SolidWorks 2025 SP3.0

This update has some huge productivity gains, including selective opening of assembly components, AI-powered automatic fastener recognition and assembly, AI-powered improvements for automatic drawing creation, mid-session offline mode, and much more.

Let’s take a look at the top 10 enhancements for design and modeling in the R2025x FD03 update for 3DEXPERIENCE SOLIDWORKS and SOLIDWORKS with Cloud Services.

1. Selective Loading of Assembly Components – work more efficiently and collaboratively on large assemblies.

With 3DEXPERIENCE SOLIDWORKS, you can streamline your design process by selectively opening sections of your design structure from the 3DEXPERIENCE platform. Visualize component relationships and use advanced filtering to find relevant components. After saving a Filter, you can open it in SOLIDWORKS. Save time and boost collaboration by allowing multiple designers to work efficiently on the same large assembly without interfering with each other.


2. AI-based Automatic Fastener Recognition and Assembly – save time on manually assembling.

This one is my personal favorite. When inserting components into assemblies, SOLIDWORKS will automatically recognize components that appear to be nuts, bolts, or washers as fasteners, AND automatically assemble them.

As you know, we have automatic fastener assembly when using SOLIDWORKS Toolbox components. However, we know many of you use custom or outsourced fasteners from other catalogs. Now, this capability extends to non-toolbox components. Drop in these parts, and boom, they will automatically be snapped into place, saving you time from having to do each component separately.


3. Generative Drawing Creation – accelerate drawing creation with AI-assisted enhancements.

In FD01 earlier this year, we added the capability to automatically create drawings with the simple click of a button, so you wouldn’t have to create them from scratch. In this update, we’ve done a lot in the way of automated drawings, including the following exciting enhancements:

- Automatic hole recognition leveraging AI- The Hole Wizard recognizes geometry that looks like holes, such as countersunk, counterbore, and through holes, and intelligently applies the appropriate hole callouts. This goes for native SOLIDWORKS or imported geometry.
- Ensure your views are automatically arranged to avoid overlap with each other and with annotations through the power of AI.
- Automatically match the sheet format industry standard to the part or assembly industry standard.
- Automatically determine the best-fit sheet size to ensure all views and annotations are clearly scaled and neatly arranged without overlap.
- Access the ‘Auto-Generate Drawing (Beta)’ command under the ‘New’ command


4. Unplanned Offline Mode – continue designing with less interruptions.

We have further improved offline mode capabilities. If you experience a connection loss while connected to the 3DEXPERIENCE platform, you’ll get a notification, and you can continue your work in SOLIDWORKS in offline mode, without the need to save, exit and start a new session. This improvement also extends to SOLIDWORKS Visualize and 3DEXPERIENCE DraftSight, ensuring uninterrupted productivity across all applications.


5. Hiding and Showing Annotations in Parts and Assemblies – gain greater control over displaying annotations.

Model-based Definition (MBD) enhancements include the ability to hide or show specific annotations in parts and assemblies when using DimXpert. Whether you’re working with complex assemblies or detailed part designs, this feature simplifies the presentation of critical data, improving clarity and reducing visual clutter, when necessary.


6. Override Document Level FeatureManager Design Tree Settings – control how documents are displayed.

Enforce company standards and best practices with a new system-level display setting for the FeatureManager design tree.

Use the Override document-level tree display to specify options in the Component Name and Description dialog box at the system level. When enabled, the system-level options override the document-level options for the component names in the FeatureManager design tree. The system-level options do not override the document-level options in the document.


7. Dynamic Tree Expansion In MySession – quickly open and navigate large and complex assemblies in MySession.

Currently, when you open an assembly, the tree in MySession is fully expanded, and all updates are retrieved from the 3DEXPERIENCE platform. By disabling the “Refresh MySession after opening files” option in the Options tab, you can simplify navigation of large and complex assemblies. This enables on-demand tree expansion in MySession so that only the first level of child components is loaded initially. As you expand the tree, additional levels open one at a time, reducing load times and improving overall workflow.


