An appearance is a scientifically accurate simulation of a substance such as polished aluminum, glossy paint, glass, emerald, wood, or rubber. Mapping appearances onto parts makes models look realistic.
Each type of appearance is defined by a unique set of parameters, including up to four textures (color, specular, alpha, and bump). Different appearances of the same type have the same parameters with different values. The software comes with a variety of appearances. You can create new appearances by modifying the parameters of existing appearances and by importing appearances created by others.
To map appearances onto parts:
- In the Palette, click the File Libraries
tab.
-
On the File Libraries tab, select Appearances in the drop-down menu.
The Appearances library contains all appearances (in .SVAP format that you can share and email) in the SOLIDWORKS Visualize Content\Appearances folder. You can obtain appearances from the SOLIDWORKS Visualize Cloud Library. You can also create appearances by right-clicking in the Appearances tab of the Palette.
- Drag an appearance from the Appearance library to the target part of the model in the 3D Viewport.
The appearance is mapped to the target part and it is added to the current project. The appearance is packaged and saved with the project, making the appearance independent of the Appearance library.