How Do You Change the Icon Color Options in SOLIDWORKS 2016 SP3.0?

SOLIDWORKS 2016 SP3.0 is now in its Early Visibility mode of the release cycle. A lot of SOLIDWORKS users were not happy with the new interface changes in SOLIDWORKS 2016. So, starting with SOLIDWORKS 2016 SP3.0, you can bring back the old look and feel of SOLIDWORKS 2015. The new option is officially called Icon color. You can access the new option by going to Tools > Options > System Options > Colors.

The new SOLIDWORKS 2016 SP3.0 Icon color option has two color schemes for many of the icons in the user interface. You can choose from Default or Classic.

The Default option uses icons with a blue and gray color scheme. The Classic option uses icons with colors similar to SOLIDWORKS 2015 and 2014. The Classic icons include the most frequently used and visible icons for solid features, surfacing features, sheet metal features, weldment features, and mold tools.

Interface Brightness has been renamed to Background. So, when Classic is selected, SOLIDWORKS suggests that you pick the Medium Light Background option. Medium Light is a new option for the brightness of the user interface.

To see the changes, here is the new Classic Icon color with the Medium Light Background:

Versus the SOLIDWORKS 2015 Interface:

It is not identical, but close enough. According to the release notes, icons in the FeatureManager Design Tree have been changed as well.

•The icons for bodies, parts, and folders are blue instead of gray.

•Icons with slashes representing hidden components are replaced by wireframe-like icons.

Note: The Help documentation is based on the most current fully distributed release of SOLIDWORKS and is not updated as often as something like the release notes (http://files.solidworks.com/Supportfiles/Release_Notes/2016/English/relnotes.htm).

If you were one of the SOLIDWORKS users that complained about the new interface and wanted the old one back, there you have it.

Neil Bucalo, CSWP, CSWS-MD
Computer Aided Technology
www.cati.com