim myFeature As Object
    Set myFeature = Part.FeatureManager.FeatureExtrusion2(True, False, False, 0, 0, 0.001, 0.001, False, False, False, False, 1.74532925199433E-02, 1.74532925199433E-02, False, False, False, False, True, True, True, 0, 0, False)

    longstatus = Part.SaveAs3("C:\Users\Abbas\Desktop\Part4.SLDPRT", 0, 2)
    Part.ClearSelection2 True

    swApp.CloseDoc Part.GetTitle

    Set Part = Nothing

End Sub

If you want to automatically create lines with 200 points you have to replace some lines with more logic. The next example is using the points from your example which is only for demonstration. You have to fill the variable vPoints with 200 xyz points of a text file or similar.

    Dim p0(2) As Variant
    Dim p1(2) As Variant
    Dim p2(2) As Variant
    Dim p3(2) As Variant
    Dim p4(2) As Variant

    p0(0) = 0#
    p0(1) = 0#
    p0(2) = 0#

    p1(0) = 0.043745
    p1(1) = 0#
    p1(2) = 0#

    p2(0) = 0.06038
    p2(1) = 0.030036
    p2(2) = 0#

    p3(0) = 0.031422
    p3(1) = 0.064231
    p3(2) = 0#

    p4(0) = -0.016327
    p4(1) = 0.049752
    p4(2) = 0#

    Dim vPoints(4) As Variant
    vPoints(0) = p0
    vPoints(1) = p1
    vPoints(2) = p2
    vPoints(3) = p3
    vPoints(4) = p4

    'vPoints = FillVariantWithPointsFromTextFile() ' or a collection or what else you want to use

    Dim i As Integer
    For i = 0 To UBound(vPoints)
        Dim vPoint As Variant
        vPoint = vPoints(i)

        If (i + 1 <= UBound(vPoints)) Then

            Dim vNextPoint As Variant
            vNextPoint = vPoints(i + 1)

            ' draw a line between current point and next point
            Set skSegment = Part.SketchManager.CreateLine(vPoint(0), vPoint(1), vPoint(2), vNextPoint(0), vNextPoint(1), vNextPoint(2))

        Else

            Dim vFirstPoint As Variant
            vFirstPoint = vPoints(0)

            ' draw a line between current point and first point to close contour
            Set skSegment = Part.SketchManager.CreateLine(vPoint(0), vPoint(1), vPoint(2), vFirstPoint(0), vFirstPoint(1), vFirstPoint(2))

        End If

    Next i