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FeatureWorks is an integrated geometry recognition module that allows for files imported to SOLIDWORKS from other CAD systems (Inventor, Pro/Engineer, CATIA, etc.) to be given a rudimentary feature history where they otherwise would be left simply as an “imported” body. This also has applications when attempting to collaborate with other SOLIDWORKS users who operate on previous versions of SOLIDWORKS where newer version files are not able to be opened and edited within the past version of SOLIDWORKS.

In this SOLIDWORKS FAQ, we answer ten questions about SOLIDWORKS sweeps. Question: How can I improve the quality in the Sweep Cut feature with a solid body as a tool? Answer: The result is influenced by geometries, continuity, and their complexity. Create an Extrude solid as a Tool Body, it is better than a Revolved solid.

SOLIDWORKS is distributed under both commercial and educational licenses. Commercial are unlimited use licenses for use by companies and individuals in for-profit ventures. Educational licenses are limited use licenses available to academic institutions to facilitate engineering learning and cannot be used in for-profit ventures.

Do you have multiple instances of SOLIDWORKS open each time you access another file? This article explains the step-by-step solution on how to stop multiple instances of SOLIDWORKS from opening.

When editing a symbol in SOLIDWORKS Electrical, you can choose to display one or more of the following attributes that will pull properties from the symbol, component, or part. In the second section of this article, you'll see some examples of different symbols with attributes displayed.

SOLIDWORKS Simulation has four options for solvers: Auto, FFEPlus, Direct Sparse, and Large Problem Direct Sparse. SimulationXpress uses FFEPlus solely. If you are new to Simulation, always use Auto. SOLIDWORKS will pick the most efficient and most accurate solver for the particular study automatically. The rest of this document will contain specifics on when the solvers will be less efficient and less accurate.

Sometimes a computer may crash and stop functioning at the most inopportune moment. Files that you have checked out and have been working with are now trapped in the bad computer. The purpose of this article is to provide a procedure to restore files affected by this scenario.

This article will introduce the concept and use of default values within SOLIDWORKS Enterprise PDM (EPDM) (now SOLIDWORKS PDM Professional) search cards. Search setup can be a major time sink for users from a productivity and efficiency standpoint when using mal-adapted search forms. 

Accessing files stored directly on a network hard drive without it also being managed by PDM software is not recommended. This document outlines known issues that may arise as well as some practices that can help mitigate them.