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SOLIDWORKS

Score8.5 out of 10

430 Reviews and Ratings

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What is SOLIDWORKS?

Dassault Systemes offers SOLIDWORKS, a computer-aided design (CAD) system for education and manufacturing supporting 2D or 3D design, electrical design, simulations, and product development with collaboration tools.

Categories & Use Cases

Key Features

Learn about the best (and worst!) features SOLIDWORKS has to offer, as determined by TrustRadius' reviewers.
Based on 430 ratings of SOLIDWORKS's features
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Top Performing Features

  • 3D Modeling

    Allows users to create and manipulate 3D objects with precise measurements and control.

    Category average: 8.1

  • Compatibility with other software and formats

    Allows users to import and export designs in various file formats, ensuring compatibility with other software and stakeholder requirements.

    Category average: 7.4

  • Collaboration and Sharing

    Provides tools for sharing and collaborating on designs with others in real-time, including the ability to track changes and manage design revisions.

    Category average: 6.4

Areas for Improvement

  • Simulation and Analysis

    Provides tools for simulating physical properties and behaviors of designs, allowing users to test and optimize their designs before production.

    Category average: 5.9

  • Documentation and Annotation

    Allows users to create detailed technical drawings, including the ability to add dimensions, annotations, and symbols.

    Category average: 6.8

  • Parametric Design

    Enables users to define and modify design parameters, allowing for faster iteration and design changes.

    Category average: 7.3

Reviews

What users are saying about SOLIDWORKS.
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SOLIDWORKS fits all of my needs.

Incentivized
Verified User
Executive (1-10 employees employees)

Use Cases and Deployment Scope

We use SOLIDWORKS to view models sent to us from our customers, design fixtures and other tooling, and CAM. It has all of the tools and more that we need to manufacture our products.

Pros

  • 3D Modeling
  • PDM
  • CAM

Cons

  • Very large files
  • I have a lot of issues with the fastener Tool Box
  • Cost

Return on Investment

  • Because of SOLIDWORKS' ease of use, I can design parts very quickly.
  • The PDM software helps with file organization and makes it easy to find what I'm looking for.
  • Before we had SOLIDWORKS, we had to outsource part design, which could be very expensive.

Usability

Alternatives Considered

AutoCAD

Other Software Used

AutoCAD, Onshape, Adobe Acrobat

SOLIDWORKS in Aerospace

Incentivized
Kevin Skariah
Quality Assurance Engineer in Quality Assurance at Av-Tech Industries, Division of Fastenal (11-50 employees employees)

Use Cases and Deployment Scope

We use SOLIDWORKS to create 3D drawing for mainly aerospace fasteners. We need to create drawings for First Article Inspection Reports AS9102, and SOLIDWORKS is very helpful in creating 3D drawings. We use SOLIDWORKS to create mil-spec fasteners for example, bolts, screws, washers and o-rings.

Pros

  • Simulation and Analysis
  • Sheet metal Design
  • 3D modeling

Cons

  • complex assembly management
  • Difficulty in maintaining smooth transitions between different surface patches, potentially leading to design inconsistencies.
  • Need for more sophisticated material properties and behaviors within simulation tools, especially for specialized applications like composites or non-linear materials.
  • Large assemblies can push the limits of even high-end hardware, potentially causing performance issues on less powerful machines.

Return on Investment

  • significantly increasing design productivity
  • reduced design errors
  • improved product quality
  • ultimately a positive ROI through cost savings and enhanced competitiveness

Usability

Alternatives Considered

Autodesk Fusion Manage and AutoCAD

Other Software Used

Ansys Fluent, AutoCAD, Autodesk Fusion

Good CAD software

Incentivized
Verified User
Engineer in Engineering (1-10 employees employees)

Use Cases and Deployment Scope

Mechanical design.

We design a few standalone mechanical parts, for a variety of production processes. Injection moulding, 3D print, laser cut, CNC etc.

Most of our projects revolve around design and build of enclosures for electronic parts usually including a PCB.

Pros

  • Usability
  • Stability
  • Ability to handle large models
  • Good support for external references in assemblies

Cons

  • The CAM package is very hard to use
  • Option to save files formatted for previous versions

Return on Investment

  • Good integration into altium for PCB collaboration
  • Good integration with HSMworks for CNC outputs

Usability

Alternatives Considered

SketchUp, Autodesk Fusion 360 and Blender

A perfect software for 3D modeling and large assemblies

Giuliano Peressini
CTO (Chief Technical Officer) in Engineering at Casagrande (201-500 employees employees)

Use Cases and Deployment Scope

We use SolidWorks for 3D design of mechanical components and assemblies. We sometimes use SolidWorks also for rendering creating the images for out catalogues

Pros

  • 3D modeling
  • Manage of large assemblies
  • Quick rendering without much knowledge

Cons

  • Further improve the large assemblies management
  • Quite a lot of requirements for the workstation

Most Important Features

  • All the 3D modeling features
  • Integration with SolidWorks PDM

Return on Investment

  • Improved performance compared to the previous software
  • Slightly reduced costs
  • Added the chance of creating catalogue images on our own

Alternatives Considered

Siemens NX CAD

Other Software Used

DraftSight, ClickUp

A student's perspective on SOLIDWORKS

Incentivized
Prey Patel
Student in Engineering at Milwaukee School of Engineering (1001-5000 employees employees)

Use Cases and Deployment Scope

SOLIDWORKS is used at my institution in order to help 3d model complex objects or new designs that are being conceptualized. For example, my formula hybrid team has used SOLIDWORKS for the past 7 years in order to design entire race cars from scratch and model every single part that is used on the car.

Pros

  • User Interface
  • Accessibility
  • Creating Drawings
  • Ease of Use

Cons

  • Battery Consumption
  • Time taken to Start
  • File Sharing

Most Important Features

  • Organization
  • Ease of Use
  • Great amount of Features

Return on Investment

  • Greater Cohesion of Design
  • Easier Collaboration
  • Can be finicky with lots of parts in an assembly.

Alternatives Considered

Autodesk Inventor

Other Software Used

PTC Windchill, GrabCAD Workbench