Datasheet

14
Part I: Introducing SolidWorks Basics
To create a template, open a document of the appropriate type (part or assembly), and make the set-
tings you want the template to have; for example, units are one of the most common reasons to make
a separate template, though any Document Property setting is fair game for a template, from the
dimensioning standard used to the image quality settings. You can find these settings through the
menus at Tools ➪ Options ➪ Document Properties.
Some document-specific settings do not appear in the Document Properties dialog box. Still, these
settings are saved with the template. Settings that fall into this category are the View menu entity
type visibility option and the Tools ➪ Sketch Settings menu options.
Custom Properties are another piece of the template puzzle. If you use or plan to use BOMs (Bills of
Materials), PDM (Product Data Management), or linked notes on drawings, you need to take advan-
tage of the automation options available with custom properties. Setting up custom properties is cov-
ered in detail in Chapter 14.
In addition, the names of the standard planes are template specific. For example, the standard planes
may be named Front, Top, and Side; or XY, XZ, and ZY; or Plane1, Plane2, and Plane3; or North, Plan,
and East; or Elevation, Plan, and Side for different uses.
Locating templates
You can set the location of the templates folder at Tools ➪ Options ➪ File Locations ➪ Document
Templates. The folder location may be a local folder or a shared network folder. Multiple folders may
be specified in the list box, each corresponding to a tab in the New Document’s Advanced interface.
After all the Document Properties, custom properties, and other settings are set to your liking and you
are ready to save the file as a template, choose File ➪ Save As and select Part Templates in Files of Type.
SolidWorks prompts you to save the template in the first folder listed in the File Locations list. You can
create assembly templates the same way, except you change the settings for an assembly document.
You can also create additional tabs on the New SolidWorks Document dialog box by making subfold-
ers in the main folder in the File Locations area. For example, if your File Locations list for Document
Templates looks like Figure 1.10, your New SolidWorks Document dialog box will look like Figure 1.11.
FIGURE 1.10
The Tools ➪ Options ➪ File Locations list
Adding subfolders to either of the locations listed in File Locations results in additional tabs in the
New SolidWorks Document dialog box, as shown in Figures 1.12 and 1.13.
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