SOLIDWORKS Design - R2026x FD02

Notes

  • These enhancements apply to:

    • SOLIDWORKS Design Standard/Professional/Premium/Ultimate 
    • SOLIDWORKS Design Standard/Professional/Premium/Ultimate with Cloud Services
  • For guidance on how to set up and use the SOLIDWORKS AI Virtual Companions, check out the Getting Started Guide.

 

Our Favorites

  • Take greater control over AI-powered automatic drawing generation through natural language text prompts

  • Convert STEP and IGES models into full feature-based SOLIDWORKS models with the power of AI

  • Gain insights on how to improve assembly performance by asking questions about your assembly through text prompts

  • Simplify and speed up the application and updating of material appearances through conversation with AI

  • Improve design with AI-powered engineering guidance for resolving sketch errors and gaining PLM insights into components

  • Reveal which parts, assemblies, and downstream dependencies will be affected before making a design change through AI 

  • Browse and open platform files directly from within SOLIDWORKS Design using Content Explorer

 

SOLIDWORKS AI 

Manufacturing Documentation - Auto-Generate Drawings (Beta)

Take greater control over auto-generated drawings, such as customizing drawing tables, through text prompts.  A new button in the Auto‑Generate Drawing Property Manager provides direct access to the Drawing Creation skill, allowing you to customize your auto-generated drawing through natural text conversation.

 

Intent to CAD - BREP to Parametric CAD (Beta)

Convert imported STEP and IGES models into fully editable, feature-based SOLIDWORKS components using AI — without rebuilding from scratch. Modify geometry, update features, and adapt the model to your requirements as if it were designed in SOLIDWORKS from the start.

 

Assembly Optimization - Assembly Performance Evaluator (Beta)

Ask questions about your assembly and get AI-powered analysis that identifies specific performance issues and recommends targeted improvements — giving you actionable insights without manually diagnosing large, complex assembly structures.

 

Engineering Guidance - Material Appearance Manager (Beta)

Reduce repetitive manual effort and save time when assigning and updating material appearances across assemblies. Simple prompts enable intelligent application and updates while maintaining visual consistency.

 

Engineering Guidance - PLM Model Insights (Beta)

Access revision history, maturity state, ownership, related files, and change actions for any model through a conversational AI interface — without navigating PLM menus. 

 

Design Validation - Design Change Impact (Beta)

Understand the full impact of a design change before you make it. AI-powered analysis identifies which parts, assemblies, and downstream dependencies are affected — and who is impacted — so teams can assess risk earlier, avoid unintended disruptions, and commit to changes with greater confidence.

 

 

User Experience

Performance Assistant - Fastener Simplification

Keep large assemblies running smoothly with automatic thread suppression suggestions from the in-context Performance Assistant. When you place fasteners with fully modeled 3D threads, the assistant prompts you to suppress them before they impact performance — with the option to ignore or disable the messages if you prefer to manage this manually.

 

Make Multibody Part Assistant

Get in-context guidance when creating assembly features with the Make Multibody Part Assistant. Notifications appear directly in the graphics area suggesting a multibody part approach as an alternative. You have the option to launch the Make Multibody Part command immediately from the assistant, or ignore and disable the messages if you prefer to work without prompts.

 

Performance Evaluation Assistant

Monitor assembly health at a glance with a persistent performance status bar in the bottom toolbar. The color-coded indicator continuously tracks assembly graphics performance, mate issues, and circular references — giving you an always-on signal to catch performance problems early before they slow down your workflow.

 

 

Parasolid Assembly Import Options

Apply part and assembly configuration templates automatically when importing Parasolid data, ensuring that you import all the configuration data within the imported Parasolid assembly.

 

Updating Suppressed Components During Save As

Keep suppressed components correctly linked when saving assemblies with in-context references. External references for suppressed components now update correctly during Save As operations — eliminating broken references when components are later unsuppressed and reducing manual cleanup when reusing assemblies.

 

Save to eDrawing File Format from SOLIDWORKS Design

Export SOLIDWORKS documents directly to eDrawings file format from within SOLIDWORKS Design, or automate batch exports using Task Scheduler — making it faster to share lightweight, view-only files with colleagues and customers who don't have SOLIDWORKS installed. 

 

 

Parts, Assemblies, Drawings

Edit Bend Radius for Imported Bend Faces

Modify the bend radius of any pre-existing bend face on an imported part during or after conversion to sheet metal — eliminating the need to rebuild bends from scratch when imported geometry doesn't match your manufacturing requirements.

 

Progressive Isolate for Components and Bodies

Apply the Isolate command to an already-isolated assembly without exiting and restarting — progressively narrowing your focus to the exact components or bodies you need without interrupting your workflow.

 

Favorite Symbols Folder for Dimensions and Annotations

Save your most-used dimension and annotation symbols to a dedicated Favorites folder for instant access — eliminating repeated searches through symbol libraries and speeding up drawing annotation workflows.

 

Highlight Color for Notes

Emphasize critical information in drawing notes by applying highlight colors from a selectable color palette — making important callouts and annotations stand out at a glance.

 

 

Collaboration and Data Management

Content Explorer in the SOLIDWORKS Design Open Dialog

Browse, organize, and open platform files without leaving SOLIDWORKS. Content Explorer is now integrated directly into the Open dialog, giving you access to your bookmark folders and collaborative space content in a unified experience — with the same organizational flexibility available in the standalone Content Explorer app.

 

Batch Save Toolbox Components

Keep your platform data clean with simplified Batch Save behavior. When saving assemblies to the 3DEXPERIENCE platform, SOLIDWORKS now checks whether Toolbox components already exist and reuses existing references instead of creating duplicates — reducing clutter and keeping your platform data organized.

 

 

SOLIDWORKS Material Mapping to the 3DEXPERIENCE Core Materials

Ensure consistent and governed material definitions across SOLIDWORKS Design and 3DEXPERIENCE. Materials are automatically aligned when opening your model, improving consistency and eliminating the need to reapply materials.

 

Search Box Behavior for 3DEXPERIENCE Files on This PC

See active search filters at a glance and clear them instantly with a new X icon — returning to the full file list in one click without having to manually reset search criteria.

 

 

Rendering

Volume Rendering in SOLIDWORKS Visualize

Create more realistic and cinematic renderings with the ability to add volumes to your scenes. Volumetrics add depth to your renderings with fog, smoke, and realistic lighting including god rays and misty environments — creating more immersive, photorealistic and reducing post-processing workflows. 

 

DSPBR Appearance Support in GLB & GLTF Import and Export 

Maintain visual consistency between SOLIDWORKS Design and GLB/GLTF viewers with DSPBR appearance support in both import and export. As GLB and GLTF become the preferred formats for web and real-time applications, SOLIDWORKS Design now preserves high-fidelity appearances for your products — ensuring what you see in SOLIDWORKS matches what appears in downstream applications.