Display Options

You can specify options for the display of edges, planes, and so on.

To specify display options:

  1. Click Options or Tools > Options.
  2. Click Display.
  3. Select from the options described below, then click OK.
Click Reset to restore factory defaults for all system options or only for options on this page.

Hidden edges displayed as

Solid or Dashed Specifies how hidden edges are displayed in Hidden Lines Visible mode in part and assembly documents.

Part/Assembly tangent edge display

Controls how tangent edges are displayed when the model is in Hidden Lines Removed, Hidden Lines Visible, or Shaded With Edges mode.

As visible
As phantom
Removed
You can also click View > Display, and select Tangent Edges Visible, Tangent Edges as Phantom, or Tangent Edges Removed. These commands also control the visibility of Split Line features that create tangent edges on models.

Edge display in shaded with edges mode

HLR Any edges that would appear in Hidden Lines Removed mode are displayed in Shaded With Edges mode also.
Optimize for thin parts Available when you select HLR. Use to accurately display thin-walled parts and assemblies and to prevent edges from blending.
To use this option the graphics card and driver must support OpenGL 4.0, GLSL 4.0 or greater.
Wireframe All edges are shown in Shaded With Edges mode (like Wireframe).

Assembly transparency for in context edit

Controls the transparency options when you edit assembly components. These settings affect only the components that are not edited. This option is not available when Large Assembly Settings is on.

Opaque assembly Unedited components are opaque.
Maintain assembly transparency Unedited components retain their individual transparency settings.
Force assembly transparency Unedited components use the specified transparency level. Move the slider to the right for more transparency.
You can also change the colors used in Edit Component mode.

Anti-aliasing

Determines the extent of antialiasing to apply to models in the graphics area. Antialiasing smooths jagged edges, making an image appear more realistic.

When one or more documents are open, some antialiasing options may be disabled. All antialiasing options are disabled when you enable Large Assembly Settings.
None Disables antialiasing.
Anti-alias edges/sketches Smooths out jagged edges in Shaded With Edges, Wireframe, Hidden Lines Removed, and Hidden Lines Visible modes.
Anti-alias option selected
Anti-alias option cleared
Full scene anti-aliasing Available if your video card supports full scene antialiasing and has passed a stability test. You must set the graphics card control panel settings for antialiasing so that the application has control. Applies antialiasing to the entire graphics area for parts, assemblies, and drawings.
Close all SOLIDWORKS documents before you turn on or off full scene antialiasing. Restart the SOLIDWORKS software for full scene antialiasing to take effect.
Use shaded face highlighting Displays the selected faces in a solid color (green by default).

To specify a different highlight color, from the System Options dialog box, click Colors and modify the current color scheme.

Some third-party applications might require that you clear this option.
Highlight all edges of features selected in graphics view Highlights all edges of a feature when you select the feature.
Dynamic highlight from graphics view Highlights model faces, edges, and vertices when you move the pointer over a sketch, model, or drawing.

Available when Large Assembly Settings is off.
Display temporary axes upon hover over cylindrical faces Controls whether temporary axes appear when you hover over cylindrical faces. The default is enabled.
Show open edges of surfaces in different color Makes it easier to differentiate between the open edges of a surface and any tangent edges or silhouette edges.
To specify the edge color, click Tools > Options > System Options > Colors. Select Surfaces > Open Edges in System colors.
Display shaded planes Displays transparent shaded planes with a wireframe edge that have different front and back colors.
To specify the shaded plane colors, click Tools > Options > Document Properties > Plane Display. Under Faces, select Front Face Color or Back Face Color to change the colors. Move the slider to the right for more transparency.
Display dimensions flat to screen Displays dimension text in the plane of your computer screen. Clear to display dimension text in the plane of the dimension's 3D annotation view.
Selected: Dimension text is in the plane of your computer screen, and all dimension text and lines in the current annotation view are visible.
Cleared: Dimension text is in the plane of the 3D annotation view, and dimension text and lines that are behind the model are hidden.
Display notes flat to screen Displays notes in the plane of your computer screen. Clear to display notes in the plane of the dimension's 3D annotation view.
Display reference triad Displays a reference triad to help orient you when viewing models. The reference triad is for display purposes only. You cannot select the triad or use it as an inference point.
Display scrollbars in graphics view for parts and assemblies
You cannot change this option while any SOLIDWORKS documents are open.

Turns scrollbars on in the graphics view of part and assembly documents.

To use accelerated zoom, clear this option and press Shift + mouse wheel in the graphics area.
Display scrollbars in graphics view for drawings
You cannot change this option while any SOLIDWORKS documents are open.

Turns scrollbars on in the graphics view of drawing documents.
Display draft quality ambient occlusion Uses draft quality for rendering models when you use Ambient Occlusion. Draft quality renders faster but has less visual fidelity. Clear to use the default quality.
Display SpeedPak graphics circle Enables or disables the display of the SpeedPak graphics circle.

When you enable the graphics circle, only selectable geometry is visible in the region surrounding the pointer.

When you disable the graphics circle, all geometry in the region surrounding the pointer remains visible.
Display Pattern Information Tooltips Displays information about a pattern including pattern name, pattern type, all seeds used to create the pattern, spacing and number of instances, instances skipped, and instances varied.

Breadcrumbs

Show breadcrumbs on selection

Displays breadcrumbs in the upper left corner of the graphics area when you select an entity in the graphics area or a node in the FeatureManager design tree.

The breadcrumbs show related elements up and down the hierarchical tree, from the selected entity through the top-level assembly or part.
Show breadcrumbs at mouse pointer Displays the breadcrumbs in a semitransparent state at the pointer. You can also select multiple mates in the selection breadcrumbs.
Display unique equation identifier

In the Ordered View of the Equations dialog box, a unique identifier for an equation displays for reference in design tables.

When you hover over an equation under the Name column, a tooltip displays a unique ID (Relation ID) for that equation.

You can specify the Relation ID in a design table to disable or enable an equation across all configurations. The parameter is $Enable@Relation_ID@Equations, where Relation ID is a number that uniquely identifies an equation.

For example, the $Enable@1@Equations parameter applies to equation 1. Then in the design table, under that parameter, enter Yes to enable or No to disable the equation for all configurations.
Projection type for four view viewport Controls which views are displayed in the viewports when you click Four View (Standard Views toolbar). Select an option:

First Angle

Front, Left, Top, and Trimetric.

Third Angle

Front, Right, Top, and Trimetric.