SolidWorks 2010 Bible

Part I: SolidWorks Basics

sheet metal, and plastic parts), you may need some additional toolbar space. It is completely

believable to have access to most of the software’s function with the “S” toolbar and either the

Menu Bar toolbar or the CommandManager. CommandManager by far gives you the most flexibil-

ity, but it also requires the most space.

The S key shortcut may conflict with another keyboard customization you have done, depending

on how your software was installed. To change the “S” toolbar key to another character or to reas-

sign it, follow the directions for creating and maintaining hotkeys later in this chapter in the section

on customization. It is referenced as the Shortcut Bar in the Keyboard list (Tools ➪ Customize ➪

Keyboard).

Tool tips ..........................................................................................................

Tool tips come in two varieties: large and small. Large tool tips show the name of the tool, along

with a brief description of what it does. Small tool tips show only the tool’s name. To change the

tool tip display from large to small, or to deselect the tool tip display altogether, choose Tools ➪

Customize. The options for using large tool tips and showing tool tips appear in the upper-right

corner, as shown in Figure 2.11. In addition to the tool tip balloons, tips also appear in the status

bar at the bottom of the screen when the cursor is over an icon. Figure 2.13 shows a comparison

between large and small tool tips.

FIGURE 2.13

SolidWorks uses large tool tips by default.

Note
The Customize option (Tools ➪ Customize) is inactive unless a SolidWorks document is open. To access the
Customize dialog box, first open a SolidWorks part, assembly, or drawing and then choose Tools ➪ Customize
from the menu. Customize is different from the Customize Menu option found in all SolidWorks menus. The
Customize Menu option is discussed later in this chapter. n

Managing toolbars ...........................................................................................

After all that, if you still feel you need to work with standard toolbars, it is easy to move, select and

deselect, and add icons to toolbars. It is important to remember that different document types

retain different toolbar settings; for example, the toolbars that you see with a part open are differ-

ent from the toolbars that you see for drawings.

When you are working on parts, it is important to have both the Sketch and the Features toolbars

active. When you are working on a drawing, you will never use the Features toolbar, but you will