Best Practice Information

Domain and Role/Product

SOLIDWORKS Design Collaborative Designer for SOLIDWORKS SOLIDWORKS Design with Cloud Services 

What's Covered? - Jump to each section using the Contents List in the top right! 

• Prerequisite Learning
• Introduction to Iterations on the 3DEXPERIENCE Platform
  • What is an Iteration
  • Iterations Vs Revisions
  • How Do Iterations Work in SOLIDWORKS Design
• Configuring the 3DEPERIENCE Platform.
• Use Case Examples
  • Working with Iterations of a SOLIDWORKS Part
  • Working with Iterations of a SOLIDWORKS Drawing
  • Working with Iterations of a SOLIDWORKS Assembly

Revision History

Note
All SolidPractices are written as guidelines. It is a strong recommendation to use these documents only after properly evaluating your requirements. Distribution of this document is limited to Dassault Systèmes SolidWorks employees, VARs, and customers that are on active subscription. You may not post this document on blogs or any internal or external forums without prior written authorization from Dassault Systèmes SolidWorks Corporation.
This document was updated using version SOLIDWORKS 2025 SP04. If you have questions or need assistance in understanding the content, please contact your designated reseller.

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1. Prerequisite Learning

Before reading this guide, you must be familiar with the following:

• Storing SOLIDWORKS designs in a collaborative space on the 3DEXPERIENCE platform
• Saving to and Opening SOLIDWORKS Designs from the 3DEXPERIENCE Platform
• The fundamental concepts of 3DEXPERIENCE revision control and lifecycle 

2. Introduction to Iterations in the 3DEXPERIENCE Platform

What is an Iteration?

An iteration is a stored version of a SOLIDWORKS file saved to the 3DEXPERIENCE Platform at a specific point in time. Each iteration represents a snapshot of the file’s exact state, including geometry, metadata, and references, as it existed when the save was performed.

Iterations allow users to maintain a history of their work without needing to create copies of a file or unnecessary revisions. This ensures traceability and accountability throughout the design process. Users can restore previous iterations at any time, which is particularly useful when evaluating design changes, troubleshooting issues, or reverting to an earlier design state.

In essence, iterations form the foundation for controlled, incremental progress on a design, enabling seamless collaboration across teams while preserving data integrity within the 3DEXPERIENCE platform.

Iterations Vs Revisions

Both Revisions and Iterations help track design changes in the 3DEXPERIENCE Platform, but they serve different purposes within the product lifecycle.

• Iterations are lightweight saves created every time you select Save to 3DEXPERIENCE (with Keep previous iteration checked). They capture the design state at that exact moment, allowing you to roll back, compare, or recover earlier work. Iterations do not affect the object’s lifecycle or revision numbering.
   
• Revisions represent controlled version changes tied to lifecycle states. They define official milestones in the design process and can be configured as Primary or Secondary revisions.

The table below summarises the differences between Iterations and Revisions in the 3DEXPERIENCE platform.

How do Iterations Work with SOLIDWORKS Design?

An iteration is a saved snapshot of a SOLIDWORKS Drawing, Part, or Assembly (SLDDRW, SLDPRT, SLDASM) stored within the 3DEXPERIENCE Platform. Each time a user saves data from SOLIDWORKS Design to the 3DEXPERIENCE Platform (when iteration tracking is enabled), a new iteration is automatically created.

Each iteration preserves the complete state of the design at the moment it was saved — including geometry, configuration data, and relationships between components. This enables users to track the evolution of their designs over time without having to create revisions or manually duplicate files.

When required, users can review or restore earlier iterations to revert to a previous state of their model, ensuring safe recovery from design errors or undesired changes. Access to previous iterations depends on whether this functionality has been enabled by the Administrator for your environment.

The Benefits of Using Iterations

• Error recovery: If a save introduces unintended changes or corrupts a model, users can easily restore a previous iteration to recover stable data and continue working without redoing previous work.

   

• Design continuity: Each iteration captures a full design snapshot, preserving the design’s evolution and ensuring traceability across the entire product development process.

   

• Flexibility and control: Users have the choice to enable or disable iteration saving at each checkpoint, providing control over storage usage and version management.

   

• Collaboration support: Teams can track who made changes and when, promoting accountability and better coordination during concurrent design activities.

3. Getting Started - Configuring the 3DEXPERIENCE Platform

Iterations must be enabled by a 3DEXPERIENCE platform Administrator before they can be created in SOLIDWORKS Design. This setup ensures that all users working within a collaborative space have access to version control and recovery capabilities for their designs.

