Drawing Templates vs Sheet Formats in SOLIDWORKS Drawings

This article discusses the differences between Sheet Formats and Drawing Templates, both of which are used in the SOLIDWORKS drawing environment. 

This is not a troubleshooting guide. If you have any technical issues with SOLIDWORKS please email our support team at support@hawkridgesys.com, call 877-266-4469 (US), 866-587-6803 (Canada), or visit our website.

Drawing Template

In short, a drawing template stores document settings that you can use again and again. This can include a sheet format. Here are some examples of these settings:

• Drawing Document Properties: Drafting Standards, Units, Font style, and sizes, etc.
• Custom Properties
• Tree Display
• Predefined Views

These settings are accessed through the Standard Toolbar > File Properties button or File > Properties (for File Properties and Custom Properties), and Standard Toolbar > Options  > Document Properties or Tools > Options > Document Properties (for Document Properties):

To clarify, the Drawing Template is what you see as an option when you start a new document in SOLIDWORKS:

Once you've modified the drawing to your liking, simply go under File and click Save As.

Select Drawing Templates from the Save As type pull-down menu, give the template a name, and SOLIDWORKS will save the file as a Drawing Template (.drwdot). The default file location to save templates is what you have specified in Tools > Options > System Options > File Locations > Document Templates.

Now, when I start a new file, my custom drawing template shows up:

Sheet Format

In contrast, a sheet format specifies the paper size and, mainly, defines the title block for the drawing. Here are things that can be saved in a sheet format:

• Title block and the information contained in it
• Drawing Border and Block Geometry
• Notes
• Images like your company logo
• Anchor Points for Tables

By default, when you open a new or existing drawing file you are in the sheet. Right click anywhere in the graphics area within a drawing and select Edit Sheet Format to modify the sheet format. Note: you may have to expand the right click menu using the double arrow at the bottom.

Once you are in the sheet format, you can change the title block lines, insert/change any text in the background, or add in pictures like your company logo. If you look in the right hand corner of the graphics area, you will see the sheet format icon letting you know you are editing the sheet format.

Once you have made your changes, you can right click and choose Edit Sheet, or you can click the Sheet Format icon in the corner. Either way will take you back to the sheet. Currently, the changes made to the sheet format are contained in the current drawing ONLY. Good news though, you can save the sheet format for future drawings. Sheet formats can’t be saved by clicking Save As like drawing templates, instead you have to click on File > Save Sheet Format.

Again, please note the file location for the sheet formats. The default path is: C:\ProgramData\SolidWorks\SolidWorks <year>\lang\english\sheetformat.

NOTE: If your ProgramData folder isn’t shown, go into the Folder Options in the Control Panel in Windows, and turn on Show hidden files, folders, and drives under the Advanced settings. These options can also be found in File Explorer > View options.

When you open the default drawing template, you have the opportunity to choose your custom sheet format. You can also change to your saved sheet format in existing drawing by right clicking in the drawing and selecting Properties.

Selecting the Sheet Format for an existing drawing:

Selecting the Sheet Format in a new drawing:

More good news: if you saved your sheet format in your drawing template, when you pull up the drawing template the sheet format will automatically be in there! It’s a good practice to save the sheet format separately though so that you can pull it up in other drawings and sheets.

I hope this clears up that old confusion on this subject and shows that sheet formats and drawing templates aren’t enemies, after all, proving that we can all just get along. Thanks for reading!

For further assistance, please contact our support team at support@hawkridgesys.com, 877-266-4469 (US), or 866-587-6803 (Canada) or visit our website.