{"id":59331,"date":"2026-01-15T08:00:29","date_gmt":"2026-01-15T13:00:29","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blogs.solidworks.com\/solidworksblog\/?p=59331"},"modified":"2026-01-13T13:28:27","modified_gmt":"2026-01-13T18:28:27","slug":"model-mania-whats-new-this-year-at-3dxw26","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.solidworks.com\/solidworksblog\/2026\/01\/model-mania-whats-new-this-year-at-3dxw26.html","title":{"rendered":"Model Mania\u00ae What&#8217;s New at 3DEXPERIENCE World 2026"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>Model Mania\u00ae is a fun and challenging experience where participants model a predetermined part, including a follow-up edit, and the fastest, most accurate modeler wins. Accuracy comes first, speed comes second\u2014just like in real-world design, where changes often come after the initial design is complete. <a href=\"https:\/\/blogs.solidworks.com\/tech\/2025\/02\/26-years-of-model-mania.html\">Model Mania has become a long-standing tradition<\/a> at the annual <strong>3D<\/strong>EXPERIENCE World conference, providing designers and engineers with the chance to test their skills on the same part problem in a fast-paced environment.<\/p>\n<p><strong><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-59329 aligncenter\" src=\"https:\/\/blog-assets.solidworks.com\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/01\/mm-pic1-615x410.jpg\" alt=\"Model Mania at 3DEXPERIENCE World\" width=\"800\" height=\"533\" srcset=\"https:\/\/blog-assets.solidworks.com\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/01\/mm-pic1-615x410.jpg 615w, https:\/\/blog-assets.solidworks.com\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/01\/mm-pic1-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/blog-assets.solidworks.com\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/01\/mm-pic1.jpg 624w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\" \/><\/strong><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>The <strong>Top-Secret Model Mania 2026 part<\/strong> will not be available ahead of time. You\u2019ll have to attend <strong>3DEXPERIENCE World 2026<\/strong> to try it yourself, or wait until after the winners are announced. Winners of the live Model Mania challenge in Houston will receive <strong>cash prizes up to $500<\/strong>, with participants judged on accuracy first, and then speed. Winners will be announced on <strong>Wednesday, February 4<\/strong>, in the <strong>3DEXPERIENCE Theater<\/strong>, and the announcement will be broadcast live on <a href=\"https:\/\/live.solidworks.com\"><strong>SOLIDWORKS Live<\/strong><\/a>.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Model Mania Xtreme<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>We will also be bringing back <strong>Model Mania Xtreme<\/strong>, where attendees can watch and participate in live, head-to-head speed modeling challenges. These sessions feature fast-paced modeling under pressure, giving participants the chance to test their skills, earn bragging rights, and win incredible prizes and giveaways. Whether you step up to participate or just watch, Model Mania Xtreme is a great way to see advanced modeling workflows in action.<\/p>\n<div class=\"video-container\">\n<div class=\"entry-content-asset\"><iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"What is Model Mania Xtreme?\" width=\"1140\" height=\"641\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/3_9VFZxA940?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p><strong>SOLIDWORKS Retro<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>New this year, we\u2019ll have a <strong>SOLIDWORKS Retro<\/strong> area celebrating <strong>30 years of SOLIDWORKS<\/strong>. Attendees can step back in time and try using <strong>SOLIDWORKS \u201995<\/strong>, with several laptops set up and experts available to guide you. It\u2019s a fun way to see how far the software\u2014and the SOLIDWORKS community\u2014has come.<\/p>\n<h2><strong><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-59328 aligncenter\" src=\"https:\/\/blog-assets.solidworks.com\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/01\/mm-pic2-615x410.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"800\" height=\"533\" srcset=\"https:\/\/blog-assets.solidworks.com\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/01\/mm-pic2-615x410.jpg 615w, https:\/\/blog-assets.solidworks.com\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/01\/mm-pic2-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/blog-assets.solidworks.com\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/01\/mm-pic2.jpg 624w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\" \/><br \/>\n<\/strong><\/h2>\n<p><strong>Practice before the Conference: Join the Online Model Mania Challenge<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>New for 2026, we\u2019re also hosting an <strong>online Model Mania challenge<\/strong> ahead of the conference. On <strong>January 21, 2026<\/strong>, the challenge will go live online at <strong>8:30 PM ET<\/strong> and is <strong>open to all users<\/strong>, regardless of whether you plan to attend <strong>3D<\/strong>EXPERIENCE World in Houston.<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter wp-image-59330\" src=\"https:\/\/blog-assets.solidworks.com\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/01\/mm-pic3-615x410.