Importing and exporting spreadsheet data

Release Note: As of Concept v4.2, Excel has been replaced with a native Enventive Concept spreadsheet.

Enventive Concept's spreadsheet toolbar (located along the left side of the spreadsheet area) includes several functions to facilitate importing and exporting spreadsheet data. For example, you can export data from the spreadsheet into the sketch as geometry; import data from the parameter table to the spreadsheet; or export an entire Concept spreadsheet to Excel.

Exporting spreadsheet data as geometry

You can export spreadsheet data (x,y value pairs) to the sketch view as geometry (points, lines, arcs, or tangent arcs) using the spreadsheet's export tools.

To export x,y values from the spreadsheet as geometry:

  1. In the spreadsheet, select any number of cell pairs that represent the x and y coordinates of points.

  2. Select the appropriate tool from the spreadsheet ribbon to export the data as points, lines, arcs, or tangent arcs.

    The x and y points are exported into the sketch view as points, connected lines, arcs or tangent arcs, depending on the option you chose. In all cases, Concept fully constrains the exported geometry.

For an example of exporting spreadsheet data as geometry, see the Cam Synthesis Tutorial, which exports spreadsheet data as tangent arcs to automatically create cam geometry.

Exporting spreadsheet data as variables

You can create variables in the Math view's parameter table based on data selected from the spreadsheet. You can also do the reverse—copy data from the parameter table to the spreadsheet—as described in the next section.

To export variables from the spreadsheet to the parameter table:

  1. In the spreadsheet, select two columns or a group of cell pairs, where the first column contains variable names and the second column contains the variable values.

  2. Click the Export Variables (Name, Value) tool in the spreadsheet toolbar.

    The variables and values in the columns you selected in the spreadsheet are added to the Math view's parameter table.

Importing Parameters

You can import parameters from the Math view's parameter table into the spreadsheet. You may import all parameters or limit the selection to only locked or only derived parameters.

To import parameters from the parameter table to the spreadsheet:

  1. Click in the spreadsheet at the location where you want the parameters to be imported.

  2. Select one of the three Import options from the spreadsheet toolbar, depending on whether you want to import all parameters, only locked parameters, or only derived parameters.

The names and values of the parameters are imported into two columns at the currently selected location in the spreadsheet.

Exporting the Concept spreadsheet data to Excel

You can export Concept workbooks to Excel. There is currently no option to export selected sheets or individual cells/columns to Excel; the entire workbook will be exported to Excel.

To export the Concept workbook to Excel:

  1. Open the Concept model that contains the workbook to be exported.

  2. Click the Export to Excel tool in the spreadsheet toolbar.

The spreadsheet opens in Excel as a new Excel workbook, including all the sheets that were in the original Concept spreadsheet. (If Excel is not already open, the export process will open it automatically.)

Importing Excel spreadsheet data into the Concept spreadsheet

You can import data from an Excel workbook into Enventive Concept's spreadsheet. For example, you may find importing Excel files useful for working with spreadsheet data that was saved in Concept versions prior to v4.2, because these workbooks cannot be opened in Concept v4.2 and newer (see Using pre-v4.2 Excel workbooks).

There is currently no option to import selected sheets or individual cells/columns; the entire workbook will be imported to Concept.

To import an Excel workbook into the Concept spreadsheet:

  1. Only ".xlsx" files can be imported, so save the Excel file in ".xlsx" format prior to importing if it is in a different format (for example, ".xls").

  2. Select the spreadsheet's File > Import > Excel File option.

  3. Select any options that you want to apply to the import.
  4. If the Excel file is password-protected, enter the password in the Password field.

  5. Click Import Excel File. A browser dialog will open so you can locate and select the Excel file to import.

    The imported Excel data will appear in the Concept spreadsheet. (Note that some Excel objects may not be included in the import results.)

There is no connectivity between imported spreadsheet data and the Concept model. You must generate new tolerance analysis reports using the native Concept spreadsheet to see updates in tolerance analysis reports.

Importing and exporting other file types

You can use the File > Import and File > Export options to import file types other than Excel.