Dark or light? No, we’re not talking coffee here. We’re talking about the SOLIDWORKS UI. For years now, there’s been the option to change the color of the interface as well as the icons. This functionality was introduced to SOLIDWORKS 2016. Before we talk about a light or dark interface let’s first talk about the icons.
SOLIDWORKS Interface Options
Back in 2016 the interface change was rather intense and met with harsh criticism. People really did not seem to like the new flat 2D icons with a more muted (blue) color scheme. The user community was so vocal about it that midyear the classic icons were brought back. So now the old “3D skeuomorphic” icons are gone but the sleek and crisp icons are here to stay – just in two different flavors – default (blue) and classic (green/yellow). These are shown in the images below. The classic icon color scheme is reminiscent of “classic” SOLIDWORKS while the default is a more modern color scheme.
Which do you like? Personally, I’m on team default. Things have changed in the last few years with some improvements to the coloring and shading to make the icons clearer and easier to see.
If you want to change the icon color, go to the system options and find the option under the color settings. Here you can change both the icon color and the background.
So the icons can be fresh or classic, what about the background? There are four options for you to change the color of the background. Just to be clear, we’re talking about the background of the interface and not the graphics area. Some call it night mode while others call it dark mode. Either way, we’re talking about the four shades of grey you can choose for the interface brightness.
Which team are you on for the background? Personally, I change it up to keep the interface fresh. Also, it depends on the time of day. It’s a welcome change from the past to be able to change the brightness or color of the interface. Now with SOLIDWORKS 2020, you have the flexibility to work with a fresh interface that comes many shades to help suit your design needs.
