What’s New in SOLIDWORKS 2024?

What’s New in SOLIDWORKS 2024?

Every SOLIDWORKS release is dedicated to enhancing your workflow by optimizing the speed and efficiency of the most frequently used tools. This year, SOLIDWORKS broadens your array of tools with purpose-built solutions and the convenience of seamlessly linking your design data through Cloud Services to the cloud-based 3DEXPERIENCE platform.

Cloud Services enables you to share and mark up 3D designs with anyone, securely store and retrieve designs, and manage design modifications. By eliminating the challenges associated with conventional design sharing and collaboration tools, Cloud Services simplifies routine tasks, allowing you to concentrate on the design process.

Reduce Your Workload: Work Smarter

Previous Release Compatibility

Benefit from seamless collaboration with anyone using older versions of SOLIDWORKS by converting your files to a previous release format. Save parts, assemblies, and drawings in a SOLIDWORKS version dating back up to two years prior to the latest release.

Assemblies

• Defeature Rule Sets: Enhance performance and safeguard your intellectual property by simplifying your design. The Defeature Silhouette streamlines your model, employing rules based on criteria such as custom property, mass property, and file name.
• Repairing Missing References in a Linear or Circular Pattern: If one is available, SOLIDWORKS can now automatically identify an appropriate substitute reference. This will save you time on repairing missing references for linear and circular component patterns.
• Mate References & Auto Repair of Mate References: Achieve precise component assembly right the first time. Enhance the accuracy of component mating by enabling users to choose from various mate reference solutions when mating components with an existing reference. When creating mate references, select “Create mates only” if the names match, to create references solely when the names correspond.
  Enhancements to the Auto Repair feature for concentric and parallel mates introduce additional criteria for identifying replacement entities. You can now:
  • Use new modeling workflows with the capability to insert an assembly into a part based on associations. Considering the assembly as a part allows applying all part features to it. Additionally, it is possible to exhibit a single part in a bill of materials in place of an assembly.
  • Generate a custom property that enables the automatic display of both the value and the unit of measure.

Parts & Features

• Hole Wizard: Speed up the placement of Hole Wizard holes to allow the selection of endpoint geometries where holes are automatically positioned. Additionally, utilize geometric sketch entities such as lines, squares, slots, and splines as guides for hole placement.
• Making Multibody Parts from Assemblies: Utilize the Make Multibody Part tool to transform a complete assembly into an independent, unified multibody part linked to the original assembly. The parent assembly will reflect any features you create in the linked multibody part. Downstream platform applications also support these features, enabling post-assembly operations such as material removal on the multibody part.
• Bidirectional Linear Pattern: Generate bidirectional linear patterns effortlessly with the introduction of the new Symmetric option. Benefit from increased flexibility when creating a linear pattern. This will enable the swift creation of a bidirectional linear pattern without the necessity to define the second direction. This ensures both directions are symmetric, featuring an identical number of instances within the pattern.

Maximize Efficiency: Work Faster

Drawing & Detailing

• Overridden Dimensions: Enhance your understanding of overridden dimensions in a drawing by displaying them in a distinct color of your choosing.
• Keeping Chain Dimensions: Accelerate the process of detailing drawings by employing collinear dimensioning for chain dimensions. You will prevent dimensions overcrowding by adhering to ISO/ANSI dimensioning standards behavior. Ensure that chain dimensions remain collinear, even with limited space, and opt for the best fit when dimension text and arrowheads overlap.
• Reattaching Dangling Dimensions: Expedite the detailing process in drawings with enhanced reattachment of dangling dimensions. The Reattach option is now accessible via the right mouse button (RMB) for all dimensions and offers a more precise method for reattachment.

Sheet Metal

• Slot Propagation: Accelerate the design process for sheet metal components containing Tab and Slot features. Slots now propagate across all instances of a tab part, regardless of how the other instances of the part are integrated into the assembly.
• Tab & Slot: Enhance the manufacturability of parts by leveraging a new option in sheet metal Tab and Slot features. When a tab part is angled to the surface where the slot is situated, you now have the choice to opt for a Normal Cut to the surface. This Normal Cut can be manufactured more easily using standard sheet metal cutting methods, including laser, waterjet, and punching.
• Rip Tool: Utilize the Rip Tool for an effortless conversion of thin-walled cylindrical and conical solid components into sheet metal. Generate a Rip/Gap sheet metal feature within thin-walled cylinders and cones. Subsequently, employ the Insert Bends command to transform them into sheet metal parts capable of being flattened for manufacturing.

