SOLIDWORKS Composer – Editing Camera Views While Maintaining their Orientation

Have you ever wanted to make final edits on a SOLIDWORKS Composer Camera View, but you didn't want to backtrack and re-do the work you put into getting it exactly how you wanted it in your final product? Read on!

This guide will highlight the ability in SOLIDWORKS Composer to edit Camera Views while maintaining the orientation of assemblies and components within the view in your final product. This could include adding 2D text, a Path, a Label, or a Callout to an already-established Camera View that has been tirelessly fine-tuned to display your product in your technical documentation.

Getting Started

For this specific example, I made an assembly in SOLIDWORKS comprised of five components: a base and four different shapes that were inserted into the base as pegs (shown below).

Once I am satisfied with the model and after I make all the edits needed, I can import it into SOLIDWORKS Composer. This is a simple model for this example, but it will also work for more complex models and assemblies.

Camera Views

After importing the assembly model into SOLIDWORKS Composer, I generated a few Camera Views by clicking the Create View button (keyboard shortcut: CTRL+E) and renamed them with their orientation description.

In the screen capture below, the Isometric view is active and shows in the SOLIDWORKS Composer Viewport.

Creating an Exploded View in SOLIDWORKS Composer

I did not create an Exploded View in my SOLIDWORKS model because it is just as easy to create that in SOLIDWORKS Composer.

• Suggested Article >> Creating Exploded Views in SOLIDWORKS with Selection Sets

After Translating the pegs of the assembly from the base, I have something that looks like this:

I can also create the exploded paths by inserting an Associative Path from Neutral via Author Tab > Path.

Yielding the following:

I left the green peg out of that process on purpose, to demonstrate the next bit of functionality.

Locking/Unlocking the View & Adding Additional Collaborative Actors

I currently have the Isometric Camera View exactly as I'd like to see it in my final technical documentation. When I review the document though, I can see that I missed Associative Path from Neutral (green peg) and a few callouts. In this specific example, it would be simple just to add a new path, but models this simple may even need a different orientation to add the paths or paths may only be visible from other orientations.

Let's right-click on my Isometric View in the Views tab > Lock View.

I can reorient my model in the Viewport without affecting the current Isometric View.

From there, I can add the last Associative Path from Neutral from this vantage point if needed.

At this point, I can double-click on the Isometric (currently locked) Camera View, to re-align it.

Notice that the Associative Path from Neutral on the Green Cylinder has disappeared. Right-click on the View > Unlock View, then navigate to the Collaboration tab next to the Views tab. Expand the Paths dropdown and you will see AssociativePolylinePathFromNeutral 4 is unchecked. Check it and everything will reappear.

The takeaway is that with a few simple clicks, you can preserve the work you have already done while updating to include items you might have missed or incorporate feedback on your documents. SOLIDWORKS Composer allows you to edit and update without losing work.

I hope you found this article helpful. Check out more tips and tricks listed below. Additionally, join the GoEngineer Community to participate in the conversation, create forum posts, and answer questions from other SOLIDWORKS users. 

Composer Training

Want to take your Composer skills to the next level? Our SOLIDWORKS Composer training course covers how to use the software to create 2D and 3D output from CAD design data. 

Related Articles

SOLIDWORKS Decals Not Showing in Composer

Tips for Protecting SOLIDWORKS Composer Files

SOLIDWORKS Composer: Solving Missing Actors

SOLIDWORKS Composer: Setting Up Actors for Kinematic Relationships

Re-Aligning Textures in SOLIDWORKS Composer

VIEW ALL SOLIDWORKS COMPOSER TUTORIALS