8. Synchronize CircuitWorks Component Libraries – ensure a single source of truth.

As you may know, CircuitWorks is now available in SOLIDWORKS Standard, Premium, and Professional, enabling two-way collaboration between electrical and mechanical designers.

From the CircuitWorks Component Library, you can now synchronize CircuitWorks component libraries between SOLIDWORKS and 3DEXPERIENCE SOLIDWORKS to keep electrical component libraries up to date and consistent across different environments.


9. Combined BOMs Across Multiple Routing Assemblies – ensures that downstream manufacturing personnel have all the essential information in one place.

In SOLIDWORKS Routing, you can create a more flexible Bill of Materials (BOM) for designs involving cable, wires, harnesses, fluid, and piping networks. This enhancement allows you to track total lengths of cable or wire types across all subassemblies, as well as individual cable/wire lengths, while also providing combined counts of components.


10. Splice Highlighting – include placement guidance of splices and components.

In SOLIDWORKS Routing, visually guide the placement of splices and other inline electrical devices in harness segments. By using imported from-to connection information, harness segments suitable for locating a splice or other inline electrical device are highlighted to guide placement of the device. This intuitive guidance makes the placement of splices and inline components easy and precise.

Your favorite browser-based solution, SOLIDWORKS xDesign, is introducing some exciting new enhancements this month! The latest functional delivery (FD) update, R2025x FD03, includes:

- 2D Authoring for Section and Detail Views
- Generative Drawing Views
- Enhanced Control for XR Design Review
- Generative Hole Callouts for Non-Native Geometry
- Convert Image to 2D Mechanism Option

Let’s have a look at what’s new in this release.

PART & ASSEMBLY DESIGN

Convert an Image to a 2D Mechanism

Convert an image of a mechanism into a sketch with the new 2D Mechanism option in the Picture to Sketch tool. This option uses logic to recognize objects in the image, such as straight linkages, linkages with slots, bent linkages, fixed anchors, and rollers, to convert them into sketch objects. It also recognizes constraints in the image, such as hinges, sliders, and anchor points, to convert them into sketch constraints.

This command works best for converting a screenshot of a mechanism in a textbook into an editable 2D sketch.


Enhanced Control for XR Design Reviews

In our last release, we announced the new Extender Reality (XR) functionality, which enables you to visualize your product in a virtual or real-world environment using new virtual reality (VR) and augmented reality (AR) settings.

Explore and understand designs more effectively when visualizing designs in VR and AR with new ways to interact with your model. The Grab Skill now supports rotating, scaling, and pinning components in place. Additionally, with the new Hide Skill, you can selectively hide assembly components and then Show All Components when you want to see the complete picture again.


Improved Measure Tool

Quickly inspect and verify geometry to ensure accuracy and design intent with enhancements to the Measure tool. Updates include the ability to hide measurement flags, view maximum dimensions, and clear selections from the right-click menu. There’s also a new mini dialog that’s optimized for small viewports.

Design in Context with Custom Environments

There’s a new option to create your own custom environment and insert it into your design. Using the Create Environment tool, you can easily create custom user-defined design environments to contextualize your models.

Using design environments allows you to design in the context of a larger model while maintaining high system responsiveness. It’s also nice if you’re going to create a rendering of a product and you want to include it in its natural environment to show its intended use.


SUBDIVISION MODELING

Align to Sketch Proportional

In the subdivisional modeling workflow, we’ve added what we call a proportional alignment capability that you can access in the Align to Sketch feature.

This enables you to quickly create complex shapes that closely capture user input by creating a proportional alignment between mesh entities and your sketch.

How it works is you select your vertices/mesh entities, then use the Align to Sketch tool to draw a line manually, then you can enable the Proportional setting that distributes the vertices along the sketch while keeping the original spacing.


DRAWING & MBD

In this update, we’ve done quite a bit to enhance xDesign’s definition capabilities.

2D Authoring – Section & Detail Views

Now you can create detail views and section views in 2D. Previously, you could only create the section view in 3D and then place that view on the drawing, so you were only able to use MBD workflows to create sections and details.

