When you open SOLIDWORKS documents from File Explorer in Windows® or the PDM Vault View, you can access the
Open dialog box before the file opens.
For example, you can search for a large assembly in PDM and then access the
Open dialog box directly from the Vault View.
The assembly prepopulates the Open dialog box and
lets you change the open mode to Large Design Review.
Previously, to access the open modes, you had to bring up the Open
dialog box and navigate again to the file you already found in File Explorer or PDM.
You can access the Open dialog box from File Explorer by right-clicking a
.SLDPRT, .SLDASM, or
.SLDDRW file and clicking . Earlier versions of the software support this method, however, you must
install SOLIDWORKS 2020 to update the SOLIDWORKS Launcher beforehand.
If the SOLIDWORKS software is already open, you can access the Open dialog box from the PDM Vault View or File Explorer
by holding Alt and dragging a .SLDPRT,.SLDASM, or
.SLDDRW file into the graphics area. Alt and drag are not supported in earlier versions.