SolidWorks® 2010 Bible

Chapter 2. Navigating the SolidWorks Interface

IN THIS CHAPTER

• Discovering elements of the SolidWorks interface

• Customizing the interface to work for you

• Exploring the interface

The SolidWorks interface offers a wide range of tools. You will often find more than one way to do almost everything. There is no one best way to use the interface; and each method has strengths and weaknesses depending on the task.

Once you have mastered the various interface elements and customized your SolidWorks installation, working with the software becomes much more efficient and satisfying. You may find your mastery of the interface comes with practice and experience. The interface is complex and can be daunting. Many existing users may discover features in this book of which they were not aware, even though they have been trained and have used the software for years.

I explain each interface element identified in Figure 2.1 in detail within this chapter.

Figure 2.1. Elements of the SolidWorks interface

Identifying Elements of the SolidWorks Interface

The major elements of the SolidWorks interface are the graphics window, where all the action takes place, the FeatureManager, which is the list of all the features in the part, the PropertyManager, where most of the data input happens, and the CommandManager and toolbars, where you access most of the commands in the software. Of these, I cover the CommandManager ...