Hide Table of Contents

Glossary

This glossary defines the terms you should be familiar with while using Composer.
ActiveX:
Microsoft technology that enables third-party applications in Microsoft Office documents, Web pages, or other software (such as PLM applications).Composer Player ActiveX lets you see and interact with Composer files.
Actor:
Composer objects that appear in your 3D scenes: geometry, collaborative actors, Digger, and so on.
Anchor:
Small red squares or white circles on actor extremities that let you resize and move collaboration actors.
Animation mode:
Mode in which actors are animated.
Annotations:
Collaborative actors, such as labels and callouts, that describe geometry actors.
API:
Application programming interface. A set of methods that let two applications communicate.Composer Player ActiveX API lets you design Web pages, PowerPoint presentations, or third-party software that interact with Composer content.
Assembly branch:
Parent in a hierarchical relation.
Assembly leaf:
Child in a hierarchical relation.
Bounding box:
Imaginary parallelepiped volume that bounds a 3D actor.
Collaborative actors:
Composer objects that enhance your CAD models, such as annotations, markup, and measurements.
Coordinate system:
A set of planes used to assign Cartesian coordinates to actors.
Geometry actors:
Composer objects that represent the parts, assemblies, and components that comprise your CAD model.
Gizmo:
A graphic object that lets you manipulate actors in 3D. A gizmo typically, but not always, appears on actor pivots.
Global frame:
Origin frame of your scene.
HLR:
Hidden line removal. A view mode in which all model edges that are not visible from the current camera angle are removed from the display.
Key:
Represents an animation step created when changing properties.
Local frame:
Frame in which the actor's position is fixed.
Marker:
Chapter of the animation.
Memo3D:
An .smg file, which is composed of:
  • smgGeom: The geometry of the model.
  • smgXml: Enrichments such as animation, collaboration actors, properties, and views.
  • Resource files: Linked files, maps, and so on.
Mode:
A persistent Composer tool (such as translation or rotation) or behavior (such as animation and view modes). You can often exit a mode by pressing the Esc key.
Model:
3D representation of an object produced by computer-aided design (CAD) software such as CATIA and SolidWorks.
Neutral properties:
Default properties of an actor initially defined by the data that you import from the CAD system and your Composer settings. You can modify and restore neutral properties.
Package:
Auto-executable Composer file.
Pivot:
Point from which actor movement is computed. A pivot object, called a gizmo, helps you move the actor. The pivot and the local frame are located at the same place.
Properties:
Composer actor attributes (such as size, color, opacity) that you view and modify in the Properties pane. Geometry actors, collaborative actors, and the viewport all have properties.
Raster image:
2D bitmap image that might use a compression algorithm.
Root:
Top level of your assembly tree.
Scene:
All 2D and 3D actors visible in the viewport (models, annotations, ground, and so on).
Vector image:
2D image in which shapes are described in their mathematical form. Lets you move and change object appearances and positions in a post-processing piece of software.
View:
A snapshot of your scene properties that you can save and restore at any time.
View mode:
A mode in which you can modify actor properties and positions without altering animations.
Viewport:
3D display area of the Composer window where you navigate your scenes.


Provide feedback on this topic

SOLIDWORKS welcomes your feedback concerning the presentation, accuracy, and thoroughness of the documentation. Use the form below to send your comments and suggestions about this topic directly to our documentation team. The documentation team cannot answer technical support questions. Click here for information about technical support.

* Required

 
*Email:  
Subject:   Feedback on Help Topics
Page:   Glossary
*Comment:  
*   I acknowledge I have read and I hereby accept the privacy policy under which my Personal Data will be used by Dassault Systèmes

Print Topic

Select the scope of content to print:




x

We have detected you are using a browser version older than Internet Explorer 7. For optimized display, we suggest upgrading your browser to Internet Explorer 7 or newer.

 Never show this message again
x

Web Help Content Version: SOLIDWORKS Composer 2025 PR1

To disable Web help from within SOLIDWORKS and use local help instead, click Help > Use SOLIDWORKS Web Help.

To report problems encountered with the Web help interface and search, contact your local support representative. To provide feedback on individual help topics, use the “Feedback on this topic” link on the individual topic page.