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SOLIDWORKS

SOLIDWORKS

Overview

What is SOLIDWORKS?

Dassault Systemes offers SOLIDWORKS, a computer-aided design (CAD) system for education and manufacturing supporting 2D or 3D design, electrical design, simulations, and product development with collaboration tools.

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Recent Reviews

SOLIDWORKS Review

7 out of 10
April 08, 2021
Incentivized
SOLIDWORKS is being used to design skid mounted, pre-piped, water systems - for labs, manufacturing companies, and industrial buildings. …
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Awards

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Video Reviews

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User Review: Efficiency Excels When Robotics Developer Can Depend on Solidworks For Accuracy
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Pricing

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Solidworks Annual Subscription

1,295

On Premise
per year

Solidworks Standard

3,996

On Premise
per standalone license

Entry-level set up fee?

  • No setup fee

Offerings

  • Free Trial
  • Free/Freemium Version
  • Premium Consulting/Integration Services
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Product Details

SOLIDWORKS Technical Details

Deployment TypesOn-premise
Operating SystemsWindows, Mac
Mobile ApplicationNo

Frequently Asked Questions

Dassault Systemes offers SOLIDWORKS, a computer-aided design (CAD) system for education and manufacturing supporting 2D or 3D design, electrical design, simulations, and product development with collaboration tools.

Reviewers rate Support Rating highest, with a score of 5.2.

The most common users of SOLIDWORKS are from Mid-sized Companies (51-1,000 employees).
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Comparisons

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Reviews and Ratings

(406)

Community Insights

TrustRadius Insights are summaries of user sentiment data from TrustRadius reviews and, when necessary, 3rd-party data sources. Have feedback on this content? Let us know!

Users of Solidworks have made several recommendations based on their experiences with the software. The most common recommendations include evaluating other products to consider their benefits, especially for CAD software. Users also recommend utilizing Solidworks for 3D design work, highlighting its user-friendly interface and easy learning curve for new users. Additionally, users praise Solidworks for its active community and available support resources, which they recommend taking advantage of. Overall, these recommendations emphasize the importance of exploring different options, leveraging community support, and considering Solidworks for 3D design purposes.

Attribute Ratings

Reviews

(26-50 of 55)
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Score 9 out of 10
Vetted Review
Verified User
Incentivized
Our engineering department uses SOLIDWORKS for mechanical design and simulation needs for consumer electronic products. We design components and full assemblies, analyze the parts for manufacturability using inspection tools, and conduct simulation to determine thermal performance of products, which often include both active and passive cooling features (heatsinks and fans) designed as part of the component. We use SOLIDWORKS to communicate with suppliers and some customers within the SOLIDWORKS format.
  • Ease of use.
  • Flexibility.
  • Compatibility for files with annual software versions.
  • Load/startup time.
I would recommend SOLIDWORKS for any situation where a company needs to do general product design and modelling, for basic simulation needs. SOLIDWORKS works very well within small businesses where it can be the design tool for these needs in an isolated environment. It is not as well suited for advanced surface modelling in automotive and aerospace markets. This also makes it difficult to work with some external customers, depending on the industry - for example, most of our larger OEM automotive customers use CATIA exclusively, making file transfer more difficult.
Sean Nutley | TrustRadius Reviewer
Score 10 out of 10
Vetted Review
Verified User
Incentivized
We use SOLIDWORKS for designing mechanical components, building assemblies of those components, stress testing new and existing designs as well as rendering images for Sales and Marketing. The 3D models we create are used to create 2D drawings for manufacturing or machining shops. We also send our models to consultants looking for a layout or part files can be sent out to program CNC machinery.
  • Creating models in steps that are easily modified later
  • Assembling part files and keeping them organized
  • Drawings need some flexibility on creating annotations in a certain way
  • Sometimes there are unexplained crashes
SOLIDWORKS is a very easy to learn software and is very versatile in use with other programs. There are many features within that are suited to any industry and are all easily learn-able. The amount of export options is very handy for whatever the manufacturer needs. There really isn't a situation/industry where SOLIDWORKS would not be useful.
December 17, 2019

