Application Settings

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Application Settings

Application Settings dialog-box

Use the Application Settings dialog-box to edit the working environment.

All changes to your settings will become the default settings when you exit and restart MechDesigner. We call this its styling.

Different users on the same PC with different styling preferences can save and load their Theme and Style with the Save and Load buttons.

See also: Themes and Styles

Open the Application-Settings dialog-box

You can open the Application-Settings from the Edit menu or the Edit toolbar:

1.Click Edit toolbar > Application Settings Icon

Edit toolbar > Application-Settings

Edit toolbar > Application-Settings

2.The Application--Settings dialog should now be open.


The Application Settings dialog-box:

Application-Settings dialog

Application-Settings dialog

There are five tabs in the Application Settings dialog-box.

General

Number Format

Graphics

Accessibility

Auto-Profiles


Load and Save buttons:

To open and apply a style that contrasts well with a Theme.

We have prepared a style for each theme. You can also save your own settings to the same style, or a style with a new file-name.

See more: Themes and Styles

Application Settings tabs

tog_minus        General

Number Format

GST-DIALOG-APPSETTINGS-NUMBERFORMAT

 Data Output Format 

Used for displaying and exporting Graph data and Cam-Coordinates.

Float Number Format: See here (Internet Link) about number formats: General, Exponent, Fixed and Number.

Precision and Digits - see below

 Dimension Format

Data format of dimensions in the graphic-area

Precision and Digits - see below

Dimension Font Size - Recommended : 13


Precision: The total number-of-digits before the number is rounded.

Digits:  The number-of-digits after the decimal mark.

Example

~1234.56789

Digits

2

4

6

8

Precision

2

1.2E03

1.2E0003

1.2E3

1.2E3

4

1,235.00

1,234.0000

1,234.000000

1,235.00000000

6

1,234.57

1,234.5700

1,234.570000

1,234.57000000

8

1,234.57

1,234.5679

1,234.567900

1,234.56790000

Note: Usually Precision # > Digits #

Graphics

GST-DIALOG-APPSETTINGS-GRAPHICS

 Display colors 

Change the color of many elements. Use each button to open the Windows® color 'picker'.

We continue to add elements to the list.

Recommended colors for the dark style (R, G, B)

Selected Color (255, 0, 0)

Measurement Dimension

Gear-Pair

Part Not Solved (Free Part)

Part Solved (kinematically-defined Part) (0,128,0)

Geometry Under defined

Geometry Fully Defined

 Display Options 

quality: Low < Quality > High

Use the 'Quality' slider to edit the drawing accuracy of various symbols and sketch-elements.

Display Function-Block Name check-box.

Click the check-box to display the name (as given in the Assembly-Tree) above each Function-Block in the graphic-area.

Anti-aliasing check-box.

Click the check-box to display kinematic and sketch-elements with aliasing on or off.

Graphic-Line Width

I find the best value is 0.8.

Show Function-Block Captions

Show Function-Block Captions

Hide Function-Block Captions

Hide Function-Block Captions

Display Function-Block Name check-box.

Click the check-box to display the function-block name above each function-block icon in the graphics-area.

 

Accessibility

GST-DIALOG-APPSETTINGS-ACCESSIBILITY

 Menus 

Toolbar Icon Size

Click the size to suit your display and eye-sight.

Large - 4K screens only

Recommended : Medium

Text Size

Click the size to suit your display and eye-sight.

Large - 4K screens only.

Recommended: Medium

English

See an English Joke! about sizes and language.

Language: English or Italian

Show Hints check-box

If you do not need the hints, clear the Show Hints check-box. We still show hints in the Feedback-Area.

 Graphics 

Symbol Display Size (Pixels): (5) The size of the symbols of the elements in the graphic-area, such as dimension, input and output-connectors, Part-Outlines and Part axes.

Cursor Selection Size / Pointer Size (Pixels): (6) The size of the pointer 'pin-head'. The larger this number the easier it is to select element, but you may select more than one element.

 Sounds 

Enable Message Sounds: check-box to let you listen to a sound each time MechDesigner sends a message to the Message Area in the Feedback-Area.

Click the buttons to hear the sound for each message.

I do not listen to the sounds as there are many messages for each command.

Auto-Profiles

GST-DIALOG-APPSETTINGS-AUTOPROFILES

Default Sizes 

Set these sizes in proportion to your models. Typical machine design and small medical devices will be set to different sizes, of course.


Default Ball-Joint Radius

This parameter gives the default radius of the Ball-Joint symbol.

See Ball-Joint dialog


Default Bearing Diameter / Default Grounded Bearing Diameter:

The dimensions used for the arcs at each end of an Auto-Profile when you use the Solid toolbar > Auto-Profile command.

Edit the Part later to edit the dimension, if necessary.

See Add Auto-Profiles (Mechanism) command.


Default Extrusion Depth

The default Extrusion-Depth of Extrusions (along the Z-axis of the active editor) when you use the Add Auto-Profile and Add-Profile commands.

Edit the Extrusions later to edit the Extrusion-Depth, if necessary.

See: Extrusion dialog-box