In this on-demand webinar, Brandon Atkins, Product Technical Manager for the Data Solutions portfolio at Hawk Ridge Systems, takes the three requirements he hears most from SOLIDWORKS customers moving to PLM — connected change management, a full product BOM, and supplier collaboration — and runs each through both tools so you can see where they overlap and where they diverge. (If you need the PDM vs. PLM basics first, start with What Is PDM.)

How Do You Tell Which PLM Path Fits: SOLIDWORKS Manage or 3DEXPERIENCE?

Choose SOLIDWORKS Manage if you already run SOLIDWORKS PDM Professional on-premises and want to keep working in Windows Explorer while adding change processes, a full product BOM, and a scoped supplier web portal. Choose the 3DEXPERIENCE platform if you want cloud deployment with no servers to manage, are starting with little or no PDM or PLM in place, or want PLM plus broader capabilities such as cloud simulation and supply chain apps on one Dassault Systèmes platform. Both address the same three PLM requirements — connected change management, a controlled 100% product BOM for ERP, and supplier collaboration inside the system — so the decision is primarily deployment model and how much of the business you want on one platform.

Key Takeaways

• SOLIDWORKS Manage and the 3DEXPERIENCE platform address the same three PLM requirements: change management connected to CAD, a controlled 100% product BOM that hands off to ERP, and supplier collaboration inside the system.
• SOLIDWORKS Manage is the logical step if you already run SOLIDWORKS PDM Professional on-premises and want to keep working in Windows Explorer. The 3DEXPERIENCE platform is the path if you want cloud, no servers to manage, or are starting with no PDM or PLM in place.
• Both let suppliers work inside your PLM without copying data out. SOLIDWORKS Manage exposes a scoped web portal; 3DEXPERIENCE sends license-free external tasks with automatic reminders.
• The 3DEXPERIENCE platform reaches further than PLM, into cloud simulation and purpose-built supply chain apps, if you want more of the business on one platform.
• Neither requires full automation on day one. BOM-to-ERP exports and downstream triggers are steps you add as the system comes online.

Why Do SOLIDWORKS Teams Move From PDM to PLM?

Because change records, the full BOM, and supplier communication end up in systems SOLIDWORKS PDM cannot see.

PDM is very good at managing files, and Atkins is clear that it stays part of every PLM strategy. What it does not hold is the change request from the shop floor, the packaging and instructions that ship with the product, or the drawing revision a supplier is machining to. When those live in a separate change database, a spreadsheet, and an email thread, the connections depend on people, and that is where parts get scrapped. “I don’t want to have to scrap parts because a change order was not recognized properly because it didn’t get transferred from the right database to the right people to see it,” Atkins says.

Integrating disconnected systems is possible, but it is often complicated or out of budget. Unifying under one PLM umbrella lets more people participate in a standardized, controlled process. Both SOLIDWORKS Manage and the 3DEXPERIENCE platform do that; the rest of this article is how.

How Does Each Tool Handle Change Management?

Both connect an ECR/ECO workflow directly to the affected CAD data. SOLIDWORKS Manage starts it from a SOLIDWORKS PDM Professional state change; the 3DEXPERIENCE platform builds it in a business process management (BPM) engine.

SOLIDWORKS Manage. Atkins demonstrates with a miter saw. A manufacturing user spots an assembly problem with the base, searches the part in PDM, grabs a measurement and screenshot, and requests a change by moving the files to a new state. That state change creates an ECR record in Manage’s item-centric database and automatically links the affected CAD deliverables. The workflow stamps the reporter’s name, collects cost analysis and other required deliverables, tracks approver tasks, and emails the next person in line. Approval initiates the ECO, assigns an engineer, and carries the affected items forward with full history and traceability back to the ECR. A customer complaint can start the same process directly from an email, with the message body and attached photos parsed into the record.

3DEXPERIENCE. The BPM engine builds the same kind of workflow against the CAD data you store on the platform, with branching logic: a quality issue follows the quality path, and a change above a threshold loops in the CEO for special approval. Atkins likes BPM because it is flexible enough to drive almost any process, and it also handles downstream handoffs to systems like ERP. He notes the same control exists in Manage: “Anytime you’re building these workflows with whatever tool of ours you’re going to use, we have full control over how these workflows operate.” For a deeper look at the 3DEXPERIENCE side, see Change Management: Using 3DEXPERIENCE to Manage Your Design Changes.

How Does Each Tool Build the Full Product BOM?

Both add the non-CAD items to the CAD-derived BOM, control them by revision, and export to ERP on release.

“Maybe the CAD environment is going to give us 80% of the bill of materials,” Atkins says. The other 20% is everything you would never model: packaging, consumables like Loctite, printed instructions, spare-parts kits.

SOLIDWORKS Manage turns those into revision-managed items on the product BOM and pulls customer or product data from CRM and ERP so nothing is duplicated. It reports quantities and cost, supports variants (localized instructions and different electrical components for the US, Canada, and Europe), and compares variants side by side. On approval it can email a PDF report or stage a CSV for ERP to read on a schedule or trigger. The BOM-variant capability is covered in more depth in Solving the Top 4 Challenges in PDM with SOLIDWORKS Manage.

The 3DEXPERIENCE platform does the same from its web interface. The BOM owner adds documents and non-CAD items, releases the BOM, and either kicks out a CSV or lets scripted automation deliver it to ERP when the release fires. Atkins stresses this is a step you add as the system comes online, not a day-one requirement.

How Can Suppliers Work Inside Your PLM Without Copying Data Out?

Give them a scoped view of only what they need. SOLIDWORKS Manage does it with a web portal; the 3DEXPERIENCE platform does it with license-free external tasks.

SOLIDWORKS Manage web client. Atkins logs in as David Martin, a machinist at a supplier called Fab Guys. David sees only the change requests he has been added to. When a design he is machining moves to revision C, he previews the new drawing and part, and records how he will correct it, all inside the record. He can also log requests of his own, such as a material change on a part he machined last year, which routes to engineering for a decision based on real data instead of an email thread. If your supplier contract requires notice of material changes, this is where it gets logged.

3DEXPERIENCE BPM and supplier apps. Atkins runs a request-for-quote workflow. An internal user picks an approved supplier from a form (supplier qualification can be its own workflow), attaches the drawing, and sends. The supplier gets an email linking to an external task where they download the drawing and attach a quote. No license is needed; the platform uses a token system for external tasks. A timer in the workflow re-sends reminders automatically if the supplier stalls, notification templates are customizable HTML, and the requester watches the process pass each gate in real time. For tighter control, 3DEXPERIENCE also offers purpose-built supplier collaboration apps where a supply chain manager qualifies vendors and suppliers review engineering data, exchange messages, and submit revised proposals through multiple rounds, all on the same platform.

SOLIDWORKS Manage or 3DEXPERIENCE: How Do You Choose?

Start with infrastructure preference, then decide how much of the business you want on one platform.

Choose SOLIDWORKS Manage if you already run SOLIDWORKS PDM Professional on-premises. Manage is built on a native Windows architecture, includes PDM functionality, and is tightly integrated with SOLIDWORKS CAD and SOLIDWORKS PDM Professional. Atkins calls it “a logical step forward”: you keep browsing files in Windows Explorer and add processes, BOMs, and a web client for external users on top.

Choose the 3DEXPERIENCE platform if you want cloud, do not want to manage servers, or have no PDM or PLM in place today. You invite users by email and they work from a browser. Atkins describes it as “almost infinitely scalable.” It is a PLM system at its core, but it also covers disciplines like cloud-computed advanced simulation and supply chain management, so it fits teams that want more than PLM on one platform.

Both handle the three challenges above. The decision is deployment and reach.

SOLIDWORKS Manage vs. 3DEXPERIENCE at a Glance

Use this quick comparison when you need a citable readout of how each path handles deployment, change, BOM, suppliers, and fit.

Deployment — Manage: On-premises; builds on SOLIDWORKS PDM Professional; native Windows / Explorer workflow / 3DEXPERIENCE: Cloud (Dassault Systèmes 3DEXPERIENCE platform); browser-based; no servers to manage

Change management — Manage: ECR/ECO from a PDM state change; item-centric records linked to CAD; email-driven approvals / 3DEXPERIENCE: BPM engine with branching logic; workflows against platform CAD data; ERP handoffs

BOM — Manage: CAD BOM plus revision-managed non-CAD items; variants; PDF/CSV or scheduled ERP export / 3DEXPERIENCE: Web BOM with documents and non-CAD items; CSV or scripted release-triggered ERP delivery

Suppliers — Manage: Scoped web portal; suppliers see only assigned records; can log their own requests / 3DEXPERIENCE: License-free external tasks (token system) with auto-reminders; optional supplier apps

Best if… — Manage: You already run SOLIDWORKS PDM Professional on-prem and want a logical step forward / 3DEXPERIENCE: You want cloud, no PDM/PLM today, or PLM plus simulation and supply chain on one platform

Frequently Asked Questions

Does SOLIDWORKS Manage Replace SOLIDWORKS PDM?

No. SOLIDWORKS Manage includes and builds on SOLIDWORKS PDM Professional. Your files stay in PDM; Manage adds processes, the full BOM, and external collaboration.

Do Suppliers Need a License to Use Either Tool?

In SOLIDWORKS Manage, suppliers use a scoped web client showing only their assigned records. In the 3DEXPERIENCE platform, external tasks use a token system, so the supplier needs no license to review files or submit a quote.

Can Either Tool Send the BOM to ERP Automatically?

Yes. Both can export a CSV or trigger a scripted handoff when the BOM is released. Atkins recommends adding this automation as the system matures rather than on day one.

Can We Move from SOLIDWORKS Manage to 3DEXPERIENCE Later?

Migration is possible with planning, but this webinar does not cover the path. Talk to your Hawk Ridge Systems account manager about your roadmap before choosing.

Next Steps

If you are deciding between these two paths, talk to our data management team or your Hawk Ridge Systems account manager. We help you choose, then configure, test, and go live, which we have been doing for 30 years. For the full comparison of every PDM and PLM tool we offer, download the Data Solutions Buyer’s Guide or explore our data management solutions.

The post SOLIDWORKS Manage vs. 3DEXPERIENCE: Which PLM Path Fits Your Team? appeared first on Hawk Ridge Systems.

