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'll find more than one way to do almost everything. There is no single best way to use the interface, and each method has strengths and weaknesses depending on the task and depending on the individual.
In this chapter, I start by displaying the entire default interface, but in the rest of the book I show only a reduced interface, mainly to save space and keep the focus on the graphics window.
After 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. Many existing users may discover features in this book that they were not aware of, 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.
You might want to put a bookmark in this page and refer to Figure 2.1 often, because much of the interface discussion refers to elements illustrated in this figure. You'll never see all the interface elements shown in Figure 2.1 on the screen at the same time; this image has been composited for illustration purposes.
FIGURE 2.1
Elements of the SolidWorks interface
Identifying ...
