Highlight Commands on Ribbon Bar

How to show new and updated features in Siemens NX

Summary: This blog will show you how to use the “Highlight commands on Ribbon Bar” feature on the NX “Welcome Page” to see the new and updated feature in the latest release of NX (1872 and newer releases). You will also learn how to use the “What’s New” section of the “Welcome Page” to discover more detailed information about the new and updated features in NX.

Software Prerequisites: NX 1872 series or newer, internet connection required to use the “Highlight commands on Ribbon Bar” feature and the additional help documentation feature in the “What’s new” section of the “Welcome Page”.

So you’ve just installed the latest and greatest release of Siemens NX software on your computer and are excited to dive into the newest version of your favorite CAD software. If only there was a way to see all of the new and updated features of NX while you were exploring this most recent release. Well, now there is! Beginning with NX 1872 Series and going forward in all of the new releases of NX, you will now have the ability to easily see what has been updated in the newest release, in addition, you will be able to see what features were new or updated in a previous release of the NX software.

Siemens has added a clever new feature in the NX software called “Highlight commands on Ribbon bar”. In this blog, we’ll cover the new “Highlight commands on Ribbon bar” feature and show how it will help you to easily identify which features are new and/or have been updated as you navigate the NX toolbar interface. We’ll also go over how to use the “What’s New” tab to discover what features are new and/or have been updated since a certain NX release.

Finding the new “Highlight commands on Ribbon bar” Feature

Once you have installed your NX update and open the program, you will be welcomed by the appropriately named, “Welcome” Page in your new NX session.

On the Welcome Page you will see a “What’s New” tab on top of the page. If you select this tab, you will be presented with the “What’s New” information page.

On the right-hand side of the “What’s New” tab section you will see the “Highlight commands on Ribbon Bar” option.

If you select or “check” the box next to the “Highlight commands on the Ribbon Bar” option, this will turn on a new feature that will highlight the New or Updated features on the NX Toolbars.

After you have turned on this option you will see a magenta-colored dot next to some of the feature icons on the tool bar. This dot will appear next to features that have been updated or features that have been added to the latest release of NX.

Using the “What’s new since” Option

In addition to the dot that is placed next to the new or updated features, you can also see which features are new or updated in the latest release and in previous releases by using the “What’s new since” option that is located on the “What’s New” Tab section.

The “What’s new since” option is helpful for not only seeing what is new since the last release of NX but also helpful for seeing “What’s new since” as far back as NX 11. So, if you’re ever wondering what features might have been added in a particular release of NX, you can use this feature to find that information.

When you select the arrow next to the “What’s new since” NX Version Dropdown List, you will reveal the different versions of NX that you can choose from.

After choosing a version of NX from the list, you will see the “Area,” “What’s New,” and Commands” category lists update accordingly. These lists will show you the specific feature commands that were new to that version and older.

You can refine your search result by entering a search phrase into the “Area,” “What’s New,” and/or “Commands” search boxes.

In the example shown below, the search phrase entered in the “Area” search box is “Sheet Metal.” This will populate the category lists with “Sheet Metal” related features that are new. You can also see the versions of NX in which that particular “Sheet Metal” feature was added. Under the “What’s new” category list you can see the feature enhancements that have been added. In the “Commands” category list you can see the particular feature command that the enhancement was added to.

If you select the item under the “What’s new” category list, it will take you to the online NX Help documentation where you can get additional information and read more detailed information about the feature.

If you hover your mouse pointer over the item under the “Commands” category list, it will show you the location of that command on the toolbar or in the menus. (As indicated by items 1 & 2 in the image)

Now that you know how to use the new “Highlight commands on Ribbon bar” feature and the “What’s new” features of the “Welcome Page,” you should be well on your way to quickly discovering all of the great new and updated features in the latest release of NX. To learn more about the capabilities of NX, check out some of our other blogs!

Enjoy!

Michael Pinto

For over twenty years, Michael has worked first hand with NX in the aerospace and consumer goods industries, building skills like geometric dimensioning and tolerancing, 3D renderings, and computer aided product design in NX.