3D CAD design software

Score 10 out of 10
Vetted Review
Verified User
Incentivized
We have a FabLab in the school, and we use SOLIDWORKS to design our products, and then we prototype the 3D model in the 3D printer.
  • 3D modeling for mechanical designs.
  • SOLIDWORKS has an excellent photorealistic rendering that helps you so much to see how your final product will be.
  • Interface: I think they should make a friendlier interface to look more sophisticated. This is not a con; actually, it’s just an improvement.
SOLIDWORKS is very appropriate for mechanical designs, but not for architectural designs. For the architectural design, you should use AutoCAD.
Keith Cordero | TrustRadius Reviewer
Score 9 out of 10
Vetted Review
Verified User
Incentivized
It is being used across the whole organization. Each department has access to it through EPDM and we can access all files each department has created using the shared folder. We use it to 3D model our parts. We also will create an engineering print from each 3D file so that our company has a standard print that they can use to build our parts.
  • Great at 3D modeling.
  • Great with FEA analysis.
  • Formatting has always been an issue for me.
  • Creating a mid-plane has always been frustrating.
Solidworks is well suited if you want to create a 3D model or a part of an assembly. Every powerful and has a lot of custom features. It is less appropriate for creating threads on bolts and screws. They have a function that creates the image of a thread on a bolt, but it is not an actual thread cut into the part. They need to have some type of auto thread cutting function.
Cory Puuri | TrustRadius Reviewer
Score 10 out of 10
Vetted Review
Verified User
Incentivized
EAA offers it for free to EAA members but we also use SOLIDWORKS in our Aircraft Maintenance area to draw parts for FAA approval of replacement owner-manufactured parts. The product is a powerful tool from sketch to manufacturing. Even with all this power, it is pretty straightforward to learn how to use it.
  • Makes changes fast. It adapts the assembly to part modifications and then saves the changes back to the part models.
  • Interface checking and analysis are simple yet effective.
  • Parts and template lists are quick and easy to generate.
  • CAM is only 2.5 axis.
  • The import of scanned objects should require less work.
  • Adding features could be more intuitive. Tube trims and weldments take too much tinkering.
SOLIDWORKS does well with complex parts and assemblies. It also works well with iterative development processes and analysis. If you plan to share the assembly with multiple people for manufacturing purposes, I wouldn’t use any other product. Their manufacturing network is extensive.

It is too complicated to learn for simple sketches where precision is not important. For example, I was drawing a stepstool that would fold and it was faster to sketch it out on paper.
Vlad Kalika | TrustRadius Reviewer
Score 9 out of 10
Vetted Review
Verified User
Incentivized
SOLIDWORKS is used by the engineering team in the Cummins Electrified Power business unit for mechanical and electrical design.
  • Quick 3D modeling.
  • FEA analysis.
  • Good for smaller assemblies.
  • Weight and center of gravity analysis.
  • Crashes constantly with large assemblies.
  • It does not do well with imported files such as .step.
  • 3D routing in SW Electrical is clumsy.
  • Collaboration tools are behind the competition.
SOLIDWORKS is great for the majority of the designs but fails miserably in very large assemblies.
Score 8 out of 10
Vetted Review
Verified User
Incentivized
I'm gonna refer mainly to my previous job since now I only use SolidWorks for personal matters. I worked in a product design company so we used SolidWorks as a tool in the projects. It was the main resource to develop the product, from the first stages of creation through to the final product.
  • It has the precision required for manufacturing that is necessary so that you can guarantee that the product can be produced in the end.
  • SolidWorks makes it possible to visualize how the product is going to look in the end.
  • It is intuitive, so you don't waste time looking for resources or tools in the program.
  • It gives feedbacks about errors in the parts so that you can review and correct them.
  • The rendering function "Photoview" could be improved in terms of realism.
  • The metal sheet resources are not so intuitive and could be improved. I often get stuck in some errors that I can't figure out the solution or the cause.
It is more appropriate to model parts, products, and make assemblies (even the more complex ones). I do not recommend using it to model constructions or bigger spaces.
September 03, 2019

