Hidden Solidworks Commands

WhenusingSolidworkssometimeswecomeacrosshiddencommands.Thosecommandsare
UndocumentedorUnderDocumentedinthehelporinthetutorialsandmostofthetimetheregreat
littletipstomakeourlifealittleeasierwhenwearedesigning.BelowisalistofHiddenCommands
thatIhavefoundorhavebeengivenfromSolidworksProfessionalsaroundtheworld.

Selectaface,click"normalto"=Resultyouarelookingatthatface,butifyouwanttoseethe
otherside.Click"NormalTo"againanditflips180totheoppositeside.
HelpLink

Hold"Shift"toselectaTransparentFace
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Hold"Alt"andclicktheTriadArrowstorotatebyRHRuleAsyouclickitrotatesonestepat
atime.ThisusestheSnapValueforViewRotation.
ReferenceTriadHelpLink

ClickthisArrowoftheTriad oneitheroftheX,Y,orZtoRotateper
theinstructionabove.
Shift+Arrowwillrotatethepart90inthedirectionyouselect
Ctrl+TriadArrowwillsettheArrow"Normalto"Ctrl+SameTriadArrowwillflip180to
theotherside.IntheexamplesbelowIselected"Y".

Clickthe"SpaceBar"bringsupViewOrientation.
ViewOrientationHelpLink
KeyboardShortcutsHelpLink

("alsoknownbythetermPointLocationorvariousothernames
VirtualSharps ")ToCreate
aVirtualSharpinaSketch,3DSketchorinaDrawing,SelecttheLinesthatareTangenttothe
Arc:

OntheSketchToolbarselectthePointicon.
HelpLinkDependingonyour"DocumentProperty"
SettingsyouwillseeyourVirtualSharpappear(
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):

Shift+MMB(MiddleMouseButton)andmovetheMouseThepartwillzoominandout.
Ctrl+MMBandmovetheMouseThePartwillPan.
Alt+MMBandmovetheMouseThePartwillRoll. HelpLinkforMiddleMouse
Holdthe"Alt"keywhiledraggingapartinanassemblyanditwillstoptheuserfromplacing
thepartintoanexistingSubassembly.Insteaditplacesitdirectlybelowthesubassembly.
HelpLink
Ifyoudealwithlargedrawingsandsomeviewsaresmallandhardtoselectontomovethe
view.Tryholdingthe"Alt"keydownhoverovertheview,thenselectanddragtheview.
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Click"Enter"torepeatthelastCommand. HelpLink
Click"F"keyfor"ZoomtoFit".
ZoomtoFitHelpLink.

KeyboardShortcutsHelpLink
Click"S"keyforashortcutmenuatyourmousepointer( HelpLink):

Themenucanbecustomizedtofittheusersneeds.RMB(RightMouseButton)andselect
"Customize".
HelpLink
WhenmodifyingadimensionHoldthe"Ctrl"keydownandrolltheMMBwillcausetheSpin
Incrementtoincrease/decreaseby1".(NOTE:Theseincrementscanbeadjustedusingtheto
the"Spinboxincrements"locatedunder"Tools\Options\SystemOptions\SpinBox
Increments".)
WhenmodifyingadimensionHoldthe"Alt"keydownandrollingtheMMBwillcausethe
 SpinIncrementtoincrease/decreaseby.01".(NOTE:Theseincrementscanbeadjustedusing
thetothe"Spinboxincrements"locatedunder"Tools\Options\SystemOptions\SpinBox
Increments".)
Shift+Cwillcollapseallexpandedtreeitemslikefeatures/parts.
HelpTopic
AngularDimensionscanbechangedto"0"orasanegative,e.g."5"

RadiusDimensionLength:SelecttheEndpointsandhold"Ctrl"andselecttheArc:
Help
Topic

CopyPlane:Holddown"Ctrl"andSelectthe"Plane"anddragtonewLocation. HelpTopic
Copypart(assembly):Holddown"Ctrl"andselectparttocopyanddragtolocation.
F5Toggles"SelectionFilter"Toolbaron/off. HelpTopic
F6ClearsActiveFiltersinthe"SelectionFilter"Toolbar.
HelpTopic
F10Hides/Shows"Commandmanager". HelpTopiconToolbars
HelptopiconFullScreen
Mode (NOTE:ThishidesalltoolbarsnotjustCommandManager)
F11Toggles"FullScreen"on/off. HelptopiconFullScreenMode
CtrlTAB:CyclesthroughopenSWdocuments. HelpTopic
IntersectionCurveIfyouPreSelectaplane,thenselecttheInterfacesketch,youonlyneedtopick
theFace/Bodyandexitthesketch.Itwillcreatea2DSketchonthePreSelectedplane.Ifyou
PreselectboththeBody/FaceordontPreSelectanythingandselectIntersectionCurveitwill
createa3DSketchinstead.3DSketchesarevolatileandunstable.
HelpTopic

Ifyouhave"Tools\Options\SystemOptionsorDocumentproperties"openandyouarenot
awareofwhatthefunctiondoesthatyouhaveselected,youcan"Click"theHelpinthelower
RightCorner,anditwillbringupthehelppagejustforthatactivescreen.
HelpTopic
WhenyouhaveaSWBOMinadrawingandthetitleoftheColumncomesinas"QTY."and
someConfigurationNameandtheuserandyouwanttosayjust"QTY."insteadof
"ConfigurationName/QTY".TheSolutionistorenamethe"QTY."intheBOMTemplateto
"QTY".
NOTE:the"."isdroppedfromtheTagname,bydoingthistheConfignamewillbe
droppedwhenusedintheDrawing.

DimensionNamesarenowlistedperpartunderView\DimensionNames.Itwasmoved
from"SystemSettings\General".ThisstartedinVersion2010 HelpTopic
DimensionPaletteIfyouselectaDimensionandthenyouselectthepaletteanditappears.
Ifyoudragyourmouseawayfromthepaletteanditdisappears,youdon'thavetoreselect
thedimension,justpushandreleasethe"Ctrl"keyandthepaletteiconreappears.

Whencreatingasplinethatyouwantittobetangenttoanotherface.SelecttheFace,the
EdgeoftheFace,andtheSplineandyouwillgettheoption"TangenttoFace".
HelpTopic

WhenMergingcellsinatable.Youcan"ShiftSelect"orclickDragthemousetothefinalcell,
thenRMBandselect"MergeCells".

Whenyouareinapart/assemblyyoucanselectafaceandthenselect"L"keyanditwill
automaticallycreateasketchonthatfaceandtakeyouintoa"SketchLine"Command.
Scrollbarswereremovedafewversionsago,butifyoulikethemlikeIdo,youcanturnthem
onin"Tools\Options\SystemOptions\DisplaySelection"andit'sthe3rdboxfromthe
bottomofthepage.Youmusthaveeverythingclosedouttoselecttheoption.HelpTopic

WhenModifyingorEditingadimensionifyouclickthe"UporDown"arrowkeytheEquation
windowwillautostartandpopulatethe"dimensionname="awaitingtherestofyour
Equationformula.
ToExpandtheFeatureManagerTreeSelectthe"Filename"intheverytopofthetreeand
click"*"ontheNumberpad...
NOTE:"Shift+8"keycombinationdoesnotwork,onlythe*on
theNumberpadwillexpandtheentiretree.
Ifyouhaveusedthe"SelectOther"Commandyoucancontinuetoremovefaces,bysimply
RMBeachface.Thiswillallowyoutodigdowndeeperintoyourfilesoyoucanpickthe
properfaceyouneed.HelpTopic