Now you have the classic 2D drawing workflow that many engineers are familiar with, so you can place the section line and create a section view directly from your drawing sheet.

With the ability to create section and detail views directly from the drawing environment using traditional section lines and crop circles, you can ensure a clear interpretation of the drawing. The section lines and crop circles are automatically shown on the parent 3D views to improve model-based communication and reduce the model-based learning curve.

This enhancement gives you a single source of truth and the ability to see parent-child relationships across different views using both 2D and 3D.


Generative Drawing Views (BETA)

Use the power of artificial intelligence (AI) to eliminate repetitive drawing tasks with generative view creation and placement. In the new Sheet Command, there’s a new option called Generate Drawing Views (Beta).

During sheet creation, you can generate drawing standard views, such as orthographic and isometric directly from the 3D model with minimal manual input.

When you enable Generate Drawing Views it will automatically review your model and create all of your standard and orthogonal views and isometric views, saving you time from having to manually create the views. It will correctly scale them to your sheet and correctly position them as well.


Generative Hole Callout

The Hole Callout command has been enhanced to automatically create comprehensive callouts for all types of geometry, removing the need for holes to be created with the Hole feature in xDesign. This expands the detailing flexibility by enabling quick, accurate dimensioning of holes on imported or legacy data, as you can create precise hole callout annotations on native and non-native geometry, such as imported STEP or SLDPRT files.

Using AI, hole callouts are automatically generated using actual geometry, so you can create a hole callout for any cylindrical shape. The software will look at the geometry to determine if it’s a simple hole, or counter hole, for example, and then automatically create a hole callout.


Hidden Lines Visible (HLV) Mode

This update also adds the popular industry format, Hidden Lines Visible (HLV) mode, a display mode that shows the edges of features obscured from view by solid geometry as dashed lined in 3D and 2D.

This will enable you to clearly identify internal or hidden geometry without sectioning the model, thus simplifying the drawing, while enhancing clarity for downstream communication


Enhanced Placement of 3D Annotations

Ensure your 3D annotations are always readable with new annotation flipping options. When defining your model in 3D, annotation and dimension text can now be flipped horizontally and vertically to ensure readability from alternate viewing angles. This is especially valuable when reorganizing annotations for different model orientations, such as moving a dimension from the front to the back view.

Furthermore, the new flipping options will ensure clarity and readability in all contexts and eliminate the need to recreate annotations in the new desired view.


3DPlay Support for Section, Detail, and Flatten Views

3DPlay now supports the ability to view native annotation sets with model-based section, detail, and flatten views.

Easily take a physical product or annotation set and drop it into 3DPlay to view the content and collaborate downstream with stakeholders.


RENDERING

Multi-view Rendering

Effortlessly generate stunning renderings of multiple views with a single click. The Render Image dialog is now capable of rendering multiple views in one step. These can include the current viewport or a custom selection of predefined camera views within the rendering environment.

This enables you to publish multiple renderings at the same time. For example, if you set up a project with multiple scenes and you go to publish, you can now select all the different cameras and scenes that you want to publish, and basically do a bulk render, instead of having to do each one individually.


In addition to the enhancements above FD03 also includes the following updates:

- Added the option “Show Feature in Design Manager” in context menus and breadcrumbs, which expands the entire parent path and auto-scrolls to the selected feature in the Design Manager.
- Added a “Refresh” command to the context menu for SOLIDWORKS components that will bring the latest version of the component from the database into the session.
- Added the ability to send an unlock request to other users when using the Unlock command on the Lifecycle tab of the Action bar for a component that is locked by another user.
- Added a Flip button to the Edit Sketch Plane dialog to correct issues where the sketch flips in the wrong direction, resulting in downstream errors.
- Added the ability to pin the Session Information panel to the right side of the session.
- Improved performance and accuracy of dynamic and selection highlighting in the graphics area.
- Improved the logic for expanding sets when activating or expanding components in the Design Manager.
- Improved the Sweep command with the Up To Geometry end condition so that the end face is tangent to the reference geometry and improved assigning face IDs for a sweep feature, so the faces are referenceable in downstream operations.

