Hidden tools to boost your productivity in SOLIDWORKS

Productivity is key in any engineering project. The right tools can make all the difference in getting a project done efficiently and on time. SOLIDWORKS is a powerful engineering software, but there are some lesser known features that can help boost productivity. In this blog post, we'll explore some of these hidden tools and how to use them effectively. Stay tuned, you may be surprised at how much time you can save by using these tools!

1. Mouse Gestures

Mouse Gestures are my favorite things to use on SOLIDWORKS. I use them on a daily basis, so I can honestly say how handy and productive they are. It’s very easy to use and just as easy to customize to your exact needs.

• To view your current Mouse Gesture set-up or to customize it, Right-Click on your Command Manager and select “Customize”.

• Navigate to the Mouse Gestures tab.

• You’ll see that there are multiple wheels for every environment you have in SOLIDWORKS (Part, Sketch, Assembly and Drawing). You can customize any of the wheels to your exact specifications for each environment.

• Change the amount of features you can use? No problem! Just select the amount you want from the drop down.

• Change the features you want to access? Sure! Search for your favorite feature and simply drag and drop the shortcut where you want it.

But how do you access it?

• While you’re in the environment (sketch for example) hold down your Right-Mouse Button and move it very slightly in any direction. The circle pops up and you simply move your mouse over the feature you want to use. It’s as easy as it gets.
  
  

2. The “S” key. Enough said.

Pressing the “S” key in any environment brings up a shortcut bar next to your cursor. This shortcut bar contains any feature that you want. The best thing is, in 2022 this shortcut bar also includes the command search, previously located only in the top-right corner.

This shortcut superhero is also customizable to your every need.

• Just Right-Click on the Command Manager and select “Customize”. Next navigate to the “Shortcut Bars” tab and customize it to your specific need. Search for your command then drag and drop it in the toolbar on the right.
• After you’ve set up one environments shortcut, click on the environment you want to customize next under the “Select a Shortcut Toolbar to Customize” option.

Once you get used to working with this wonderful little timesaver, you’ll notice that you’ll maybe want to add a few things.

• An easy way to add that one feature, is to search for it using the search tool in the toolbar and hit the “+” icon next to the feature. This will add it to the bar for you.

Pretty cool, isn’t it?!

3. Heads-Up Toolbar

Last but certainly not least, is the Heads-Up Toolbar. This guy will make your life a little bit easier when it comes to having a bunch of the commands available from the graphics area.

• This feature is located at the top middle of the graphics area and contains a few common view commands already like Section View, View Cube, Zoom tools, etc.

• You can customize this as well to suit your needs by Right-clicking on the Command Manager and selecting “Customize”. Go to the “Commands” tab and simply drag and drop any command onto this toolbar. I’ll say it again: It’s as easy as it gets!

SOLIDWORKS has a lot more tricks up its sleeve when it comes to productivity and things, in general, to make your modeling as easy as ever.

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