This article provides some of the best practices for getting large assemblies to perform faster. All of these settings may not be appropriate for every particular application, but incorporating some of these options should help an assembly load and be manipulated faster.
Image Quality
This setting is found in all three SolidWorks file types (Part, Assembly, and Drawing) and sets how accurate the graphical representation of the model will be. This is located in Tools > Options > Document Properties > Image Quality.
The top slider controls polygon detail in Shaded and Shaded with Edges modes. The bottom slider controls detail in Wireframe, Hidden Lines Removed, and Hidden Lines Visible modes. If set too low for complex drawings, some lines may disappear. This can be seen in the preview of the page while sliding the bar to the extreme left and right. As this is a purely graphical setting, it only changes how the model is displayed on screen, but it is geometrically identical. For most uses, keep the slider in the left third for good graphics and performance. For accurate screenshots, temporarily increase the image quality.
View Settings
View settings on the Heads Up display add some realism to a model, but they are not necessary for modeling. These are RealView Graphics, Shadows in Shaded Mode, Ambient Occlusion, Perspective, and Cartoon. RealView, Shadows, Ambient Occlusion, and Perspective will add varying amounts of computational complexity to the rendering of the model. For the best speed, we recommend turning these off when modeling. More information can be found here: Realistic Display and Rendering - SOLIDWORKS Design Help
Display Style
Also found on the Heads Up display, Display Style lets users pick between Shaded, Shaded with Edges, Wireframe, Hidden Lines Removed, and Hidden Lines Visible. The default for most models is Shaded with Edges. To load a model a little bit faster, switch to Shaded (without edges) so SOLIDWORKS doesn't have to calculate the edge lines for the model; it tends to be better performance-wise. More information can be found here: View Types - SOLIDWORKS Design Help
Large Assembly Mode/Lightweight
Two quick options to improve performance are opening the assembly in Large Assembly Mode or in Lightweight mode. Alternatively, we can set individual parts or subassemblies to be resolved as Lightweight. This article goes over these modes in detail: SOLIDWORKS File Opening Modes: Resolved, Lightweight, Large Design Review, Detailing, Quick View – Hawk Ridge Systems
SpeedPak
When working in a top-level assembly that has other complex assemblies inside, we recommend considering a SpeedPak configuration. This setting allows a subassembly to be loaded into an assembly with some of the components suppressed. A classic example of this would be a Car assembly where we have a motor assembly inserted. We can make a SpeedPak of the motor so we don't have all of the internal nuts, rings, pistons, etc. loaded since we can't see them anyway.
Here are some resources on SpeedPak:
Large Design Review
If you only want to open up the assembly and look at it, take a screenshot, choose Large Design Review. This mode loads the graphics only, so it is by far the fastest open mode. Since it is loading graphics only, you can't do much with it. This is a good way to open the model, rotate it, and take a few screenshots. A full explanation of this feature is here: SOLIDWORKS File Opening Modes: Resolved, Lightweight, Large Design Review, Detailing, Quick View – Hawk Ridge Systems
Webinars
Here are some links to some of our Webinars on improving Large Assemblies:
- SLOW SOLIDWORKS ASSEMBLIES? Here’s the Fix
- Think Big: Making Massive Assemblies Sing in SOLIDWORKS
- Become a SOLIDWORKS Assemblies Black Belt
For a deeper dive, we also recommend checking out the SOLIDWORKS SolidPractices:
For additional support, existing customers can submit a ticket or new customers can contact Hawk Ridge Systems.
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