[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":116},["ShallowReactive",2],{"M9FTrFAArcBBpRI7M_c_NkZ1FMJGoet58ngRf3dUqw8":3,"article_5-must-know-shortcuts-fast-rendering-setups-solidworks-visualize_solidworks":10,"_apollo:default":114,"_apollo:identified":115},{"mailchimpAudience":4},{"actionUrl":5,"slug":6,"locale":7,"default":8,"__typename":9},"","5-must-know-shortcuts-fast-rendering-setups-solidworks-visualize","en","https:\u002F\u002F3ds.us3.list-manage.com\u002Fsubscribe\u002Fpost?u=ed4601044e1936748c0d2aa6b&id=e5080ff9fe&f_id=002d4de2f0","MailchimpAudience",{"posts":11},{"nodes":12,"__typename":113},[13],{"id":14,"slug":6,"title":15,"uri":16,"excerpt":17,"locale":18,"featuredImage":21,"tableOfContents":30,"content":31,"date":32,"authorJobTitle":5,"author":33,"masterings":43,"globalTags":47,"products":71,"disciplines":83,"seo":102,"__typename":112},"cG9zdDoxMTcyMw==","5 Must-Know Shortcuts for Fast Rendering Setups in SOLIDWORKS Visualize","\u002Fproducts\u002Fsolidworks\u002F5-must-know-shortcuts-fast-rendering-setups-solidworks-visualize","\u003Cp>There are few techniques as divisive as the keyboard short cut. It’s…\u003C\u002Fp>\n",{"locale":19,"__typename":20},"en_US","Locale",{"node":22,"__typename":29},{"large":23,"__typename":24,"medium_large":25,"thumbnail":26,"srcSet":27,"sizes":28},"https:\u002F\u002Fblog-assets.solidworks.com\u002Fuploads\u002F2025\u002F02\u002Fcadimensions-visualize-tricks-1024x547.png.webp","MediaItem","https:\u002F\u002Fblog-assets.solidworks.com\u002Fuploads\u002F2025\u002F02\u002Fcadimensions-visualize-tricks-768x410.png.webp","https:\u002F\u002Fblog-assets.solidworks.com\u002Fuploads\u002F2025\u002F02\u002Fcadimensions-visualize-tricks-150x150.png.webp","https:\u002F\u002Fblog-assets.solidworks.com\u002Fuploads\u002F2025\u002F02\u002Fcadimensions-visualize-tricks-1024x547.png.webp 1024w, https:\u002F\u002Fblog-assets.solidworks.com\u002Fuploads\u002F2025\u002F02\u002Fcadimensions-visualize-tricks-300x160.png.webp 300w, https:\u002F\u002Fblog-assets.solidworks.com\u002Fuploads\u002F2025\u002F02\u002Fcadimensions-visualize-tricks-768x410.png.webp 768w, https:\u002F\u002Fblog-assets.solidworks.com\u002Fuploads\u002F2025\u002F02\u002Fcadimensions-visualize-tricks.png.webp 1361w","(max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px","NodeWithFeaturedImageToMediaItemConnectionEdge",[],"\u003Cp>There are few techniques as divisive as the keyboard short cut. It’s generally a “love it” or “hate it” kind of a tool. When I teach keyboard shortcuts, the average response is something along the lines of, “Bah.. I can never remember those things. Don’t waste your breath.”\u003C\u002Fp>\u003Cp>I can certainly empathize with that attitude. I use a very wide variety of software packages for different purposes so it’s a full time job keeping track of the keyboard shortcuts for them all. I haven’t always been a keyboard shortcut user and I’m certainly not as serious as some people are. So, while it’s not the first thing I recommend people learn, it sure does boost your productivity once you start to get the hang of things. However, with seemingly a million shortcuts to choose from where do you start?\u003C\u002Fp>\u003Cp>I use a good number of the keyboard shortcuts available in Visualize. So today, I’m going to share just 5 of them which I’ve found most helpful along the way. Of course, there are the standard Windows shortcuts that carry over (Save, New, Open, Undo, etc.) as well as the SOLIDWORKS mouse and keyboard controls, but in this session I’ll stick to the more obscure Visualize-specific shortcuts. Without further ado, drumroll please…\u003C\u002Fp>\u003Col class=\"wp-block-list\">\n\u003Cli>Focal Length Quick Adjust \u003C\u002Fli>\n\u003C\u002Fol>\u003Cp>\u003Cem>Alt + Middle Mouse Button Scroll \u003C\u002Fem>\u003C\u002Fp>\u003Cp>This is the first shortcut I fell in love with in Visualize. Having an