SolidWorks 2020 SP0.1

On recently, parent company Dassault Systèmes announced the new annual release of its popular CAD platform. Unlike last year’s release, which added several new features and tools, SOLIDWORKS 2020 feels less like a new version and more like a bridge to Dassault’s 3DEXPERIENCE cloud platform.

So, apart from the new applications in the 3DEXPERIENCE.WORKS portfolio, what’s new in SOLIDWORKS 2020 itself? Probably less than you’d hoped, but there are some nice enhancements. The sexiest new feature, in Kelly’s opinion, is Make Part Flexible. This new capability allows flexible parts like springs, bellows and hinges to be displayed in multiple variations within an assembly (compressed and uncompressed, for example). Kelly demonstrated the feature with a plastic housing that updates based on the position of its two mates. After he repositioned the mated parts, the plastic housing recalculated its shape and, within a second or two, updated accordingly.

Also new in SOLIDWORKS 2020 is the Detailing mode, which expands on capabilities introduced in SOLIDWORKS 2019 to open large drawings very quickly. With Detailing mode, users can do more than just open the drawings.

“Not only can you open up the drawing, but you can do a whole bunch of things with it. Like add and edit annotations and symbols, add and edit sketch entities, or even print or save as different formats, all without opening the model,” said Kelly. Not all operations are available, however—the drawing isn’t fully loaded, which is how it is able to open so quickly—but it’s a convenient new feature for those who need to make a quick adjustment.

Similarly, SOLIDWORKS 2020 updates the Large Design Review mode that was added in SOLIDWORKS 2019. This mode allows large assemblies to be opened without fully loading every component. In SOLIDWORKS 2020, new editing capabilities have been added.

“Before you go to the drawing, you’re building these large assemblies. Customers are depending on that, and they’re also depending on doing it quickly,” Kelly explained. “And so our customers have pushed us and we’re responding with these workflows where you can add, delete and move components and mates, and change configurations—all without having to open up all of the underlying parts and their geometry for that assembly.”

SOLIDWORKS 2020 also promises enhancements to electrical design and data management, with improvements to SOLIDWORKS PDM and the SOLIDWORKS Electrical connector, as well as a new SOLIDWORKS PCB connector.

Ultimately, SOLIDWORKS 2020 may underwhelm dedicated users who were hoping for new and improved functionality. While the Detailing mode, Large Design Review improvements, and new Make Part Flexible feature will certainly be welcome, it’s clear that the main focus of SOLIDWORKS 2020 is to redirect focus to the 3DEXPERIENCE platform.

These requirements apply to all SOLIDWORKS products except where noted. Use this information to ensure you are always working with a SOLIDWORKS-supported and optimized system for hardware, operating system and Microsoft products. specific information.

Processor: 3.3 GHz or higher clock speed
Operating System: Windows 10 64-bit, Windows 8.1, 64-bit, Windows 7 SP1, 64-bit (End of Life: SW2020 SP5)
Memory: 32GB (16GB minimum), PDM Contributor or Viewer: 8 GB or more, ECC RAM recommended
Hard Drive: Solid State Drive (SSD), maintaining at least 20GB free space
Graphics Card:
- NVIDIA Quadro P600 (entry level), P1000/2000 (mid-range) or P4000 (high-end)
- AMD Radeon Pro WX 3100 (entry level), WX 4100 (mid-range) or WX 5100 (high-end)
Internet Connection: High speed broadband connection for downloading service packs