Designing with SOLIDWORKS

Michael Greene | TrustRadius Reviewer
Score 10 out of 10
Vetted Review
Verified User
As a long-time user of SOLIDWORKS, I have seen the progression from the beginning. In its infancy it was a good option at a good price for a stand-alone 3D program. It was occasionally unstable in the early years but has progressed to a very stable user-friendly platform for mechanical design applications. I have designed many complex progressive stamping dies using SOLIDWORKS Professional and continue to do so. The time saved by using toolbox and library features is one of the best benefits.
  • 3D modeling.
  • Automatic drawing creation.
  • Integration with Mastercam.
  • Needs more progressive die components in toolbox.
  • Drawing layers and colors are difficult to work with.
  • Complex sketches are still somewhat slow to rebuild.
SOLIDWORKS is very well suited for modeling complex 3D parts and assemblies. Simple 2D drawings for laser, water jet, or wire EDM are better suited for DraftSight.
Uday Singh | TrustRadius Reviewer
Score 9 out of 10
Vetted Review
Verified User
Incentivized
My company develops new technology, involving chemical engineering processes and unit operations, for the capture and conversion of carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases to usable products with industrial value. Because we are a technology start-up, it is used across our currently small organization. Because we already use DraftSight (a product of the same company that developed SolidWorks), the transition is easier. We use DraftSight to create design drawings of a physical component in 2D, and the use of SolidWorks to produce a 3D version. Now, we can use the 3D version to route piping, electrical conduit, and even conduct flow simulations in the 3D model.
  • Conversion of a detailed 2D design into a 3D physical model that we can manipulate (rotate, inspect, modify).
  • Route piping, conduit and other components through the model.
  • Conduct flow simulation to understand how we can improve our physical model.
  • These features would have taken us months of work using traditional design tools. Now we can go from concept to a final model in days.
  • While it is not difficult to install, it does require some patience.
  • Because we use DraftSight, our learning curve is likely shorter, but video tutorials would help.
  • The software is very sophisticated; if we could add pop-ups like autofill suggests in other software, it would be helpful.
Especially for a start-up entity with few resources in house, SolidWorks gives us the capability to match the sophistication of a larger competitor in a few days. Few things are more important to us than being able to turn on a dime, adapting to improvements in our technology field, which is evolving rapidly. We could only accomplish this by both being nimble and having the cutting edge tools we can afford. SolidWorks provides us with this capability.
July 17, 2019

