SOLIDWORKS Customer Request Corner – How Do You Disable Instant2D?

The Customer Request Corner section of the CATI Tech Notes Blog was introduced last month by Computer Aided Technology (CATI). Most of the topics that the CATI Technical Services team blogs about are common issues that are dealt with in Technical Support. Customer's now how a chance to tell us what they would like to see blogged about. These are some of the questions that came in about the same issue:

1. What do I have to do to get the Dimension Spin Box to come up when editing sketch dimensions? Is there a setting to make that the preferred method for editing sketch dimensions?

2. How can I turn off the little white window and just get the modify window when I want to change a dimension?

3. I've upgraded to SOLIDWORKS 2016 and now have a problem with dimensioning that I don't like. When I change a dimension I get this box (which I am not fond of).

All three questions above are related to one of the new features in SOLIDWORKS 2016, which is called Instant2D. According to the Help file, you can use Instant2D to dynamically manipulate sketch dimensions in sketch mode. You can click a dimension and quickly edit its values without opening Modify Dimension dialog box for resetting the geometry.

So, this new feature makes it possible to use a single click to edit a sketch dimension. I will let you decide if this new feature is useful, but since it was turned on by default in SOLIDWORKS 2016, things do not work the same as they use to right out of the box. So, in SOLIDWORKS 2016, how do you disable the use of a single mouse click to edit a sketch dimension?

Easily Toggle Instant2D Off

The simple answer is: Disable Instant2D by clicking the Instant2D button on the Sketch toolbar.

Note: You will only find the Instant2D feature on the CommandManager under the Sketch tab or on the Sketch toolbar. That this is the only place in SOLIDWORKS to disable Instant2D. There is no option or pull down menu choice to disable the Instant2D feature.

With Instant2D disabled, now the Modify dimension box comes up like it always has.

Do you want your question to appear in next month's Customer Request Corner blog series? Simply email Technical.Support@cati.com with the subject "Customer Request Corner." Each month we will choose one of the topics submitted.

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