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You can access the DisplayManager through a tab at the top of the FeatureManager area, next to the ConfigurationManager tab. Figure 3.11 shows an example of what you will see when you open the DisplayManager.

FIGURE 3.11

Opening the DisplayManager

The DisplayManager contains information on three types of visual data in SolidWorks: Appearances; Decals; and Scene, Lights, and Camera. Some of this information is redundant, as it is shown in both the Display Pane and the Appearances callouts in the graphics window. But it is also presented in a unique way.

Controlling Appearances with the DisplayManager

Appearances can be displayed in three different ways in the DisplayManager: by history, alphabetical order, and hierarchy. You can control this option by using the Sort Order drop-down list at the top of the panel window. Figure 3.12 shows how the History option assigns appearances to parts and features. This enables you to edit the appearance for an entire selection of geometry at once. You can also add to the selection set using the RMB menu option Attach To Selection.

FIGURE 3.12

Sorting the appearance assignments by history

The “history” means that the appearance assignments are sorted in chronological order based on when the materials were assigned to the various parts. There is no reordering as in the history-based feature tree in parts. You might use this feature to keep track of which appearances were edited or added most recently to help you access them.

The Alphabetical listing just lists the appearances alphabetically. This is a great way to group similar appearances together, even from various parts in an assembly.

The final sorting option is Hierarchy. This is the most useful of the three (with the History sorting being second). You can see how it lays out the information in Figure 3.13. Hierarchical sorting organizes the appearance assignments by the override list given earlier in this chapter, namely Components, Face, Features, Body, and Part.

FIGURE 3.13

Sorting appearances by hierarchy

Applying decals

The second item that the DisplayManager manages is decals. You can apply decals to parts or components at the assembly level. Each decal is listed separately, and indented underneath the decal is the geometry to which it is applied. In the example in Figure 3.14, two decals are applied to the truck, one at the assembly level and one at the part level. This is reflected in the way the decals are listed in the DisplayManager.

FIGURE 3.14

Using the DisplayManager to manage decals

You can get a preview of the decal if you hover the mouse over the name of the decal in the DisplayManager panel, as shown in Figure 3.15. Decals can be hidden or deleted from the RMB menu. You can also hide decals from the View menu.

FIGURE 3.15

Displaying previews of decals and RMB options for decals

The examples in these images use sample decals that install with the SolidWorks software. The samples are stored by default at C:\Program Files\SolidWorks Corp\SolidWorks\data\graphics\Decals. If you want to make your own decal, you should first create a custom location, not in a SolidWorks installation path, where you store all your custom decals; in fact, any decal (even a sample decal) that you use on your models should be stored here.

To establish a location for custom decals, go to Tools⇒Options⇒File Locations, and select Custom – Decals from the drop-down list, as shown in Figure 3.16.

FIGURE 3.16

Establishing a library location for custom decals

With this item selected, browse to your established library folder for other custom items, and add a new folder for decals. You can add multiple locations if you need to do that. These locations show up in the Decals section of the Appearances tab on the Task Pane.

Note

All of the sample decals use a *.p2d extension, which stands for PhotoWorks2 Decal. PhotoWorks2 is now a defunct product, and it is no longer required to apply decals. If you try to drop common image types into the Task Pane directly by dragging from Windows