SOLIDWORKS CAD Cheat sheet

USER INTERFACE Clean up unnecessary text within Access all of your FeatureManager Tips and Tricks
your FeatureManager tree data
RMB top node in FM > Tree Display > Click in the graphics area, Shortcut
Quickly access your current projects Suppress Configuration / Display State D, access the ‘Breadcrumbs’ in the CHEAT SHEET HINTS
Recent Documents Shortcut – R Names if only one graphics area RMB = Right Mouse Button
FM = Feature Manager
Prevent UI changes caused by Navigate your FeatureManager tree Filter FeatureManager and graphics
PM = PropertyManager
accidentally undocking your Click up/down arrow – area by a string of text
CommandManager System Options > FM > Arrow Key Type string into filter bar
Tools > Customize > Lock Command navigation
Manager and Toolbars Make more precise bulk selections
Avoid the tiny scroll bars when
Tidy up your entire tree in one click RMB in blank space in graphics area
Quickly locate less frequently used modifying your PropertyManager
Shift+C – Collapse the Feature/
commands selections
Assembly tree Easily access your most used
Drag and drop results to add to RMB > Autosize, double-click bottom
features/sketches
toolbar, click eyeglasses to learn edge of box
Find the corresponding feature/ RMB > Add to favorites, reorder if
default location component necessary
Quickly copy pre-existing plane to
Click in the graphics area, System
Control two environments offset
Options > FM > Scroll selected item Recall your previously selected items
FM area and graphics area, RMB – Components in Assembly, Fillets/
into view after accidentally deselecting them
Customize Chamfers from FM, Arrowhead of
RMB in blank space > context toolbar
notes – Ctrl+drag
Display the true order of your
Customize mouse gestures with 4, 8 features Recall complex selection sets of any
or 12 context-sensitive gestures Move features by Shift dragging
RMB top node in FM > Tree Display > type of geometry with a single click
RMB – Drag to activate, from FeatureManager Tree
Show Flat Tree View Make selection > RMB > Save selection
Recommended Right Gesture: OK, Shift+drag
Recommended Left Gesture: Cancel Hover over any item in the Browse directly to the help page of
Select all of filtered or pre-selected
FeatureManager tree interest
Flip your model 180 degrees geometry
RMB top node in FM > Toggle Click the question mark at the top right
Hold Shift and click the arrow – Ctrl+A
Dynamic Reference Visualization corner of any PM
System Options – View – buttons
View Rotation, Alt = Roll, Shift = 90 Toggle the visibility of all non-
geometric items in a single click
Click the eyeball icon

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SKETCH Extend entries just as easily as Create a slave sketch that’s Add comments to your equations on
trimming them dependent on the master sketch the fly
Power Trim, hold Shift while swiping for Pre-select sketch and plane/face, Type the single quote character ‘ in a
Make sketches look more like they extend Insert > Derived Sketch dialog box to identify the following text
would in 2D tools as a comment
System Options > Sketch > Auto-rotate Restore incremental segments in case Create an independent copy of a
view normal to sketch plane you got too trigger happy sketch Easily modify the dialog box when
Hover over red dot that appears in the Crtl+C, select plane/face, Crtl+V Instant3D is active
Toggle circle/arc/rectangle modes place of the last trimmed entity Double-click the dimensions blue dot
Click A while sketch tool is active Differentiate stacked sketches with or extension rather than the number
Fillet non-intersecting entities to color
Add relations in two clicks rather auto extend/trim RMB inactive sketch in FM > Sketch Automatically set end condition
than three Drag yellow preview to resize visually Color (works for up to vertex as well)
Click shared endpoint, select relation Double-click surface while in Extrude
from context toolbar Add a virtual sharp to any sketch or Convert external and internal profile (Cut) PM
drawing view geometry edges by selecting a face
Detach both endpoints of an entity Ctrl+select two entities, activate the External profile – Select face, internal Use FeatureWorks (comes with every
RMB entity to detach, click ‘Detach Point Tool profile, select all inner loops license of SOLIDWORKS starting in
segment on Drag,’ drag endpoint 2016)
Create driving or driven arc length Create the geometry instead of Select Face > Edit feature button from
Select midpoint without an RMB dimensions creating the 3D sketch context toolbar
Hover over midpoint until it is Smart Dimension > select arc and two Create solid model, create 3D sketch,
dynamically highlighted and select it endpoints select edge, Ctrl+A, convert entities, Purge unnecessary configurations
delete body data on save to minimize file size
Move sketch entities without Combine overall length of lines and System Options > Performance >
activating the command arcs into one driving dimension Create a plane normal to model edge Purge cached configuration data
Windows, select entities, Ctrl+Drag, Select chain, Make Path, Path Length Pre-select any model edge, insert a
release Ctrl key, move sketch to new Dimensions sketch Freeze upstream features to prevent
position, release them from being recalculated during
Lock dimensions alignment to every rebuild
Start a new line without needing to horizontal, vertical or diagonal System Options > General > Enable
escape from the current tool RMB to lock the dimension orientation FEATURES Freeze Bar
Click drag, release or click, click, while specifying its location
double-click Diagnose a slow models rebuild time
Automatically add required relations Sweep Property Manager Command Manager > Evaluate
Temporarily disable automatic and/or dimensions A sketch is no longer needed for
relations while sketching in busy Fully Define Sketch circular profile sweeps Quickly take a rough measurement
areas on a curvy part
Hold Ctrl while sketching to Stretch multiple entities while Type equations directly into Measure dialog > Point-to-Point
temporarily disable automatic relations overriding their current dimensions PropertyManager input fields
Stretch Entities Modify dialog box

