Opening Drawings in Detailing Mode

You can use the Open tool to open drawings in Detailing mode.

In Detailing mode, you can add and edit dimensions and annotations within the drawing, but the model data is not loaded.
Detailing mode is available for drawings saved in SOLIDWORKS 2020 and later.

To open drawings in Detailing mode:

  1. Click Open (Standard toolbar) or File > Open, or press Ctrl+O.
  2. In the dialog box, in Files of type, select SOLIDWORKS Drawing (*.drw; *slddrw).
  3. Browse to select a drawing.
  4. In the dialog box, for Mode, select Detailing .
  5. Click Open.
    When a drawing is in Detailing mode:
    • appears on the top node of the FeatureManager design tree.
    • [Detailing] is appended to the file name in the top bar of the SOLIDWORKS window.