SolidWorks 2010 Bible

Chapter 2: Navigating the SolidWorks Interface

FIGURE 2.20

The Options tab of the Customize dialog box, where you can select a different workflow customization

Controlling menus

Everyone has his own style of working. For example, some people like to use menus and others do

not. Some like to use hotkeys and others like the mouse. Modify Section View is an example of a

tool that you cannot access via toolbars. It can only be accessed via the menus.

The most frequently used menu items are in the View, Insert, and Tools menus. All the menus shown

in this section have all the possible options selected. As a result, the View menu in Figure 2.21 may

contain options that are not available on your computer. Customizing menus is covered later in this

chapter. Figure 2.21 also shows the Insert and Tools menus, along with an image of a menu with the

Customize Menu mode activated.

You use the View menu primarily for turning on or off the visibility of entity types such as planes,

sketches, or temporary axes. You can also do this by using hotkeys or by putting extra items on the

View toolbar.

The Insert menu is used mostly for creating feature types for which you do not have a toolbar icon

on the screen. For example, although the Move Face tool is on the Mold Tools toolbar, it has many

uses aside from mold design. You can find the Move Face tool by choosing Insert ➪ Face.

The Tools menu is used primarily for sketch entities or tools for which you have no icon on the

screen. Several other commonly used tools, such as Measure, Equations, Customize, and Options,

are also available in this menu.