Back in early December, I reported that SolidWorks Labs had unveiled Treehouse, an app that lets you set up a file hierarchy for new assemblies using your templates.  But based on the comments to my article and the responses I saw on Twitter and the app page itself, users were hoping for more functionality, such as opening and modifying existing assembly structures or inserting existing parts or assemblies.

While at SolidWorks World 2009 in Orlando earlier this month, I was able to meet William Doll, Director of SolidWorks Labs.  I mentioned the responses I had heard on my article and also from several coworkers and colleagues.  He told me that the Labs crew has seen the feedback, and are in the process of updating the Treehouse app.

According to Doll, they are hoping to implement the following improvements in the new version:

• Allow opening an existing assembly structure
• Tree icons to contain actual previews of components
• Allow adding existing components to new assembly structures
• Allow adding new and existing components to existing assembly structures

However, Doll said that the next version of Treehouse will not allow modification to existing assembly structure via deleting or moving components.

Doll said the update should be released in the next two months or so.