Hole Wizard/Toolbox Options

If SolidWorks Toolbox is installed, SolidWorks includes a standard library of hole types and hardware.

For details about configuring, extending, and using SolidWorks Toolbox, click Help > Toolbox Help in SolidWorks.
To view this help, you might have to start the Toolbox add-in, using Tools > Add-Ins.

Before using a SolidWorks Toolbox, make sure it is properly configured according to your company or group policy. In many cases, a group will configure and maintain a central Toolbox. Check with the SolidWorks administrator for guidance on how to specify a Toolbox during SolidWorks installation.

You can change the selected SolidWorks Toolbox after installation. In SolidWorks, click Tools > Options. On the System Options tab, click Hole Wizard/Toolbox.

The following sections describe all options you can encounter on this screen for all configurations. The actual Toolbox options you see depends on the pre-existing SolidWorks and Toolbox configurations on this computer and SolidWorks Installation Manager choices you have specified to this point.


Create a new new-version Toolbox

Create a new version of SolidWorks Toolbox on this computer.

Any existing Toolboxes on this computer are not modified.

This option appears in all installation scenarios except creating an administrative image.


Reference or upgrade an existing Toolbox

Use an existing Toolbox. Click Browse to specify the location of the Toolbox you want to use with this installation.

  • If the Toolbox is configured for a previous SolidWorks major release version, it is upgraded to this version. Any customizations made to that Toolbox are preserved in the upgraded Toolbox.
    Upgrading a Toolbox to a new SolidWorks major release version makes that Toolbox incompatible with computers running prior major release SolidWorks versions.
  • If the Toolbox is configured for this SolidWorks version (as might be the case if you specify a shared network Toolbox that has already been upgraded), no upgrade to that Toolbox occurs.
  • If you are upgrading a Toolbox in an Enterprise PDM environment, additional procedures are required. For details, see Upgrading Toolbox in a SolidWorks Enterprise PDM Environment.

This option appears in all installation scenarios except creating an administrative image.


Upgrade a previous-version Toolbox

Copy a Toolbox configured for a previous major release version to a new location and upgrade that copy to this version.

This option appears if a previous SolidWorks major release version is installed on this computer, but you have chosen not to upgrade that installation to this release.
The purpose of this option is to upgrade a Toolbox for a previous major release SolidWorks version that is installed without impacting users that are using the older version of Toolbox.

If you are upgrading a Toolbox in an Enterprise PDM environment, additional procedures are required. For details, see Upgrading Toolbox in a SolidWorks Enterprise PDM Environment.


Upgrade this installed previous-version Toolbox

Upgrade this Toolbox to the newer version.
Upgrading a Toolbox to a new SolidWorks major release version makes that Toolbox incompatible with computers running prior major release SolidWorks versions.

This option appears if you are upgrading a previous SolidWorks major release version to this version and a Toolbox configured for that release is found on this computer.

If you are upgrading a Toolbox in an Enterprise PDM environment, additional procedures are required. For details, see Upgrading Toolbox in a SolidWorks Enterprise PDM Environment.


Use the installed current-version Toolbox

SolidWorks Installation Manager has detected on this computer a Toolbox configured for this SolidWorks major release version.

If you select this option, SolidWorks will use this Toolbox. No upgrade occurs.

This option appears if a previous SolidWorks major release version is installed on this computer, but a Toolbox is configured for this version. This might occur if a shared Toolbox is created on a computer that is still running an older SolidWorks version.


Specify the Toolbox location for the client computer

Specify a network or directory location as the default Toolbox location when clients install from an administrative image.
If the location contains a Toolbox configured for a previous SolidWorks major release version at the time the client installation occurs, SolidWorks Installation Manager upgrades that Toolbox.

This option appears when you are creating a new administrative image.


Upgrade or use the Toolbox referenced in the existing image for the client computer

Use the Toolbox location specified in an existing administrative image you are updating.
If the location contains a Toolbox configured for a previous SolidWorks major release version at the time the client installation occurs, SolidWorks Installation Manager upgrades that Toolbox.

Select a different Toolbox location for the client computer

Specify a different Toolbox location from that specified in an existing administrative image you are updating.
If the location contains a Toolbox configured for a previous SolidWorks major release version at the time the client installation occurs, SolidWorks Installation Manager upgrades that Toolbox.
  • Notes About Configuring SolidWorks Toolbox
    SolidWorks Toolbox is a powerful and complex feature. This topic summarizes some concepts to consider before configuring a Toolbox using SolidWorks Installation Manager.
  • UNC Format
    Uniform (or Universal) Naming Convention format specifies a file name syntax format to describe a shared file location.

Hole Wizard/Toolbox Options