organic way to change your camera’s focal length makes it incredibly easy to dial in how you want the shot to look. I can set a camera in seconds that used to take minutes. This means I’m efficient, but moreover, I can try more angles and not have to think about buttons and dials while doing it. I can purely work with the framing of the shot with a natural interaction. Simply hold down the \u003Cem>Alt\u003C\u002Fem> key while you’re working the scroll wheel on your mouse and instead of the camera dolly you would normally get, you’ll see a change in the perspective of the image instead. This is the equivalent of changing what lens you’ve got on your digital camera.\u003C\u002Fp>\u003Col class=\"wp-block-list\">\n\u003Cli>Camera Look – At \u003C\u002Fli>\n\u003C\u002Fol>\u003Cp>\u003Cem>Shift (or Ctrl) + Alt + Right Click \u003C\u002Fem>\u003C\u002Fp>\u003Cp>If there’s one thing that takes a little bit of adjustment when moving from SOLIDWORKS to Visualize, it might be the center of rotation on the cameras. SOLIDWORKS has an active algorithm that is constantly moving the center of rotation for you based your viewport settings and cursor location. This method is perfect when you’re modeling, but Visualize has a different purpose. Visualize is mimicking the way that we use a physical camera. That means we’re setting where the camera looks ourselves based on our needs for the shot. Sometimes I’ll “step away from the camera” by adding a second camera to move around my main camera. But often times that isn’t necessary. If I just want to move what my camera is looking at, a quick swipe of the keyboard and mouse will do the trick. Simply hold \u003Cem>Control \u003C\u002Fem>and \u003Cem>Alt \u003C\u002Fem>together and \u003Cem>Right Click\u003C\u002Fem> on the object you’d like to lock on to. Now your camera will look at and rotate about whatever location you’ve right clicked on.\u003C\u002Fp>\u003Cp>Both \u003Cem>Control\u003C\u002Fem> and \u003Cem>Shift\u003C\u002Fem> will do this for you. The difference is \u003Cem>Shift + Alt\u003C\u002Fem> will not move your current camera view where \u003Cem>Control + Alt\u003C\u002Fem> will center the camera on your selection. This can be difficult to remember so you can either stick with your preference (I prefer \u003Cem>Shift + Alt\u003C\u002Fem>), or remember it by thinking that \u003Cem>Control\u003C\u002Fem> is the forceful one, it “controls” your camera. \u003Cem>Shift\u003C\u002Fem> is shifty and sneaky and will “shift” the point without you seeing a change.\u003C\u002Fp>\u003Col class=\"wp-block-list\">\n\u003Cli>Smooth Dolly In\u002FOut \u003C\u002Fli>\n\u003C\u002Fol>\u003Cp>\u003Cem>Shift + Middle Mouse Button + Mouse Forward \u002F Backwards \u003C\u002Fem>\u003C\u002Fp>\u003Cp>Have you ever gone to set up a camera and wanted to get right in between one click of the mouse wheel and the next? When it comes to setting up renderings, we often need to get the view just right to “get the shot”. Holding the \u003Cem>Shift\u003C\u002Fem> key down, press the \u003Cem>Middle Mouse Button\u003C\u002Fem> (instead of scrolling as you normally would), and move the mouse itself forward and backwards. You should now get a buttery-smooth motion of the camera in and out.\u003C\u002Fp>\u003Col class=\"wp-block-list\">\n\u003Cli>Copy and Paste Appearances \u003C\u002Fli>\n\u003C\u002Fol>\u003Cp>\u003Cem>Shift + Left \u002F Right Click \u003C\u002Fem>\u003C\u002Fp>\u003Cp>It doesn’t get much easier than drag and drop. Visualize is set up let you grab pretty much anything you need, and drag it wherever you want it applied. When it comes to appearances, I often find myself wanting to take the appearance I already have applied on one part, and apply it elsewhere. Visualize does have a handy Appearance selection mode which allows us to quickly locate an appearance and drag that onto our next selection. But when I’m in the