Spring Forward with Productivity— The 3DEXPERIENCE Works Design and Engineering April Update is Here!

Spring is here and so is the latest release of our 3DEXPERIENCE® Works browser-based roles for design and engineering.

Below, we’ll look at what’s new to help keep you productive, in some of our powerful browser-based roles, including 3D Creator, 3D Sculptor, 3D Structure Creator, 3D Mold Creator and Manufacturing Definition Creator.

Without further ado, here’s what’s new in FD02 2022.

NEW! Welcome App – get started and up to speed faster!

Whether you’re new or experienced in our browser-based solutions, you’ll want to check out the new Welcome app where you can access videos on how to get started, how to manage your content, and how to navigate on the 3DEXPERIENCE platform and the browser-based solutions. You’ll also notice Sample Content, such as how to investigate using lofts and symmetry on a fan blade model or exploring patterns, threads and fillets on an engine block model. Simply click and drag the Sample Content onto your interface to play around with all the features. You have all these great resources in one place when you need them.

NEW! Switch App from Landing Page – access your tools more quickly with fewer interruptions.

Good news. You can now switch between apps right from your dashboard before you open a design. For instance, if you have the xDesign app (in the 3D Creator role) on a dashboard, and you want to access the xShape app (in the 3D Sculptor role) you can do it right from the dashboard. This enables you to quickly and easily choose the app you’d like to use before opening designs resulting in fewer interruptions and faster access to your favorite tools.

Print3D Now with 2D Nesting – automatically set your parts up for success and save time on 3D prints.

If you’re like me, who’s always tinkering with 3D printing you’ll appreciate this new 2D Nesting layout feature. Print3D now has the option to auto-arrange a selection of parts on the 3D printer build plate. This not only saves you time as it had to be done manually before, but helps you get the most efficient layout of your assemblies.

NEW! Open With – get to your data faster and more easily.

It is now possible to open a component within an assembly in a new app from the Design Manager.

Similar to how you do this in SOLIDWORKS®, you can now right click on your chosen component from the Design Manager and select the Open With option to open a part in a new widget. This not only lets you get to the data you need faster, but you can also designate a component in a separate widget to see that single component in whatever solution it was created in. If you select an installed app from the dropdown menu, you will launch a new window of that app with the part opened.

Create Fully Defined Mates with the Mini-Dialog Toolbar – create assemblies faster than ever.

Creating assemblies is now more intuitive, and faster than ever. Making selections on separate parts in an assembly will trigger the mini-dialog toolbar where you can choose from common mate options such as coincident, concentric, parallel, perpendicular, and more. Now you can accept the mate and access other mate options such as ‘flip orientation’ directly from the mini-dialog toolbar without launching the Mate command dialog.

NEW! Sketch Pattern – spend less time creating repeated sketch entities.

You can now duplicate sketch entities in a circular or linear sketch pattern. To transform a sketch, select the sketch entities to transform using the on-screen robot to place the first instance. Or create a pattern by reference to create a sketch pattern with the traditional workflow that is familiar to SOLIDWORKS users.

NEW! Freestyling with the Lasso Selection Tool – speed up modifications in subdivision modeling!

With the new Lasso Selection tool, you can draw a freeform selection boundary to select all entities contained within the boundary. You’ll find this tool particularly handy for selecting nodes on a freeform surface that would otherwise be difficult to box select.

Enhanced Loft Feature – gain more control of complex shapes.

The Loft feature gives you more control when dealing with complex shapes. In this release, you’ll notice a new mode for working with multiple coupling curves.

NEW! Working Zone – declutter your workspace and reduce the risk of errors.

The new Working Zone for subdivision modeling helps you stay “in the zone,” so to speak. With the Working Zone you can select a specific part of a component that you’d like to edit by selecting a Working Zone on a subdivision mesh. This not only declutters your space but helps reduce errors, so you don’t accidentally edit another node, loop or face outside that area. The Working Zone enables you to see the whole assembly while staying focused on one area with less chance of errors.

Fillet and Chamfer Commands at Your Fingertips – save time creating rounded and beveled faces.

Chamfer and Fillet tools are now available for subdivision modeling, enabling you to easily create rounded and beveled faces on creased edges from within your interface.

NEW! Custom Dimension Text – make manufacturing intent clearer and reduce communication errors.