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SURFACES Temporarily hide faces Skip your typical alignment options View Letter Reuse
RMB while Select Other is activated with Quick Mates Reuse letters from views that have
RMB drag a component to pre-orient it been deleted, System Options >
Repairing/Flattening imported Temporarily disable selecting through for best results Drawings > Reuse view letters from
Geometry transparency deleted auxiliary, detail and section
Copy surface, delete body, extend, Hold Shift while selecting Opening your largest assemblies in views
face fillet, convert to sheet metal seconds
Locate identical instances View, Section, Measure, etc. Ignore views outside of sheet
Cut normal to curved surfaces Selection drop-down borders
(overmold) Click Zoom to Sheet on the View
Split line, copy surface, thicken cut, Automatically group the same toolbar or View > Modify > Zoom to
copy surface and thicken components DRAWINGS Sheet
RMB top-level assembly > Tree Display
Calculate the internal volume of a > Group Component Instances Break Alignment
container Quick View Hold Ctrl while placing new view
Create liquid level plane, Intersect Hide components with a single Open drawings in seconds for printing
keystroke or review Reverse Section View
Complex ruffled geometry Tab to hide, Shift+Tab to show (bodies Double-click section line to reverse
Revolve surface, project curve, delete in 2016) Context Toolbar
body, loft Open associated drawing from the Custom Shape Detail
Quickly toggle to ‘hidden space’ model Any style but ‘Per Standard’ or ‘Broken
Click on any component to send it Circle’ to select ‘Profile’
back to shown state Model Colors
Visually differentiate components Save Rotated View
ASSEMBLIES Temporarily display a transparent within a drawing, System Options > Apply changes from 3D Drawings View
preview of all hidden components Document Properties > Detailing Tool
Hold Ctrl+Shift+Tab, click on
Find top level assemblies within a components to show Relocate Dimension
Highlight Changes
large directory Shift+drag from one view to another
Highlight changed model dimensions
Open dialog > activate filter(s) Display independent isolated view of and compare, System Options > Colors
any component > Use specified color for changed Auto Organize
View and change references before Select components > select Ctrl+A to select all dimensions
drawings dimensions
opening as assembly ‘Component Preview’ from context
Open dialog box > Select file > toolbar Dimension Palette
Smart Arrow
References Modify multiple dimensions at once
Always point arrow head away from
Automatically make first component dimension, System Options, Document
Apply properties to multiple transparent Angle Dimensions
Properties > Dimensions > Radius >
components at once Mate Property Manager > Options > No need for a construction line, pick
Smart arrows attach to arcs and point
Pre-select components, activate Make first selection transparent the line and an endpoint of same line,
away from dimension
Property tab, update property, apply Cross will appear and be available for
selection

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