Administrators are responsible for configuring the iteration settings and retention policies at the 3DEXPERIENCE platform level. These settings determine how many iterations are stored, for how long they are retained, and how the clean-up process is managed. Proper configuration helps maintain storage efficiency while still allowing users to revert to earlier design states when needed.

The Iteration settings are located in the Retention Policy for Iterations section of the Collaborative Spaces Configuration Center widget.

A platform administrator can define how the system automatically creates iterations of Physical Products and Drawings. These are the object types created by SOLIDWORKS Design whenever a user saves a design to the platform. 

You must have the Collaborative Industry Innovator role to access and modify these configuration options.

A batch job runs weekly on the cloud servers, typically on Sundays, when usage is low, to automatically delete iterations that exceed the defined retention limits. 

The batch job does not consider the current state of the object when deleting iterations. This means that a prior iteration in the current state might be deleted if it falls outside the defined retention window. However, the job only removes archived iterations and never deletes the active or latest representation reference.

4. Use Case Examples

a) Working with Iterations of a SOLIDWORKS Part

This example demonstrates how iterations work during a typical part design update process in SOLIDWORKS. 

Initial Design

A new drive shaft design has been created and saved to the 3DEXPERIENCE Platform. 
 

Creating an Iteration of the Initial Design

To start, the initial design will be captured as the first Iteration. Iterations are created during the Save to 3DEXPERIENCE operation. To create an Iteration of any SOLIDWORKS file type, the file must be saved to the 3DEXPERIENCE platform using the Save with Options command from the MySession task pane.

The Save to 3DEXPERIENCE dialogue contains a check box to Keep Previous Iteration and an option to add a comment for the Iteration. 

It's recommended that users make sure that they add comments for each iteration. The comments are the primary method of identifying what design changes the iteration represents. 

Capturing a Design Change as an Iteration

Next, the initial drive shaft design is modified by adding a circular pattern of counterbored holes to the end flange. 

In this example, the designer would like to save the part back to the cloud to capture their changes, but there are still more modifications to be done to the drive shaft in SOLIDWORKS before the design is formally put forward for review by their team members.

To capture the change and keep the original design as it was, the designer could create a new revision to capture the modification. However, creating a new revision to capture an in-work change like this can add unnecessary overhead to the design process, especially if it requires a formal design review and release process first.

Instead of creating a new revision, when saving the design back to the 3DEXPERIENCE platform using the Save With Options command, the designer selects the option to keep the previous Iteration.

Note: To capture the current state of your part open in session as an Iteration with comments, the part must have been saved at least once to the 3DEXPERIENCE platform (in its current state). After this first save, next use the Save with Options command and select the option to Keep the Previous Iteration. Saving the design to the 3DEXPERIENCE at least once in its current state will ensure that the Keep Previous Iteration option will capture the current state of the model that is open in session.

Splines are added to the end of the shaft, and a third Iteration is captured during the save to the 3DEXPERIENCE platform.

Each saved iteration becomes part of the design’s history, allowing designers to review how the part evolved.

The Iterations associated with a SOLIDWORKS file can be viewed by first selecting it in the MySession Task pane, followed by the Iterations command on the Lifecycle toolbar.

The Iterations dialogue box will display the Iterations, the comments added during each save, plus the date and time information.

Restoring a Previous Iteration of the Part

A previous Iteration can be restored by first selecting the desired iteration from the list, followed by the Replace Content button. SOLIDWORKS will warn the user that any modifications made to the local file open in session will be lost. The user can cancel the replacement operation at this point if local modifications need to be saved to the 3DEXPERIENCE platform, and then return to it later via the Iterations command.

The Replace Content operation replaces the part loaded in session with a previous iteration of the part file. It does not delete any of the Iterations that came after it. A user can use the Replace Content command to jump backward or forward in the evolution of a part design. The Iteration Retention policy governs the duration over which Iterations are kept. 

b) Working with Iterations of a Drawing

Iterations of a SOLIDWORKS drawing file are captured in the same way as iterations of a part file. Like parts, drawing iterations are intended for capturing In Work modifications that a user may want to revert the drawing to at a later date. Iterations allow users to maintain a history of a drawing while working, without needing to create copies of the file or having to create unnecessary revisions that could have additional lifecycle implications.

To create an Iteration of a drawing, save the drawing using the Save With Options command from the My Session Task Pane. In the Save to 3DEXPERIENCE dialogue box, check the option to Keep Previous Iteration and then add an Iteration Comment.

In the example below, a new view is added for detailing the flange and the counterbore hole pattern to the drawing of the Drive Shaft. 

