How to Use Feature Freeze in SolidWorks: Step-by-Step Guide

In SolidWorks, use Feature Freeze to lock certain features in your model so they don't rebuild every time you make changes. This speeds up performance by freezing stable parts of your design while you work on others.

Syntax

The Feature Freeze tool is accessed from the FeatureManager design tree. You right-click on a feature or a group of features and select Freeze to lock them. To unfreeze, right-click the frozen feature and select Unfreeze.

Key parts:

• Freeze: Locks the feature to prevent rebuild.
• Unfreeze: Unlocks the feature to allow changes.
• Works on features, sketches, or folders.

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Right-click feature > Freeze
Right-click frozen feature > Unfreeze

Example

This example shows how to freeze a complex feature to speed up model rebuilds while editing other parts.

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1. Open your SolidWorks model.
2. In the FeatureManager tree, right-click a complex feature (e.g., a loft or pattern).
3. Select <strong>Freeze</strong> from the menu.
4. Make changes to other features; the frozen feature will not rebuild.
5. When ready, right-click the frozen feature and select <strong>Unfreeze</strong> to update it.

Output

The frozen feature is locked and does not rebuild, improving performance during edits.

Common Pitfalls

Common mistakes when using Feature Freeze include:

• Freezing features that need frequent updates, causing outdated geometry.
• Forgetting to unfreeze features before final rebuild, leading to incomplete models.
• Freezing dependent features without freezing their parents, causing rebuild errors.

Always check dependencies and unfreeze before finalizing your design.

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Wrong:
Right-click dependent feature > Freeze

Right:
Right-click parent feature > Freeze
Right-click dependent feature > Freeze

Quick Reference

Action	Description
Freeze Feature	Locks feature to prevent rebuild and improve performance
Unfreeze Feature	Unlocks feature to allow rebuild and updates
Check Dependencies	Freeze parent features before dependent ones to avoid errors
Use for Complex Features	Best used on stable, complex features to speed up editing
Remember to Unfreeze	Always unfreeze before final model rebuild

Key Takeaways

Use Feature Freeze to lock stable features and speed up model rebuilds.

Always check feature dependencies before freezing to avoid errors.

Unfreeze features before finalizing your design to ensure updates apply.

Freeze complex features that rarely change to improve performance.

Feature Freeze is accessed by right-clicking features in the FeatureManager tree.