Blog SOLIDWORKS Composer 2015 SP 2.0 – What’s New in SP 2.0 and What do you really need to know – Very important
SOLIDWORKS Composer Service Pack 2.0 is not just any service pack – it is the "X" release or the second major release of Composer in the 2015 cycle. Composer has always done an "X" release. It is now just a service pack with some new enhancements. There are some great ones you are going to want to know about.
Word of Caution!!!
It is in no way a big deal, but this is important and you need to know. Not too long ago, the product 3DVIA Composer got a name change to CATIA Composer. When Dassault Systemes did this, they changed the process name from "3dviacomposer.exe" to "composer.exe". So, why is this import to us as SOLIDWORKS Composer users? Because the process name for Composer changed in windows the registry. Meaning, YOU WILL HAVE TO RESET YOUR DEFAULT DOCUMENT PROPERTIES. Yes, I am yelling. I want everyone to hear me. Having said that, here are a few of the great enhancements in SOLIDWORKS Composer 2015.
SOLIDWORKS 2015 file support
This may have been something you had seen with Service Pack 0.0 – 1.1. You did not get SOLIDWORKS configuration opens when you opened a file that was saved in SOLIDWORKS 2015. This X release now supports the SOLIDWORKS 2015 file format which was changed in this release.
User Interface Revamp
The user interface has a cleaner look and feel – with three different color themes, white, light gray, and dark gray, so only 2 and not 50. The differences are hard to tell, but I found they look drastically different depending on how much contrast level you set in your display. Play with them and see what you like. The setting is in File/Preferences/General/Theme.
New Information Pane
The information pane gives the user an easy-to read format for viewing the custom/meta properties for the actors. You can customize this with the Composer API, see the Composer Programming Guide for details.
Document Properties for View Names
With Composer 2015 SP2.0, you now have the ability to tell Composer what you want your default naming scheme to be for your Views in the view pane when they are created, YEAH!!! You can find this in Default Document and Document Properties under Project.
Technical Illustration Workshop just got batch save.
Just like the high resolution workshop, the Technical Illustrations Workshop now has a Multiple Tab allowing you to save all your views as SVGs, EPSs, or CGMs with on button click. IT'S about TIME!!!! I've been asking for this one for YEARS, yeah!
Enjoy everyone!!!!
Robert McGaughey
CATI Technical Applications Manager