SOLIDWORKS Review

Score 10 out of 10
Vetted Review
Verified User
Incentivized
SOLIDWORKS is used across out whole organization. It is used for design, FEA, rendering, and visualization purposes. In the design group, we use it to create, edit, and share parts and assemblies across a wide range of applications, including consumer goods, machinery, devices, etc.
  • The collaborative work environment is a cool and useful feature where groups of people can work on the same model at the same time, and SOLIDWORKS ensures that you don't overwrite each other's work.
  • The ease and amount of customization options are very useful for creating a personalized and intuitive user interface, whether SOLIDWORKS is your native CAD package or not.
  • It is very easy to quickly edit a model you have already created. The software allows sketch and feature editing without having to take the time to actually enter the sketch/feature environment.
  • The use of configurations and configurations-specific dimensions in the same sketch is very useful for creating different forms of the same part
  • SOLIDWORKS gets very slow when using large assemblies, parts with many features, and sketches with many fully-defined entities.
  • Saving can become extremely slow when there are STL files inserted into your part file. Has taken up to 10 minutes to save one part file. However, using the Save As option and giving the same part a new name will reduce save time by 10x. Seems to be some room for improvement here.
  • When using the loft command without guide curves, there are two orbs that can be moved to determine how the profile twists from one face of the loft to the other(s). However, you cannot constrain these points and they can change position in different configurations. These points should be able to be constrained.
SOLIDWORKS is well suited for creating fully-define, parametric parts. SOLIDWORKS makes it easy to quickly edit your parts, which can be done on the fly during meetings. It is well suited for a collaborative environment, as well as for creating complex, working assemblies. SOLIDWORKS is less appropriate for complex surface modeling and non-parametric applications.
Score 9 out of 10
Vetted Review
Verified User
Incentivized
SolidWorks was used in my company since inception and I was using the software since 2002. As a mainstream 3D parametric software design tool it really made a huge difference in productivity and versatility in design process and drafting. Year after year customer-driven changes and improvements aligned with my advancements in career and my company's penetration to the markets. It is a must-have type of software in today's industry.
  • 3D modeling.
  • Assemblies.
  • Drawing updates.
  • Integration for parts, assemblies and drawings.
  • Some software stability.
  • Version conversion to earlier releases for file exchange.
  • Subscription value for the money.
Pros:
  • As a mainstream design tool for the mechanical industry, it is a top tier option
  • Collaboration with other users
  • File format flexibility for data exchange
  • Various industry-driven tools for design
  • Design for manufacturing driven
Cons:
  • Civil engineering applications very limited
  • Not suitable for design by code application, especially if FEA modules are used.
  • Strangely, does not collaborate well or at all with Catia even as a part of the same company
Benjamin Reilly | TrustRadius Reviewer
Score 9 out of 10
Vetted Review
Verified User
Incentivized
Solidworks is used for all design and verification of fixtures, tooling, brackets, and components in a production plant. Solidworks is our primary 3D CAD package for the development of tools.
  • Solidworks has simple modeling and sketching.
  • Solidworks has good conversion to drawings.
  • Solidworks has adequate assembly control and mates.
  • Solidworks could improve on collaboration tools.
  • Solidworks needs to fix bugs before releasing features.
  • Solidworks is a resource hog, and the resource monitor is constantly going off.
  • Solidworks could have better assembly controls.
Solidworks is a reasonable 3D CAD program, just under Inventor in my book, and above the "free" or other cloud-based services. It is easier than Creo.
Score 10 out of 10
Vetted Review
Verified User
Incentivized
We design and engineer using the software for consumer products and packaging (vac forms etc).
  • File Organization
  • Hot Key Programming
  • Rendering through Visualizer
  • The user interface can look very busy sometimes compared to Inventor
  • There are annual updates and sometimes the redesign of the interface is difficult to get used to
  • Very expensive and you have to be on a subscription
I can't begin to explain the amount of clarity this software brings to my company. Everything is modeling to scale with detailed production drawings and I use the same file to produce stunning renderings and animations.
Score 9 out of 10
Vetted Review
Verified User
Incentivized
Currently, SOLIDWORKS is being used by the engineering department to create high precision parts, such as gears, handles, zippers, metal structures. With these designs our company prints them with 3D printers, to be able to sell them and obtain a constant cash flow. Also with this tool we are able to show simulations for projects presented to other companies, thanks to its excellent graphic engine, the functions we want to use in projects can be shown in detail.
  • I think it is the best CAD tool in terms of design of extreme technical details.
  • Its system of assembly of pieces is very useful when it comes to show off or create high-quality simulations.
  • Particularly I think sketch tools are excellent for create 2D drawings of pieces, thanks to this the process of creation of 3D objects is streamlined.
  • Its rendering system is very professional and provides very great visual details.
  • Very unfavorable not being able to open versions of modern SOLIDWORKS in older versions.
  • Sometimes it is difficult to understand the process of rendering 3D parts.
  • It is not capable of processing solid pieces of STL format with many surfaces.
Well suited:
For companies that need to make designs of small mechanical parts it is very useful. We can create these pieces in less than hourly, and therefore give quick responses to our customers. Also to show mechanical simulations to companies.
