How to change the SolidWorks splash screen and program background

WARNING!! Warranty void if seal is broken, etc. etc. If you decide to muck around with your SolidWorks system files, be prepared to reinstall if everything goes pear-shaped!

Do not proceed if you are uncomfortable with the steps outlined below.

Most Windows-based programs use images for icons, cursors and backgrounds. These image resources are stored in DLL, EXE and OCX files. To access and modify these files you need a resource editor.

1. Download and install Anolis Resourcer
   
2. Backup any DLL files you intend to change by Copy+pasting them
3. Open the DLL in Resourcer
4. Open the PNG folder in the DLL
5. Select the image you wish to change
6. Action >> Replace resource >> browse to the PNG file to replace it with >> OK
7. Save the DLL
8. Fire up SolidWorks!

The two DLL’s you will want to modify are:

• C:\Program Files\SolidWorks Corp\SolidWorks\
  • SwStyleBlueu.dll – contains the background image when you start SolidWorks
    • Background is PNG_BACKGROUND
    • SolidWorks logo that goes over the background is PNG_SWLOGO
  • \lang\english\sldresu.dll – contains the splash screen

• SWX version type is resource 1635 – 5621
• Cool product shot is resource 10025 - 10033

If you’re wondering how I worked this out, you can batch export every image from every DLL in a directory in Resourcer >> Tools >> Batch export. Then I sorted the images by size to find the biggest images, which turned out to be the splash screen, etc. The name of the exported file references the location of the image inside the DLL.

If you want to have transparency in the image, make sure you save the image as a PNG so that you can keep the Alpha channel (describes how transparent each pixel in an image is) so that it blends nicely over everything else.

And yes, it would be possible to completely “re-skin” all of the menu items, toolbars, etc. but I’ll leave that up to you :)