You can now add additional information to your callouts with custom text to relay information to the manufacturer, making manufacturing instructions clearer. Previously, you could only add dimensions. Now you can add customized text with symbols that convey key manufacturing instructions, and requirements.

NEW! Linked Attributes – reduce typing and errors.

Easily link table cells and notes to physical product attributes to ensure definition accuracy. This reduces manual typing and errors such as typos.

NEW! Drawing View Modes – improve drawing accuracy.

We’ve added 2D based HLR, and wireframe model display modes for drawings. This helps you visualize and communicate 2D drawing views with a familiar presentation to create accurate, industry standard drawings.

Streamlined Table Creation – improve productivity with greater table customization flexibility.

Not only will you notice a more streamlined user experience for table creation, but also more options to customize your tables with row and column control; border control and style; and anchor points.

NEW! Multi-select Merging and Mini-bar Workflows – cut down on mouse travel and clicks.

This is especially useful for table creation. New mini-bar options enable you to easily edit your cells and customize your tables in fewer steps.

NEW! Viewable Properties – stay in sync and focused on the task at hand with access to product properties.

Easily access key product information and properties, such as revisions and part numbers directly from the Design Manager. With all key information available at a glance, you can be sure you’re working on the correct part number and that you’re always in sync with your design.

NEW! Document Set Naming – save time and reduce discrepancies with new naming capabilities.

Like the previous feature, you can also access Document Set Naming directly from the Design Manager and rename the documentation set.

NEW! Rapid 3D Wall and Cutout Creation – increase your productivity and reduce mouse travel.

Design sheet metal with user-friendly, streamlined push and pull modeling techniques. Easily create sheet metal walls and cutouts using new Rapid 3D workflows for wall and cutout creation.

Revamped Flange Limiting Geometry Workflow – create flanges more easily, with fewer steps.

You can now control the endpoints of your flange with onscreen manipulators that enable you to control those distances right on your screen. This enhancement will help you boost your productivity, keeping your focus on the center of the screen, on the task at hand, with fewer steps.

NEW! Cutout Impact Options – automate and optimize normal cut geometry and gap clearance.

I know sheet metal designers are going to dig this one as it’s a highly requested feature. There is a new option within the Cutout command called the Cutout Extent under Impact Options. This enables you to create normal cuts through multiple faces using one command. This new option will optimize the normal cut for the faces its passing through and will also add the correct clearance to ensure there is no interference on that object.

NEW! Undercut Volume Analysis – validate the manufacturability of plastic and cast part designs faster and more accurately.

We’ve enhanced our undercut detection functionality to help designers and mold makers gain a better understanding of how much volume of material is being trapped by an undercut. Simply define the pull direction for the mold and all the undercut volumes are automatically created.

NEW! Repurpose Undercut Volumes as Geometry – speed the redesign of plastic and cast parts with the ability to reuse the undercut body for modeling.

You can now create a geometry body out of an undercut volume and then combine it into the model. Think of it as using the bodies to patch and eliminate unwanted undercuts on your design model.

Mirror Mold Inserts for Symmetric Parts from a Single Sketch – faster creation of mold inserts.

When parts are symmetric, you can sketch the profile of the insert on one side of the mold, and it can be used to automatically create both mold inserts by using a new mold inserts option called Bi-Directional.  What it essentially does is mirror the other side. You can flip a single mold insert from one side to the other if desired. In addition, it allows for the creation of multiple inserts even when they share a common shutoff surface. It’s a much faster way of making inserts and ensuring they are the same for parts that are symmetric.

Complex Corner Trim with More Options – visualize better how frame members will be manufactured.

We’ve expanded our corner trim functionality for complex corners with options for trimming the up-to-body or 3-way miter when working on structures. This enables you to fully define your 3-way corner intersections so that the model accurately reflects how that corner would be manufactured.

NEW! Set Default Materials for Structure Profiles – speed up design time by creating default materials.

You can now create default material for your catalog structure profiles and build an accurate structure design library by assigning default materials to custom structure section profiles. This is great for when you want to re-use a commonly used material for your designs, say aluminum. This gives you access to accurate manufacturing information and realistic graphics when you need it, speeding up your structure designs.

Well, there you have it. To see all these great new features and enhancements in action watch the video below.

Learn more about some of these browser-based roles here. And don’t miss our SOLIDWORKS Cloud Offer where you can access many browser-based roles in one great deal. Get more details here.

I look forward to hearing your thoughts on this latest release. Feel free to share your comments below.