Available in: Part Studio, Assembly

Adjust visualization parameters of the model in the graphics area. Alter general viewport, shaded body, phantom edge, and mesh body parameters, as well as active/inactive sketch line width and colors, and construction line gap and dash lengths.

These options are especially useful when modeling surfaces.

  1. Select Camera and render options, then Graphics preferences:

    Graphics preferences

  2. The following dialog opens:

    Graphics preferences dialog Graphics preferences dialog: Sketch

    General (left) and Sketch (right) preferences

  3. Adjust settings as outlined in the sections below. Click the Reset to default button to return all general and sketch dialog options to their default values.

Viewport

  • Ambient occlusion - Controls the intensity of ambient occlusion shading, from 0% - 100% (default: 37.5%). Higher values create soft dark shading along edges, corners, crevices, and other locations where parts meet or intersect. This helps simulate real world indirect light coverage at these locations. Lower values create less shading at these locations.

    Graphics preferences: Ambient Occlusion example

    Ambient occlusion: 0%

    Graphics preferences: Ambient Occlusion example

    Ambient occlusion: 100%

  • Field of view (only available when Perspective view is enabled) - Controls the perspective camera field of view. Use the horizontal slider or enter a numerical input from 20 - 120 degrees.

    Field of view example

    Field of view: 20 degrees

    Field of view example

    Field of view: 100 degrees

Shaded bodies

  • Line width - Controls the line width of surfaces and edges. Use the horizontal slider or enter a numerical input from 0.1 - 3 pixels.

    Line width example

    Line width: 0.5 px

    Line width example

    Line width: 3 px

  • Shininess - Controls the default shininess of shaded surfaces. Use the horizontal slider or enter a numerical input from 1 - 100 percent.

    Shininess example

    Shininess: 1%

    Shininess example

    Shininess: 100%

  • Specular color - Controls the default specular color of shaded surfaces. Click the color swatch to open the Color picker dialog and select a color.

    Specular color example

    Specular color example

Phantom Edges

  • Phantom tangent edge width - If Tangent edges are set to phantom, this controls the line width of those edges, from 0.1 - 3 px (default: 0.5 px).

    Graphics preferences: Phantom tangent edge width example

    Phantom tangent edge width: 0.5 px (left); 3px (right)

  • Phantom tangent edge color - If Tangent edges are set to phantom, this controls the default color of those edges. Click the color swatch to open the Color picker dialog and select a color.

    Graphics preferences: Phantom tangent edge color example

Mesh bodies

  • Mesh line width - Controls the line width of mesh surfaces and edges, from 0.1 - 3 px (default: 0.3 px).

    Graphics preferences: Mesh line width

    Mesh line width: 0.3 px (left); 2.5 px (right)

Active sketches

  • Line width - Controls the line width of active sketches. Use the horizontal slider or enter a numerical input from 0.1 - 3 pixels.

  • Constrained line color - Controls the default color of constrained lines or points. Click the color swatch to open the Color picker dialog and select a color.

  • Underconstrained line color - Controls the default color of underconstrained lines and points. Click the color swatch to open the Color picker dialog and select a color.

  • Underconstrained show-through line color - Controls the default color of underconstrained show-through lines and points. These are lines and points that are obscured by parts in the graphics area. Click the color swatch to open the Color picker dialog and select a color.

    Graphics Preferences: Active sketches line example

    Example showing constrained and underconstrained line colors in an active sketch

    Graphics preferences: active sketch line color example

    Example showing underconstrained line colors in an active sketch. Green shows the sketch segments obscured by a part in the Graphics area.

Inactive sketches

  • Line width - Controls the line width of inactive sketches. Use the horizontal slider or enter a numerical input from 0.1 - 3 pixels.

    Graphics preferences: Inactive sketch line width example

  • Line color - Controls the default color of lines and points of inactive sketches. Click the color swatch to open the Line color dialog to select a color from the Color picker.

    Graphic preferences: Inactive sketch line color

Construction lines

Graphic preferences: Construction line example

  • First dash - Controls the length of the first dash in the construction line stipple pattern. Enter a value from 1-50 pixels (default is 4 px.).

  • First gap - Controls the length of the first gap in the construction line stipple pattern. Enter a value from 0-50 pixels (default is 6 px.).

  • Second dash - Controls the length of the seond dash in the construction line stipple pattern. Enter a value from 1-50 pixels (default is 30 px.).

  • Second gap - Controls the length, in pixels, of the second gap in the construction line stipple pattern. Enter a value from 0-50 pixels (default is 6 px.).