Top 10 Enhancements in 3DEXPERIENCE SOLIDWORKS in 2022

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You asked and we listened. Each release of 3DEXPERIENCE ® SOLIDWORKS gets better thanks to our customers’ feedback and suggestions. So far this year we’ve added a number of enhancements to help you work smarter, faster, and together, including assembly, sheet metal, and collaboration updates, offline mode, and more.

Here’s a look at this year’s top 10 new enhancements to 3DEXPERIENCE SOLIDWORKS.

  1. Assembly – work faster with large assemblies and smarter with more automated workflows.

Working with large assemblies overall is faster than ever in 3DEXPERIENCE SOLIDWORKS. Assembly workflows require fewer steps so you can get your assemblies done more quickly. Time-saving updates enable you to:

  • Optimize resolved mode automatically by selectively using lightweight technology when you load components in resolved mode.
  • Be more productive with the ability to save large assemblies faster.
  • Speed up your downstream processes by exporting assembly components as separate STEP files.

 

Work faster with large assemblies through automated, smarter assembly management.

 

  1. Parts and Features – create part geometry more quickly.

Updates include multi-body modeling improvements and more extensive use of coordinate systems. In addition these updates enable users to:

  • Turbocharge the copying of bodies with the ability to control translation and rotation values with equations.
  • Speed up part modeling by referencing coordinate systemsin 3D sketches, 2D sketch dimensions, and mirroring.
  • Create wrap features from sketches that use single-line fonts, also known as stick fonts.
Create part geometry faster with multi-body modeling improvements and more extensive use of coordinate systems.

 

  1. Sheet Metal – get your sheet metal designs done faster and improve communication with manufacturing.

The sheet metal-specific features in 3DEXPERIENCE SOLIDWORKS make it easier and faster to create sheet metal parts and enable you to provide better instructions for manufacturing. You can:

  • Equalize bend radius values more easily by applying symmetric thickness with the Base Flange or Lofted Bend feature.
  • Include the sheet metal gauge value in annotations and cut lists.
  • Receive automatic sensor alerts when you exceed the sheet metal bounding box size limits.

 

Speed up sheet metal design while improving communication with manufacturing.

 

  1. Drawings and Detailing – create drawings that represent your designs more accurately.

Create drawings that represent designs more accurately and ensure standardization by limiting geometric tolerances to a specific standard. New features include the ability to:

  • Ensure standardization by limiting geometric tolerances to a specific standard with the Enable/Disable options.
  • Identify overridden values in a BOM table more easily with values turning blue when overridden.
  • Display transparent models in drawings with Hidden Lines Removed (HLR) and Hidden Lines Visible (HLV) modes.

 

Create drawings that represent designs more accurately with improved transparent model display and ensure standardization by limiting geometric tolerances to a specific standard.

 

  1. Structure Design – build and modify more complex structures easily.

Handle your structures with more control with enhanced structure design capabilities, including the new Pattern feature. These capabilities enable you to:

  • Group similar corners and apply trimming, then automatically apply connection plates, with the new Pattern feature.
  • Select a set of weldment members of the same size and type and change their size for specific configurations.
  • Zoom to a selected corner from the FeatureManager® Design Tree or the Corner Management PropertyManager.

 

Build and modify more complex structures easily with the streamlined user experience.

 

  1. Electrical Routing – handle complex routing scenarios better.

Meet all your electrical routing needs with new options for flattening, reorienting, and displaying wires and connectors. In addition, you can:

  • Create splices with multiple circuits to which wires or cable cores are connected.
  • Visualize your harnesses segment clearly by viewing its graphical cross section.
  • Improve electrical routing design by reorienting the connectors to be parallel to a selected plane.

 

Handle more complex electrical routing scenarios with new options for flattening, reorienting, and displaying wires and connectors.

 

  1. Cloud Data Management – stay organized and prevent production errors.

With 3DEXPERIENCE SOLIDWORKS you can securely store your data and easily organize and find it when you need it, streamlining the whole design process. For instance, with cloud data management, you can:

  • Prevent production errors by ensuring drawings are released only when all components are released.
  • Ease revision control with a choice of new flexible revision formats.
  • Manage saved data on the 3DEXPERIENCE platform by defining a Bookmark to your content on Save.

