SOLIDWORKS Configuration Specific Color

SOLIDWORKS Configuration Specific Color

Summer is upon us, and if you're anything like me, you will spend most of your time outdoors or thinking about being outdoors. If you are really like me, you will also reapply sunscreen every two hours or risk turning your skin lobster red.

This line of thinking led me to try and design my favorite flower, the tulip (see awesome oddly colored flower below).

SolidWorks

To achieve my fantasy flower coloring, I first used display states, a handy tool for manipulating the appearance of a part. Display states can be used to change the visual properties of a model, such as transparency, and in my case, color.

I tried out about a hundred different color combinations, and in the end decided I only really wanted one. Display states can be useful, but can increase file size if there are enough of them. Eventually, I decided I wanted my two configurations (the outer leaves, and the inner leaves) to only be linked to one color, with none of that display state mumbo-jumbo. How did I do it?

Go into the configuration manager:

SolidWorks

Right click on the configuration that you want to modify, choose Properties from the drop-down, and once in the Configuration Properties window, click "Use configuration specific color."

SolidWorks

Once clicked, choose your color and that configuration will always be that color. Make sure to remember if you've done so, because later if you decide that weird pale blue-purple makes your tulip look like it's dying, you will not be able to use a display state to change the color.

You must go back to the same properties menu and change your configuration specific color or uncheck "Use configuration specific color" to be able to apply a display state.

I hope this helps the rest of you summer enthusiasts. Comment below if you have any sweet color combination ideas!

Madeline Speer,

Application Engineer

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