SolidWorks 2011 Parts Bible - Matt Lombard [85]
• Perspective. Displays the model in perspective view without using a camera. If you want to create a perspective view on a drawing, you must create a custom view in the View Orientation dialog box with Perspective selected. You can adjust perspective through View⇒Modify⇒Perspective by adjusting the relative distance from the model to the point of view. Relative distance is measured by the size of the bounding box of the model; therefore, if the model fits into a box roughly 12 inches on a side and the perspective is set to 1.1, the point of view is roughly 13 inches from the model. For more accurate perspective, you can use a camera.
Caution
Perspective view and sketching do not work well together. Sketches and dimensions look distorted and incorrect with perspective turned on. I recommend disabling perspective view when sketching.
• Curvature. A geometrical analysis tool that applies a color gradient to the part based on the local curvature. You can also apply curvature display to individual surfaces through the RMB menu. With some hardware, curvature display can take more time to generate for complex models.
Performance
Settings in Tools⇒Options⇒Performance can greatly affect rebuild speed if curvature display data is regenerated for each part rebuild. You should leave this at the default setting, which is Only on Demand.
Using RealView
RealView is the display technology behind the fancy appearances of SolidWorks models. The reflections and lighting depend on RealView. If you turn off RealView or if you don't have hardware that supports it, you can't get the great displays. RealView does not affect rendering, just the live display. Check the system requirements listed on the SolidWorks Web site for information about whether your video card supports RealView.
In some situations, you can use RealView instead of rendering. In these cases, RealView acts as a real-time renderer. The main advantages that rendering software such as PhotoView 360 holds over RealView are improved anti-aliasing control, improved shadow control, indirect illumination, global illumination, caustics, and effects such as depth of field from a camera.
You can even use RealView as a diagnostic tool for smooth transitions between surfaces because RealView appearances apply a reflective surface to a part and then apply a reflective background. This is essentially what the Zebra Stripes functionality is doing, but Zebra Stripes applies a specific reflective background to make examining curvature continuity across edges more straightforward.
You can turn RealView on or off by using the golden sphere icon that displays by default on the Heads Up View toolbar. If this icon is grayed out, then your system is not equipped with an appropriate RealView-capable graphics card. Generally, you need an nVidia Quadro series or higher to get RealView capabilities, and an appropriate graphics driver must be installed with the hardware. (NVS series cards are not 3D cards and will not enable RealView.) Some ATI FireGL cards and all FirePro cards will also work.
Exploring the Display Pane
The Display Pane flies out from the right side of the FeatureManager and displays a quick list of which entities have appearances, transparency, or other visual properties assigned. It also shows hidden parts or bodies for assemblies and multibody parts. The Display Pane is shown in Figure 5.35.
FIGURE 5.35
The Display Pane allows you to control display elements of your SolidWorks model.
This tool to some extent duplicates the DisplayManager, but it also provides a quick summary of most of the display information, including wireframe/shaded display mode, transparency, hide/show state, and color. It works in both parts and assemblies, and is a highly valuable tool. Between the DisplayManager and the Display Pane, you can easily manage one of the most confusing areas of the