Transient simulations can take significant time to solve when different physical processes occur at very different rates. If the flow around a part reaches a steady condition long before the part finishes heating or cooling, Flow Freezing can help shorten simulation times by keeping the established flow field fixed while the slower process continues.

A good example is cooling parts after a forging or heat-treating process. In this case, an arrangement of metal hammers starts at 1000 °C and is exposed to a constant stream of air at 30 °C. The goal is to determine how long it takes for the hammers to cool to 200 °C.

The airflow around the hammers develops relatively quickly, while the metal takes much longer to cool. So, once the airflow has developed, do we really need to keep recalculating it?

This is where Flow Freezing can make a difference.

Simulation Setup

The model consists of multiple metal hammers arranged in rows. In the actual cooling process, the hammers would be suspended from a rack to allow air to flow around the parts. For this simulation, the rack and suspension hardware have been omitted to simplify the model.

The air flows over the parts at a velocity of 10 m/s (an imaginary fan or blower provides the ambient flow). The analysis is set up as a transient simulation, allowing the temperature of the hammers and surrounding flow to change over the course of the analysis.

With the model set up, the simulation must account for both the airflow around the hammers and the heat being transferred from the metal. Under normal conditions, the flow field continues to be solved throughout the analysis.

That raises an interesting question: once the airflow has developed, do we really need to keep calculating it?

What Is Flow Freezing?

Some simulations contain physical processes that develop at very different rates. If one process becomes steady much faster than another, continuing to recalculate the faster process can consume CPU time without providing much additional information.

In SOLIDWORKS Flow Simulation, convective mass, momentum, and energy transport generally develop faster than diffusion processes (like temperature changes or substance concentrations). Flow Freezing allows the pressure and velocity field to be fixed while the calculation continues to solve for temperature and composition. This can be particularly useful when a relatively steady flow field is combined with a slower thermal or species-diffusion process.

This closely resembles what’s happening in the simulation with the hammers. The air needs to flow around the hammers, but once that flow has developed, the main thing we are interested in is the much slower change in temperature of the metal.

Instead of continuing to spend computational effort recalculating a flow field that is already steady, we can freeze it and allow the thermal calculation to continue.

Applying Permanent Flow Freezing

Flow Freezing is found under Calculation Control Options > Solving. There are three options: Disabled, Periodic, and Permanent. For this example, Permanent Flow Freezing will be used. The simulation initially runs normally, allowing the airflow to develop. The point at which Flow Freezing begins is user configurable, so the flow can be allowed to develop for an appropriate amount of time before it is frozen.

It would not make sense to freeze the flow too quickly. The airflow needs time to develop around the hammers first. If the flow is frozen too early, the velocity field may not accurately represent the established flow. Consider the extreme example of freezing the flow immediately. At the very beginning of the study, the air velocity will be zero or near zero. Freezing the flow then will lead to nonsensical results as the forced convection of 10 m/s will not be captured, nor will any natural convection even be allowed to develop since the air cannot change velocity.

The Flow Freezing guidance recommends an initial period of at least 0.25 travels, with 0.5 travels generally being sufficient for many problems. However, the development period can vary from case to case. Depending on the geometry and flow conditions, users may need to test different values in their own simulations to determine when the flow has developed sufficiently to be frozen.

For this example, Flow Freezing is set to begin after 1 travel. This gives the airflow time to develop before the velocity field is frozen. From that point forward, the established velocity field remains fixed while the hammers continue to cool.

What Happens After Freezing?

Once Permanent Flow Freezing is activated, the velocity field is no longer recalculated. Instead, the calculation can focus on the slower thermal process.

The hammers are still losing heat to the air, so their temperatures continue to change with time. As the metal cools, the heat transfer from the hammers to the surrounding air also changes. The simulation can continue until the desired temperature is reached.

In this case, the question remains the same: how long does it take for the hammers to cool from 1000 °C to 200 °C?

How Much Time Can It Save?

Without Flow Freezing, the flow velocity field continues to be calculated throughout the entire simulation. Because of that, the timestep needs to be relatively small. For this hammer example, the standard simulation timestep determined is around 0.003 s. With Flow Freezing, the velocity is held constant (or frozen) and just the thermal diffusion of hot to cold is calculated. This means the timestep can be much larger without running into instabilities common with large time steps. In this case, the timestep post-freeze is on the order of 30 s (an increase of 10,000×!).

The simulation without freezing enabled was projected to take about 100 hours to run. With freezing enabled, the entire simulation completed in about 2.5 minutes.

Without Flow Freezing, users may be tempted to simply increase the size of the timestep to get results sooner. In this study that could be reasonably done. The 0.003 s timestep in the default study is very small, and it could be made larger without too much instability. This is not always the case, though. In some flow simulations, increasing the timestep enough to meaningfully shorten the solution time leads to instabilities where velocities become extremely large or temperatures spike to unrealistic values.

Periodic Flow Freezing

Permanent Flow Freezing works when the velocity field can be treated as steady while the temperature or other slower process continues to change. However, this is not always the case. This is where Periodic Flow Freezing can be useful.

Instead of permanently stopping the flow calculation, Periodic Flow Freezing alternates between periods where the flow is frozen and periods where the velocity field is recalculated. Temperature and concentration are still calculated during every iteration.

This can be useful for situations where velocity depends on temperature, such as flows where fluid density changes significantly with temperature or natural convection problems where buoyancy affects the flow. For the hammer cooling example, since the airflow is held constant at 10 m/s regardless of the hammer temperatures, permanent freezing is a better choice as it runs quicker.

When Flow Freezing Makes Transient Studies Practical

Cooling these hammers is a good example of a simulation where different physical processes occur on different timescales. The airflow around the hammers can reach a relatively steady condition much faster than the metal cools. Running the entire transient simulation normally means continuing to calculate the flow field even after it has largely stabilized.

With Flow Freezing, the simulation can first be allowed to establish the airflow. Once the flow is sufficiently developed, the velocity field can be frozen and the calculation can continue focusing on the slower thermal process.

The practical takeaway is this: when a problem sees velocity and pressure level off relatively quickly while a slower process like thermal or species diffusion takes much longer, using Flow Freezing can provide potentially huge time savings.

Note: Flow Freezing can also be used in steady-state analyses.

Learn more: Explore SOLIDWORKS Flow Simulation and related SOLIDWORKS Simulation solutions from Hawk Ridge Systems.

The post Speeding Up Transient Simulations with Flow Freezing appeared first on Hawk Ridge Systems.

SOLIDWORKS has introduced a new naming structure that brings traditional SOLIDWORKS Desktop and 3DEXPERIENCE SOLIDWORKS together under one name: SOLIDWORKS Design. All versions and product levels of the locally installed CAD application now share this unified name, creating a more consistent identity across the portfolio.

The unified SOLIDWORKS Design name creates a clearer, more consistent product family while preserving flexibility in how the software is licensed and installed. Customers can choose between traditional device licensing and cloud-managed Single User Licensing. The product level defines the included capabilities, while the licensing model defines who or what holds the license and how SOLIDWORKS Design is installed, managed, and accessed.

Why Is Everything Now Called SOLIDWORKS Design?

Previously, the product name helped distinguish between two versions of SOLIDWORKS. Serial-number-based installations were generally called SOLIDWORKS Desktop, while the user-based version launched and managed through the 3DEXPERIENCE platform was called 3DEXPERIENCE SOLIDWORKS. Despite their different licensing and deployment methods, both were installed and ran locally on a Windows computer.

Both delivered the same core SOLIDWORKS design experience, but their different names made them sound like separate CAD systems. The move to SOLIDWORKS Design brings them together under a single name. Regardless of the licensing method, SOLIDWORKS Design remains a locally installed application. What changes is how the license is assigned, how the software is installed and launched, and how it is managed.

Separate the Name, Level, and Licensing Model

The easiest way to understand the new structure is to separate three decisions that were previously blended together:

The SOLIDWORKS Design Product Levels

The familiar Standard, Professional and Premium levels remain, and Ultimate sits above them as the most comprehensive offer. These names describe functionality, not the installation method:

• SOLIDWORKS Design Standard includes the core tools for creating parts, assemblies, and drawings.
• SOLIDWORKS Design Professional adds productivity, visualization and design automation capabilities.
• SOLIDWORKS Design Premium adds advanced simulation, motion, and routing capabilities.
• SOLIDWORKS Design Ultimate combines SOLIDWORKS Design Premium with a broader collection of connected design, simulation, manufacturing, visualization, and product development tools.

Standard, Professional and Premium are available through both Device Licensing and Single User Licensing. SOLIDWORKS Design Ultimate is available only through Single User Licensing.

Two Ways to License, Download, and Install SOLIDWORKS Design

The new naming structure is unified, but the installation experience still depends on the licensing model. At the highest level, customers choose between Device Licensing (left) and Single User Licensing (right).

Device Licensing: The Traditional Serial Number Method

Device Licensing follows the traditional SOLIDWORKS installation process many customers already know. The license is delivered through one or more SOLIDWORKS serial numbers.

Installation files are downloaded locally or prepared as an administrative image; the SOLIDWORKS Installation Manager installs the selected products, and the appropriate serial numbers are entered during setup.

The license is connected to hardware rather than to an individual login. Device Licensing can be configured in two ways: standalone licensing or network licensing.

Standalone Licensing

With a standalone license, SOLIDWORKS Design is activated on a specific workstation. Any authorized person using that computer can open the software, but the license remains assigned to that device. If the license needs to move to another computer, it must be deactivated on the current workstation and activated on the new one.

Standalone licensing is a strong fit for dedicated engineering workstations, shared shop-floor computers, and environments where the organization wants direct control over installation timing and installed versions.

Network Licensing

With network licensing, a SolidNetWork License Manager hosts a shared pool of licenses. SOLIDWORKS Design is installed on each client computer, but the license is checked out from the server when the application opens and returned to the pool when it closes.

Network licensing is based on concurrent use. A company may have ten people who occasionally need SOLIDWORKS Design but only five who use it at the same time. In that case, five network licenses may support the group, provided no more than five users need simultaneous access.

This approach can make efficient use of licenses across a team, but it requires a license server and reliable connectivity between each client and that server. Remote users may need a VPN connection, or they may need to borrow a license before disconnecting from the company network.

Both standalone and network licensing are available for SOLIDWORKS Design Standard, Professional and Premium. Device licenses may be offered as term licenses or perpetual licenses with subscription services. SOLIDWORKS Design Ultimate is not available through Device Licensing.

