SolidWorks 2011 Parts Bible - Matt Lombard [26]
Cross-Reference
Chapter 3 covers the Confirmation Corner in more detail.
Exploring the Menu Bar toolbar and menu
The Menu Bar toolbar is found just to the right of the SolidWorks logo on the title bar in the top-left corner of the SolidWorks window. By default, it contains most of the elements of the Standard toolbar, and it is available even when no documents are open. It uses mostly flyout toolbar icons, so again it follows the trend of saving space at the expense of an extra click. This toolbar can be customized in the same way as normal toolbars in the Customize dialog box in the Commands tab. This toolbar cannot be turned off, but you can remove all the icons from it.
Note
You could run the SolidWorks interface from just the CommandManager without any additional toolbars; you could do the same with just the Menu Bar toolbar, customizing it with all flyout toolbars. The main advantages of the Title Bar toolbar are that it is visible when no documents are open, and that it makes use of otherwise wasted space in the title bar. You might set up the interface for a 12-inch normal aspect display laptop very differently from that of a desktop unit with a 24-inch-wide screen.
There is also a Menu Bar Menu, which is hidden by default. The SolidWorks logo in the upper left of the SolidWorks window or the small triangle next to the logo serve as a flyout to expand the main SolidWorks menus. You can pin the menus in place using the pushpin shown at the right end of the menus in Figure 2.9. When the menu is pinned, the toolbar moves to the right to accommodate it.
Note
The 3Dcontrol menu entry is not part of base SolidWorks; it is part of the 3Dconnexion (spaceball) driver.
Notice that on low resolution or non-maximized SolidWorks windows, you can run into some space problems if the Menu Bar Menu is pinned open. Figure 2.9 shows the SolidWorks 2011 interface with all default settings displayed at 1024 × 768 resolution, which is a common resolution when using digital LCD projectors or small notebook computers. You need to examine the changes in the SolidWorks interface with display size in mind. You might consider having different sets of settings for using a laptop at a docking station with a large monitor, using the laptop with a small monitor, or using the computer with a low-resolution digital projector.
FIGURE 2.9
The Menu Bar toolbar and menu
Looking at the Flyout toolbar buttons
SolidWorks saves space by putting several related icons on the flyout toolbars. For example, the Rectangle tool has several different ways to make a rectangle, with a button for each, and they are all on the rectangle flyout.
You can see all the available flyouts in the Customize menu (Tools⇒Customize), under the Commands tab, in the first listing in the window, Flyouts.
The purpose for flyouts is primarily to save toolbar space when several tools are closely related. SolidWorks has set up flyouts in two configurations: flyouts that always maintain the same image for the front button (such as the Smart Dimension flyout) and flyouts that use the last used button (such as the Rectangle flyout).
Toolbar flyouts are listed in Tools⇒Customize⇒Commands and are listed from 2D to 3D through the Weldments toolbar. After Weldments in the list, the flyouts are Similar Function flyouts. You can change the order of the items in the flyouts by changing the order of the items in the toolbars. Just display the original toolbar and choose Tools⇒Customize to reorder it to your liking. These toolbars will always have the same icon on the top. For