How to change the material or color of your 3D part in SolidWorks?

ByCADbrief Staff

Short Answer

Yes — in SolidWorks, you can change the material or color of a 3D part using Material for physical properties and Appearance for visual color. The most common professional method is right-clicking the part or body in the FeatureManager and applying the change there. Color overrides can hide material appearance results.

What You Need to Know Before

Warning: Changing only the appearance does not update mass, density, or simulation properties. A very common mistake is applying color at the face level, which creates local overrides that make the whole part look inconsistent later.

How to Change the Material or Color of Your 3D Part in SolidWorks

  • Command: Material / Appearance

  • Shortcut: No default keyboard shortcut

  • Quick Steps:

    1. In the FeatureManager design tree, right-click the part name for the fastest full-part workflow, then choose Material > Edit Material to assign a real material.
    2. In the Material dialog, select the material from the library and click Apply or Close to update density, mass, and visual style.
    3. To change color, right-click the part, body, feature, or face and choose Appearance (beach ball icon), then set the color and confirm the scope level before clicking OK.

Variables & Settings

  • Key Setting: Appearance scope

  • Expert Setting: SolidWorks lets you apply appearance at the face, feature, body, or part level. If the wrong level is selected, a local override can block the color you expect at the full-part level.

Why it Fails

  • Cause 1 (Geometry): The appearance may be applied only to selected faces or bodies, so the entire part does not update uniformly.

  • Cause 2 (layers/Locks): If the component is inside an assembly, assembly-level appearance overrides can control the visible color and hide the part-level setting.

  • Cause 3 (Command/Logic): Editing appearance instead of material changes only graphics, not physical properties such as density, mass, or bom-related material data.

Quick Fix & Best Practice

  • Quick Fix: Right-click the part and use Appearances > Clear Top Level Overrides, then reapply Edit Material or the correct part-level appearance.
  • Manager’s Verdict: Use Edit Material when manufacturing, mass properties, or simulation matter; use Appearance-only changes for presentation renders or visual identification.

FAQ

Can I change color without changing material?
Yes, use Appearance only.

Does changing material also change mass?
Yes, if the material has defined physical properties.

Why does my part color not update in the assembly?
An assembly-level appearance override is likely taking priority.

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