SolidWorks
SolidWorks (stylized as SOLIDWORKS) is a brand within Dassault Systèmes that develops and markets solid modeling computer-aided design, computer-aided engineering, 3D CAD design and collaboration, analysis, and product data management software.
SolidWorks 2023 displaying a 3D assembly. | |
| Developer(s) | Dassault Systèmes |
|---|---|
| Initial release | November 1, 1995 |
| Stable release | SolidWorks 2023
/ September 29, 2022 |
| Operating system | Microsoft Windows |
| Available in | Chinese, Chinese Simplified, Czech, English, French, German, Italian, Japanese, Korean, Polish, Portuguese, Russian, Spanish, Turkish |
| Type | CAD CAE PDM PLM |
| License | Proprietary, term |
| Website | solidworks.com |
The SolidWorks brand was founded as Winchester Design Systems by Massachusetts Institute of Technology graduate Jon Hirschtick on December 30, 1993. Jon and cofounders Dr. Constantine Dokos, Scott Harris, Bob Zuffante, Mike Payne, and Tommy Li aimed to create 3D design software that was affordable, easy to use, and available on a Windows NT personal computer.
SolidWorks developed the world's first 3D CAD solution that ran on a desktop PC. They had a simple mission statement of "3D on every engineer's desktop".
SolidWorks released its first product, SolidWorks 95, on November 1, 1995. Within two months, it established a new benchmark for ease of use. Since then, the 3D CAD product, now known as SolidWorks, has become the flagship product for the SolidWorks brand.
By 2023, approximately 7 million engineers and designers were using SolidWorks software to create production-ready 2D and 3D engineering drawings and advanced 3D models using a parametric feature-based approach. SolidWorks also gives users the ability to perform analyses and simulations, including Finite Element Analysis. The product places an emphasis on faster modeling, new design tools, and enhanced collaboration.