Whether you would like to install Visualize Standard or Visualize Professional, this article will help. Visualize Standard is included with SOLIDWORKS Professional and SOLIDWORKS Premium licenses. Visualize Professional is available as a separate purchase and offers additional functionality, not the least of which is the ability to add and edit custom lights. Contact your SOLIDWORKS reseller for more information regarding Visualize Professional.
Obtain The Visualize Serial Number
After purchasing SOLIDWORKS, a serial number is provided which is unique to your SOLIDWORKS product. The serial number is required to install SOLIDWORKS. Two add-ins included with SOLIDWORKS Professional and SOLIDWORKS Premium are SOLIDWORKS PDM and SOLIDWORKS Visualize.
Oddly enough, even though serial numbers are required for using PDM and Visualize, they are often not provided. Instead, the end user (or party making the SOLIDWORKS purchase) must ask their reseller for this information.
Similar to SOLIDWORKS, the Visualize serial number will consist of 16 numbers followed by 8 alphanumeric values. With that information in hand, you're ready to move to the next step.
Where To Put The Serial Number
During the SOLIDWORKS installation, the second page that appears is the Serial Number page. Check the box for SOLIDWORKS Visualize, then enter the serial number in the boxes provided.
It is possible to copy and paste the entire 24 character serial number into the first box. The serial number will automatically populate all 6 boxes.
Click Next to continue the installation.
Visualize Boost is only available with Visualize Professional. Boost allows for spreading rendering tasks to multiple computers, greatly speeding up lengthy rendering jobs.
If SOLIDWORKS Is Already Installed
If SOLIDWORKS has already been installed and Visualize needs to be installed after the fact, perform a Modify on the existing install. To do this, access Windows Settings and click Apps. Search or scroll down until SOLIDWORKS is found. Click the ellipsis and select Modify.
Another method for modifying the install is to access the Windows Control Panel and select Programs and Features. Scroll down in the list of programs, select SOLIDWORKS 20xx SPx.x and select Change at the top of the column.
Both methods will result in the same action, which is to open the SOLIDWORKS Installation Manager. If a reboot message is displayed, click OK to ignore it. An option to "Modify your installation" should appear, as shown in the image. Select it and click Next. The Product Selection page will appear.
In the Product Selection page, place a check in front of SOLIDWORKS Visualize. Click Next, then click Modify Now. Assuming all of the installation files exist on your computer in their original location, Visualize will be installed.
Don't Forget To Activate
Visualize is a separate product with it's own serial number, and as such, requires activation. Once Visualize has been installed, open SOLIDWORKS, click the Help menu, select Licenses, then select Activate. When the activation wizard opens, click "Select All", use "Automatically over the internet", add your email and click Next.
If using a network license (as opposed to a standalone license), the SolidNetwork License Manager Server must be accessed on the license server. Click the Server Administration tab > click Modify > select "Activate/Reactivate your product license(s)" > Next. Accept the default settings and click Next. Click "Select All", select "Automatically over the internet", add your email and click Next > Finish. Click OK to close the license manager.
Now you are ready to start using SOLIDWORKS Visualize. Happy Modeling!