groove, I like to stay as focused on the graphics area as possible. By simply holding \u003Cem>Shift\u003C\u002Fem> and \u003Cem>Left Clicking\u003C\u002Fem> on the object that has the desired appearance, you can then \u003Cem>Right Click\u003C\u002Fem> on the object that you wish to have the appearance (still holding the \u003Cem>Shift\u003C\u002Fem> key). If you have a hard time remembering which one is “Copy” and which one is “Paste,” just remember that your \u003Cem>Left Click\u003C\u002Fem> is always the selection tool. Select what you’re after with the \u003Cem>Left Click\u003C\u002Fem>, then transfer it with the \u003Cem>Right Click\u003C\u002Fem>.\u003C\u002Fp>\u003Col class=\"wp-block-list\">\n\u003Cli>Rotate Environment \u003C\u002Fli>\n\u003C\u002Fol>\u003Cp>\u003Cem>Ctrl + Alt + Left Mouse Button Drag \u003C\u002Fem>\u003C\u002Fp>\u003Cp>This a relatively new addition to my bag of tricks. This might not be the first shortcut you pick up but it is quite slick when you get there. I wouldn’t say that the scene rotation option is buried (it’s right where you’d expect it to be towards the top of the scene settings) but not having to go chasing after it at all is a nice plus. By holding down the \u003Cem>Control\u003C\u002Fem> and \u003Cem>Alt\u003C\u002Fem> keys simultaneously, you can drag your \u003Cem>Left Mouse Button\u003C\u002Fem> horizontally in the graphics area to rotate the environment. This is excellent when you’ve just pulled in an environment out of the library and are checking to see if it meets your needs. It’s also nice if you’re just fine tuning the lighting at the end of the process. Either way, I’ve found I have the patience for more adjustments when I have direct access and don’t have to go hunting for the option!\u003C\u002Fp>\u003Ch3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">BONUS:\u003C\u002Fh3>\u003Cp>For those of you who have gotten those down and are looking for more, here are a couple of my honorable mentions.\u003C\u002Fp>\u003Col class=\"wp-block-list\">\n\u003Cli>Environment Brightness\u003C\u002Fli>\n\u003C\u002Fol>\u003Cp>\u003Cem>Ctrl + [ or ]\u003C\u002Fem>\u003C\u002Fp>\u003Cp>Hold \u003Cem>Control\u003C\u002Fem> and tap the right bracket to increase brightness by .25 or the left bracket to decrease by .25. Great for quick tweaks at the end. Pro tip: Add \u003Cem>Shift\u003C\u002Fem> with the \u003Cem>Control\u003C\u002Fem> key to jump by .5 increments.\u003C\u002Fp>\u003Col class=\"wp-block-list\">\n\u003Cli>Gamma \u003C\u002Fli>\n\u003C\u002Fol>\u003Cp>\u003Cem>Ctrl + ; or  ‘ \u003C\u002Fem>\u003C\u002Fp>\u003Cp>This one looks more obscure on paper than it is on the keyboard. It’s simply the next set of keys down from the brackets. Just like adjusting the Environment Brightness, holding the \u003Cem>Control\u003C\u002Fem> key and tapping the apostrophe will increase gamma by .25 while semi-colon will drop it equally. The \u003Cem>Shift \u003C\u002Fem>key will double the increment here as well.\u003C\u002Fp>\u003Cp>So there are my top 5 keyboard shortcuts for Visualize (with a couple of freebies). I find that I simply cannot remember keyboard shortcuts unless I use them a few times IMEDIATELY after learning them. So I’ve created a simple example and tutorial that you can watch and download here to give these a try in context.\u003C\u002Fp>\u003Cp>Open up Visualize, and follow along with the tutorial video here:\u003C\u002Fp>\u003Cdiv class=\"ds-video\">\u003Ca data-3ds-videoplayer=\"modal\" href=\"https:\u002F\u002Fwww.youtube.com\u002Fwatch?v=F642hUQx0uE\" target=\"_blank\">\u003Cspan class=\"ImageCover Border Block\" style=\"background-image: url(https:\u002F\u002Fimg.youtube.com\u002Fvi\u002FF642hUQx0uE\u002Fhqdefault.jpg); width:100%; height: 100%;\">\u003Cspan class=\"Btn--circle isCenter\">\u003Ci class=\"Icon Icon--playBig\">\u003C\u002Fi>\u003C\u002Fspan>\u003C\u002Fspan>\u003C\u002Fa>\u003Cspan>\u003Cfigure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-embed-handler wp-block-embed-embed-handler wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio\">\u003Cdiv class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\u003C\u002Fdiv>\u003C\u002Ffigure>\u003C\u002Fspan>\u003C\u002Fdiv>\u003Cp>Download the example file \u003Ca href=\"https:\u002F\u002Fgrabcad.com\u002Flibrary\u002Flamp-array-5-must-know-shortcuts-for-solidworks-visualize-2\">here!