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"800\" height=\"533\" srcset=\"https:\/\/blog-assets.solidworks.com\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/01\/mm-pic3-615x410.jpg 615w, https:\/\/blog-assets.solidworks.com\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/01\/mm-pic3-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/blog-assets.solidworks.com\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/01\/mm-pic3.jpg 624w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\" \/><\/p>\n<p>This online challenge is a great way to practice the Model Mania format before the live event. While this version is just for bragging rights, participants will also <strong>earn a voucher to take the Certified SOLIDWORKS Associate (CSWA) exam<\/strong>.<\/p>\n<p>The drawing for the challenge will be released during a <strong>SOLIDWORKS YouTube livestream<\/strong>, which will begin <strong>15 minutes prior to the challenge going live<\/strong>. Full details, timing, and access information will be available at <a href=\"http:\/\/solidworks.com\/modelmania\"><strong>solidworks.com\/modelmania<\/strong><\/a>, which is the best place to learn more and prepare. <em>Note<\/em>: For the best experience, open the link on a desktop, not a mobile device.<\/p>\n<p><strong>See you at 3DEXPERIENCE World 2026!<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>If you\u2019re attending <strong>3D<\/strong>EXPERIENCE World this year, we look forward to seeing you in the Model Mania area of the Playground. A lot is happening across the conference, and we hope you\u2019ll stop by to participate, watch the action, or explore everything on display.<\/p>\n<p>To see past Model Mania parts, drawings, and solution videos, visit <strong>my.solidworks.com<\/strong> and search for <em>Model Mania<\/em>.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/reg.3dexperienceworld.com\/flow\/3ds\/3dx2026\/site\/page\/registration?utm_campaign=202509_glo_event_swks_3DXW26RegistrationBlogBanner_en&amp;utm_medium=socialnetwork&amp;utm_source=linkedin&amp;utm_content=img\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter wp-image-59198 size-full\" src=\"https:\/\/blog-assets.solidworks.com\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2025\/12\/3DXW26_REGISTERTODAY_961x250-728x189-1.jpg\" alt=\"Register for 3DEXPERIENCE World\" width=\"728\" height=\"189\" srcset=\"https:\/\/blog-assets.solidworks.com\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2025\/12\/3DXW26_REGISTERTODAY_961x250-728x189-1.jpg 728w, https:\/\/blog-assets.solidworks.com\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2025\/12\/3DXW26_REGISTERTODAY_961x250-728x189-1-300x78.jpg 300w, https:\/\/blog-assets.solidworks.com\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2025\/12\/3DXW26_REGISTERTODAY_961x250-728x189-1-615x160.jpg 615w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 728px) 100vw, 728px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Learn what&#8217;s new with Model Mania this year at 3DEXPERIENCE World 2026.  From 27 years of our traditional modeling challenge to Model Mania Xtreme, we&#8217;ve got something for everyone to take part, even if you&#8217;re not coming to Houston!<\/p>\n... <a href=\"https:\/\/blogs.solidworks.com\/solidworksblog\/2026\/01\/model-mania-whats-new-this-year-at-3dxw26.html\">Continued<\/a>","protected":false},"author":107,"featured_media":59330,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[5103,43,3,14,58,18],"tags":[41,2966,150,2069,129,133,1073,4862],"class_list":["post-59331","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-3dexperience-world-2026","category-certification","category-community","category-design","category-mysolidworks","category-solidworks","tag-3d-design","tag-3dexperience-world","tag-certification-2","tag-community","tag-design-2","tag-engineering","tag-model-mania","tag-model-mania-xtreme"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.solidworks.com\/solidworksblog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/59331","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.solidworks.com\/solidworksblog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.solidworks.com\/solidworksblog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.solidworks.com\/solidworksblog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/107"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.solidworks.com\/solidworksblog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=59331"}],"version-history":[{"count":19,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.solidworks.com\/solidworksblog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/59331\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":59376,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.solidworks.com\/solidworksblog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/59331\/revisions\/59376"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.solidworks.com\/solidworksblog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/59330"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.solidworks.com\/solidworksblog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=59331"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.solidworks.com\/solidworksblog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=59331"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.solidworks.com\/solidworksblog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=59331"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}