Optimise SOLIDWORKS Performance by Adjusting Image Quality

Many users may not be aware of how SOLIDWORKS displays 3D CAD models in the graphics area. Most of us have seen the Image Quality slider in the Document Properties tab, but what exactly does it adjust? When you sketch a circle and extrude it into cylinder in SOLIDWORKS, the software generates what is known as mathematically perfect geometry. However, what you see on your screen isn’t the true geometry. Instead, SOLIDWORKS converts the perfect model into a format your graphics card can render. This process, called tessellation, breaks down 3D models into a mesh of tiny, flat triangles because graphics processing unit (GPU) cannot display curved surfaces directly.

The number of these triangles are controlled by settings like the Image Quality slider, which determines how closely the displayed model matches the actual geometry. When you adjust the Image Quality slider in SOLIDWORKS, you are controlling how many triangles the graphics card uses to approximate curved surfaces. The number of graphics triangles that are required to display a component increases as the image quality increases. While more triangles create smoother visuals, they also increase the computational workloads on your system, which can slow down performance especially in complex assemblies.

Checking Graphics Triangle in a Part File  

Every curved surface in a model is broken down into small triangles for visual representation on your screen. The higher the triangle count, the more demanding the model becomes on your system’s graphics resources. To view this, simply go to Evaluate > Performance Evaluation

in your SOLIDWORKS interface.

In SOLIDWORKS, the triangles calculated by your graphics card to represent curved surfaces are called tessellated data. This tessellated data is saved inside your part or assembly file, and that extra data directly impacts file size, loading time, and system performance. To demonstrate this, we created a simple part and saved it with a different image quality setting: low, medium, and high. As you can see, file size increases dramatically as image quality (and triangle count) increases. With high image quality enabled, the file grew to over four times larger than the low-quality version. This is purely due to the extra tessellated data.

Low image quality

Moderate image quality

High image quality

The results above show that the increase in file size is directly linked to the number of graphics triangles stored in the file. The more the graphics triangle count that are saved, the larger the file becomes. Fortunately, there is a simple way to prevent this. SOLIDWORKS gives you the option to disable the saving of tessellated data within your part or assembly file. By unchecking the “Save tessellation with part document” option, you prevent the software from embedding these graphics triangles into the file.

As a result, the Image Quality slider will no longer affect file size, whether it is set to low or high.

Why is tessellated data stored? Tessellated data is important for viewing tools like eDrawings, which don’t use actual BREP (boundary representation) geometry. Instead, eDrawings simply reads and displays the tessellated data saved in the file. That is the reason models can be opened quickly in eDrawings even on machines without SOLIDWORKS. Besides that, without saving the tessellation, draft quality views in drawing environment might not render correctly or might have issues to display correctly. This is because draft quality views are generally used for faster display and reduced file size, but they rely on the tessellated data saved in the file to represent edges and surfaces.

Choosing the right image quality setting in SOLIDWORKS depends on your specific needs. Use high image quality for presentations and visual outputs, while low to moderate settings are better for everyday modelling and working with large assemblies. If file size is your concern, especially when eDrawings previews aren’t needed, consider disabling tessellation save to keep your files lightweight and efficient.

Tuning your Image Quality settings to manage tessellated data can have a big impact on both file performance and project efficiency. Whether you are working solo or with a team, knowing when and how to adjust these settings can save you time, reduce lag, and keep your files lighter and more manageable. Want to see the difference yourself? Try running this test on your own parts and watch how much space you can save with a few quick changes!

Should you have any questions or need assistance, please do not hesitate to contact our support team.

Telephone        : (65) 6226 3784
Email               : support@seacadtech.com
WhatsApp       : (65) 9372 1461