Less appropriate:
Creating 3D objects as sculptures is not very appropriate since it does not have mesh design. Do not try to modify STL format files, since it causes many design errors.
Christopher Schaefer | TrustRadius Reviewer
Score 10 out of 10
Vetted Review
Verified User
Incentivized
SOLIDWORKS is our mainstay computer-aided design software package and is utilized by all of our office locations across the globe for Gardner Denver Medical. It replaced other leading 2D and 3D CAD platforms many years ago; complimentary add-in packages from DS-SOLIDWORKS have been added over the years and are part of our day-to-day engineering work. Being the number one PC-based 3D solid modeling CAD package on the market, we use SOLIDWORKS, Simulation, Enterprise PDM (product data management), Inspection, and Composer to create, edit, manage, and document our engineering designs. We rely upon SOLIDWORKS' ability to open other CAD formats in our relationships with vendors and customers alike. And we lean upon our reseller's expertise to aid us throughout each year. Personnel outside of engineering takes advantage of eDrawings as a means of communicating 3D collateral. SOLIDWORKS has been, for the most part, easy to deploy and maintain and predictable with regards to cost of ownership.
  • Having built themselves as the premier desktop CAD package, SOLIDWORKS has tools for almost every design-related.
  • Learning SOLIDWORKS is very straightforward and there exists a large body of free tutorials and on-line help forums.
  • SOLIDWORKS' partner program means having access to world-class software applications that run native within SOLIDWORKS.
  • The FEA and CFD tools (Simulation) are best-in-class in-CAD analysis softwares and have helped shape that particular landscape since their adoption inside SOLIDWORKS.
  • The reseller channel may, perhaps, be the greatest strength of SOLIDWORKS. It means guaranteed help/support, access to updates, a a vibrant user community.
  • To date, the baked in surfacing tools lack power compared to dedicated surfacing software.
  • In a similar vein, the core modeling kernel is not owned by SOLIDWORKS themselves and so there exists limitations with regards to implementing certain modeling/math.
  • SOLIDWORKS is playing catchup to other online vendors of CAD (notable Onshape); instead of being the once leader, they are being forced to compare themselves. This, however, may work to their advantage and in turn allow them to produce a better on-line CAD tool.
Generally speaking, SOLIDWORKS is still the number one desktop CAD tool. If, however, one wishes for limited 3D modeling capabilities and does not want to pay for commercial 3D solid modeling, then other tools are available that may or may not be as "good" as SOLIDWORKS from an ease-of-use and modeling power standpoint. SOLIDWORKS' in-CAD simulation tools defined what in-CAD simulation should be, period. Other solvers and software companies have only followed suit. So if you're looking for affordable FEA or CFD AND CAD, then SOLIDWORKS is best-fitted.
Bob Householder | TrustRadius Reviewer
Score 8 out of 10
Vetted Review
Verified User
Incentivized
As a trusted SOLIDWORKS gold partner, we used SOLIDWORKS every day to check the performance of our software in the SOLIDWORKS environment. SOLIDWORKS is a great company with an excellent product. Our plug-in works with other similar MCAD packages, but SOLIDWORKS has the easiest interface to use with seamless product updates. From past company experience, SOLIDWORKS provided an excellent MCAD experience.
  • SOLIDWORKS is easy to pick up. The interface is clean, consistent and intuitive.
  • SOLIDWORKS has a great partner program, so CAE software vendors can integrate specialized tools into the CAD platform.
  • SOLIDWORKS is long-standing. This has become the default MCAD tool for many industries and professionals.
  • The surfacing could be improved, and that's the reason I have used Rhino3D for this specialized purpose.
  • Other programs, such as Rhino3D, have allowed for backward compatibility, where SOLIDWORKS has not allowed this.
  • An online version of SOLIDWORKS, such as what Onshape did, would be very helpful for many designers for collaboration.
For detailed and accurate component design and mechanical assembly, SOLIDWORKS is an excellent choice. SOLIDWORKS has a tremendous reach and is applicable for every industry, making it a great choice for the mechanical engineer and designer early in their career. SOLIDWORKS' surface could use improvement to make it the best all-around MCAD tool.
Score 8 out of 10
Vetted Review
Verified User
Incentivized
Up until 2007, I used SOLIDWORKS to design industrial equipment in the glass industry. We used it throughout the engineering group (about 10 designers). I used it for R&D including simulation work (FEA and Motion). I currently own a suite of SOLIDWORKS for my personal business (APECS LLC). I use it for small design projects. I currently use Autodesk Inventor in my full-time position with a company in the water treatment industry.
  • For starters, it is easy to learn compared to other solid modeling software platforms. SolidWorks has great learning tools and an easy to follow interface.
  • The Weldment design environment is very robust and flexible.
  • Working with model configurations is much easier to manage than other software platforms.
  • FeatureWorks makes easy work of importing CAD geometry from other modeling packages. It recognizes the features and provides a feature-based model, unlike other programs that simply allow you to import block geometry without access to the model base features.
  • More flexible options for renting or leasing the software.
  • Provide small firms with older versions of the software with credits toward software upgrades. The current system penalizes those who have chosen not to upgrade over time. Many small firms can't afford to do so as often.
SOLIDWORKS is well suited for general design environments. It may be limited in situations where more advanced modeling is required, such as complex surfacing modeling. I do not engage in that type of design work so I can't speak for its limitations.
Alan Tillman | TrustRadius Reviewer
Score 9 out of 10
Vetted Review
Verified User
Incentivized
