What’s New in SOLIDWORKS 2025 – Design, Collaboration, and Data Management

By

Are you ready for SOLIDWORKS 2025? It’s coming this November, and with 3DEXPERIENCE SOLIDWORKS and SOLIDWORKS with Cloud Services you don’t have to wait to begin taking advantage of some of the enhancements as we’ve made them available throughout the year in our functional delivery [FD] updates.

Here’s a sneak peek of what’s in store. All enhancements apply to 3DEXPERIENCE SOLIDWORKS and SOLIDWORKS with Cloud Services unless stated otherwise.

  1. MORE EFFECTIVE COLLABORATION AND DATA MANAGEMENT

Deliver innovative products faster with improved collaboration and data management capabilities. Top enhancements include:

  • Access to 3DSwym from MySession Task Pane

Connect and collaborate easily with industry peers by accessing SOLIDWORKS online communities in 3DSwym directly from inside SOLIDWORKS in the MySession panel.

Access the SOLIDWORKS online communities in 3DSwym from the MySession panel.

 

  • Real-time Notifications

Stay up to date with real-time notifications, ensuring you always work with the latest file versions during the collaborative design process.

When you open files from the local cache that were previously saved to the 3DEXPERIENCE platform, you will see message bars at the top of your screen stating that there are new updates or revisions.

Plus,stay aware of updated changes performed by other people accessing the same data on the platform, with notifications that will pop up on your interface. When you get a notification, you will have the option to reload the data from the server or see the outdated components to see what’s changed.

  • Leverage SOLIDWORKS PDM with 3DEXPERIENCE SOLIDWORKS

You now have more flexibility when it comes to saving your data as there is a new option within 3DEXPERIENCE SOLIDWORKS to use SOLIDWORKS PDM or another data management system to save your data. You can read this how-to for a step-by-step tutorial.

 

  1. GREATER PART MODELING FLEXIBILITY

Accelerate design with improvements to part modeling, including the ability to rapidly select chamfer edges, a new option for variable fillets and a sheet metal bend notch.

  • Selection Toolbar for Chamfers

This one is one of my personal favorites, and you all are going to love it. There is a new Selection toolbar within the Chamfer command that enables you to automate selections for edges with Selection Accelerators. For instance, you can turn on the command to have it only pick outer or inner edges or edges outside of a face, or inner edges on extrusions. As you hover over the icons in the toolbar it will show you all the ways you can select edges, saving you time from manually selecting edges.

This is similar to the capability that already exists when working with fillets. You’ll find it will speed up and simplify your design process, allowing more room for you to design and innovate.

  • Variable Fillet Chain

Smoothly integrate the radius parameters for a seamless blend with the new Continuous edge blend option for variable radius fillets.

Create smoother variable size fillets with an option to continuously blend fillet edge.

 

  • Sheet Metal Bend Notch

Improve the manufacturability of your designs with the Sheet Metal Bend Notch. Sheet metal functionality has been expanded to offer the ability to automatically create customizable bend notches on the flat pattern bend line of a sheet metal part.

 

  1. BOOSTED PERFORMANCE

Streamline large assembly design with the ability to open and save large models faster in addition to the following:

  • Silhouette Defeature Method

Create a highly simplified part and make it associative to the parent part by using the Silhouette defeature method.

Simplify part geometry using the Silhouette defeature method.

 

  • SpeedPak Configuration at the Top Level of an Assembly

Simplify assemblies faster and more flexibly with the ability to create a SpeedPak configuration at the top level of the assembly without the need to modify subassemblies.

  • Faster Assembly Mass Property Calculations

Speed up the calculation of mass properties for assemblies with previously calculated values for parts and bodies.

 

  1. FASTER ASSEMBLY MODELING

Accelerate assembly design and ensure manufacturability with the ability to copy assembly components along with their associated advanced and mechanical mates, in addition to:

  • Include Surface Bodies in Interference Checks

You all know you can do interference checks between solid parts, but we’ve added the capability to check interferences between solid parts and surfaces. In addition, you can run interference checks between surfaces and other surfaces. Sometimes imported geometry, such as components to be used in an assembly, comes through as surface bodies and so you’ll want to double check for interferences.

  • Interference Detection in Large Design Review Mode (LDR)

Check the manufacturability of your design faster with interference detection in LDR mode. Switch to LDR mode to turbocharge your computer to work with assemblies faster.

Preserve design intent and speed up assembly creation with the ability to copy assembly components along with their associated advanced and mechanical mates.

 

  1. IMPROVED DETAILING OF DRAWINGS

Speed up drawing creation enforce company rules with the latest drawing enhancements.

