My Favorite New Features in SOLIDWORKS 2025

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SOLIDWORKS 2025 is here! I was recently asked what my top enhancements are. With so many great enhancements, it was a tough choice, but here’s a handful of my favorites, including the new command predictor, the ability to apply sheet metal bend notches, and the ability to run interference checks while in Large Design Review mode.

What do they all have in common? They make your workflow faster along with improving downstream communication.

Improved User Experience

Command Predictor

Command Predictor is great for everyone, but it is especially helpful for new users to get them up to speed more quickly. It uses AI to help predict your next move and will give you a toolbar with the most likely possible options, so you don’t have to spend time sifting through commands. For example, when you make a cut on your model; it will predict the next most logical step, like adding a fillet or a chamfer, so you’ll get a toolbar with those types of commands that will change with each action based on the task you are working on. Give it a try and see how this tool can improve your productivity.

 

Improved Plastic and Cast Part Design

Smoother Transitions for Variable Size

If you make plastic parts, cast metal parts, and even contoured machined parts, this one is going to be great for those parts where you want a smooth, variable-edge fillet. To do this, you can now use the Continuous Edge Blend option under Fillet Options to create smoother, variable-size fillets that blend the fillet edge. This saves a lot of time over other smoothing alternatives, such as creating blends.

 

Faster Assembly Design

Copy Components Along with their Advanced and Mechanical Mate

Speed up assembly design with the ability to copy assembly components and their associated advanced and mechanical mates.

For instance, you can use the Copy with Mates command to copy components with a lock mate, a path mate, a linear coupler mate, or a mechanical mate.

Now, there are no restrictions on copying assembly components along with their mates, no matter what type of mates you used.

 

Improving Manufacturability

Sheetmetal Bend Notches

Your sheet metal brake operators are going to love you for this! You can improve downstream communication by creating notches across bends in flattened sheet metal parts. This will help manufacturers determine where to put the press brake and allow corners to bend more cleanly with less metal distortion.

 

Improving Lage Assembly Performance

The following three enhancements are focused on improving large assembly performance, which is always a focus of each release of SOLIDWORKS.

Creating a SpeedPak Configuration at the Top Level of Assemblies

You can create a SpeedPak instance from a subassembly without modifying the referenced subassembly. The SpeedPak instance is saved in the top-level assembly.

You can also edit a SpeedPak instance by right-clicking the instance and clicking SpeedPak Options > Edit SpeedPak.

Using a SpeedPak configuration is a great way to speed up the performance of a large assembly. This new capability will save you the effort of creating SpeedPak configurations of individual subassemblies.

 

Interference Detection in Large Design Review Mode

Large Design Review (LDR) mode is the fastest way to open any assembly and is especially helpful when opening very large assemblies. Now, in addition to all the other capabilities available in LDR mode, users can check for interferences, thereby saving time when you want to do a quick interference check before sending the design off to manufacturing.

 

Improved Performance When Calculating Mass Properties

If you’ve ever made changes to a component of a large assembly and then re-run mass property calculations, you’ll appreciate this enhancement. We’ve dramatically accelerated the calculation of mass properties for assemblies by using previously calculated values for parts and bodies. This saves time, especially when checking mass properties like the center of gravity and weight of a large assembly.

 

Watch the video below for these enhancements and a few more in action.

For a thorough account of all the new enhancements for SOLIDWORKS 2025 and detailed step-by-step instructions on how to use the new functionality, please reference the “What’s New” section on the SOLIDWORKS 2025 Help webpage.

In addition, see my last blog on some of the top enhancements in SOLIDWORKS 2025, and visit the SOLIDWORKS 2025 web page to see what is new in popular solutions for simulation, data management, and more.

Finally, please remember that you don’t have to wait for an annual release of SOLIDWORKS every year. You can take advantage of the latest features, which are now delivered in Service Packs and Functional Deliveries (FD) throughout the year.

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.