How To Add Drawing Templates In Solidworks

Every few releases it's always a good idea to update your SOLIDWORKS templates to the latest version y'all and your visitor are currently using. Being one of the techs on the Technical Support team, we run across the rare occurrence that a role, assembly or drawing seems to have go corrupt. It's even more than rare that we find that multiple files neglect to open, this is when we start looking at the templates being the culprit.

Former SOLIDWORKS TEMPLATES

With CAD software continually updating, you would not desire to design your new parts in old templates. Similarly, would you lot want to use a template from an old version Microsoft Word 5.five to be used in your Microsoft Word 2016?

Over many years, during the normal upgrade path of SOLIDWORKS, templates get inverse, updated and saved in the current version of SOLIDWORKS. This should allow the users to accept templates that are of the best quality to start their new part, assembly and drawing file(s) with. Yet, every bit with any programme on Windows, templates tin have issues. The steps beneath are how to become a fresh set of current templates created and, if so desired, to copy the Drafting Standard and Sail Format (championship block) over to the new template(s).

Hint: To check the historic period of a role or assembly template you can, get-go the new part or assembly, right click over one of the normal planes (Front, Top or Right), select Properties and look at the Date created and Final modify fields.

Here is an example of a template to NOT continue using until it'southward updated (replaced):

old solidworks templates

Follow these steps on how to get a fresh prepare of SOLIDWORKS templates:

Open SOLIDWORKS > become to Options (gear icon on height eye toolbar)
On the 'System Options' tab, select 'File Locations' category on the left side (about in the center)
Leave the 'Show folders for:' ready to 'Document Templates'
Hint:Nosotros will be deleting all the paths in the Folders box in the adjacent stride. Have a screen shot or re-create these downwardly if you wish to re-plant these paths later.
Selecting one by one, delete all paths that are listed. (If using PDM Professional person, skip deleting the path pointed towards your PDM vault temp folder)
Click the 'Add' button, browse to some identify convenient. (C:\ or Desktop or Documents)
Create a new empty binder. I created mine as 'C:\SW Template Binder\
Open this folder and and so click the 'Select Folder' button.
Click OK out of 'System Options', click yes if prompted to making changes to search paths. The creation of the new templates happens very apace and backside the scenes.
Commencement by going to the File menu, and then selecting New or Clicking on New button. This action causes SOLIDWORKS to check the empty folder that we pointed towards, see that in that location aren't whatever templates in the folder and create new ones.

At this point, you tin can just keep using the new templates that SOLIDWORKS created, modifying them as needed or you can use these templates every bit the basis for creating updated version of your old templates. If you plan on updating your old templates, then you may want to add the onetime paths dorsum into File Locations, Document Templates.

The basic process for creating new templates using the settings from your old templates is as such:

Open the old template, let'south first with a part template. This tin can be washed past file, open (change your file type to Template), browse to the folder where your existing part template is stored or past file, new and selecting the existing part template. (File, New works if yous put your quondam template paths back into folder locations.
Save the drafting standard to an external file by going to Options, Document Properties tab, stay on the 'Drafting Standard' category, then click the 'Save to External File' push. This creates an .sldstd file that tin be read back into another part file. It stores near items on the Document Properties Tab merely not all of them.
To import these settings into the new role template that was created in the first half of this article. Open up the template by going to the 'File' card, 'Open', change 'File Type' to template, browse to the folder that we created them in. In my example 'C:\SW Template Folder\'. Open up the function template for this example. Role.prtdot
While the function.prtdot file is open, go to Options, Certificate Properties, Drafting Standard category. Select the 'Load From External File' button, browse to the .sldstd file nosotros make back in step 2). This imports all of the settings from your existing part template file. Verify that all of your existing settings are imported and then brand any additional changes on the Certificate Backdrop tab as needed.
Save the part.prtdot, shut the template. Then click new and exam the new template.

Hint: I like to name my templates as to what they are and when I created them. i.due east. 'Part Inch 2020.prtdot'

Echo these last steps 1) through 5) for your associates and drawing templates. For your drawing template, yous volition also need to movement over your Canvas Format (Title cake) if you've customized them. To move over your Sheet Format follow these general additional steps.

Open up your existing Drawing template that contains your title block.
From the file menu, select 'Salvage Canvass Format…' This allows you to save your title block every bit a .slddrt file.
Shut your existing drawing.
Open your new drawing template by 'File' menu, 'Open', alter 'File Blazon' to template, browse to the folder that nosotros created them in. Again, in my example 'C:\SW Template Folder\'. Open the drawing template for this example. describe.prtdot
Change the sheet format past right click over 'Sheet1' in the 'FeatureManager' tree, selecting 'Properties' and and so browse to the .slddrt file that was saved in stride two
Save your cartoon template, close it and then test information technology to make sure it's working correctly.

To expand on these steps if you accept additional size drawing sheets and/or need to update your championship cake with extra things like, Annotations that are linked to custom properties.

Since you are updating your templates hither is a group of great other tech manufactures that become further in-depth of Drawing templates:

SOLIDWORKS – Cartoon Templates Pt. 1 of iii

SOLIDWORKS – Drawing Templates Pt. 2 of 3

SOLIDWORKS – Cartoon Templates Pt. 3 of three

SOLIDWORKS – How to Adjust Template Settings