Structure System – Corner Treatments

Achieve faster and more efficient weldment creation within structure systems with the introduction of new industry-standard default corner treatments. These default corner treatments now align more closely with the standard practices utilized in the industry.

Furthermore, experience the following enhancements:

• Inclusion of over 70 new ANSI Inch/Metric fastener types and variants in Toolbox.
• Witness significant performance improvements while handling large models. The pause when releasing the mouse during model rotation has been considerably reduced. Additionally, a more intelligent method has been implemented to identify when a model rebuild is required.
• Model electrical harness routes in 3D as either single segments or groups of discrete wires, allowing for greater detail.

Cross-Disciplinary Empowerment in Product Development: Work Together

Routing

Address more intricate projects with additional options for flattening, reorienting, and displaying wires and connectors. Upgrades include:

• A fresh option for updating the present 3D electrical route exclusively.
• The capacity to integrate electrical routes as single segments or as clusters of separate wires within electrical bundles.

Electrical

Enhance documentation by auto-ballooning components in 2D electrical cabinet layout drawings, as in SOLIDWORKS, display three or more consecutive component marks. Boost 3D performance by generating or updating solely the current electrical route, rather than all routes in all assemblies.

SOLIDWORKS Simulation

Identify areas encountering contact convergence problems with the introduction of the Convergence Check Plot feature in SOLIDWORKS Simulation. Achieve more precise modeling of bearing connectors using new options for distributed coupling and tilt stiffness, along with the capability to define torsional stiffness for stabilizing shaft rotation. Use streamlined workflows to specify the hot and cold runner systems and initiate multi-runs using the newly implemented Plastics Batch Manager in SOLIDWORKS Plastics.

SOLIDWORKS Visualize

Achieve heightened realism in renderings and improve visual coherence across the 3DEXPERIENCE platform and other applications by adopting Physically Based Rendering (DSPBR) materials in SOLIDWORKS Visualize and SOLIDWORKS Visualize Connected.

Design Better – Get Connected

You have multiple options for linking your SOLIDWORKS data to the 3DEXPERIENCE platform. If you prefer to continue utilizing your existing SOLIDWORKS Desktop installation, you can opt for Collaborative Designer for SOLIDWORKS, which facilitates the connection of your data to the 3DEXPERIENCE platform.

Alternatively, if you seek a new SOLIDWORKS cloud-integrated installation, you can consider using 3DEXPERIENCE SOLIDWORKS. Both options encompass all your preferred SOLIDWORKS features and allow for local installation. Moreover, 3DEXPERIENCE SOLIDWORKS offers a new offline mode, enabling you to work without an internet connection.

Discover 3DEXPERIENCE Works

Unlock a suite of high-end tools on the 3DEXPERIENCE platform, spanning the entire product development lifecycle, from cutting-edge design and advanced simulation to manufacturing and more. Discover the versatility of SOLIDWORKS browser-based design roles, such as 3D Creator, 3D Sculptor, and Manufacturing Definition Creator, catering to diverse design needs.

Benefit from automatic updates, the new command search feature, and seamless integration with CATIA Eco-Design Engineer, enabling eco-conscious product design from any location and device. Harness the potential of 3DEXPERIENCE Works simulation for comprehensive what-if analyses, leveraging robust structural, plastics, fluids, and electromagnetics tools for timely and budget-friendly product delivery.

Streamline operations with 3DEXPERIENCE Works manufacturing solutions, including machining, robot programming, and workflow simulation. Emphasize the pivotal role of data and digital threads in informed decision-making, facilitated by comprehensive team connectivity on the 3DEXPERIENCE Platform.

Experience the unified ecosystem of the 3DEXPERIENCE platform. Foster real-time collaboration, hassle-free cloud data management, and minimal IT burden. Expand your capabilities with a wide range of industry-leading solutions accessible via the platform.