Single User Licensing (SUL): Cloud Managed Licensing

Single User Licensing, commonly abbreviated as SUL and also referred to as Named User Licensing (NUL), assigns SOLIDWORKS Design to a specific person through their 3DEXPERIENCE account. Instead of being tied to a computer or license server, the license follows the individual and is accessed using their login credentials.

The assigned user can install SOLIDWORKS Design on as many compatible computers as needed. This makes it easy to move between an office workstation, home computer, or laptop without deactivating hardware, transferring serial numbers, or purchasing a separate license for each computer. The license is intended for the assigned user and should not be shared through common credentials.

License assignments are also flexible. An administrator can transfer a license from one user to another every 24 hours, allowing organizations to adjust access as staffing and project requirements change.

Users can borrow a license for up to 30 days when they need to work without a connection to the 3DEXPERIENCE platform. During that period, the borrowed license functions much like a standalone license on that computer.

Single User Licensing also provides flexibility when choosing a SOLIDWORKS version. Users can install the latest release or supported versions dating back up to two years. They can keep SOLIDWORKS Design updated to the newest available version or remain on a specific release and decline software upgrades when consistency is more important.

A Streamlined Installation and Launch Experience

SUL also changes how SOLIDWORKS Design is installed. The user signs in to the 3DEXPERIENCE platform and selects SOLIDWORKS Design. If the application is not already installed on that computer, the launch process starts the guided local installation. Once it is installed, selecting SOLIDWORKS Design launches the application.

If the user moves to another compatible computer, even one that does not yet have SOLIDWORKS Design installed, the essential item they need is their login. They sign in, select SOLIDWORKS Design, and complete the local installation when prompted. Because the license is managed through the account instead of a hardware activation, there is no serial number to transfer between computers.

Single User Licensing is available as a term license for SOLIDWORKS Design Standard, Professional, Premium, and Ultimate. It also provides an immediate connection to the 3DEXPERIENCE platform and Cloud Services.

SOLIDWORKS Design Licensing at a Glance

Cloud Managed Licensing Does Not Mean Browser-Based CAD

The term cloud can mean several things within the SOLIDWORKS portfolio. With Single User Licensing, the license and software access are managed through the 3DEXPERIENCE platform. SOLIDWORKS Design remains locally installed on a Windows computer and uses that computer’s hardware.

Cloud Services, often called 3DX PDM, connect SOLIDWORKS Design to the platform for file storage, sharing, markup, revision management, and collaboration. They are included with every new purchase of SOLIDWORKS Design, regardless of the product level or licensing method.

For CAD that runs entirely in the cloud, SOLIDWORKS offers SOLIDWORKS xDesign. It is part of the SOLIDWORKS portfolio, but it is a separate browser-based CAD solution, not SOLIDWORKS Design running in a browser. At the time of writing, geometry can move between the two applications, but the parametric feature history does not transfer. AI-driven BREP-to-parametric tools are beginning to rebuild editable features from imported geometry, helping close this gap.

Which Licensing Model Is Right for You?

The best licensing model depends on how you need to access SOLIDWORKS Design and how your organization prefers to manage software deployment. Each option has advantages and trade-offs.

Choose standalone licensing for a dedicated workstation that may be used by different authorized people. It is simple to manage and does not require a license server, but the license remains tied to that computer and must be transferred before moving to another workstation.

Choose network licensing when a team has more potential users than simultaneous users. A shared license pool can reduce the number of licenses needed, but users must be connected to the company network, either locally or through a VPN, to check out a license. A license can be borrowed in advance for offline use, but users may still be unable to open SOLIDWORKS Design if every available license is already in use.

Choose Single User Licensing when one person needs access from multiple computers or locations. The license follows the user, installation is streamlined, and no serial number transfers are required. However, the license is assigned to one person rather than shared concurrently and must be managed through the 3DEXPERIENCE platform. Single User Licensing is also the only option for SOLIDWORKS Design Ultimate.

Many organizations use a combination of these options. Dedicated workstations may use standalone licenses, groups with variable demand may share network licenses, and mobile or hybrid users may receive Single User Licenses. The objective is to match each license to how SOLIDWORKS Design is actually used.

The Bottom Line

The new SOLIDWORKS Design name is intended to unify the portfolio, not remove customer choice. Traditional SOLIDWORKS and 3DEXPERIENCE SOLIDWORKS no longer have separate product identities. They are now licensing and deployment options for the same SOLIDWORKS Design product.

The product level tells you what capabilities are included. The licensing model determines whether the license is assigned to an individual user, activated on a specific workstation, or shared through a network license pool. It also determines how SOLIDWORKS Design is installed and accessed. Standard, Professional, and Premium are available through both Device Licensing and Single User Licensing, while Ultimate is available exclusively through SUL.

Once those distinctions are clear, the new naming structure becomes much easier to navigate: one SOLIDWORKS Design name, four product levels, and flexible licensing options built around the needs of different users and organizations.

Hawk Ridge Systems can help you compare SOLIDWORKS Design levels; evaluate standalone, network, and Single User Licensing; and choose an installation and licensing strategy that fits your users, IT environment, and purchasing requirements.

For accurate SOLIDWORKS license cost and configuration based on how your team actually uses seats, connect with your Hawk Ridge Systems sales rep — they can map Standard, Professional, Premium, or Ultimate to the right Device or Single User Licensing model.

Learn more: Explore SOLIDWORKS solutions and licensing options from Hawk Ridge Systems

The post When Single User Licensing Is the Right Choice for Your Next SOLIDWORKS Design Seat appeared first on Hawk Ridge Systems.

Prerequisites: SOLIDWORKS Design 2026, Cloud Services, and 3DEXPERIENCE Access

Before we begin, you will need SOLIDWORKS Design 2026 or later with Cloud Services. Cloud Services includes additional roles that we will talk about shortly. Alternatively, you can have a SOLIDWORKS single-user license that connects directly to the 3DEXPERIENCE platform without any additional add-ins required. If you do not have access to the 3DEXPERIENCE platform, you will not be able to access SOLIDWORKS AI Labs. Contact your SOLIDWORKS admin to ensure you have the correct roles to access your Cloud Services and AI Companions.

If you are licensing SOLIDWORKS Design with standalone or network licensing, the add-in for SOLIDWORKS Design will need to be installed. This will be installed through the 3DEXPERIENCE platform. It is available under the Design with SOLIDWORKS role and is called Collaborative Designer for SOLIDWORKS. If you are running SOLIDWORKS Design with single-user licensing, no additional add-in is required to connect SOLIDWORKS to the platform. If you have already installed at least SOLIDWORKS Design 2026 and Collaborative Designer for SOLIDWORKS, or a SOLIDWORKS Design single-user license, jump to How to Access SOLIDWORKS Virtual Companions below.

How to Install SOLIDWORKS AI Labs from the 3DEXPERIENCE Platform

You will need SOLIDWORKS Design 2026 to access SOLIDWORKS AI Labs. If you do not have SOLIDWORKS Design installed, or you have an older version, refer to the help articles How to Install SOLIDWORKS or How to Install the SolidNetWork License Manager Client. If you are using SOLIDWORKS Design with single-user licensing, all necessary products will be installed from the 3DEXPERIENCE platform automatically when SOLIDWORKS Design is installed. No prior or subsequent installations are required.

Regardless of whether you need to install Collaborative Designer for SOLIDWORKS or the full SOLIDWORKS Design with single-user licensing, both are installed directly from the 3DEXPERIENCE platform, and installation methods are nearly identical.

First, click the compass in the upper right-hand corner to access your roles and apps. For Collaborative Designer for SOLIDWORKS, find Design with SOLIDWORKS. For SOLIDWORKS single-user licenses, find the SOLIDWORKS version you are installing: SOLIDWORKS Design Premium or Professional. For this article, I will be using SOLIDWORKS Design Premium. Clicking the dropdown will prompt you to install the 3DEXPERIENCE Launcher if this is your first application installed from the platform.

The prompt to install the 3DEXPERIENCE Launcher allows you to download it. Begin the download.

When the download is complete, proceed with the installation.

Then, you can click Continue on the “Welcome to the 3DEXPERIENCE Launcher” dialog box in your browser. You may need to click the dropdown on the app again to begin installing the software. You will likely get a notification that the web browser is trying to contact the 3DEXPERIENCE Launcher. Review this dialog box and allow the connection to install and use these applications.

Select Install All Roles Containing Design with SOLIDWORKS or Install All Roles Containing SOLIDWORKS Design, depending on whether you are installing the add-in or a single-user license.

This will open a new installation window. Complete the installation.

Once the installation is complete, click Design with SOLIDWORKS/Collaborative Designer, or SOLIDWORKS Design Premium/SOLIDWORKS Design once more on the 3DEXPERIENCE platform to launch the software. Launching from the platform is the best way to ensure you are connected to the platform.

How to Access SOLIDWORKS Virtual Companions (Aura and Leo)

Now that the software is installed and launched from the 3DEXPERIENCE platform, you may notice 3DEXPERIENCE features in the task pane on the right-hand side. The red play button opens the new AI Labs. Click this play button to begin a conversation with one of the virtual companions. The two companions you can access in SOLIDWORKS Design are Aura and Leo. Aura helps connect you to knowledge, operating much like the LLM chatbots you are already familiar with. Ask Aura questions, and it will provide answers from SOLIDWORKS help articles and 3DSwym communities. Leo takes action in your model, providing context on your current documents and making changes. Let’s access these Virtual Companions and see what they can do.

At the top of the Virtual Companions tab is the Explore AI Capabilities button. Note that the AI Labs tab looks different in older service packs and does not include this button in SP2 and earlier.

Clicking it shows examples of what the SOLIDWORKS Virtual Companions can do. Explore the different demonstration prompts. In SOLIDWORKS Design 2026 SP3.2, you can use the Customize dialog box to add a Virtual Assistant button to your CommandManager or Quick Access Toolbar. I keep mine on the Quick Access Toolbar.

This also allows you to explore AI capabilities using the flyout menu. Clicking any of these prompts starts a chat with that prompt.

How to Generate SOLIDWORKS Drawings Automatically with Leo

Clicking the drawing generation prompt starts the process.

