I have a graphic (.png) file that is inserted into a part as a Decal. The file is already saved to a folder on our network.
What is the purpose of the 'save decal' button found in the feature manager tree after selecting 'edit decal' ?
What is the benefit of saving the graphic file as a SolidWorks '.p2d' file versus a standard format of .tiff, .png, .bmp, etc ?
If you save it as a p2d file you can just drag and drop it out of the task pane (like the the stock decals). You don't have to browse for it, etc. If it's something you use all the time it will save you time.
The p2d files store extra information regarding the decal such as whether it uses the underlying appearance, or other appearance properties. Like Rob said, it means you don't have to tweak these settings every time you want to use the decal.
They're actually pretty simple little files, if you edit one in notepad it has info like this:
color texture "decal_image_tex" "Images\textures\decals\sw_logo_lets_go_design.jpg"
"swP2D" on ,
"useUnderlyingAppearance" off ,
"diffuse_factor" 1 ,
"specular_factor" 0 ,
"specular_color" 1 1 1 ,
"roughness" 0.002 ,
"reflectivity" 0 ,
"mtl_ior" 0.5 ,
"transparency" 0 ,
"blurryReflections" off ,
"doubleSided" on ,
"refractionRoughness" 0 ,
"luminousIntensity" 0 ,
"initTextureWidth" 0.1524 ,
"initTextureHeight" 0.041656 ,
"masking_mode" 0 ,
"invert_mask" off
Note, as you can see above, it does not REPLACE the source image, only links to it.
I would also suggest saving the decal as part of the file to avoid losing the reference in case the files are relocated.
Ok. Thanks for the info guys. Appreciate it.
If you save it as a p2d file you can just drag and drop it out of the task pane (like the the stock decals). You don't have to browse for it, etc. If it's something you use all the time it will save you time.