SOLIDWORKS Rookie Mistake: Not Using the Mouse to Pan in SOLIDWORKS

One of the biggest benefits of taking certified, instructor-led SOLIDWORKS training is the knowledge shared by our team to help avoid common pitfalls or committing a SOLIDWORKS rookie mistake. While trying to learn on your own has the potential to go smoothly, it often leads to gaps in fundamental knowledge that could make you a more efficient SOLIDWORKS user. Formal training is jam-packed with useful SOLIDWORKS Tips and Tricks to help you quickly go from SOLIDWORKS novice to pro in no time.

A common SOLIDWORKS rookie mistake is using the mouse wheel far too often to navigate the graphics area. Most SOLIDWORKS users understand that using the mouse wheel to zoom is like pushing the model away and pulling it towards you when scrolling forward or back. Additionally, SOLIDWORKS will zoom relative to the location of your mouse cursor position when zooming in or out letting you effectively pan and zoom all in one. However, this can start to prove difficult if you zoom too closely to the part or accidentally find yourself off in space and can only find your way back with the scroll wheel.

How to Pan in SOLIDWORKS

Other than zooming in SOLIDWORKS, knowing how to pan in SOLIDWORKS is a fundamental skill that serves as a stepping stone to becoming a next-level modeler. Learning how to pan in SOLIDWORKS is one of the skills used most often regardless of whether you use SOLIDWORKS CAD, Electrical, or Visualize. The easiest way to pan is to use a combination of the control key and holding the middle mouse button. While holding the middle mouse button usually rotates the model around, holding the control key will modify it to allow users to pan the screen. While panning, the zoom level stays constant and we can easily move around the graphics area.

Using the mouse to pan in SOLIDWORKS

How to Zoom to Fit

The other fundamental navigational skill in SOLIDWORKS is zooming the graphics area to perfectly fit your SOLIDWORKS part, assembly, or drawing regardless of where you are. There are two ways that we typically see people using the Zoom to Fit command. The first is from the Heads-up Toolbar at the top of the graphics area.

The Heads-up Toolbar is a fully customizable toolbar typically used for view-related commands. Zoom to Fit by default is the second from the left command and is shown as a magnifying glass icon. When the command is activated, SOLIDWORKS will automatically zoom and pan to bring the model or drawing to the center of the graphics area, filling it as much as possible. This is an extremely useful command to use when you get zoomed too far in or find yourself way out in space. The alternative (and real power-user) way to leverage Zoom to Fit is to use the “F” key on your keyboard.

NOTE: By default, hitting “F” will activate the Zoom to Fit command and do the same as hitting the icon for it.

Making SOLIDWORKS rookie mistakes is an integral part of the journey to becoming a SOLIDWORKS expert but learning how to avoid them is how you can quickly go from novice to pro. Minimizing mouse movements and increasing modeling is the easiest way to set yourself apart from other users. While learning SOLIDWORKS can take many forms, the best way to do so is by getting information directly from the TriMech Group team. Our years of experience can help answer all your SOLIDWORKS-related questions and make you the SOLIDWORKS user you were meant to be.

To learn how to avoid other SOLIDWORKS rookie mistakes, sign up for one of our SOLIDWORKS training courses.