Take note that even though the prompt is “Create a drawing of my part,” Leo understands that I actually have an assembly open. This mismatch between the prompt and the document does not faze the AI. Leo offers many options when creating the drawing, including template, sheet format, drawing standard, model path, primary view, projected views, dimensions, section views, and tables (revision and/or BOM).

In this example, I used the default values for all options. Leo also offers to show a preview of the drawing. I instructed Leo to proceed and open the drawing once created.

Using Leo to generate drawings eliminated the tedious initial step of creating each view in my drawing. It created the views and automatically scaled them to fit the sheet. The drawing still needs editing, so I will move the tables and views and add annotations as needed.

How to Create SOLIDWORKS Macros with Leo

Every SOLIDWORKS user will run into a scenario in which they have a repetitive task that can be automated with a macro, but creating and troubleshooting macros can be a difficult and research-intensive process. Another great example of Leo’s capabilities is macro generation. For example, if I need to export all of my components to STEP files while maintaining a specific naming convention, PartNo_Material_Date.STEP, I will need to manually export each file in my assembly or use export options to create the STEP files and manually change each name. This would be much faster with a macro. I will prompt Leo to generate a macro that exports all components in my assembly as STEP files and specify the naming format.

Leo generated a macro that accomplishes this goal.

Running this macro works as expected: it creates STEP files in the assembly directory and even includes failure messages. However, it gives no confirmation when it finishes successfully. I can continue to chat with Leo to adjust the macro, so I prompted it to add a dialog box showing that the STEP files were created, where they were created, and how many.

And now the macro creates the STEP files and generates the requested report:

Leo creates an easier entry point for creating and editing macros. Now even novice users can build robust macros and automate their designs.

Wrap-Up: Start Automating SOLIDWORKS with AI Labs

Now that you have installed SOLIDWORKS Design 2026 and Collaborative Designer for SOLIDWORKS, or a SOLIDWORKS Design single-user license, SOLIDWORKS AI Labs is available directly from the user interface. You can automate previously tedious tasks such as systematically creating all your necessary drawing views or drafting research-intensive macros. These assistants gain new capabilities with every release and will be able to accomplish even more soon. If you are ready to test Leo and the latest AI features, but you do not have access to the 3DEXPERIENCE platform or the 3DEXPERIENCE add-in, reach out to us. If you would like to learn more about token usage with SOLIDWORKS, check out our blog article: SOLIDWORKS AI Blue Tokens: An Engineer’s Usage Guide.

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It can be frustrating when a SOLIDWORKS Electrical Environment Archive completes with reported failures but never tells you which symbols, footprints, or projects are responsible. In a large environment, tracking them down by hand can take hours.

Why the Archive Fails

One of the most common causes is a mismatch between the SQL database and the SOLIDWORKS Electrical Data folder: a symbol or footprint still has a valid database entry, but its DWG file no longer exists in the shared Electrical Data folder. This can happen when the file is accidentally deleted, or when a user connects to the shared SQL database while pointing to a local Electrical Data folder — the database record lands in SQL, but the DWG is saved only on that user’s machine.

Two Free Templates That Find the Culprits

To simplify the hunt, we’ve created two Excel templates that compare the SOLIDWORKS Electrical SQL database against the contents of the shared Electrical Data directory.

Symbols & Footprints Template — compares SQL records against the Block folder to find symbols and footprints whose DWG files are missing.

Project Template — compares SQL records against the Projects folder to find projects whose folders are missing.

What You’ll Need

SQL Server Management Studio (SSMS) with login rights to your Electrical SQL instance, access to the shared Electrical Data folder, and a current version of Excel (the templates use the XMATCH and FILTER functions, available in Microsoft 365 and Excel 2021 or later).

How It Works

Both templates follow the same three-step pattern: pull the master list from the SQL database, pull the actual file list from the Electrical Data folder, and let the spreadsheet flag every database entry with no matching file. The SQL query and full instructions are built into each workbook, so the whole check takes about five minutes.

Checking Symbols and Footprints

1. In SSMS, connect to your Electrical SQL instance and run the query included in the template. It pulls the expected DWG filename for every symbol and footprint (the blo_filename field from the tew_block table in the tew_app_data database).
2. Copy the results and paste them into Column A.
3. In File Explorer, open the Block subfolder of your Electrical Data folder (the location set in Tools > Application Settings).
4. Type CMD in the folder’s address bar to open a command prompt there, then paste the command below — this copies every filename in the folder, minus the extension, to your clipboard.
   CommandCopy command

   (for %i in (*) do @echo %~ni) | clip

5. Paste into Column B.
6. Done. Column C flags “Missing” next to every database entry with no matching DWG file, and the top of the sheet shows the missing count plus a filtered list of the flagged items.

Checking Projects

The Project template works the same way. The included query pulls each project’s ID and name (from the tew_project table in the tew_app_project database) into Columns A and B. Then, from the Projects subfolder of your Electrical Data folder, run the folder version of the one-liner:

CommandCopy command

(for /d %i in (*) do @echo %~ni) | clip

Paste the result into Column C. Because project folder names match their Project IDs, Column D flags “Missing” for every project in the database with no corresponding folder.

What to Do With the Results

Instead of manually checking thousands of files, you now have a targeted list of library objects or projects to investigate.

If the missing DWGs or project folders are available in an older Environment Archive, you can unarchive it to restore them. If the root cause was the missing objects being saved to a user machine instead of the shared folder, and you still have access to that machine, copying the files or folders into the shared electrical folder will fix the issue.

Once the flagged items are resolved, re-run the Environment Archive to confirm the failure count drops to zero.

Note that these templates identify failures caused by missing files or folders. If an archive still reports failures after everything checks out, another issue is at play and further investigation is required.

For more information, check out our YouTube channel or contact us at Hawk Ridge Systems today. Thanks for reading!

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Artificial intelligence in 3D CAD design has evolved beyond a novel feature into an everyday engineering necessity. With the rollout of Dassault Systèmes’ SOLIDWORKS AI Virtual Companions — AURA, LEO, and MARIE — design teams can now automate repetitive tasks, orchestrate complex enterprise knowledge, and bridge advanced computational science directly within their design environment.

In just a few short months since these capabilities were unveiled, we here at Hawk Ridge Systems have already gotten our hands on the new AI agents and put them to the test. We’ve gotten SOLIDWORKS to identify, select, and make changes to common components like bolts, washers, and linkages. We’ve had it create exploded views and assembly instructions for a finished product. And we’ve had it automatically generate complex drawings based on the drafting standards and practices that we specify.

To power these AI capabilities, Dassault Systèmes has instituted a credit-based consumption model governed by what they are calling Blue Tokens. While the new model means that usage of these AI capabilities does come with an incremental cost, understanding the token allocation and spend can go a long way toward maximizing the value your teams get.

The Mechanics of the Blue Token Economy

Every SOLIDWORKS license on active subscription now includes Cloud Services, and the AI companions come with it at no additional license cost. From the moment you activate your 3DEXPERIENCE tenant and install the Design with SOLIDWORKS app, you’ll have AURA and LEO running directly in your SOLIDWORKS task pane, ready to help you speed up your work (you’ll need SOLIDWORKS Design 2026 SP3.0 or later).

To get users started with their first prompts, Dassault Systèmes has also granted companies a free introductory block of 2,100 Blue Tokens per license — 2,000 for each SOLIDWORKS Design or Design with Cloud Services license, plus 100 for each 3DSwymer license. These Blue Tokens are pooled together in each company’s 3DEXPERIENCE tenant, allowing your entire organization to draw from the same reserve so that anyone can make use of them when needed. Note that this is a one-time grant rather than a recurring allowance — once it’s spent, it doesn’t refresh.

In the spirit of encouraging widespread experimentation, the token model has, for now, been set at a heavily discounted rate where no single AI prompt or task will consume more than 20 Blue Tokens, regardless of compute load or query complexity. As AI capabilities expand and models mature to handle deeper generative engineering, Dassault plans to gradually ramp up token consumption over time to reflect the growing value being delivered to customers. Because costs are capped today, now is the strategic window for teams to establish efficient prompting standards, build internal workflows, and discover high-value automation cases.

Triaging Your Virtual Companions: AURA, LEO, and MARIE

Even with the reduced spend, there are practices every engineer can follow to get the most value out of the system. The token costs of these AI capabilities are calculated for each prompt, so to optimize token spending, avoid asking the wrong companion to perform a specialized task. Each companion is fine-tuned for distinct operational domains within the product development lifecycle, and while the platform is often smart enough to switch to the right agent, that incurs additional token cost.

AURA handles enterprise knowledge and process orchestration. It excels at querying internal engineering standards, summarizing technical design change notes, searching company repositories, and navigating SOLIDWORKS menu structures — for example, “What’s the difference between a sketch fillet and a feature fillet?” Getting quick answers on how to drive SOLIDWORKS yourself is a great way to maximize value; since AURA in most cases is simply providing text guidance and/or Dassault Systèmes sources, these prompts should for the most part cost only one token each.

LEO, on the other hand, is for the most part able to operate SOLIDWORKS and other tools on your behalf, which as you can imagine is more computationally expensive. It handles mechanical CAD modeling, feature creation, assembly optimization, and can even create detailed drawings from scratch. LEO provides the highest immediate hours-saved return, and while these prompts may cost up to 20 tokens each, using it in the right situation to prevent repetitive modeling, file conversion, or drawing setup could yield a massive net return on engineering time.

MARIE, set to be released sometime next year, will rely on computational science, materials expertise, chemical formulations, and compliance. It will evaluate candidate materials under thermal or mechanical stress, verify regulatory compliance, and select specialized formulations. While MARIE is expected to have less of a direct connection to SOLIDWORKS, companies that take advantage of its research capabilities will likely be able to save some design re-work cycles down the road, making the AI token usage pay off significantly.

Strategic Practices for Maximum Token Efficiency

Vague, multi-turn conversations burn tokens quickly. Instead of asking LEO to build an assembly step-by-step across five separate prompts that could cost up to 100 tokens, gather all specifications upfront — using AURA if necessary — and execute the generation in a single, well-structured prompt. For example, rather than issuing separate prompts to create a bracket, add clearance holes, change material, and apply fillets, combine these into a single instruction stating the baseplate dimensions, hole spacing, fillet sizes, and material assignment to cap the cost at 20 tokens.