One last important note is that the SOLIDWORKS xDesign Offer will now include a new single combined SOLIDWORKS xDesign role instead of a package of separate roles. Not to worry, because the offer will still include all your favorite tools for parametric modeling, subdivision modeling, sheet metal, 2D drawing, and MBD, structure design, mold design, and rendering.

This update brings exciting new features, including selective loading of assemblies with advanced filtering, along with improvements to drawing stamping, task scheduling, and more!

Selective Loading of Assembly Components – work more efficiently and collaboratively on large assemblies.

Today, there are many different ways users handle opening large assemblies, like Large Design Review (LDR), Lightweight, etc. We’re introducing a new capability that allows you to open a selective section of your design structure, also known as a partial open, using the 3DEXPERIENCE platform.

With the Product Explorer app, you can visually manipulate the design structure through finding relationships among components, sub-assemblies, assemblies, etc. and leverage advanced filtering capabilities. After filtering to a specific desired set of components, you can save this structure as a Filter and open just these components in SOLIDWORKS. You’ll notice a filtered icon next to the top-level assembly in the FeatureManager tree and a banner indicating it is a Filtered Assembly. Changes made to these selected components can be saved back onto the 3DEXPERIENCE platform and are reflected in the top-level assembly.

This also allows multiple users to work on the same large assembly collaboratively. For instance, if one user is focused on the fitment of a specific component in a large assembly, they can filter by volume to isolate components within a specified bounding box and work only on those parts. Similarly, for a user working on wiring of an entire system, they can use a filter to only open electrical/wiring components.


Task Scheduling for 3DEXPERIENCE SOLIDWORKS – run tasks at a later time or on a recurring schedule.

With the latest update, we’re reintroducing the ability to schedule tasks to run at a later time or on a recurring basis using SOLIDWORKS Task Scheduler. You can now run tasks in the background with local files, even when you’re away from your machine, allowing you to stay productive without being tied to your desk. Once you’re logged in, your credentials are saved, and scheduled tasks can run without needing to input them again. We’ve also simplified the Generate Derived Output task by removing the username and password fields.

This enhancement adds flexibility to your workflow, letting you automate routine tasks and free up your time for other priorities, whether it’s after hours or during breaks.


Dynamic Tree Expansion In MySession – open and navigate large assemblies easily.

Experience better performance when opening large models with complex assembly structures. As you already know, when you open an assembly, the entire tree structure in MySession is completely expanded and updates on each file are fetched from the 3DEXPERIENCE platform. Now when you disable “Refresh MySession after opening files” in Options from the Tools tab of the MySession Action bar, opening the file will load only the first level of child components. Subsequent expansion only opens one level at a time, helping reduce load times and improving file structure browsing.


Exclude Drawings in an Export Package – include or exclude specific drawings.

Control which drawings you’d like to include or exclude when exporting data packages. When using the Export as Package tool, located in the Collaboration tab of the MySession Action bar, after adding drawings, you can choose whether or not to include specific drawings. The Exclude option helps you avoid exporting unnecessary or outdated drawings and reduces the size of the exported package.


Stamping Drawings with User Names and Email Addresses – Improve collaboration and traceability.

Earlier this year, we enhanced drawing stamping with the ability to include maturity status of a drawing through the Change Status or Change Action commands.

Now we’ve further extended the attributes to include user names or email addresses. You can stamp the user names or email addresses of the users who participated in the drawing release process. This information will also display in 3DPlay and other Dassault Systèmes web viewers.

This enhancement will help add clarity to your drawings and ensure stakeholders in the drawing release process can be easily contacted by including email addresses.


Install 3DEXPERIENCE Add-in from 3DEXPERIENCE Marketplace – save time by installing the add-in directly within SOLIDWORKS.

For those using SOLIDWORKS with Cloud Services, you can install the 3DEXPERIENCE add-in directly from 3DEXPERIENCE Marketplace from the SOLIDWORKS Task Pane.

To access this functionality, simply load the 3DEXPERIENCE Marketplace from the SOLIDWORKS Add-In dialog box under the Tools menu.

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