Specifying Configurations of the Same Part when Using Compare Utility

One of the many useful add-ins SOLIDWORKS provides is the Compare utility, which allows you to analyze and compare geometry, features, bill of materials, and document properties between two documents or two configurations of the same document. This article will discuss the steps to take to compare characteristics between two configurations of the same document.

To launch the Compare utility, navigate to Tools > Compare and select the characteristic you would like to analyze between two documents or configurations. To compare two open documents, simply select the documents from the drop-down lists for "Reference Document" and "Modified Document".  If the documents you would like to compare are not open in the current session of SOLIDWORKS, select the ellipsis button to browse and select the documents via the file explorer.  

However, if you wish to compare characteristics between two configurations and select the document in question for both the Reference and Modified document, you may run into the following error: "Identical documents selected for Compare. Please select different documents."

In order to specify configurations of the same document, you will need to specify the configuration when browsing for the document. Thus, in the Compare task pane, click on the ellipsis and browse to the document desired. While you are still in the Open dialogue box, select the configuration to be analyzed in the Configurations drop-down list.

Please note that at this time, you will be unable to select a document's configuration in the Compare utility if the document is open and the configuration is active. If you attempt to select the active configuration, you will receive the following error:

In this case, switch the configuration in the open document to a configuration you are not attempting to browse to, or close the document before browsing.  

You should now be able to click on "Run Comparison" and review the analysis between the two configurations. However, if you are experiencing any issues with the Compare utility when attempting to specify configurations of the same document, please do not hesitate to reach out to Technical Support at 877.266.4469 or support@hawkridgesys.com.