Reserve LEO’s token budget strictly for simple yet repetitive SOLIDWORKS tasks that you know will save time, while relying on AURA or native UI tools for knowledge and informational checks. Take advantage of the current 20-token prompt cap to get a better sense of which prompts return the most value, such as converting massive, non-native STEP assemblies into parametric SOLIDWORKS models, before consumption rates ramp up.

Monitoring Usage and Buying More Tokens

Since tokens are pooled across your tenant, it’s a good idea to have your 3DEXPERIENCE administrator keep an eye on usage — this is easily done by clicking the Compass and navigating to the Members Control Center app. While there aren’t currently tools to monitor or limit usage by individual Members or Groups, that is something Dassault Systèmes has highlighted as a future project. For now, if the pool of free tokens starts to run low, extra packs of 25,000 tokens can be purchased ($1,250/year) to ensure high-volume workflows continue uninterrupted.

By aligning your queries with the right AI companion and taking advantage of the current 20-token prompt cap, your team can build seamless AI habits that dramatically accelerate development cycles. If you’d like help putting AURA and LEO to work in your own automation workflows, contact us at Hawk Ridge Systems today. Thanks for reading!

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How much it really costs: Anywhere from about $200 all the way past $500,000, depending on technology, build volume, materials, and support.

Vendor list prices move often — new packages, promotions, and product generations. Every figure below is a starting-at list price, not a locked quote. Confirm current pricing with Hawk Ridge Systems before you budget.

Ballpark starting ranges:

• Hobby / consumer desktop: starting at ~$200, typically $200–$3,000 (capable enclosed and multi-material machines now sit at the top of this band)
• Professional desktop: starting at ~$3,000–$25,000
• Benchtop production: starting at ~$20,000–$70,000
• Industrial and metal: starting at ~$45,000 and commonly $100,000–$500,000+ once wash, sinter, and post-processing cells are included

Most engineering and manufacturing teams buy in the professional desktop and benchtop production tiers — typically starting around $5,000–$25,000 for daily-use SLA or composite FDM, and starting around $20,000–$70,000 for enclosed production composites or benchtop SLS packages.

This guide covers starting-at 2026 prices by category for printers in the Hawk Ridge Systems portfolio. We cover what drives the differences in pricing and how our application engineers build a cost-per-part and ROI model before making a recommendation.

3D printer prices in the Hawk Ridge Systems portfolio for 2026 span from around $200 hobby desktops to $500K-plus industrial and metal systems.

What Actually Drives 3D Printer Cost?

Four factors explain almost every gap between a few-hundred-dollar printer and a few-hundred-thousand-dollar cell:

1. Technology. Filament extrusion (FDM/FFF) is the cheapest to build; resin (SLA/DLP) adds optical systems; powder bed fusion (SLS) adds lasers plus precise thermal control; metal systems add wash and sinter stations — that engineering is what you’re paying for as you move up the tiers.
2. Build volume. Bigger chambers cost disproportionately more because thermal uniformity gets harder as volume grows.
3. Materials capability. A printer that only runs PLA is cheap. A printer certified for flame-retardant, ESD-safe, or aerospace lot-traceable materials (like Markforged Onyx FR-A) carries hardware and qualification costs to match.
4. Software, service, and quality systems. Industrial machines include build-management software, fleet monitoring, in-process inspection (for example, laser micrometers on Markforged industrial units), and support contracts. Desktop hobby machines mostly don’t.

Desktop Printers (starting at ~$200–$3,000): What You Get and Give Up

We’ll be honest: Hawk Ridge Systems doesn’t sell in this consumer tier, and for a hobbyist or a first prototype, a sub-$1,500 desktop FDM printer is still a genuine good buy. Modern consumer machines print PLA and PETG reliably and are the right way to learn the technology.

That ceiling has moved. High-speed enclosed consumer platforms — multi-material combos, larger beds, optional laser or cutting modules — now run well past $1,500 and into the low-to-mid $2,000s. They remain consumer products: community support, limited engineering-material certification, and no industrial service contract.

What you give up versus a professional machine is repeatability, qualified materials range, and support. Expect open-loop or lightly closed process control, limited engineering materials (nylon and composites are difficult without enclosed chambers and hardened drive systems), no dimensional inspection, and forum-level support. For a business, the hidden cost is operator time spent babysitting prints — which is exactly the line item the ROI math below will expose.

Professional Printers (starting at ~$3,000–$25,000): Real Numbers

This is the tier where most engineering teams buy, and where we can point to current starting-at list prices on the Hawk Ridge store. Packages (wash/cure stations, extra build platforms, service plans) move the number more than the printer SKU itself.

• Formlabs Form 4 Complete Package — starting at about $5,600. The Form 4 printer itself starts lower (basic packages typically start around $2,600–$3,500). SLA resin printing with fine detail and smooth surface finish; many jobs finish in about two hours. Standard 1L engineering resins start around $80–$150 (see Formlabs Grey V5).

The Formlabs Form 4 is a professional-tier desktop SLA resin printer priced in the low tens of thousands.

• Markforged Onyx Pro — starting at $8,990. Prints Onyx (chopped-carbon-fiber nylon) plus continuous fiberglass reinforcement.

The Markforged Onyx Pro is a desktop 3D printer that prints with Onyx filament at the professional price tier.

• Markforged Mark Two — starting at $15,990. Adds continuous carbon fiber, Kevlar®, and HSHT fiberglass — the desktop machine that replaces machined aluminum parts for many fixtures.

The Markforged Mark Two prints continuous fiber composites in the professional price tier.

• Formlabs Form 4L — starting around $7,000 for a basic large-format package (printer, tank, mixer, build platform, and finish kit); complete wash/cure packages typically start around $20,000 (Complete package includes Form Wash L, Form Cure L, resin pump, flex platform, service plan). Large-format SLA.

The Formlabs Form 4L is a large-format SLA printer priced alongside other professional-tier systems.

• Formlabs Fuse 1+ 30W Complete Package — starting at $24,649. Benchtop SLS (nylon powder, no support structures). Complete cells that add the Fuse Sift powder-recovery station and blast/polish equipment run substantially higher (~$57,000).

The Formlabs Fuse 1+ 30W SLS printer pairs with the Fuse Sift powder-recovery station at the professional price tier.

Factor in Material Costs Too

Consumables are a real line item at this tier. Treat these as starting-at figures that move with spool size and formulation:

• Markforged Onyx — starting at about $190 per 800cc spool
• Continuous carbon fiber — starting at about $450 per 150cc spool
• Formlabs Nylon 11 CF powder — starting at about $999 per unit

Budget materials as part of the purchase decision, not an afterthought.

Production and Industrial Systems (starting at ~$45,000–$500,000+)

Production platforms — Markforged FX10 / FX20 and Metal X cells, Stratasys SLA / P3 / SAF systems — are priced as capital equipment and quoted per configuration. Published starting points, when available, sit in the mid-to-high five figures; a complete metal print-wash-sinter cell commonly starts well into six figures once Wash-1, Sinter-1/2, and installation are included. Origin Two and other P3 configurations are quote-only.

• Markforged X3 / Markforged X7 — starting at $44,990 / $64,990. Industrial composite platforms with larger build volume, laser micrometer bed scanning, and (X7) in-process laser inspection.

The Markforged X7 is an industrial composite printer priced as capital equipment, quoted per configuration.

The Markforged FX20 production printer sits in the mid-to-high five-figure starting range for industrial systems.

The Stratasys Neo800+ and Neo450 SLA printers, shown with a UV800 curing unit, are priced at the production and industrial tier.

What matters at this tier is what’s included, because it changes the real cost substantially:

• Installation and facilities planning. Powder systems need ventilation, compressed air for bead blasting, and Class II Div 2 vacuums.
• Training. Larger Markforged systems such as the FX20 and Metal X include onsite and online operator training with purchase, plus Markforged University self-paced courses under the Digital Forge support package.
• Support and spare parts. Industrial support plans cover break-fix parts and dedicated support teams — downtime is the most expensive consumable in production printing.
• Post-processing equipment. Depowdering and vapor-smoothing stations (AMT, DyeMansion) are often required for production-quality output and should be in the budget from day one.

The Real Math: Total Cost of Ownership and Cost per Part

Sticker price is the wrong number to optimize. Here’s the two-phase analysis straight out of our 3D Printer Buyer’s Guide, the same one our application engineers run with customers:

Phase 1 — variable cost: materials and consumables only.

Variable cost per part = material used × material price + consumables share

If that number beats your current per-part cost, move to phase 2.

Phase 2 — fixed cost: amortize hardware and operating costs over a defined period (typically five years) and load them into the part cost:

True cost per part = variable cost + (hardware + service + labor, amortized over 5 years) ÷ parts produced

Then add the two factors most spreadsheets miss: production speed (how many more parts, and how many weeks of lead time disappear when parts are made in-house?) and labor (can technicians stop babysitting outsourced orders and do higher-value work?).

Real examples from our webinars: a bracket that cost roughly $5 to print in-house was quoted at $20–$22 through a service bureau; a stamping fixture printed for about $15 versus roughly 10× that (and nearly 10× the hours) machined. On a bigger structural part, a CNC quote at a two-day turnaround came in around $600, versus roughly $500 for the same part printed in carbon-fiber-reinforced Onyx — and about half the CNC cost in fiberglass-reinforced Onyx.

Want the guided version? Use our 3D Printing ROI Calculator, or download the full 3D Printer Buyer’s Guide for the complete worksheet.

Buy vs. Outsource: A Break-Even Framework

The rule of thumb from the bureau-vs-print examples above: when the per-part delta is 3–4× and you print weekly, the machine typically stops being an expense and starts being a cost reduction. Run your actual parts through the ROI calculator together with printing-as-a-service quotes before deciding.

FAQ

How Much Does a 3D Printer Cost for a Small Business?

Most small engineering and manufacturing teams spend in a band starting around $5,000–$25,000. That covers professional SLA (Formlabs Form 4 Complete Package, starting at about $5,600), composite FDM with continuous fiber (Markforged Onyx Pro starting at $8,990 to Mark Two starting at $15,990), or benchtop SLS (Fuse 1+ 30W package, starting around $25,000) — machines built for daily, repeatable use with real support.

What Is the Cheapest Metal 3D Printer?

Metal FFF systems like the Markforged Metal X are the most accessible entry into metal printing — office-friendly, minimal PPE, using a print-wash-sinter workflow instead of loose metal powder and lasers. Full cells (printer + wash + sinter) are quote-only and typically start well into six figures once installation is included. Full powder-bed metal systems typically cost several times more.

