As you edit a scene, the cumulative cause-and-effect result of your actions is what you see on screen. Your edits are part of the
configuration you were in when you made them. When you create a
project, the base configuration is automatically selected, so all edits are
included in the base configuration.
Configuration tools are available only in SOLIDWORKS Visualize Professional.
When you create a new configuration or select any existing configuration
other than the base, you create a new branch to store
subsequent edits. For example, if you create a new configuration called
"Config1," and change the dominant color of the model, the change is
applied in Config1 only.
While you remain in Config1, the color change is visible. But if you switch back to the base configuration, you
see the model in its previous color prior to creating Config1.
Actions you take while in one configuration do not affect the other configurations – with the exception of the base configuration. Edits
you make while in the base configuration affect all other configurations.
The primary use of new configurations is to provide different
versions of a base scene. For example, while in the base configuration, you
can create and finish a scene containing a yellow car model lit by an HDR
image taken in a specific dealer showroom. Then you can create a new
configuration called "Red Car" and paint the car red. Then create a "Black
Car" configuration and paint the car black. You can switch between
yellow, red, and black cars by switching configurations.
The configuration tools are located on the left side of the main toolbar:
The tools show you which configuration you are
currently working in and provide a means to switch configurations:
Context-Sensitive Configuration Menu
You can put almost everything in SOLIDWORKS Visualize into configurations. Here is what you can do with configurations in the context-sensitive menu:
- Appearances
tabRight-click an appearance in the model, and do one of the following:
- Click to create a new configuration and add the selected appearance to it.
- Click an existing custom configuration from the list.
- Lock a configuration in the floating palette/toolbar.
When
used for HDR images and backplates, the word "Appearance" does not appear.
- To duplicate an existing configuration, click Edit in the floating toolbar, and click Duplicate.
You can experiment with the duplicate configuration
while preserving the original.