SOLIDWORKS Multi-Body Color Assignment Macro

General Information

This macro is designed to run on an active multi-body part document in SOLIDWORKS. It is not intended for assemblies or drawings.

The macro should be used with the following file type:

SOLIDWORKS Part Document / .SLDPRT

The main purpose of the macro is to assign different colors to each solid body in the part.

Requirements

To use this macro, you need:

• SOLIDWORKS installed
• An active .SLDPRT part document
• More than one solid body in the part
• A suitable environment for running a C# based S
• SolidWorks.Interop.sldworks
• SolidWorks.Interop.swconst

Installation

1. Download the macro file

Download the macro file from zadax.net.

Recommended folder example:

C:\SolidWorks_Macros\

2. Open SOLIDWORKS

Start the SOLIDWORKS application.

3. Open a multi-body part file

The active document must be a part file.

Example:

example_multibody_part.SLDPRT

The part should contain at least two solid bodies.

4. Run the macro

Use the SOLIDWORKS macro run command and select the downloaded macro file.

Typical menu path:

Tools > Macro > Run

Then select and run the macro file.

Usage Modes

The macro includes several user options. These options can be changed depending on the desired behavior.

1. Normal Coloring Mode

In this mode, the macro applies different colors to the faces of each solid body.

Recommended settings:

PREVIEW_ONLY = false

RESET_COLORS = false

PRESERVE_EXISTING_COLORS = true

With these settings:

• Real changes are applied to the model.
• Colors are assigned to solid body faces.
• Faces with existing colors are preserved.
• Only faces without existing appearance values are colored.

2. Preview Mode

In this mode, no changes are applied to the model.

Recommended settings:

PREVIEW_ONLY = true

RESET_COLORS = false

In this mode:

• Bodies are scanned.
• A color plan is generated.
• The report shows which body would receive which color.
• No appearance changes are applied.

This mode is recommended before applying actual color changes.

3. Reset Colors Mode

In this mode, the macro does not apply new colors. Instead, it attempts to remove existing face-level appearance values.

Recommended settings:

PREVIEW_ONLY = false

RESET_COLORS = true

In this mode:

• No new colors are assigned.
• Face-level appearances are removed where possible.
• The final report shows how many faces were reset.

Note: Depending on the SOLIDWORKS version, appearance hierarchy, and model state, some face appearance values may not be removed successfully.

4. Preserve Existing Colors Option

When this option is enabled, the macro does not overwrite faces that already have an assigned appearance.

Setting:

PRESERVE_EXISTING_COLORS = true

This is useful when:

• The model already contains manually assigned colors
• Some bodies or faces have custom appearances
• You only want to color faces that do not already have an appearance

If you want to overwrite all face colors, disable this option.

Setting:

PRESERVE_EXISTING_COLORS = false

5. English Report Dialog

The macro generates an English report after execution.

The report includes:

• Document name
• Mode
• Preview status
• Reset status
• Preserve existing colors status
• Total solid bodies
• Processed bodies
• Colored faces
• Reset faces
• Skipped faces
• Failed faces
• Undo recording status

To show the report in a dialog:

SHOW_REPORT_DIALOG = true

To output the report only to console/log:

SHOW_REPORT_DIALOG = false

Undo Support

The macro attempts to start SOLIDWORKS undo recording during the operation. If successful, the user may be able to undo the full operation in a single undo step.

Use:

Ctrl + Z

or from the SOLIDWORKS menu:

Edit > Undo

Note: Undo support may vary depending on the SOLIDWORKS version, API behavior, and macro execution environment. It is recommended to save or back up important files before running the macro.