Meta Description – Tips And Trucks to have a smooth Solidworks experience even while working with complex models and assemblies.
If you are here reading this article, then we understand Solidworks is being problematic more than being productive with you. It’s not a new thing and also not a hard thing to solve. Every other software tends to malfunction by crashing or getting slower at some point. The reasons for this can be many starting from bad system configuration to outdated versions, and once we point out the exact reason it becomes easier to solve it.
Why Is Your Solidworks Slowing down?
Contents
As we said, it’s not just Solidworks but all the software in the world can sometimes face performance issues. In order to tackle it rightly, let us first pick what is causing your Solidworks to slow down:
1) Bad System Configuration
The first and foremost reason can be your pc not being compatible with Solidworks. The basic configuration for Solidworks to run properly in your laptop is 8GB RAM (16 Recommended), Dual-core CPU (Quad-core Recommended), 64bit operating system, 256 SSD hard drive, and 2GB graphic card (4GB Recommended).
2) Less Disk Space
If the dusk in which Solidworks is installed in your system is running low in space then it can be the main reason for the bad performance of the software. Always keep a minimum of 4-5GB of space in the Solidworks drive.
3) Background Apps
Sometimes multiple apps get stacked and running in the background. This can severely affect Solidwork’s speed as the system is getting overloaded. Clear all the unnecessary apps from the background and refresh the system.
If none of the above points match your situation then the solution lies in the optimization of Solidworks Settings.
Make your Solidworks Run Faster
Having a high-end system and still struggling with Solidwork’s performance can be exhausting. On the other hand, if you have an average system that does meet the minimum requirement for Solidworks and there are no plans to upgrade it then in both these situations, the answer is Solidworks Settings.
1. Add-Ins and Launch Time
If the software is taking a long time in starting up then have a look at what all add-ins are loading at the time of start. You can do this by going to Tools Options in Solidworks and clicking on ‘add ins’. There will appear a drop-down menu as shown below where you can deselect the add-ins that you do not use frequently.
2. Properties of Documents/Images
Another solution to slow Solidworks is to decrease the image quality. For this, go to ‘Tools‘ then ‘Options‘, and then click on ‘Document Properties‘. Slide both the bars i.e., Shaded and Draft Quality and Wireframe quality to the left (low) end.
3. System Settings
Now this deals with various things. Go to System Performance and make the following changes as mentioned:
a. Go to Colour
Make the Background appearance plain.
Check the below two options:
Use specified colour for shaded with edges mode.
Use specified colour for drawing paper color.
b. Go to Drawings and then Performance
Uncheck the following options:
Allow auto-update when opening drawings.
Show contents while dragging the drawing view.
c. Go to Drawings and then Display Style
Select the ‘Draft Quality‘ option under the following headings
Edge quality for shaded edge views
Edge quality for wireframe and hidden views
d. Go to View
Move all sliders to off in the ‘Transitions’ section.
Uncheck: Zoom to fit when changing to standard views
e. Go to Feature Manager
Uncheck the below option:
Use transparent flyout FeatureManager tree in parts/assemblies.
f. Go to External References
Uncheck the option saying: Search file locations for external references
Switch to ‘prompt’ for the ‘Load referenced documents’ option.
g. Go to Display
Choose ‘maintain assembly transparency’ for ‘Assembly transparency for in context edit’ and ‘none’ for ‘Anti-aliasing’.
h. Go to Assemblies
While working with assemblies the software might feel lagging or sometimes the software crashes due to low memory. In order to reduce this kind of error you should check some settings in the Assembly set.
- Save new components to external files
- While opening a large assembly, use lightweight mode. You can reduce it to 300.
- In large assembly mode check all the options/settings available except ‘Suspend automatic rebuild’.
- In Envelope components, check Automatically load lightweight.
- Check on ‘Prompt before changing mate alignment on edit’.
i. Go to Performance
Verification on rebuild is a feature that helps in validating complex geometry. This helps in causing geometrical errors to become apparent earlier in the design process rather than later. This can add extra calculations on the software. You can set these settings under performance setting to speed things up in the software.
- Verification on rebuild – Uncheck
- Transparency – Uncheck both boxes
- Level of Detail – Off
- In assemblies, Automatically load components lightweight – Check
- Check out of date lightweight component – Indicate
- Resolve Lightweight components – Prompt
- Rebuild assembly on load – prompt
- Mate speed animation – off
- Use shaded preview – check
- Enhance graphics performance – check
These settings will defiantly help in boosting the speed of the software. You cannot expect the user interface or the animation working smoothly, or the edges of the model smooth. This is help you in working on the design even if you have low end Desktop or laptop computer. The best option you can have is to upgrade the computer in future when ever you get the money. Because Dassault Systems has created this software so interactive and user interface is next level.
Ready to Go
So these were all the tips and tricks or let us say hacks for making your Solidworks speed up. In short, if you have a low configuration system then do upgrade it as per the requirement of the software, and if you are not in a position to upgrade or already gave a high end system then play with the settings. Try these solutions and let us know how they worked for you.
