Mechanical CAD Capabilities

SWIFT™ (SolidWorks Intelligent Feature Technology).
SWIFT lets you spend time creating products that work well, instead of trying to make your software work for you.  SWIFT automates time-consuming detail work and techniques, diagnosing and resolving problems related to feature order, mates, sketch relationships, and the application of dimensions.

User Interface:
With the heads-up user interface, you get a complete, customizable set of visual display and mouse-driven control capabilities.  This in return, reduces design steps, minimizes dialog boxes, and decreases visual clutter. 

Part Modeling:
With Instant3D, you have the fastest & easiest way to create and modify 3D part geometry.  Simply by clicking and dragging, you can precisely create and resize features.  As you prepare your design for production, you can use DimXpert to create accurate 2D drawings to ensure your parts will fit when manufactured.

RealView® Graphics:
Visualize and communicate your designs more clearly than ever.  You can quickly create almost lifelike, fully dynamic representations of your parts, assemblies, and completed products, all without rendering.

Sheet Metal Design Tools:
Create sheet metal parts from scratch using folds, bends, flanges, rips, tabs, and mitres, as well as lofted bends, sketched bends, hems, and more.  Alternatively, you can create a solid shape as a starting point.  Advanced capabilities, such as the “convert solid to sheet metal” functionality, which allows you to develop a manufacturable sheet metal part.
 

Assembly Modeling:
SolidWorks gives you the tools to get it right on-screen when you create assemblies, saving you the time and cost of physical prototyping and remanufacturing.  You can mate components by: picking individual surfaces, edges, curves, and vertices; create mechanical relationships between components; conduct interference, collision, and hole alignment checks; and link the motion of pulleys and sprockets.  You can also automatically assemble fasteners and accompanying hardware, automate the assembly of commonly used components, appropriate hardware, and required features, and use MateXpert to repair conflicts such as over-constraining a component.

Simulate Assembly Motion:
By clicking and dragging components, you can check an assembly for proper motion and collisions.  In addition, you can simulate physical motion involving assembly mates, contact, springs, and gravity. SolidWorks Motion also provides accurate measurements of velocity, accelerations, and forces on components due to motion, which allows you to have a realistic understanding of design decisions before producing the prototype product.

 

Large Assembly Management Tools:
Use “Lightweight” mode to reduce the time spent opening and working on large assemblies.  SpeedPak technology enables you to create simplified versions of assemblies that speed assembly operations and drawing creation.  Use Quick View to select and open only  the component you need to work on, and use the Assembly Xpert to analyze and improve your assembly’s performance.

2D Drawing Creation:
Use the familiar interface of DWGeditor to draw in 2D, as well as edit and maintain your existing DWG data files.

Design Reuse:
Leverage your successful designs to create compelling proposals for new ones.  Quickly search for already-created components in SolidWorks Toolbox, 3D ContentCentral, and your own custom Design Library.  Then, simply drag and drop those parts into your new designs.
 

Part Validation:
SolidWorks Simulation tools help both new users and experts ensure their designs are durable, safe, and manufacturable.  In addition, SolidWorks FloXpress™ can optimize your designs for water- and air-flow effects.

Design Automation of Repetitive Tasks:
Save time with SolidWorks Smart Component technology to automate the selection and insertion of standard components.  Use DriveWorksXpress to automate repetitive design tasks that can be used in product/sales configurators.

 

Design Communication:
With SolidWorks, you have numerous capabilities for communicating design ideas and data to collaborators, upstream and downstream partners, and customers:

• eDrawings® Files.  Provide accurate and animated 2D & 3D models.
• PDF Files.  Generate 2D or 3D PDF files directly from your SolidWorks designs.
• 3D Instant Website.  Create and publish live webpages to communicate visual information with customers or staff, and  receive immediate feedback.
  

Standard Hardware Libraries:
With SolidWorks Toolbox, SolidWorks Design ClipArt, and 3D ContentCentral, you have instant access to virtual encyclopedias comprising of thousands of standard components.

Photorealistic Rendering:
Use PhotoWorks™ and PhotoView 360 to leverage your SolidWorks 3D models for presentations, proposals, or virtual and material studies –before creating any parts.  You will save time and eliminate the high costs attached to prototyping and photography.

Design Standards Checking:
Raise your level of quality with SolidWorks Design Checker.  With thorough, automated checks and autocorrect capability, you can ensure full compliance with your company standards – before you release your designs for manufacture.

Productivity Tools:
SolidWorks Utilities enables designers to compare parts or drawings to find the differences between two similar designs or similar drawings.  FeatureWorks streamlines the use of data from different CAD systems to work together.

Leverage Scanned Data:
Import digital scans of handcrafted models into SolidWorks using ScanTo3D.  You can also import design concepts created in Rhinocerous software or sketches developed in Adobe Illustrator.

Routed Systems:
Automate and accelerate the process of routing tubes, pipes, electrical cables, cable harnesses, and electrical conduits with SolidWorks Routing.
 

ECAD to MCAD Translation:
CircuitWorks is designed to bridge the gap between SolidWorks and Electrical Computer-Aided Design (ECAD) systems by providing an intuitive tool that allows users to import and export Printed Circuit Board designs between SolidWorks and ECAD systems.  Click here for a list of supported ECAD systems.