\u003C\u002Fa>\u003C\u002Fp>\u003Cp>P.S. – If you’re looking to get into keyboard shortcuts in Visualize but you can only remember one to begin with, make it F12. F12 is your secret cheat sheet for the rest of the shortcuts! Shortcuts can be easy to forget, so having quick access to a refresher can be the key (pun intended) to remembering them quickly!\u003C\u002Fp>","2017-09-17T11:00:50",{"node":34,"__typename":42},{"nicename":35,"description":36,"slug":35,"name":37,"firstName":5,"lastName":5,"avatar":38,"__typename":41},"cadimensions","We are an authorized SOLIDWORKS and Stratasys reseller with certified training & support centers located in New York and Pennsylvania, USA. We are 100% focused on living a CADLIFE and have our vendor's unconditional endorsement in the sales and support of their products.","CADimensions",{"url":39,"__typename":40},"https:\u002F\u002Fblog-assets.solidworks.com\u002Fuploads\u002F2025\u002F12\u002Fcadimensions.png.webp","Avatar","User","NodeWithAuthorToUserConnectionEdge",{"nodes":44,"edges":45,"__typename":46},[],[],"PostToTaxonomy_masteringConnection",{"nodes":48,"__typename":70},[49,55,60,65],{"id":50,"name":51,"slug":52,"uri":53,"__typename":54},"dGVybTo5NjI4","3D Modeling","3d-modeling","\u002Ftags\u002F3d-modeling\u002F","Taxonomy_tag",{"id":56,"name":57,"slug":58,"uri":59,"__typename":54},"dGVybTo5NjQx","Partners","partners","\u002Ftags\u002Fpartners\u002F",{"id":61,"name":62,"slug":63,"uri":64,"__typename":54},"dGVybTo5NjM1","Rendering","rendering","\u002Ftags\u002Frendering\u002F",{"id":66,"name":67,"slug":68,"uri":69,"__typename":54},"dGVybTo5NjAz","SOLIDWORKS","solidworks","\u002Ftags\u002Fsolidworks\u002F","PostToTaxonomy_tagConnection",{"edges":72,"nodes":80,"__typename":82},[73],{"isPrimary":74,"node":75,"__typename":79},false,{"id":76,"name":67,"slug":68,"uri":77,"__typename":78},"dGVybTo1Ng==","\u002Fproducts\u002Fsolidworks\u002F","Taxonomy_product","PostToTaxonomy_productConnectionEdge",[81],{"id":76,"name":67,"slug":68,"uri":77,"__typename":78},"PostToTaxonomy_productConnection",{"nodes":84,"edges":97,"__typename":101},[85],{"id":86,"name":62,"slug":63,"uri":87,"parentId":88,"disciplines":89,"__typename":96},"dGVybTo2Mw==","\u002Fdisciplines\u002Frendering\u002F","dGVybTo1OA==",{"nodes":90,"__typename":95},[91],{"title":62,"uri":92,"parentId":93,"__typename":94},"\u002Fdisciplines\u002Fdesign-engineering\u002Frendering","cG9zdDozNzcz","Discipline","Taxonomy_disciplineToDisciplineConnection","Taxonomy_discipline",[98],{"isPrimary":74,"node":99,"__typename":100},{"parentId":88,"id":86,"name":62,"slug":63,"uri":87,"__typename":96},"PostToTaxonomy_disciplineConnectionEdge","PostToTaxonomy_disciplineConnection",{"canonical":5,"title":103,"metaDesc":5,"opengraphAuthor":5,"opengraphDescription":104,"opengraphTitle":15,"opengraphUrl":105,"opengraphSiteName":106,"opengraphPublishedTime":107,"opengraphModifiedTime":108,"twitterTitle":5,"twitterDescription":5,"readingTime":109,"metaRobotsNoindex":110,"__typename":111},"5 Must-Know Shortcuts for Fast Rendering Setups in SOLIDWORKS Visualize - Blog Solidworks","There are few techniques as divisive as the keyboard short cut. It’s…","\u002Fproducts\u002Fsolidworks\u002F5-must-know-shortcuts-fast-rendering-setups-solidworks-visualize\u002F","Blog Solidworks","2017-09-17T15:00:50+00:00","2025-02-11T06:30:46+00:00",7,"noindex","PostTypeSEO","Post","RootQueryToPostConnection",{},{},1776256990021]