The Markforged Metal X uses a print-wash-sinter workflow, making it one of the most accessible entry points into metal 3D printing.

How Much Does It Cost to Run a 3D Printer per Hour?

It depends on material throughput more than electricity. As starting-at reference points, Markforged Onyx is about $190 per 800cc spool and continuous carbon fiber is about $450 per 150cc spool; a typical bracket consumes a few dollars to tens of dollars of material. Electricity is usually a small fraction of that. Ask an application engineer to model $/hour from your actual part files — published hourly rates go stale as fast as list prices.

Are Cheap 3D Printers Worth It?

For learning, hobby projects, and rough concept models — absolutely. For business use, the sticker price is misleading: operator time, failed prints, limited materials, and no service contract usually cost more than the price gap to a professional machine within the first year of regular use.

Do 3D Printer Prices Include Software?

Usually at the professional tier and above. Formlabs PreForm is free with Formlabs printers, and Markforged’s cloud Eiger software is included. Fleet management, offline/secure deployments, and in-process inspection add-ons may be licensed separately.

Ready to see the math on your parts? Contact Hawk Ridge Systems and our application engineers will run a cost-per-part and ROI analysis with your actual part files — or start by comparing technologies in our SLA vs. SLS breakdown.

Related Resources

More from Hawk Ridge Systems to help you scope, cost, and choose a 3D printer:

• How to Choose the Perfect 3D Printer in 3 Easy Steps — walks through pinpointing target applications, weighing filament vs. resin vs. powder, and setting ROI metrics before you buy.
• 3D Printing Cost Advantages Guide — downloadable guide to where additive actually saves money: prototyping, manufacturing aids, and end-use parts.
• How to Determine ROI With 3D Printing Equipment — a nine-step framework with break-even formulas and a worked $250K example for building the business case.
• 3D Printing & Scanning Financing Options — zero-down terms with 12 months of no payments, then the choice to pay monthly, buy out, or refinance.
• The 3 Best Production 3D Printers for Industrial Equipment — compares production platforms against the jigs, tooling, and spare parts each is built for.
• Getting Started With Industrial 3D Printers — what FFF, SLA, and SLS each demand in power, ventilation, software, and routine maintenance before the first print.
• Metal 3D Printing Reinvented: Turn Hype Into Value — how Metal FFF makes functional metal parts accessible for prototypes, custom tooling, and complex geometries.
• Markforged Metal X — specs for the office-friendly print-wash-sinter workflow, including metal materials and multi-day cycle times.
• Additive Manufacturing Post-Processing — washing, curing, depowdering, and automated vapor smoothing: the equipment budget beyond the printer itself.
• Farason Corporation: Custom Mechanical Gripper (Markforged) — a custom end-of-arm gripper printed in continuous carbon fiber on a Markforged X7.
• Brose: End-Use Car Parts on Formlabs SLS — a Tier 1 auto supplier brought a Fuse 1 in-house to make end-use car parts.
• Formlabs 3D Printers — browse the SLA and SLS lineup plus Fuse Blast post-processing.
• Stratasys 3D Printers — production-grade polymer systems by use case: SAF, full-color PolyJet, large-format Neo SLA, and P3 DLP.
• Markforged Printer Buyer’s Guide — gated guide comparing desktop and industrial Markforged models.

The post How Much Does a 3D Printer Cost? 2026 Price Guide appeared first on Hawk Ridge Systems.

Forgeline Motorsports runs finite element analysis on every wheel they design. By taking a deliberately practical approach — simulating only the critical load case, using a remote load instead of extra geometry, and letting user time win over solve time — they went from wheel designs commonly failing physical tests to roughly one physical-test failure in a decade, while cutting physical testing spend from an estimated $250,000–$500,000 per year down to about $10,000 per year.

Rather watch the full presentation? Hawk Ridge Systems Product Manager Terrence Woo demos Forgeline’s workflow in the webinar here: Accelerating the Wheel Design Process: A SOLIDWORKS Simulation Case Study.

Real World Return on Investment for Simulation Software

All figures above are stated in the webinar by the presenter, drawn from Forgeline’s own experience.

How Forgeline Motorsports Uses SOLIDWORKS Simulation

Forgeline is an Ohio-based maker of forged, made-to-order performance wheels — every wheel built to the exact size, offset, and finish the customer specifies, appearing on high-profile cars like the Glickenhaus and others. Forged wheels give a better strength-to-weight ratio than cast, and Forgeline has used FEA for more than ten years to push wheels stronger and lighter at once.

Wheels have to survive three standardized physical tests:

• an impact test (curb-strike energy)
• a radial fatigue test
• and an eccentric-mass cornering fatigue test

The insight that makes Forgeline efficient: the cornering fatigue test is almost always the critical case. A wheel that passes cornering fatigue passes radial and impact too — so they only ever simulate the cornering case. That single decision removes two-thirds of the virtual test matrix.

Forgeline’s Simulation Workflow

The example wheel was the one-piece monoblock NW104 in 6061-T6 aluminum. Here is how Forgeline sets up the study in SOLIDWORKS Simulation:

• Material — 6061-T6 (already defined in the model, so it carries over with no changes.)
• Fixture — the outer rim is fixed, exactly as in the physical cornering-fatigue rig.
• Load — the real test applies the load to a hub 12 inches off the mounting face. Rather than modeling a 12-inch hub (and wasting solve time computing stresses in test equipment they do not care about), Forgeline uses a remote load at a coordinate system on the mounting face — 2,900 lb, one foot out. It is faster to set up and faster to solve. We cover this feature in detail in How to Apply a Remote Load in SOLIDWORKS Simulation.
• Mesh — the blended curvature-based mesher (the default) gives an efficient mesh with least effort. Notably, Forgeline skips local mesh control. Todd Larew found that hand-selecting fillet faces took ~5 minutes to save only ~40–50 seconds of solve time — so he uses a global mesh, walks away for coffee, and saves his time instead. (On other geometries local control pays off; know the difference — see curvature-based vs. standard mesher.)
• Static result — peak stress came in around 24 ksi, well below yield, with realistic deflection matching the test video.
• Fatigue study — the wheel must survive 200,000 cycles. Instead of hand calcs or spreadsheets (how they used to do it), the SOLIDWORKS Simulation fatigue study uses a stress-life (S-N) approach referencing the static study. Result: about 64% of material life used at 200,000 cycles — comfortable headroom to pass.

The Bigger Lesson: Be Practical, Not Perfect

The recurring theme is that a good simulation model is the one that gets you an actionable answer fastest — not the textbook-optimal one. Forgeline’s practical playbook:

• Simulate only the critical case (cornering fatigue), not all three tests.
• Use a remote load instead of extra hub geometry.
• Use a global mesh when local control does not pay for itself.
• Use built-in fatigue studies rather than spreadsheets.
• Use parametric optimization on a few key variables — not topology optimization, which produces shapes that clash with the aesthetic constraints wheel design demands.

On that last point: the parametric optimization example held peak stress just under 24 ksi while minimizing mass, and found that changing a fillet from 0.5 in to 0.585 in improved strength while adding only about 0.01 lb. Note too that each wheel size and offset is effectively a different wheel — an 18-inch is not simply a scaled 19-inch, since bolt features stay the same size — so Forgeline runs simulations across every size and offset they produce. For more on driving designs this way, see Driving Design with SOLIDWORKS Simulation. 

Apply Their Best Practices to Your Own Simulation Study

You do not have to make wheels to benefit. The practical mindset — simulate the case that drives the design, avoid modeling what you do not care about, and let the software’s fatigue and optimization tools replace manual calculation — applies to almost any structural component. If you are weighing which package fits, our SOLIDWORKS Simulation buyer’s guide and instructor-led Simulation training are good next steps, and our engineers are always happy to talk through your specific application.

FAQ

Why does Forgeline only simulate the cornering fatigue test?

Their wheels must pass impact, radial fatigue, and cornering fatigue physical tests. Experience showed the eccentric-mass cornering fatigue test is almost always the critical case — a wheel that passes it also passes the other two. Simulating only that case removes redundant analysis while still guaranteeing all three tests are met.

What is a remote load and why use it here?

A remote load applies force at a point offset from the model without modeling the intervening geometry. Forgeline applies 2,900 lb twelve inches off the mounting face to represent the test hub, rather than modeling a 12-inch hub. It sets up faster and skips solving stresses in test equipment they do not need results for.

Why skip local mesh controls?

Local mesh refinement improves accuracy only where stress and deformation are high. On Forgeline’s wheels, hand-selecting fillet faces took about five minutes to save only 40–50 seconds of solve time. Using a slightly over-refined global mesh costs a little computer time but saves the engineer’s time.

How much did simulation save Forgeline?

We estimated physical testing would run roughly $250,000–$500,000 per year without simulation (2–3 wheel designs per week at about $1,250 per wheel test, often needing 2–3 iterations). With simulation, current physical testing spend is about $10,000 per year, plus far fewer failures — around one in the past ten years.

The post Accelerating Wheel Design with SOLIDWORKS Simulation: A Forgeline Case Study appeared first on Hawk Ridge Systems.

Product data management (PDM) is the foundation of engineering data management: it gives engineering teams one secure, version-controlled vault for every CAD file, drawing, and document — so there is always one correct copy, a full revision history, and controlled access. It helps mitigate the shared-network-drive habits that cause overwritten work, incorrect versions on the shop floor, broken references, and time lost.

You may already have PDM. SOLIDWORKS PDM Standard is included with SOLIDWORKS Professional, Premium, and Ultimate licenses, so many teams already own an entry point at no additional software cost. They just aren’t using it. Why?

Product data management (PDM) is a system that stores your engineering files in a secure, version-controlled vault — so every CAD model, drawing, and related document has one correct copy, a complete revision history, and controlled access for everyone who needs it. In short, PDM is the foundation of engineering data management for any CAD-driven team.

Think of it as a library system for engineering data: files are checked out, worked on by one person at a time, checked back in, and every change is recorded. If you’ve ever lost an afternoon to a file named bracket_final_v2_FINAL(3).sldprt, PDM is the fix.