 

Securely store and manage your SOLIDWORKS data in the cloud while preventing production errors by streamlining drawing release.

 

  1. Data Exchange with External Stakeholders – easily collaborate and communicate with external stakeholders and provide crucial PLM data.

One of the key things of successful product design is collaboration. With 3DEXPERIENCE SOLIDWORKS you can easily collaborate with other 3DEXPERIENCE platform users, and those who don’t have the platform, including stakeholders, such as customers and suppliers. You can easily:

  • Share design projects quickly outside the 3DEXPERIENCE platform with a simple SOLIDWORKS command.
  • Control your data integrity by setting permissions on your shared data.
  • Add supplier design changes while maintaining the PLM data when saving to the 3DEXPERIENCE platform.

 

Easily and securely communicate with your external suppliers by providing relevant PLM data.

 

  1. Offline Mode – work with your CAD designs from anywhere, anytime.

No internet, no problem. You can enable Offline mode anytime you know you will be without internet, such as on an airplane, which enables you to:

  • Continue your work without interruption even when internet connectivity is limited or lacking.
  • Save your files locally, then easily upload them to the 3DEXPERIENCE platform when you are back online.

See my blog with step-by-step instructions and a video on how to get your files ready for Offline mode in advance to get the most out of Offline mode.

Work with your CAD designs anytime and anywhere, regardless of internet connection, with the new Offline mode.

 

10. Task Scheduling – improve efficiency by automating manual tasks.

 Organize your time and your tasks wisely by scheduling and automating tasks with the Task Scheduling features, which enable you to:

  • Save time and effort by automating manual tasks, such as drawing creation, and performing them later.
  • Automate the export of released or frozen content such as DXF™/DWG files on the 3DEXPERIENCE platform.

 

Improve efficiency by automating manual tasks with Task Scheduling capabilities.

 

I hope you’re taking advantage of these capabilities and that you find they help you and your team’s day-to-day productivity. This is just a glimpse of what we’ve done this year so far, and the year is not over yet, so stay tuned for more updates as we are constantly aiming to meet your wish list with each update.

To learn more or to request a demo go here. You can also catch a session on 3DEXPERIENCE SOLIDWORKS at the upcoming 3DEXPERIENCE World 2023 taking place in Nashville, Tennessee February 12-15, 2023. You can now register here.

To see what’s new in SOLIDWORKS® 2023 check out: https://www.solidworks.com/product/whats-new or click on the banner below.

To learn more about this year’s updates in 3DEXPERIENCE SOLIDWORKS see the following blogs:

Collaboration Just Got Faster, Easier and Smarter in the 3DEXPERIENCE SOLIDWORKS Spring Update

Flexibility at Your Fingertips — Offline Mode and the Welcome App are Here!

No Internet, No Problem – Work Offline in 3DEXPERIENCE SOLIDWORKS

Share SOLIDWORKS Data Externally Directly from the 3DEXPERIENCE Platform

 

 

Salih Alani

Salih Alani

Salih Alani joined SOLIDWORKS in 2013. He held SOLIDWORKS technical support position focused on core SOLIDWORKS, DraftSight, licensing (Online Licensing), and Lead Technical Support of 3D CONTENTCENTRAL, Technical Support Account Manager for Enterprise Subscription Services (ESS) customer account and lead organizer for VAR Performance Tuning Workshop in Dassault Systèmes Waltham before he joined the SOLIDWORKS Product Management Team in 2020. He is now focused on 3DEXPERIENCE SOLIDWORKS and SOLIDWORKS cloud roles along with collaboration on the 3DEPERIENCE Platform. Salih Alani is Graduate of the University of Technology, Iraq - Baghdad with BS in Mechanical Engineering, graduate of Northeastern University with a Master of Science in Mechanical Engineering, specializing in mechanics and design.