Import PMI

You can import PMI (Product Manufacturing Information) with NX, Creo, and STEP AP242 formats as semantic noneditable annotations.

You can assign color to graphical annotations. Click Tools > Options > System Options > Colors. Under Color scheme settings, select Graphical Annotations.

More About PMI

When you add PMI such as dimensions, geometric tolerances, and surface finishes to a 2D drawing, the software cannot query the drawing for the applied information. For example, if you apply flatness to an edge in a drawing or width dimensions, a person is required to interpret the association.

With a 3D model, the flatness you apply to a surface and the dimensions are associated with the faces of a feature. A person can query the model by rotating it and selecting the annotation to highlight the corresponding surfaces. In addition, CAD systems can understand the model and query the dimensions and faces to generate NC programs. This ability is known as Semantic PMI or Semantic query.

SOLIDWORKS can get this semantic data by calling SOLIDWORKS APIs. For more information, see this API example: https://help.solidworks.com/Help.aspx?P=5&F=sldworksapi/Get_PMI_Data_Example_CSharp.htm