SOLIDWORKS was being used to create our engineering production drawings to fabricate large equipment in the wastewater treatment industry. It was used only in the engineering design group. It addressed not having to make hand drawings to pass onto production as well as creating the 3D models of parts that were able to be put together into assemblies. By assembling the rendered parts we could see what spacing to expect and if we had incorrectly modeled any parts prior to actually making them and trying to put them together.
  • Creates detailed renderings of parts.
  • Production drawings can be made from renderings.
  • Assemblies allow you to see if all the pieces fit together prior to production.
  • We were not using a CNC for any parts now, but I do remember back in school we had to use AutoCAD for the CNC we had at school. I don't know if that was a SOLIDWORKS or a CNC issue, and I would assume this has been done in the last 5 years, but if not, that integration would really be my only complaint.
In engineering design and manufacturing it was a great tool to create drawings and test assemblies prior to fabrication. It was very useful in that application. In the past, it was not useful for parts that needed to be put through the CNC, but that was years ago so it may have changed since I had that issue.
Saransh Dikshit | TrustRadius Reviewer
Score 8 out of 10
Vetted Review
Verified User
Incentivized
I am using Solidworks for my Ph.D. research. I have used it to make 3D models for various things which I 3D print later on and test in the laboratories at Iowa State University. I have used Solidworks for making 3D models of poles and transmission towers.
  • It has very good graphical user interface and thus is very user friendly.
  • It offers a lot of options to create your models and for each option, there are examples and suggestions as to how these options work.
  • It can be easily integrated with any finite element software and allows the user to print the model which can be used for testing in labs.
  • It enables the user to make very complex 3D parts with minimum effort. There are a lot of tutorials also available for the software.
  • I would want Solidworks to add a library within itself where users can see examples and solve their problem.
  • While working with very heavy models, the software becomes slow and leads to unnecessary lag while moving around the model.
  • It should allow a person to easily integrate their models with models from other users.
It is very good for making complex 3D models. I have used it for making numerous models of welds and connections. I would want a better explanation for the various options that are listed in the software.
Manuel Aguilar | TrustRadius Reviewer
Score 8 out of 10
Vetted Review
Verified User
Incentivized
SOLIDWORKS is being used by several areas in our organization. It is mostly used in our engineering department by our mechanical, civil and electrical engineers who are responsible for designing our pieces. We mostly use it for 3D modeling whether they are as easy as a screw or as complex as a car, solid works is the software we rely on most.
  • The GUI of SOLIDWORKS is extremely comfortable, every tool is arranged in a way that makes the workspace a well-organized place, and makes the learning process (which tends to be complex) a bit simpler.
  • Moving from 3D to 2D models is extremely easy with this software and this makes the modeling process more streamlined.
  • It is universally used so we have never encountered compatibility issues between the models we create and the software used by our clients.
  • This software is extremely demanding, our high-end PCs tend to suffer and lag when this software is being used with pdf readers or other software.
  • This is not an easy to use software, it has a steep learning curve and since it counts with a vast amount of tools it can sometimes feel overwhelming.
  • This software is really expensive.
SOLIDWORKS is well suited for every 2D or 3D modeling scenario. We tend to use it when we design pieces or parts or when creating complete multi-component machines. This software is oriented for designing, so if you want to consider or study the life cycle of the part you are designing you should definitely complement this software with other products such as CATIA.
Tyler Grudowski | TrustRadius Reviewer
Score 10 out of 10
Vetted Review
Verified User
Incentivized
As the principal (and only) design engineer at our small startup company, SOLIDWORKS helps me to easily show the other employees exactly what I am thinking as far as designs go. I also use SOLIDWORKS for my mechanical design consulting side business. It helps me experiment with ideas before I take them to the shop for physical prototyping.
  • SOLIDWORKS 2019 is fantastic with 3D rendering. There is so little lag when exploring an assembly, it makes for an extremely efficient review process when showing your designs to other employees.
  • All of the keyboard shortcuts make modeling in SOLIDWORKS so fast, and as an employee at a startup company, I really appreciate that. It helps me be efficient and get designs done quickly.
  • SOLIDWORKS makes it easy to do CAM functions as well, which plays a crucial role in figuring our optimal production techniques for a company that has little money to waste on R&D.
  • I wish there was a better run-down of quick keyboard controls in SOLIDWORKS. There is nowhere inside the program that shows all of these in one place or gives a list of what they are.
  • When you draw a line in Sketch mode, there is no box that allows you to select the size. You have to double-click on the line again after you draw it and then enter the exact size you are looking to draw.
  • When creating appearances in an assembly, the program always makes it unclear if you are making the change in appearance for just the assembly or the individual part.
SOLIDWORKS is the perfect program if you are looking to model any sort of product before you physically prototype it. It makes it perfect to model products and then show them to not only the engineering department but also every other department in a company. It also makes it easy to share files with various sub-contractors or companies helping on a project.
Aaron Jackson | TrustRadius Reviewer
Score 10 out of 10
Vetted Review
Verified User
Incentivized
  • 3D layouts of systems.
  • Verify equipment fits in the environment, access to other equipment, ergonomics of the system, etc.