Two things PDM is not:

• It’s not just a shared folder. It’s an actual controlled system with robust permissions administration that prevents some of the most common disasters. For example, two engineers saving over each other’s work or building from last month’s revision when there is a more recent one.
• It’s not full PLM. PDM manages your design files and the processes around them. Product lifecycle management (PLM) extends beyond engineering into projects, non-CAD items, and company-wide processes.

See our PDM vs. PLM comparison in the Data Solutions Buyer’s Guide for where the line sits.

The Problem PDM Solves

Most teams don’t start with PDM. Their engineering data management starts as a shared network drive, and it works — until it doesn’t. The failure modes are predictable — we see them often:

• Overwritten work. Two engineers open the same assembly, both make changes, only one version gets saved, and it is probably missing the other person’s important work.
• Wrong revisions in manufacturing. Someone on the shop floor browses to the wrong folder, pulls an outdated drawing, and you’re scrapping parts.
• Broken references. A well-meaning colleague renames or moves a part, and every assembly that uses it opens with errors.
• Duplicate files. Several copies of the same bolt scattered across project folders, each named by a different person’s convention.
• Time lost searching. The average engineer spends 10–20% of their time just looking for data. Independent research from Tech-Clarity puts total non-value-added data work at roughly a third of engineering time — searching for information, getting data for other people, and incorporating changes from others top the list.

That last point is where the money is. Using a conservative $50/hour burden rate, a third of an engineer’s year is roughly $32,000. Multiply across a ten-person team and you’re over $300,000 and 6,000 hours annually spent on work that doesn’t move a single design forward.

What a PDM System Actually Does

Vaulting

All files live in a secure, server-based vault — hosted on-premises or in the cloud (we run many customer vaults on AWS EC2 and Microsoft Azure). Users interact with it through a familiar interface; in SOLIDWORKS PDM‘s case, it’s Windows Explorer itself. If you can save it in Windows, the vault can manage it — SOLIDWORKS files, other CAD formats, and 200+ file types natively, from Word documents to emails.

Automated Version Control

Files are checked out to work on and checked in when done. Only one person can save changes at a time, and every check-in captures a version you can return to later. The full history — who changed what, when, and why — is retained automatically.

Workflows

Files move through states you define: under editing, waiting for approval, released. Workflow transitions trigger notifications, stamp revisions, and can automatically generate PDFs or STEP files on release. This is how you guarantee the shop floor only ever sees released data.

Permissions

User- and group-level access controls who can view, edit, and approve which files. Roughly a third of PDM users at our customers aren’t engineers — sales pulling an eDrawings preview for a customer, purchasing exporting a parts list — all working from controlled, read-only copies of the correct data.

Search and BOM Management

Search goes far beyond file names: part number, description, project, customer, or any property you put on a data card. Bills of materials are tracked automatically from your CAD references — quantities update when the assembly does, and you can compare versions to see exactly what changed between revisions.

How PDM Compares to Shared Drives, Cloud Storage, and PLM

The same four options, side by side:

ECO = engineering change order · CAPA = corrective and preventive action · NPI = new product introduction

At a glance:

Version control — Shared network drive: manual, tracked through file naming. Cloud storage (Dropbox/OneDrive): file-level history, no CAD awareness. PDM: full check-in / check-out with an audit trail. PLM: full, inherited from PDM.

CAD reference handling — Shared network drive: breaks on move or rename. Cloud storage (Dropbox/OneDrive): breaks on move or rename. PDM: references maintained automatically. PLM: references maintained automatically.

Workflows & approvals — Shared network drive: none. Cloud storage (Dropbox/OneDrive): none. PDM: configurable release workflows. PLM: cross-department processes (ECO, CAPA, NPI).

Who it serves — Shared network drive: whoever has the drive mapped. Cloud storage (Dropbox/OneDrive): small file-sharing needs. PDM: engineering plus adjacent departments. PLM: the entire organization, cradle to end-of-life.

Best for — Shared network drive: nothing CAD-related, honestly. Cloud storage (Dropbox/OneDrive): documents, not design data. PDM: teams of ~5 to hundreds of CAD users. PLM: companies managing processes and projects beyond files.

7 Signs Your Team Needs PDM Now

• You’ve shipped or scrapped parts made from the wrong revision at least once.
• More than one person has lost work to a save conflict in the past quarter.
• Finding the right file routinely takes longer than five minutes.
• Assemblies open with broken references after someone reorganizes folders.
• You maintain revision history through file-naming conventions — and people don’t follow them.
• People outside engineering email you asking for “the latest drawing.”
• An engineer leaving the company means a scavenger hunt through their local drive.

If three or more of these sound familiar, you’re paying for PDM already — you’re just not getting it.

Not sure whether you already own PDM Standard? Talk to us — we’ll check your license and show you what it unlocks.

What PDM Costs and Typical ROI

Honest answer: it depends on the tier and team size. For the most accurate price, reach out to your rep at Hawk Ridge Systems or contact us and we’ll get you in touch with the right person.

A few things are firm:

• PDM Standard is included with SOLIDWORKS Professional, Premium, and Ultimate licenses, so many teams already own an entry point at no additional software cost.
• PDM Professional adds unlimited workflows, automation, replication, and API access. It’s sold in three license types:
  • 1. Viewer (read-only access to the vault)
  • 2. Contributor & Web (edit files and data, plus a Microsoft Office add-in)
  • 3. CAD Editor & Web (adds the CAD add-in so users work with PDM inside SOLIDWORKS).

  Licenses are global and floating rather than tied to named users.

• Training is a known, published cost. The Administering SOLIDWORKS PDM Standard course is $995 per seat and the Administering SOLIDWORKS PDM Professional course is $1,495 per seat. These admin courses are recommended for 1-2 users who will administer the back end of the system.

The ROI side is better documented. The average engineer spends 10–20% of their time searching for data; PDM typically cuts that in half. On implementation timelines: we can get a vault installed and running in a couple of days, but plan on a month or two of configuration, user-acceptance testing, and training before production. Admin training for PDM Professional takes four half-day sessions; end-user training takes one.

PDM Professional scales the same way whether you’re one site or many. A typical deployment puts a SQL database and archive server behind your firewall, serving LAN, WAN, and web clients:

For distributed teams, archive servers replicate across sites, and the vault can be hosted on-premises or in the cloud (we run many customer vaults on AWS EC2 and Microsoft Azure):

For a deeper cost-justification framework, see How to Justify Your Data Management Investment, and grab the full Data Solutions Buyer’s Guide for a side-by-side of every option.

FAQ

What does PDM stand for?

PDM stands for product data management. It’s a category of software that stores engineering files and adjacent documentation in a controlled vault with version history, check-in/check-out, workflows, and permissions — ensuring everyone in the company works from the correct revision of every design file.

Is PDM the same as PLM?

No. PDM manages design files and their revisions within engineering. PLM builds on PDM and extends across the business — managing processes like engineering change orders, projects, non-CAD items, and BOMs for purchasing and manufacturing. Most companies start with PDM and add PLM capabilities as they grow.

Do small teams need PDM?

Yes, arguably more than large ones — a five-person team has no slack to absorb rework from an overwritten file. SOLIDWORKS PDM Standard is included with Professional, Premium, and Ultimate CAD licenses, so for many small teams the software cost is already covered.

How long does PDM take to implement?

The vault itself can be installed in days. Realistic time to production — including configuring workflows to match your processes, testing, and training — is one to two months for a typical deployment. Simpler PDM Standard rollouts can be live in a few weeks.

Does PDM only manage SOLIDWORKS files?

No. SOLIDWORKS PDM natively handles over 200 file formats, including other CAD systems’ files, Office documents, PDFs, images, and emails. If you can save it in Windows, the vault can manage, version, and search it.

Is there a cloud version of PDM?

Yes — with an important distinction. You can host SOLIDWORKS PDM, the file-based system described here, on cloud infrastructure such as AWS or Azure; this keeps PDM’s workflows and CAD-reference handling while moving the servers off-premises. Separately, Dassault Systèmes offers 3DEXPERIENCE Cloud PDM, a cloud-native platform where data lives on the 3DEXPERIENCE platform rather than in a local vault — better suited to distributed teams that want browser access and minimal IT overhead. Which one fits depends on how much customization and local control you need versus cloud-native collaboration.

Ready to make the move? Talk to us about data management — we’ll scope PDM to your team and show it live. Still comparing options? Start with our Data Solutions Buyer’s Guide.

The post What Is PDM? A Practical Guide to Product Data Management appeared first on Hawk Ridge Systems.

Automating tasks in SOLIDWORKS is a great way to improve productivity, reduce repetitive work, and make our work lives easier. While most of us are familiar with basic shortcuts (which you should be taking advantage of as well!), the automation capabilities in SOLIDWORKS go far beyond shortcut bars and hotkeys.

Whether it be automated drawing generation, design tables, custom macros, global variables and equations, or even brand-new AI-based tools, automation in SOLIDWORKS can save countless hours in our everyday engineering and design workflows.

In this article, we’ll discuss the top seven ways to use automation in SOLIDWORKS and show how these features can help us spend less time on routine tasks and more time solving complex design challenges.

1. SOLIDWORKS AI-Powered Virtual Assistants – LEO & AURA

Engineers and designers are increasingly benefiting from AI-powered assistants that reduce the time spent searching for information and navigating complex workflows. SOLIDWORKS users are no exception, with two specialized assistants that come with Cloud Services: LEO and AURA.

LEO: The Engineer & Builder (BETA)

LEO is a virtual assistant that can be accessed directly in SOLIDWORKS. It serves as an intelligent guide to engineering design, validation, manufacturing, and systems integration.

LEO allows us to input prompts in SOLIDWORKS to create assembly structures, convert images to mesh geometry, add parametric features to imported files, evaluate assemblies, run simulation studies, resolve design errors, and more.

It significantly bolsters our ability to solve problems with contextual solutions without leaving SOLIDWORKS. For both new and experienced users, LEO can significantly improve design efficiency and accelerate our everyday modeling, assembly, and drawing tasks.

AURA: The Connector & Explorer (BETA)

While LEO focuses on enhancing capability and productivity, AURA — also accessible directly within SOLIDWORKS — extends those benefits across the broader 3DEXPERIENCE ecosystem. It helps us locate product data, access resources, retrieve project information, and leverage enterprise knowledge.

By acting as a centralized knowledge assistant, AURA reduces the work associated with finding the information and managing the data we need to develop and mature our designs.