Note: To capture the current state of a drawing that is open in session as an Iteration, the drawing must have been saved at least once to the 3DEXPERIENCE platform (in its current state). After this first save, next use the Save with Options command and select the option to Keep the Previous Iteration. Saving the design to the 3DEXPERIENCE at least once in its current state will ensure that the Keep Previous Iteration option will capture the current state of the model that is open in session.

Each iteration of a drawing will capture the changes made to the drawing file, but will not capture the state of the referenced part or assembly at that moment. Therefore, when restoring a previous iteration of a drawing, only the drawing file is restored. The part or assembly that the drawing is referencing will remain unchanged.

In a situation where the state of the referenced part or assembly must also be maintained alongside each major drawing modification,  using revisions instead of iterations should be considered.

 c) Working with Iterations of an Assembly

Iterations of a SOLIDWORKS assembly file are captured in the same way as iterations of a drawing and part file. As explained in the previous sections of this guide, iterations are intended for capturing in-work modifications that a user may want to revert to at a later date.

To create an Iteration of an assembly, save the assembly using the Save With Options command from the My Session Task Pane. In the Save to 3DEXPERIENCE dialogue box, check the option to Keep Previous Iteration and then add an Iteration Comment.

Note: To capture the current state of an assembly that is open in session as an Iteration, the assembly must have been saved at least once to the 3DEXPERIENCE platform (in its current state). After this first save, next use the Save with Options command and select the option to Keep the Previous Iteration. Saving the design to the 3DEXPERIENCE at least once in its current state will ensure that the Keep Previous Iteration option will capture the current state of the model that is open in the session.

The Iterations associated with a SOLIDWORKS assembly file can be viewed and restored by first selecting it in the MySession Task pane, followed by the Iterations command on the Lifecycle toolbar.

The Iterations dialogue box will display the Iterations, the comments added during each save, plus the date and time information.

Each iteration of an assembly will capture the changes made to the assembly file (added and removed mates, components, assembly patterns, assembly features, and reference geometry, etc.), but will not capture the current state of any referenced parts or subassemblies at that moment. Therefore, when restoring a previous iteration of an assembly, only the assembly file is restored. The parts and subassemblies that the assembly is referencing will remain unchanged.

In a situation where the state of the referenced subcomponents must also be maintained alongside each major assembly modification, using revisions instead of iterations should be considered.

Restoring a Previous Iteration of an Assembly

A previous Iteration can be restored by first selecting the desired iteration from the list, followed by the Replace Content button. SOLIDWORKS will warn the user that any modifications made to the local file open in the session will be lost. The user can cancel the replacement operation at this point if local modifications need to be saved to the 3DEXPERIENCE platform, and then return to it later via the Iterations command.

The Replace Content operation replaces the part loaded in session with a previous iteration of the part file. It does not delete any of the Iterations that came after it. A user can use the Replace Content command to jump backward or forward in the evolution of a part design. The Iteration Retention policy governs the duration over which Iterations are kept. 

5. Frequently Asked Questions

• Can an Iteration be previewed before being opened in SOLIDWORKS Design? 
  • 3D Previews are not generated for Iterations  
• Can Iterations be generated with the Batch Save into 3DEXPERIENCE Utility?
  • The batch SaveInto3DEXPERIENCE utility does not generate iterations.
• How are mapped attributes handled when restoring an Iteration?
  •  When restoring an Iteration, attribute values will reflect the state when the iteration was created. CADToMx values may become desynchronized between CAD files and the database. MySession shows DB values, but Properties in MySession may display CAD file values if present.
• Can I create an Iteration when modifying an assembly structure in the 3DEXPERIENCE platform web widgets?
  • Iterations can only be created when saving an assembly in SOLIDWORKS Design. Iterations are not created when assemblies are modified in the 3DEXPERIENCE platform web widgets, for example, Product Structure Editor and Engineering Release
• What does “Current State" refer to? 
  • The Iterations dialogue box highlights the latest iteration in the database by displaying "Current State" in the Title column. This Iteration is not necessarily the one being displayed in the current SOLIDWORKS session. The Iteration currently loaded in the session is highlighted in blue.

• What name governs the Iteration Title?

  •  The Iteration Title displayed in the Iterations dialogue box reflects the CAD Family Title. This may differ from what the user sees in their SOLIDWORKS session if the Feature Manager display has been configured to use Physical Product Title or the Enterprise Item Number as the primary identifier.

     

6. Summary

Iterations enable SOLIDWORKS users to save and restore progress without the need to create a new revision. Iterations are intended to be used for capturing progress that isn't meant for final approval, while working on a specific revision.

Further information related to using Iterations with SOLIDWORKS Design can be found in the SOLIDWORKS online help with this link.

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