Can I Create New SOLIDWORKS Templates From Scratch?

This article will show how to easily generate new SOLIDWORKS template files.

Do you pronounce it ˈtem-plət or ˈtem-plāt? Regardless of how you say the word, this article discusses how new templates can quickly and easily be generated.

Sometimes templates go missing. Sometimes they get overwritten, usually by accident. Whatever the reason, being able to generate new templates is a useful skill. It is not difficult to do, either.

How to customize the default templates is only briefly mentioned. The main point of this article is to discuss how to force SOLIDWORKS to generate new templates when none exist, or when the templates have become corrupt or are otherwise unusable for various reasons.

What Are Templates?

Templates are nothing more than files with settings already established. In short, any setting changed in the Document Properties tab of the SOLIDWORKS Options (see image) can be saved to a template. The templates discussed in this article exist for the three main SOLIDWORKS document types (parts, assemblies, and drawings). 

Can I Customize Templates?

Templates are completely customizable. It's one of the first things you should do after installing SOLIDWORKS for the first time. Nobody likes having to keep going back into the options and repeatedly changing settings. Templates are the method for setting things up once and being done with it!

Change what you want to change in Document Properties. Once settings are to your liking, save the template by clicking Save As in the File menu and select the appropriate file type from the "Save as type" drop down menu. Once the template file type is selected, SOLIDWORKS will automatically redirect you to the templates folder, wherever that may be. Type in the file name of your choosing, and click Save. That's all there is to it. 

Where Are Templates Stored?

The default location is "C:\ProgramData\SOLIDWORKS\SOLIDWORKS 20##\templates", where "20##" is the version of SOLIDWORKS. The ProgramData folder is a hidden folder in Windows. To see hidden folders, the "Show hidden files, folders and drives" setting can be enabled in the View tab of the File Explorer Options, shown in the following image. Look for File Explorer Options in the Windows Control Panel.

Can The Template Path Be Changed?

Absolutely. In fact, this is typically why templates go missing. The path is usually incorrect. Navigate to your SOLIDWORKS Options > System Options tab > File Locations. The drop down menu will default to showing paths for Document Templates, as shown in the image.

Multiple paths can exist for templates, and they can be local or network paths. Click Add to browse for a new folder and set a new path, or select a path and click the Delete button to delete a path.

Can I Verify There Are Templates Present?

Of course. Use Windows File Explorer to navigate to the path in question. Template files have the following file extensions, so check to see if templates are actually present.

Can't see your file extensions in Windows File Explorer? Head back to the File Explorer Options mentioned earlier. Look for the checkbox option titled "Hide extensions for known file types" and uncheck it. (This option is visible in the image shown previously.)

How Are Templates Utilized?

Click File > New to start a new SOLIDWORKS Document. The templates should be visible as long as you're using Advanced mode. If the button in the bottom left corner says Advanced, it means you're in Novice mode. If the button says Novice, you're in Advanced mode, and the templates will be shown.

How Can New Templates Be Generated?

The steps are quite easy and are as follows:

1. Create a new folder on your C drive named "templates".
2. In SOLIDWORKS, click the Tools menu > Options > System Options tab > File Locations category. Make note of any paths listed for Document Templates. Write them  down or take a screen capture. Drag the right side of the Options window to enlarge it if needed.
3. Delete the paths.
4. Add a new path to C:\templates.
5. Click OK. If asked to add the new path to the search list, click No.
6. Close SOLIDWORKS.
7. Restart SOLIDWORKS.
8. If the Welcome screen appears, close it.
9. Click the File menu > New... . Three new templates will be generated.

At this point, the 3 new templates can be copied to the original default file location of C:\ProgramData\SOLIDWORKS\SOLIDWORKS 20##\templates, or some other folder of your choice. If necessary, re-establish the paths to the original template locations in File Locations, as noted earlier. It's also perfectly fine to leave the new templates where they are. The choice is  yours.

Is It Common To Have Lots Of Templates?

Yes. It's fairly common to have multiple part and assembly templates for different commonly used units, such as inches, metric, or even feet and inches. Drawing templates are usually more numerous due to the desire to have different sheet sizes and custom sheet formats for different customer or client requirements.

Create as many templates as you deem necessary. Use a naming convention that makes sense to you. As time goes by, tweak templates as needed if various settings are discovered that should be changed for whatever reason. Simply make the desired changes in the Document Properties tab of the SOLIDWORKS Options, then save the template using Save As (as previously mentioned).

Where Do The Tabs Come From?

Sometimes there may be tabs at the top of the New SOLIDWORKS Document window. As an example, they might look like this. Notice the addition of the "Custom" and "MBD" tabs.

There are 2 reasons why there may be extra tabs in the New SOLIDWORKS Document window. The first reason could be there are multiple paths listed in the SOLIDWORKS Options for the File Locations of Document Templates, as discussed earlier. The second reason is if there are subdirectories under the path listed for Document Templates. Let's look at an example.

In the following image, the only path listed for Document Templates is the default path of "C:\ProgramData\SOLIDWORKS\SOLIDWORKS 2024\templates". In this example, there are also two subdirectories under the main templates folder named Custom and MBD, as can be seen in the image.

The Custom and MBD folders automatically appear as tabs in the New SOLIDWORKS Document window. This makes customizing the tab layout exceptionally simple.

Additional Files and Folders

Many installations of SOLIDWORKS contain additional files or folders with special functionality. These files are explained here.

What Is The MBD Tab?

MBD stands for Model Based Definition, and is an add-on product for SOLIDWORKS. It can be purchased separately, regardless of what version of SOLIDWORKS is owned (Standard, Professional, or Premium).

SOLIDWORKS MBD allows for a paperless environment. Instead of creating standard 2D drawings, models can be fully toleranced using geometric or plus and minus tolerancing. The templates in the MBD folder are then used to lay out the captured views. For more information, please contact your SOLIDWORKS reseller.

What Is The routeAssembly File?

This template is specific to SOLIDWORKS Routing, which is included with SOLIDWORKS Premium. It is used when route subassemblies are generated. It is important not to modify this file in any way, as it is used automatically by SOLIDWORKS. No attempt should be made to customize this file like other templates.

What Is The Marker.txt File?

This file can safely be ignored or deleted. It is a holdover from older versions of the software. Though it may still sometimes get created by SOLIDWORKS, it is no longer used.