Convert EASM to SLDASM

People need this conversion when a review-only EASM model must be edited in SOLIDWORKS or delivered to software that accepts a native .SLDASM assembly. In most cases, the required result cannot be recovered from the EASM; the original assembly and its referenced parts must be obtained.

What the EASM format is

EASM is the eDrawings assembly format, produced mainly by SOLIDWORKS and eDrawings Publisher. It packages a lightweight display representation of an assembly for viewing, measurement, sectioning, markup, and controlled sharing without distributing the source CAD files.

An EASM normally contains display geometry rather than the source feature history, sketches, mates, configurations, design tables, and editable parametric bodies. Published permissions can also restrict measurement, sectioning, printing, or export. Suppliers, customers, documentation teams, and design departments commonly use EASM when they need to share a model for review without releasing .SLDASM, .SLDPRT, and related files.

What the SLDASM format is

SLDASM is SOLIDWORKS' native assembly format. It stores the assembly structure, component locations, mates, configurations, display states, and references to component files, usually .SLDPRT parts and sometimes nested .SLDASM subassemblies.

An SLDASM is normally not self-contained. Missing, renamed, or inaccessible referenced files can prevent components from loading correctly. Its advantages are native editing, mate and interference operations, configuration management, assembly regeneration, and integration with SOLIDWORKS drawings and other native workflows.

How to get an SLDASM

There is no reliable direct EASM-to-SLDASM conversion. Opening an EASM in eDrawings does not restore the original SOLIDWORKS feature tree or component references.

1. Open the file in eDrawings Viewer or eDrawings Professional and check which components, configurations, measurements, and review functions are available. This confirms what the published file actually contains, but does not make it editable.
2. Request the original .SLDASM, every referenced .SLDPRT and subassembly, and any required library or configuration data from the sender. Ask the sender to create a SOLIDWORKS Pack and Go package; it collects the assembly and its references more reliably than sending files individually.
3. Open the supplied assembly in SOLIDWORKS through File → Open. If references are missing, use SOLIDWORKS' reference search and file-location options to locate the component files, then save the repaired assembly.

If the source files are unavailable, use eDrawings Professional to export an allowed neutral representation, commonly .STL, through File → Save As or the version-specific export command. Export is available only when supported by the installed eDrawings edition, file version, operating system, and publisher permissions.

Import the resulting mesh into SOLIDWORKS or a reverse-engineering CAD system as reference geometry. Rebuild usable parts, save them as .SLDPRT, create a new assembly through File → New → Assembly, insert the rebuilt parts, apply mates, and save it as .SLDASM. This is reconstruction, not conversion.

Desktop and online tools

eDrawings is suitable for inspecting the EASM; SOLIDWORKS is required for a native SLDASM workflow; and a reverse-engineering CAD system may be needed to rebuild complex geometry. Reputable online converters generally do not accept proprietary EASM files or produce a correctly referenced native SLDASM. Online services that accept common neutral formats such as STEP or Parasolid do not solve the EASM problem, and uploading confidential design data may violate project or supplier restrictions.

Quality and compatibility limits

STL contains triangles, not sketches, features, dimensions, mates, configurations, or solid-model history. Tessellation can omit or distort small details, and an assembly export may become one mesh without separate components or assembly hierarchy. STL also does not reliably preserve units, so verify scale against a known measurement.

A rebuilt assembly therefore requires manual component separation, scale verification, feature reconstruction, and mate creation. If the requirement is only viewing, measuring, or markup, retain the EASM. If native editing is required, obtaining the original SOLIDWORKS files is the only dependable path.