SOLIDWORKS Reviews & Product Details

I use SOLIDWORKS for school projects, turning ideas into CAD and STL models ready for manufacturing and printing. I find it simple and easy to use and learn, and there are lots of tutorials to help me learn it. I like that it can do so much and that add-ons can add extra features. DriveWorks helps me automate models and make changes in seconds. Power Surfacing lets me work with primitives and surfaces and add surface features that aren’t in SOLIDWORKS. I find SOLIDWORKS easier than AutoCAD and think it has more capabilities, especially for 3D CAD. Setup is easy in the ideal case. I recommend it to my colleagues and students, and I’d give it 9.5 out of 10. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

I haven’t noticed much that needs improvement. Sometimes an older version of SOLIDWORKS won’t open files made in a newer version, so I’d like a tool to convert files between versions. Setup can also have some problems when moving from an older version to a new one, though it’s usually easy. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

It’s a complete workflow in one place. Modeling, drawings, simulation (FEA), and data management all work together, so I can move from concept to validation to documentation without having to switch tools. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

The simulation tools are usable overall, but meshing and interpreting results can be difficult for new users. A more guided setup process, along with clearer warnings and prompts, would make it easier for engineers who aren’t simulation specialists to get reliable results and feel confident in what they’re seeing. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

What I like most about SOLIDWORKS is how efficiently it supports the full mechanical design workflow, from early concept development through to manufacturing ready drawings. Its parametric modelling, assemblies, sheet metal, weldments, and drawing tools are especially valuable for product development.

For instance, while working on a conveyor safety product, I used SOLIDWORKS to redesign and optimize a Pull Cord Switch assembly. I could adjust component geometry, simplify the overall design, improve manufacturability, and then quickly update the related assembly and manufacturing drawings. This redesign delivered an approximate 20% cost reduction while still maintaining the required functionality.

In another product development project, SOLIDWORKS helped me create a more compact, screw-less design, resulting in around a 10% cost reduction. Being able to make changes quickly and have the associated drawings and assemblies update automatically reduced iteration time and improved design accuracy.

Overall, SOLIDWORKS has helped me increase design productivity, improve standardization, and move faster, while also reducing development and manufacturing costs. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

One area that could be improved is performance when working with very large assemblies or complex models. As the number of components, configurations, and detailed features grows, loading, rebuilding, and editing can sometimes slow down and feel less responsive.

Some of the more advanced features also come with a learning curve. Troubleshooting certain rebuild errors or tracking down assembly performance issues can take time, especially for new users who are still getting familiar with the workflow.

I’d also like to see continued progress on large-assembly performance overall, along with faster file handling and more seamless collaboration and cloud-based workflows. Improvements in these areas would make an already capable mechanical design platform even more efficient and dependable for large product development projects. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

I like how SOLIDWORKS makes mechanical design easy and efficient. The 3D modeling tools are powerful and intuitive, which really helps in creating precise models and making design changes quickly. I also appreciate the features like assemblies, drawings, configurations, and design modifications, as they save a lot of time. It's great to quickly visualize the final product and make changes before manufacturing. Using SOLIDWORKS Simulation for basic engineering analysis lets me understand potential design performance and identify issues before they happen, which fits well with my complete mechanical design workflow. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

One area that could be improved is performance when working with very large or complex assemblies, where the software can sometimes become slower. Some advanced features can also take time to learn, especially for new users. I would also like to see faster loading, better performance with large files, and more intuitive tools for certain simulation and assembly workflows. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

Its versatility—by which I mean the ability to create almost anything in it—and the fact that I can come from other software and still learn to use Solidworks quickly and with relatively little effort. It offers good value for money, especially the makers versions and student versions. It performs generally well on any hardware and the forums and YouTube are a great place to get help and more information. The training is relatively straightforward and gets you up and running in a short amount of time. The Excel integrations and plugins make it versatile with Microsoft systems and now they are introducing AI elements, it will only get better. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

Stability is one of the main issues I struggle with. With crashes a daily occurrence on any hardware platform. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

