How to use A23D PBR Textures in SOLIDWORKS

This guide explains how to apply A23D PBR textures as Appearances in SOLIDWORKS CAD, and how to use the same A23D map set as native PBR material inputs in SOLIDWORKS Visualize.

Support note: SOLIDWORKS Visualize has native PBR material support. SOLIDWORKS CAD appearances are more limited and should be treated as viewport/product-design appearances rather than a full metalness/roughness material editor.

1. Download the Texture Set

Sign in to your A23D account.
Browse to the texture you want to use.
In the Software dropdown on the asset page, select Solidworks. A23D automatically delivers the texture set in the format best suited to SOLIDWORKS (JPG maps) - no manual format selection required.
Click Download, save the .zip, and extract it to access the texture files.

2. Open the Appearance Editor

In SOLIDWORKS, click the Appearances, Scenes, and Decals tab on the right-side Task Pane (looks like a coloured sphere).
Right-click an existing appearance to Edit it, or right-click a face in the model and choose Appearance > Edit Appearance.

3. Load A23D PBR Texture Maps

In SOLIDWORKS CAD, expand the Color/Image, Surface Finish, and Illumination tabs in the Appearance PropertyManager and use the closest available slots:

SOLIDWORKS Slot	A23D Map	Notes
Color/Image -> Image	`A23DTEX_Albedo.jpg`	Base color of the material.
Surface Finish -> Bump Map	`A23DTEX_Normal.jpg`	Set type to Normal Map.
Surface Finish -> Roughness	`A23DTEX_Roughness.jpg`	Use a roughness map directly (no inversion needed).
Illumination / Reflective controls	`A23DTEX_Metalness.jpg`	Use only where the selected appearance exposes a metallic or equivalent reflective control. For exact metalness, use SOLIDWORKS Visualize.
Transparency -> Mask	`A23DTEX_Opacity.jpg`	For cutout / alpha-mask materials.
Illumination -> Emissive	`A23DTEX_Emissive.jpg`	Optional, for self-illuminated surfaces.

4. Use the PBR Set in SOLIDWORKS Visualize

For final material rendering, open the model in SOLIDWORKS Visualize, create a PBR Material appearance, and assign the A23D maps to the Color, Metallic, Roughness, Bump/Normal, Opacity, and Emissive slots. Visualize supports both Metallic/Roughness and Specular/Glossiness PBR workflows.

5. Adjust Mapping and Scale

In the Appearance PropertyManager, expand the Mapping rollout.
Choose Projection: typically Spherical, Cylindrical, Surface, or Automatic depending on the geometry.
Set the Width and Height of the texture in real-world units (e.g., 500 mm x 500 mm for a 0.5 m tile).

Additional Resources

Appearances PropertyManager - SOLIDWORKS Help
SOLIDWORKS Visualize