[It's] Used by the engineering department. We do not use the majority of the software's features at this company. When I was with another company, we used it to its full potential. This company does not need some of the features it has. Still the best software for the company.
  • Very user friendly
  • Easy and quick to sketch simple designs
  • Very powerful software for FEA and CFD
  • Basically universal software used by our customers as well.
  • Cost for new users, which they seem to be addressing
  • Not many other issues I can think of.
Very common in multiple industries, easy to learn and use.
Score 7 out of 10
Vetted Review
Verified User
Incentivized
SOLIDWORKS is used in two main avenues. First, we use SOLIDWORKS for rapid prototyping. Typically a model is designed and modeled within 3 hours or less and then sent to the Fab Lab where it is either 3D printed or carved on a CNC machine. These prototyping models are useful for user feedback and other validation tests. The turnaround is quick, so the models are not always 100% accurate...and sometimes key components of the product are left out if the area of focus is testing another part.

The second avenue of use would be the real product development in which the model is prepared for full-fledge manufacturing. The manufacture ready models could be used for injection molded parts, laser jet parts, CNC'd parts, a few other types of manufacturing, or a combination of them. These types of models typically take a day to a few weeks and are sometimes passed between designer and engineer. Depending on the project, it may be necessary to utilize some of SolidWorks internal simulation tools, which help ensure that the product is ready for manufacturing without any foreseeable problems.
  • SOLIDWORKS is definitely leading the way in the simulation realm (stress test, draft, etc). The simulations give a lot more detail compared to other CAD programs that I've used in the past.
  • SOLIDWORKS is an evolution of one of the longest standing CAD products on the market. The huge knowledge base and user base is a huge plus when it comes to advanced modeling issues and concerns.
  • SOLIDWORKS is intuitive enough that "new" employees can pick it up in a fairly short amount of training....especially to grasp the key concepts and be able to inspect or look at already produced models.
  • SOLIDWORKS as a whole has been utilizing modern cloud technologies to allow users to run more simulations and get more done while data and processing are done behind the scenes. Something that is extremely important when it comes to machine bandwidth and the ability to get a lot done at once.
  • I wish SOLIDWORKS would start an overall of the UI. It's familiar...but it's old and clunky. I use Fusion 360 for personal use and love the modern look and intuitiveness that it brings along with it.
  • Native image rendering is not good. Have to use a third-party program such as KeyShot.
  • Very ergonomic or organic shapes can be hard to produce. There is no "sculpt" environment as offered in Fusion 360.
Overall, SOLIDWORKS is a powerhouse of tools that can be used for product development and engineering products. It's familiar, reliable, and can tackle just about any project within the consumer goods industry. If you're looking to develop packaging, physical goods, furniture, etc... then SOLIDWORKS is really the industry standard. If you're looking to do architectural or other civil-engineering related projects then you'll want to check out some other products (probably Autodesk products). You'll also find SOLIDWORKS has limitation when it comes to soft-consumer goods...including clothing and footwear. If you're looking to do soft goods then I would suggest finding a software package that is specific to your needs.
January 25, 2019