  • Multi-Approval Stamps

You can set up multi-level approvals during the drawing release process. Using the Route Management app, you can create a task/notification for a colleague, such as the engineering or manufacturing manager to let them know a drawing is ready for their review/approval. As tasks are approved, the time stamp will automatically show the approval status on the drawing, reducing manual work. Check out this blog to see how simple it is.

Enforce company rules with multi-approval stamps on drawings anytime, on any connected device.

 

  • Easily access and view extended drawing attributes, including PLM properties
  • BOM Quantity Override for Detailed Cut Lists

Gain more flexibility for detailed cut lists that appear in a BOM table. In the bill of materials PropertyManager, you can choose an option to display the quantity for structural members in the BOM table as QUANTITY or LENGTH x QUANTITY using a new option.

  1. MORE FLEXIBLE 3D DIMENSIONING AND TOLERANCING

Experience more flexible 3D dimensioning and tolerancing and get to production faster by eliminating the need for 2D drawings. Enhancements include the ability to:

  • Create DimXpert Dimensions from Sketch Dimensions

Use the intelligence built into sketches to automatically define model-based dimensions.

  • Dimension Support for Drafted Features

Easily document and define drafted features with dimensions and tolerances using new DimXpert capabilities.

  • 3D Interconnect STEP 242 Export Controls

Communicate product manufacturing information (PMI) downstream with increased flexibility and control with new STEP 242 export settings.

Share PMI data with the new STEP 242 export settings.

 

  1. IMPROVED HARNESS BOARD DRAWINGS

Accelerate the creation of manufacturing documentation with the ability to create improved harness board drawings. Capabilities include the ability to:

  • Improve the organization and positioning of tables and balloons on flattened drawings with refined auto-placement of tables, dimensions, balloons, and formats.
Speed up harness board creation with auto placement of tables, balloons and more.

 

  • Automatically update the electrical harness documentation after design changes.

 

  1. STREAMLINED ECAD/MCAD COLLABORATION AND DESIGN

There are several enhancements that expand accessibility and collaboration for mechanical and electrical design. For starters, CircuitWorks is now available to all SOLIDWORKS users. In addition you have the capability to:

  • Import internal and external copper features including vias, traces, and shapes to SOLIDWORKS using IDX files.
  • Access all the copper geometry right in SOLIDWORKS, enabling proper mass, thermal, structural, shock, and electromagnetic analyses.

 

CircuitWorks now processes copper trace data from ECAD to SOLIDWORKS, resulting in an accurate materials stack up in the printed circuit board.

 

  1. IMPROVED OUTPUT WITH IMMERSIVE RENDERING BENEFITS

Improve output with immersive rendering. Leverage the latest advancements in GPU technology with real-time, interactive ray tracing. Rendering updates include:

  • Photorealistic Rendering with Visualize via the SOLIDWORKS API

Automate the creation of photorealistic renderings by leveraging SOLIDWORKS Visualize with the SOLIDWORKS API.

  • Fast Mode Rendering with Dassault Systèmes Physically based rendering (DSPBR) Engine

Take advantage of the latest advancements in GPU technology with real-time, interactive ray tracing based on the open-standard Vulkan API for 3D graphics and computing.

Leverage GPU technology with real-time, interactive ray tracing.

 

  1. USER EXPERIENCE DELIGHTERS

Sometimes it’s the little things that can have the biggest impact. We always aim to make you as productive as possible while improving on the overall user experience. Speed up design with usability improvements including:

  • Streamline the correction of sketches with broken relations and dimensions due to missing references with the ability to reattach broken sketch relations and dimensions.
  • Create and copy the cut list property to specific cut list items, or to all cut list items in a model.

 

Create and copy the Cut List property to specific Cut List items, or to all Cut List items in a model.

 

  • Edit assemblies in Large Design Review mode faster with a breadcrumbs selection that makes the selection hierarchy clearer.

That is a glimpse of what’s coming! Come November don’t wait to update so you can start using all these enhancements. As for now, make sure you have updated to R2024 FD03.

Keep a list of the top enhancements handy by downloading the flyer here. Visit the webpage to watch demo videos and learn about enhancements to design, simulation, data management, electrical solutions, and more.

Craig Therrien

Craig Therrien

Craig Therrien is a 3DEXPERIENCE WORKS Senior Portfolio Manager with over 30 years of CAD and industry experience - engineer, consultant, CAD product manager, CAD company co-founder. Currently, serving as Senior Product Manager for SOLIDWORKS and 3D Mold Creator. Craig has a B.S.M.E. from WPI and is a Graduate of General Electric's Manufacturing Development Program.