With SOLIDWORKS 2021 we welcome countless enhancements and additions to the SOLIDWORKS Software Suite. Some have an obvious impact on how you use SOLIDWORKS, whereas others are a bit more subtle. One such enhancement for SOLIDWORKS 2021 is the collapsible command manager (CommandManager) option. This seemingly small tweak to the user interface is truly a change made for the power-users and encourages others to use SOLIDWORKS more efficiently.

>> Download our Complete Guide to Getting Users Ready for SOLIDWORKS 2021

Let’s be frank, the quickest way to use SOLIDWORKS (or any robust software) isn’t by using the icon commands in the CommandManager toolbar. It’s great when you are getting started or exploring new functionality, but for the day-to-day tasks all that extra mouse movement can add up. If you’ve been using SOLIDWORKS for a little while, you probably already know all the shortcuts for the commands you care about and the icons are just getting in the way, taking up space on your screen.

Declutter Your SOLIDWORKS Interface

Now, by clicking the carrot (^) in the right corner of the CommandManager you will collapse it. This hides the bulky interface for the commands and leaves behind only the streamlined ribbons. You still have quick access to all your commands but you have a lot more screen real estate to focus on your designs. This is similar to what you’re already familiar with when you use programs like Microsoft Office.

There’s a lot of benefits to working this way which include:

• An incentive to leverage faster modeling techniques instead of the visually-driven and sometimes cumbersome CommandManager
• Focus more on the design rather than the interface
• Less clutter for more focused meetings, collaboration, and screen shots
• More screen real estate to make the most of you available visual space and modeling environment

Aside from the obvious benefit of more screen real estate and less clutter, there’s an indirect benefit of transitioning away from using the CommandManager altogether. With SOLIDWORKS 2021, we recommend collapsing the CommandManager from the start so you are encouraged to ditch the old visual interface for, more efficient modeling tools such as the Shortcut Bars and Mouse Gestures.

>> Our Top 5 Favorite Keyboard Shortcuts
>> Introduction to Mouse Gestures in SOLIDWORKS

Watch the video below for full details on why we think this feature is one of the most anticipated and useful enhancements to the latest release of SOLIDWORKS.