AURA also helps us quickly access and apply engineering and design knowledge on the larger internet to gain insight into engineering theory, design fundamentals, physics, math, best practices, and more that further aid product development.

Additional AI companions are also in development for those of us who need to supplement our scientific research skills, with expertise in materials science, hypothesis development, microbiology, chemistry, laboratory analysis, and more.

Together, LEO and AURA paired with the other benefits of Cloud Services create a more connected and efficient engineering environment, allowing us to spend less time searching for answers and more time focusing on design and innovation.

Check out our YouTube channel where we talk more about AURA and LEO.

Note: the AI assistants are currently in BETA and are still improving day by day!

2. Design Tables

Design tables have long been a staple of automation in SOLIDWORKS but are often underutilized.

With design tables, we can use Excel to drive configuration-specific dimensions, feature states, custom properties, appearances, and much more. They allow us to create, remove, customize, and manage entire families of parts and assemblies from a single spreadsheet. Once the “bones” of a part or assembly are set up, we can very quickly create large numbers of configurations, each with their own specific parameters.

The true efficiency gain comes from the speed at which bulk changes can be implemented across a large number of configurations.

Say, you need to create 100 different configurations of a part in SOLIDWORKS. That sounds like a cumbersome task…

But with design tables, it’s as easy as filling out configuration data in Excel to create different product sizes, configurable equipment options, or customer-specific variations, and every change propagates automatically throughout the model the next time it’s opened.

Design tables can deliver substantial time savings when managing large numbers of configurations.

Read more about customizing and using design tables:

• How to Utilize Design Tables in SOLIDWORKS
• Customizing Design Tables in SOLIDWORKS – A Deep Dive

3. Smart Components & AI Fastener Recognition

Smart Components are an excellent example of how SOLIDWORKS can automate design intent for specific parts and features.

Smart Components allow us to create components that capture mates, features, and even other components for use in an assembly.

Common applications are tasks that require the same assembly operations, geometry, or partner components each time they are used. For example:

• Bushings and bearings
• Mounting brackets
• Hinges
• Sensors
• Slip-fit and interference-fit components

For example, let’s say we have a press-fit bushing that we intend to use across many designs. This bushing needs a specific hole size for a proper interference fit every time it’s used. Instead of manually creating that specifically sized hole every single time we want to use the bushing, we can instead make it a Smart Component.

By doing so, we can set up the bushing to automatically insert a hole with the exact diameter we need and, along with Mate References, automatically mates it to that hole every time it’s used, significantly reducing the work required to add it to our assemblies.

Smart Components eliminate repetitive modeling and assembly work and ensure consistency across designs. For components that are used the same way every time they are inserted into an assembly, creating Smart Components is a no-brainer.

Note: Smart Components don’t force you to use the “smart” features and mates, so we still have full flexibility to use just the part by itself. The automation is there when we need it and not when we don’t!

Read more on Smart Components:

• How to Save Time and Effort with SOLIDWORKS Smart Components
• Automating the Nuts and Bolts of an Assembly with Smart Fasteners

Automatic Fastener Mates with AI

Additionally, with Cloud Services, we can also take advantage of automatic fastener recognition.

This AI-powered feature automatically recognizes fastener models (e.g., bolts, screws, nuts) and mates them in place when used in an assembly. And this feature works with SOLIDWORKS Toolbox parts and a wide range of fastener models, whether they are native SOLIDWORKS files or imported geometry from a STEP or Parasolid file.

4. Global Variables & Equations

Global variables and equations are a fantastic way to automate design intent in our models by creating intelligent relationships between model parameters.

Global variables are just that: variables that can be applied globally within a model. We generally use them to establish independent variables that we want to use to drive our designs (but they also act as dependent variables!).

We can centralize key design values as global variables that then propagate to a wide range of other model parameters, reducing work and mitigating potential errors associated with editing values one by one — that’s where equations come in.

Equations are how we tie global variables to model parameters, such as dimensions, pattern counts, suppression states, and even other global variables.

At their simplest, equations can be used to maintain consistency by linking dimensions together. For example, setting one dimension equal to another. But they can also be used to create far more robust relationships.

As designs become more sophisticated, global variables and equations can evolve into powerful parametric systems that control entire models.

Complex mathematical relationships, conditional logic, and interconnected variables can be used to drive any number of dimensions, feature states, and design characteristics from a small set of inputs. This enables us to automate design updates and create highly adaptable models with minimal effort.

Check out our article on parametric spur gear modeling using global variables and equations for an example of how they can be used to automate changes to model geometry.

5. Task Scheduler

One of the most overlooked automation tools in SOLIDWORKS is the Task Scheduler, included with SOLIDWORKS Professional and above.

The Task Scheduler is a tool that automates many time-consuming tasks by running them while we are away from our computer. We can schedule jobs to run during lunch breaks, overnight, or after leaving for the day.

Common tasks include:

• Batch exporting models or drawings to various formats (e.g., PDF, DXF, STEP)
• Running simulations
• Updating file references
• Modifying custom properties
• Importing files
• Running custom macros and scripts

By offloading these activities to Task Scheduler, we can save an enormous amount of our valuable time.

Task Scheduler comes in most handy when working with large datasets or large groups of files.

For example, when upgrading SOLIDWORKS versions, Task Scheduler can automatically convert thousands of files to that new version without manual intervention with the “Convert Files” task.

Another example might be automatically generating drawings for an entire folder of models with the “Create Drawings” task. Or we can automatically check large numbers of drawings to ensure they comply with our design and documentation standards — and automatically fix errors when found! — using the “Design Checker” task. The list goes on…

These types of tasks may not be technically complex, but by automating them through Task Scheduler, we can nearly eliminate minutes, hours, and days of otherwise tedious work.

6. SOLIDWORKS Macros & Utilizing the API

When the default or “built-in” tools aren’t sufficient, macros and the SOLIDWORKS API offer near-endless possibilities to automate our workflows.

Macros provide one of the fastest entry points into custom SOLIDWORKS automation. The built-in macro recorder allows us to capture a sequence of actions performed within SOLIDWORKS and save them for repeated use, eliminating the need to manually perform those same operations over and over again.

Tasks such as exporting files, updating custom properties, generating drawings, and modifying model settings can often be automated with a simple recorded macro.

Custom Automation with the SOLIDWORKS API

For even greater automation capabilities, the SOLIDWORKS API opens the door to virtually unlimited customization.

Using programming languages (such as VBA, VB.NET, or C#), engineers and developers can create custom macros, standalone applications, and integrated add-ins that interact directly with SOLIDWORKS data. These tools can automate complex modeling processes, enforce company standards, integrate with external systems, generate design variants, or perform calculations and validations that would otherwise require significant manual effort.

While highly customized API tools typically require significant effort to develop, the resulting productivity gains can be substantial.

Read more about using macros and the SOLIDWORKS API:

• SOLIDWORKS API: Creating a Keyboard Shortcut for Tree Display
• Getting Started with SOLIDWORKS API Automation
• Connecting SOLIDWORKS API Macros to Documents
• Top 5 Commonly Used Interfaces in the SOLIDWORKS API

Watch webinars and presentations on the API:

• 30 SOLIDWORKS API Tricks in 45 Minutes 
• Getting Started With SOLIDWORKS API Programming

7. SOLIDWORKS-Integrated Automations – PDM & DriveWorks

While the automation techniques and tools we have discussed so far are built directly within SOLIDWORKS, we also have access to tools that integrate directly with SOLIDWORKS to add additional automation capabilities: SOLIDWORKS PDM and DriveWorks.

SOLIDWORKS PDM: Data Management Automation

Data management automation with SOLIDWORKS PDM (product data management) plays a critical role in reducing manual overhead and ensuring engineering data remains consistent, traceable, and up to date.

By automating things like revision control, approval workflows, and reference management, PDM removes many of the repetitive administrative tasks that typically slow down design teams.

It also enforces compliance and approved processes automatically through configurable workflows. Once properly set up, PDM’s automated data handling significantly reduces the effort needed to manage data manually.

Learn more about SOLIDWORKS PDM:

• SOLIDWORKS PDM – Automate Processes & Safely Store Data
• Integrating PDM and PLM with Your Stack
• Beyond Engineering with SOLIDWORKS PDM

DriveWorks: Automated Configure, Price, Quote (CPQ) System

DriveWorks, on the other hand, is an automated CPQ (Configure, Price, Quote) system that allows organizations to extend data-driven automation beyond engineering into sales, marketing, and management workflows.

DriveWorks can integrate with many different software and systems and enable fully automated product configurators that translate customer requirements into validated SOLIDWORKS models, drawings, bills of materials (BOM), and pricing outputs — often with zero engineering intervention.

This CPQ capability allows sales teams to generate accurate quotes and product configurations in real time, while engineering teams benefit from standardized, rule-driven design generation.

Note: And don’t forget, every license of SOLIDWORKS comes with DriveWorks Xpress — a “lite” version of DriveWorks that has an impressive amount of functionality for being an Xpress tool. If you’re interested in trying an upgraded version, DriveWorks Solo, a 30-day free trial is available.

Learn more about DriveWorks:

• DriveWorks – Design Automation & Product Configurator
• Modeling for Design Automation with DriveWorks
• Getting Your Products Ready with DriveWorks Pro 3D CPQ Configurator
• DriveWorks Case Study: Waimea

Get the Most Out of Automation in SOLIDWORKS

Ultimately, automation in SOLIDWORKS is about reshaping how we, as engineers, designers, and CAD-users interact with the design process itself.

When routine effort is reduced — whether through parametric control, automated documentation, or system-driven workflows — we have more time for engineering judgment, iteration, and refinement of real design intent.

We can choose the right level of automation for the task at hand, gradually building toward workflows that are less manual and more adaptive. Automation is not a destination but an ongoing evolution that allows us to spend our time more strategically so we can make better engineering decisions.

As always, if you have any questions or want to know more about automation and the other tools in SOLIDWORKS, reach out to us! We are always happy to discuss how the SOLIDWORKS suite of software solutions can address your engineering and design challenges and help you improve your workflows and development processes.

Be sure to check out our webinar on SOLIDWORKS automation as well:

• Automate Your Designs with SOLIDWORKS
• How to Automate Drawing Creation in SOLIDWORKS

The post The 7 Best Ways to Help Automate Your SOLIDWORKS Designs appeared first on Hawk Ridge Systems.