How To Change Template In Solidworks

Every few releases it'due south always a good thought to update your SOLIDWORKS templates to the latest version yous and your visitor are currently using. Existence 1 of the techs on the Technical Back up team, we come across the rare occurrence that a role, associates or cartoon seems to have become corrupt. It's even more rare that we find that multiple files fail to open, this is when nosotros kickoff looking at the templates existence the culprit.

Erstwhile SOLIDWORKS TEMPLATES

With CAD software continually updating, y'all would not desire to design your new parts in onetime templates. Similarly, would you want to use a template from an onetime version Microsoft Give-and-take 5.5 to be used in your Microsoft Word 2016?

Over many years, during the normal upgrade path of SOLIDWORKS, templates become inverse, updated and saved in the electric current version of SOLIDWORKS. This should let the users to accept templates that are of the best quality to kickoff their new role, assembly and drawing file(s) with. Notwithstanding, as with any programme on Windows, templates tin have issues. The steps beneath are how to get a fresh ready of current templates created and, if so desired, to copy the Drafting Standard and Sheet Format (title block) over to the new template(southward).

Hint: To bank check the age of a part or associates template you can, offset the new role or assembly, right click over ane of the normal planes (Forepart, Top or Right), select Backdrop and await at the Date created and Concluding modify fields.

Hither is an example of a template to NOT keep using until information technology's updated (replaced):

old solidworks templates

Follow these steps on how to go a fresh set of SOLIDWORKS templates:

Open SOLIDWORKS > go to Options (gear icon on summit center toolbar)
On the 'System Options' tab, select 'File Locations' category on the left side (about in the eye)
Leave the 'Testify folders for:' gear up to 'Document Templates'
Hint:We volition be deleting all the paths in the Folders box in the side by side pace. Take a screen shot or copy these down if you wish to re-institute these paths afterwards.
Selecting one by 1, delete all paths that are listed. (If using PDM Professional, skip deleting the path pointed towards your PDM vault temp folder)
Click the 'Add' button, browse to some place convenient. (C:\ or Desktop or Documents)
Create a new empty binder. I created mine as 'C:\SW Template Binder\
Open this folder and then click the 'Select Folder' push.
Click OK out of 'System Options', click aye if prompted to making changes to search paths. The creation of the new templates happens very quickly and backside the scenes.
Start by going to the File menu, and then selecting New or Clicking on New button. This activeness causes SOLIDWORKS to check the empty folder that we pointed towards, see that there aren't whatsoever templates in the folder and create new ones.

At this betoken, yous can only continue using the new templates that SOLIDWORKS created, modifying them as needed or you tin employ these templates equally the basis for creating updated version of your quondam templates. If you plan on updating your onetime templates, then you lot may want to add together the old paths back into File Locations, Document Templates.

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

Open the old template, let's start with a office template. This can be done by file, open (change your file type to Template), browse to the folder where your existing office template is stored or by file, new and selecting the existing function template. (File, New works if you lot put your old template paths back into folder locations.
Save the drafting standard to an external file by going to Options, Certificate Properties tab, stay on the 'Drafting Standard' category, then click the 'Relieve to External File' push button. This creates an .sldstd file that tin can be read dorsum into another part file. It stores most items on the Certificate Properties Tab merely non all of them.
To import these settings into the new part template that was created in the first half of this article. Open the template by going to the 'File' menu, 'Open up', change 'File Type' to template, browse to the folder that we created them in. In my example 'C:\SW Template Binder\'. Open up the part template for this example. Part.prtdot
While the part.prtdot file is open, get to Options, Certificate Properties, Drafting Standard category. Select the 'Load From External File' push, browse to the .sldstd file we make back in step 2). This imports all of the settings from your existing role template file. Verify that all of your existing settings are imported and and then make any additional changes on the Certificate Backdrop tab as needed.
Save the part.prtdot, shut the template. And so click new and test the new template.

Hint: I like to proper noun my templates as to what they are and when I created them. i.e. 'Function Inch 2020.prtdot'

Repeat these terminal steps 1) through 5) for your assembly and cartoon templates. For your drawing template, yous volition also need to movement over your Canvass Format (Title block) if yous've customized them. To move over your Sheet Format follow these general boosted steps.

Open your existing Drawing template that contains your title block.
From the file bill of fare, select 'Salvage Sheet Format…' This allows y'all to save your title block as a .slddrt file.
Shut your existing drawing.
Open your new drawing template by 'File' bill of fare, 'Open up', change 'File Type' to template, browse to the binder that we created them in. Over again, in my example 'C:\SW Template Binder\'. Open the drawing template for this example. draw.prtdot
Change the sheet format by right click over 'Sheet1' in the 'FeatureManager' tree, selecting 'Backdrop' and so browse to the .slddrt file that was saved in step 2
Salvage your cartoon template, close information technology then test it to make sure information technology's working correctly.

To aggrandize on these steps if you take additional size drawing sheets and/or demand to update your title block with extra things like, Annotations that are linked to custom properties.