Using Markup in SOLIDWORKS 2020

SOLIDWORKS Markup is a great way to communicate ideas between teams, allowing users to propose changes without having to edit the geometry of a part. With SOLIDWORKS 2020, there is now a dedicated Command Manager for the Markup features and functionality for users with no touch screen or stylus capabilities.  Let’s take a closer look and see how using Markup in SOLIDWORKS 2020 works with the new features.

The Command Manager

In SOLIDWORKS 2020, a dedicated command manager has been added for Markups for easy access. Below we can see that several options have been added to be inclusive to all users, from those using a stylus to a mouse. Let go over the different options available.

Markup Command Manager

1. The first feature allows the user to toggle markup colour & line thickness. This can be great for differentiating contributors or creating emphasis, among other things. One thing to note is that when using the stylus, the line weight is captured when writing.
2. The second set of features is used for creating and editing your markups. The Draw features allow the user to add written notes, while Erase is used to remove unwanted markups. The Select feature allows the user to select a group of markups to move, remove or change Color & Line properties.
3. The Touch feature is used when a user has access to either a mouse or a touchscreen. If a stylus is being used, then Touch will be toggled off.
4. The Note feature allows users to type any comments. This is great for people who are using a mouse or touch screen since writing with these tools can be difficult.

The markup tooltip also has some useful features that enable easy collaboration with those who may not have SOLIDWORKS readily available to view any of the comments. The edit, suppress & hide options that are available on all features are available as well as a couple of tools that are specific to Markups.

Markup Tool Tip

1. The first one is the “Orient” button, which as the name implies orients the view of the model to align with the original markup view. This is great if you need to use the second option on the tooltip.
2. The second option allows the user to export a view of the selected Markup to PDF. This is great for sharing comments or providing in quick instructions to those how do not have access to the model

Markup in the Feature Manager Tree

Each markup is captured as a separate entity in the feature manager tree, as seen in the image below, and is organized in its own folder the same way equations or solid bodies are. Markup features can be edited or deleted by either right-clicking the element on the feature tree or double-clicking the feature in the model space.

Markups Folder

Markup in the 3D Space

An issue that tends to happen when there are several authors making notes on a drawing is the amount of clutter and confusion that can accumulate on the initial model. As mentioned earlier, using options to suppress, naming markup features, and using colors can be used to alleviate this. Still, SOLIDWORKS has integrated markups in a way that keeps them out of the user’s way, as seen in the image below.

Viewing Markup while Panning

The markups are not visible unless the model is set to that specific orientation. As the user rotates the model, a transparent preview of all the Markups appears, as seen on the left side of the image above. A markup will only be fully visible when the model has been rotated into the orientation it was originally created in and will be isolated when the mouse button has been let go as seen on the right side of the image above.

The Markup tool is a great way for teams to communicate effectively with each other. With the addition of mouse functionality, the command manager and model integration, Markups provide a way to document the design process on the fly, while still being unintrusive to those working on the model. If you would like to find out more ways to share SOLIDWORKS files more effectively, please check out the following articles:

• Share designs with Non-CAD contacts easily using eDrawings HTML
• Why you should use the SOLIDWORKS Defeature Tool