Review of SOLIDWORKS

Jonathan Kweder, Ph.D. | TrustRadius Reviewer
Score 9 out of 10
Vetted Review
Verified User
Incentivized
We use SOLIDWORKS as our primary modeling software all across our business globally. We also use pdm functions to hold design control over our products for ISO and AS standard workflow practices.
  • Interface is easy to use
  • Software updates are readily communicated, and installed with limited to no bugging in the system
  • Easy to roll out to a global user group with a centralized shared license server
  • Memory usage when exporting form one format to another, specifically high resolution renderings and .stl files for additive manufacturing
  • More standard file format capabilities both to import and export in the basic licensing plans
  • Easier interfacing and more adaptive feature recognition to reverse engineering software and scanning devices
Not an appropriate tool for use in designing a landscape or a home, but very useful in mechanical component design and multi-component assemblies, large or small.
Score 10 out of 10
Vetted Review
Verified User
Incentivized
I've used SOLIDWORKS for 21 years now, both for in the industry and also for educating others. I've used it for general drafting, complex designing, pre-product testing to review stack ups, minwalls, assembly, and other items. I've used it to start a new product, through the production of the product, and marketing of product through website, brochures, manuals, instruction cards, and renderings and animations to further support those. It is a very useful, versatile, easy to use software to use from start to finish for manufacturing. I also teach all three levels of SOLIDWORKS at the local community college to pass on these skills to others.
  • Quick learning curve so you can incorporate its use across different areas of your company.
  • Low entry price for 3D CAD software.
  • Great tool for designing new product and ideas from concept through production.
  • Great marketing tool to allow digital images and animations to be used across the web, manuals, advertising, and support done in house.
  • Supports different methods of modeling to really suit the needs of the specific industry that you work in.
  • With so many newer users, possibly a guide towards better drafting standards for creating your designs. Some times it's so easy to make a part itself, but if you are not thinking of the end game WHILE making the part, you can kick yourself in the end for taking short cuts in the beginning.
  • I know that they have tried to make each release of SOLIDWORKS more and more user-friendly, but I've noticed sometimes it actually make is more difficult. For example, when selecting a line by default it would select the line while you were over it, now if it is a shorter line and you are near the center, it will tend to grab the centermark over the line. If I wanted the center mark more often I would turn on filters for this.
This is fantastic for manufacturing and product design. Like I said, you can go from an idea or concept that someone suggest to not only a full product, but also a full product line or series of parts or assemblies. It works well to see if your concept will even work before ordering costly parts to test. It is also easy to 3D print or use stereo-lithography to hold and really feel you product quickly before mass production or testing. It can really help sell your product too, with rendering capabilities and animation capabilities. Sell it to a board or backers, sell it to your customer. You can also use this for designing things for the manufacturing/testing process itself such as brackets or fixtures. Or you can send you 3D model through your CAM system for an easier set up. I would not recommend this though for things like shop for layouts. I think it can be a waste of time modeling all the small tedious items in a shop with very little gain from it. 2D is more suited for quick floor layouts.
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