Offer Name Change for Students and Makers
We are introducing consistent naming for the SOLIDWORKS browser-based offer across all target audiences that the SOLIDWORKS brand serves:
In addition to the name change of the business professional offer in R2025x FD01, we are renaming the maker and student offers to "SOLIDWORKS xDesign". These names changes will appear on solidworks.com and in the ordering and other internal systems.
User Experience
Redesigned Landing Page ⭐
The xDesign landing page has been redesigned to optimize ease of use for students. The new landing page boasts an intuitive layout and puts everything at the students’ fingertips, giving them instant access to their latest projects, helpful videos, and more. Students can dive right into xDesign to start creating models right away.
* Only available in SOLIDWORKS xDesign for Students in R2025x FD02.
Explore Community Content on the “For You” Page
The new "For You" page on the xDesign landing page provides easy access to valuable community content including interesting articles, posts, and online videos. Stay informed with relevant articles, community posts, and videos shared by other users, keeping you connected to the latest in design.
* Only available in SOLIDWORKS xDesign for Students in R2025x FD02.
Quick Access to Learning Resources
The Learning Center is now accessible through the platform side panel, providing quick access to videos, tips, learning modules, and sample content. Improve your skills and find answers faster by accessing the Learning Center directly from the platform side panel, ensuring help is always within reach.
* Only available in SOLIDWORKS xDesign for Students in R2025x FD02.
New Feedback Button
A new feedback button in xDesign allows you to submit enhancement ideas directly to our team. You can also choose to provide your contact information if you’d like us to follow up with you about your suggestion. Help shape the future of xDesign by quickly sharing your ideas and providing direct input for improvement, ensuring a more user-focused development process.
Part & Assembly Design
Gear Ratio Calculation for Advanced Mates ⭐
Advanced mates now include a feature to compute the gear ratio based on the geometry of components selected in the graphics area. This feature is available for the three advanced joints: Gear Joint, Rack & Pinion Joint, and Cable Joint. Save time and reduce errors by automatically computing gear ratios based on selected component geometry, ensuring precise motion control.
Improved Move Face Command
The Move Face feature has been redesigned to streamline the user interface, refine manipulator interactions, and eliminate irrelevant actions, making it easier to adjust faces with accuracy and efficiency. Enhance usability with a redesigned Move Face workflow that reduces complexity, removes unnecessary controls, and improves overall clarity for precise face manipulation.
Create Closed Contours with End Caps for Offsets
Users can now add linear or circular end caps to internal offsets, automatically closing the sketch contour. Ensure sketch continuity by seamlessly closing internal offsets with linear or circular end caps.
Experience Designs in XR
Visualize your models at full scale in an immersive Extender Reality (XR) environment. Enhance design reviews and spatial understanding by experiencing your creations in an extended reality headset. Launch an immersive VR experience directly from xDesign to view and interact with your models at scale in a virtual or real-world setting.
Subdivision Design
Link Feature ⭐
Quickly drive changes to the subdivision model with the ability to link to curves or lines. The Link feature enables you to proportionally link the vertices on the subdivision mesh to a line or curve. When changes are made to the linked curve or line, the subdivision geometry also changes to maintain the same proportions to the curve. Speed up iterative subdivision design processes and product redesign with the ability to capture design intent by linking upstream geometry to subdivision entities.
Reselect Last Mesh Selection
Quickly reselect your last mesh selection with the new Recover Selection functionality. By pressing the R key, you can automatically reselect the mesh entities used in your previous drag mesh changes or alternate robot mesh modifications. Speed up repetitive design workflows by automatically reselecting the last used mesh entities.
Selection Tool Flyout
The new selection tool flyout menu makes it easier to find all selection modes and tools, reducing clutter in the interface. Additionally, there is a selection counter that tells you how many mesh entities you have selected. Simplify the selection experience with the streamlined xShape mode bar. Easily find selection tools under a single flyout menu.
Sheet Metal Design
Export Bend Annotations ⭐
Enable precise communication of bend information by exporting annotations within the DXF file of the flat pattern. Sharing a sheet metal flat pattern in DXF format has become more efficient with the new option in the DXF Export feature that allows the export of bend information. This crucial data is annotated directly on the 2D layout, providing clear instructions such as bend angle, radius, and direction for forming the part through the manufacturing process. It streamlines communication between design and production, ensuring that the necessary bend details are easily accessible and accurately conveyed for downstream manufacturing operations.
Drawings & MBD
Centermark Annotations ⭐
Say goodbye to tedious manual sketching or the need for additional reference geometry. Centermarks make dimensioning circular features effortless in both 2D drawings and 3D Model-Based Definition (MBD)! With a simple command, you can instantly add crosshairs and extension lines to holes, arcs, and fillets, keeping your designs clean, clear, and professional. Customizable options like size, gap, and extension styles let you work smarter, not harder, while 3D MBD centermarks take clarity and communication to the next level. No more second-guessing—just precise, future-proof documentation that keeps your process moving seamlessly from design to production.
Enhanced Flat Pattern Display & Export
Make your sheet metal drawings clearer and easier to read with the new merge face option for flat patterns. Flat patterns can now be communicated with only bend lines, and no extra clutter from bend edges, enabling manufacturers to quickly interpret designs without confusion. With support for bend lines in xSheetMetal and xDrawing, plus the ability to merge flat pattern faces for a cleaner look, your drawings and MBD views stay sharp and precise. Need to share your design? Easily output to a 2D PDF, which can now include both flatted and folded state views on the same sheet. Previously flat patterns needed to be on separate sheets.
Rendering
Fit to Image
Instantly capture the focal length and canvas dimensions from the backplate for seamless camera alignment in just a few clicks. The new Fit to Image feature automatically adjusts the camera’s aspect ratio, and rendering resolution to match the backplate dimensions.
Additional Patch Notes
- xDesign now blocks the selection of geometry that would create circular references, ensuring fewer errors in the design process.
- Select sketches from different components when creating features in xDesign with external references automatically created for easier operations like adding holes.
- Offset external sketch geometry chains including geometry from inactive sketches or other components.
- The standard materials library now installs automatically upon first use of xDesign, eliminating the need for manual installation.
- The auto-scrolling behavior in the Design Manager is improved for enhanced ease of use.
- Command names are now displayed by default in the Action Bar to enhance command discoverability and improve learnability. * Available in SOLIDWORKS xDesign for Students
- Mate solver calculations are now executed on the client side to provide better performance when dragging components in an assembly.
- Maintain sketch relations more easily for endpoints that exist on features such as the helix, through-point-curve, and projected curve.
- Design Manager rebuild now stops at the rollback bar, reducing rebuild times and making it easier to create design iterations.
