Page 174 - Mastering SolidWorks

Chapter 5

Using Visualization Techniques

Part of the overall mission of SolidWorks software is to visualize geometry. Visualizing 3D CAD
data is more than seeing shaded solids or shiny surfaces; it includes being able to see the interior
and exterior at the same time and using sections, transparency, wireframe, and other tools or
techniques. SolidWorks takes it so much further than just being able to see things in 3D; you can
look at some parts of an assembly in wireframe while others are transparent and others are
opaque. You can see a part with a reflective appearance. You can create section views in parts and
assemblies to visualize internal details. This chapter will show you important capabilities that
will expand how you can use SolidWorks and maybe even change the way you use the tools or
look at modeling tasks.

IN THIS CHAPTER, YOU WILL LEARN TO:
◆ Customize the view

◆ Use View tools to view parts and assemblies
◆ Make the best use of RealView
◆ Use Display States in parts and assemblies
◆ Apply edge settings to display features clearly
◆ Sort items in an assembly

Manipulating the View

One of the most important skills in SolidWorks is manipulating the view. (Figure 5.1 shows the
Heads-Up View toolbar, an easy way to access most visualization tools.) This is something you’ll
do more frequently than any other function in SolidWorks, so learning to do it efficiently and
effectively is very important, whether you look at it as rotating the model or rotating the point of
view around the model. The easiest way to rotate the part is to hold down the middle mouse
button (MMB) or the scroll wheel and move the mouse. If your mouse does not have a middle button
or a scroll wheel that you can use as a MMB, you can use the Rotate View tool in the menus at
View ➢ Modify ➢ Rotate or via the RMB menu.
The Heads-Up View toolbar can be customized and disabled using the same method you use
for all the other toolbars, through the Tools ➢ Customize dialog box.

Mastering SolidWorks, First Edition. Matt Lombard.
© 2019 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. Published 2019 by John Wiley & Sons, Inc.