SOLIDWORKS 2021 Inspection VDA Balloons

VDA balloons have been around for quite some time and were introduced for SOLIDWORKS in the last four to five years for SOLIDWORKS Inspection. Although, when introduced there wasn’t much functionality other than for placing them.

Do you think VDA balloons also look like an ice cream cone? Try unseeing that.

Rotating VDA balloon

For SOLIDWORKS Inspection 2021 we now have the basic functionality of being able to rotate the balloon while keeping the number horizontal and we can also change the font. This isn’t a game changing addition by any means, but definitely a nice to have. How many times have you seen someone tilt their head trying to read an item on a drawing? If you’re anything like me then the number is many.

This is the same dimension with the VDA at all 4 positions

To change the balloon in place follow this workflow: Home tab > (balloon) Shape > click down arrow menu and select VDA.

Rotating the balloon is not like the Add-in for SOLIDWORKS. This took me a bit to figure out so I’m glad you’re reading this. To rotate the balloon you must drag the VDA to different quadrants of the dimensions.

You can Ctrl select balloons and change them in the Home tab.

VDA Balloon Font Type and Size

To change the font type and size it is the same as all the other balloons. This can be done individually, all together or based on the template. For the individual, this is located in the Home tab first few columns. To change all balloons, you can change that in the Options > Project Options > Ballooning and Characteristic Identification.

Get more information

Learn more about SOLIDWORKS Inspection  and Javelin’s upcoming training schedule.