I love SOLIDWORKS for its ease of use and intuitive interface, which makes it my go-to tool for 3D modeling. I find it fairly easy to create any shape I can imagine, and the control over edges and tangencies in freeform surface modeling is powerful for complex designs. The help tools are extensive, and the widely-used nature of the software ensures there's plenty of existing 3D models and community support available. The freeform surface modeling tool is particularly useful for product design, allowing a lot of flexibility and creativity. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

SOLIDWORKS has certain little bugs, particularly with appearances getting confused which can lead to unintended results. There's also the issue of system crashes where I might lose some of my work if it's not saved frequently. Additionally, it would be ideal if all the SOLIDWORKS tools were available as one complete package without needing separate add-ins. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

SOLIDWORKS makes it relatively quick and intuitive to turn an idea into a detailed 3D design, while making it easy to adapt and change things as the design develops. It brings modelling, assemblies and drawings together in one environment, with good visualisation and a wide range of tools covering most aspects of the design process. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

It does require reasonably capable hardware, particularly when working with large or complex models and assemblies. There is also so much functionality available that most users will probably never know everything it can do. We naturally tend to stick with the tools and workflows we know, which means some genuinely useful features can easily be missed. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

My favorite part of SOLIDWORKS is how easy it is to use. The UI is customizable for each user, which makes it simple for everyone to keep their most-used tools, features, and other functions right where they want them. On top of that, additional customization through shortcut keys, mouse gestures, and the "S" key flyout menu really lets you create a personal space that helps you work as efficiently as possible.

A very close second is the sheer number of tools available for creating 3D parametric models and assemblies. I regularly use the specialized tools for creating sheet metal parts that can unfold with the click of a button, weldments that can be trimmed to create corner joints and copes in multiple configurations, and direct editing tools for working with imported geometry. The surfacing tools are also great for repairing imported geometry that has gaps or other issues, and the mold tools offer a diverse set of options to go from part to finished mold while keeping design aspects linked, which makes updates and changes simpler. On top of that, the simulation tools (both built-in and add-on) allow you to verify designs with intuitive inputs and a wizard that guides you through the setup.

The community surrounding SOLIDWORKS is unrivaled. If you’re looking for an answer, the online community, resellers, and user groups are a great place to start. Everyone has their own strengths when it comes to software as complex as SOLIDWORKS, and they’re more than willing to help you solve your problem. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

In my experience, the biggest downside of SOLIDWORKS is its performance when I’m working with components that have a large number of features, or when I’m handling large assemblies. I understand that 3D modeling is inherently demanding on a computer’s hardware, but even after optimizing the settings within SOLIDWORKS, it doesn’t always resolve the performance problems. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

What I like most about SOLIDWORKS is that it is easy to learn while still being a powerful design tool. There are plenty of tutorials and learning resources available, which makes it easier to build my skills. The SOLIDWORKS community is also active and helpful. Whenever I run into a problem, I can turn to the community for advice and support from other users. I especially like the surface and Weldments tools. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

My main issue with SOLIDWORKS is that it can slow down or crash when working with complex and large assemblies. This can be frustrating because it interrupts the work and takes time to recover from. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

SOLIDWORKS is my go-to tool for integrated industrial design projects. It offers an A-to-Z solution for product development, with an extensive set of surfacing features for complex shape design, all the way through to professional engineering and manufacturability tools for real-world products, machines, and vehicles.

This gives us the flexibility to integrate last-minute insights into the product without the software becoming a constraint in the optimization process. Instead, it serves as an efficient tool for exploring variations and ultimately achieving better designs.

Having a single solution rather than separate packages and licenses for every design and engineering phase also offers great value for money. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

The surfacing tools can be a bit cumbersome and have a steeper learning curve compared to Sub-D tools or much more expensive dedicated CAD packages. But with the right skills, you can create surprisingly complex shapes with great surface quality and curvature. That said, a truly integrated Sub-D-like tool for quick concepting and more fluid surface modeling is high on my wish list. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.