Creating a New SOLIDWORKS Document

New documents use templates as the basis for their format and properties.

Templates include user-defined document properties, such as units of measure or other detailing standards. Templates allow you to maintain many different styles of documents. A document template can be a part, drawing, or assembly that you saved as a template.

To create a new SOLIDWORKS document:

  1. Click New (Standard toolbar) or File > New.
  2. In the dialog box, select:
    Option Description
    Novice Displays icons and explanations of part, assembly, and drawing documents.

    The templates specified in System Options > Default Templates are always used when you create new documents directly from the Novice page.

    If you open a new document when in a SOLIDWORKS tutorial, a tutorial template is used. The tutorial template uses the appropriate units, view orientations, and so on, for the tutorial lesson.

    Advanced Displays the template icons on various tabs.
    You can:
    • See previews as you select templates.
    • Add your own tabs.
    • Access the tutorial templates on the Tutorial tab.
    • Select the display types: Large Icons , List , or List Details .
  3. Select a type of document.
  4. Click OK.
    You can also open new documents from the Welcome dialog box. Like the Novice page in the New SOLIDWORKS Document dialog box, documents created from the Welcome dialog box always use the templates specified in System Options > Default Templates.