When working with SolidWorks, it’s important to understand where sheet formats are saved. Sheet formats are templates that define the layout and appearance of a drawing sheet.
These templates can include information such as title blocks, company logos, and other design elements. By knowing where these sheet formats are saved, you can easily locate and manage them for your projects.
Default Sheet Formats Location
In SolidWorks, the default location for saving sheet formats is the installation folder. This folder is typically located in the “C:\Program Files\SolidWorks Corp\SolidWorks” directory on Windows machines.
Within this directory, you’ll find a subfolder named “lang”. The “lang” folder contains different language options for SolidWorks.
English Language Location
If you’re using the English version of SolidWorks, navigate to “C:\Program Files\SolidWorks Corp\SolidWorks\lang\english”. Within this folder, you’ll find another subfolder named “sheet_format”. This is where all the default English sheet formats are stored.
Additional Language Locations
If you’re using a language other than English, substitute “english” in the file path with your preferred language. For example, if you’re using the French version of SolidWorks, the file path would be “C:\Program Files\SolidWorks Corp\SolidWorks\lang\french\sheet_format”.
Custom Sheet Format Locations
In addition to the default sheet format location in the installation folder, you can also save custom sheet formats in any location on your computer or network. This gives you flexibility in organizing and accessing your templates based on your specific needs.
Saving Custom Sheet Formats
To save a custom sheet format in SolidWorks, follow these steps:
- Step 1: Open a new drawing or an existing one.
- Step 2: Customize the sheet format by adding logos, title blocks, and other design elements.
- Step 3: Go to the “File” menu and select “Save Sheet Format”.
- Step 4: Choose a location on your computer or network to save the sheet format.
Note that when saving a custom sheet format, SolidWorks will give it a “.slddrt” extension. This file extension indicates that it is a sheet format file.
Loading Custom Sheet Formats
To load a custom sheet format in SolidWorks, follow these steps:
- Step 1: Open a new drawing or an existing one.
- Step 2: Go to the “Format” menu and select “Sheet Format”.
- Step 3: In the drop-down menu, click on “Load Sheet Format”.
- Step 4: Browse to the location where you saved your custom sheet format and select it.
In Conclusion
SolidWorks sheet formats are saved in specific locations for both default and custom templates. Understanding where these templates are stored allows you to easily manage and access them for your design projects. Whether you’re using the default installation folder or creating your own folder structure, organizing your sheet formats ensures efficient workflows and consistent documentation across projects.
If you ever need to share your custom sheet formats with colleagues or collaborators, make sure to provide them with the file path to the specific location where you’ve saved the template. This will allow them to load the sheet format into their SolidWorks environment and maintain consistency throughout the project.