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Docs / REL 2024.3
Four documents describe every byte our 3D CAD software writes.
The .swsx file format is an open spec, published and versioned. Next to it sit the API reference, the keyboard-shortcut sheet and the changelog. All four ship inside the installer, so they work on a machine with no network cable plugged in.
DOCSET
- Release
- 2024.3
- Build
- 18922
- Dated
- 14 NOV 2024
- Format promise
- N+10
INDEX04 ENTRIES
Pick the document, not the search box
01 / Spec
The .swsx spec is the contract, not marketing
Open spec CAD file format, versioned with every release. If a release breaks it, that release does not ship.
Most parametric CAD for mechanical engineers stores geometry in a format only the vendor can read. We think that is a bad deal for the person who paid for the seat. So the .swsx container is described down to the byte: the header, the chunk table, the feature-history stream, the boundary representation and the drawing-sheet block.
The PDF lives at C:\Program Files\Solldworkss\2024.3\docs\swsx-spec.pdf after install. It carries the same release number as the application. Every schema change gets a numbered section and a migration note, and nothing is ever removed, only marked deprecated.
The promise: a file saved today opens in release N+10. If you stop paying for maintenance you keep sws-view, a free reader that opens .swsx files with no licence at all. That is the whole reason the spec exists.
What it does not cover: our solver internals and the licence server protocol. Those are not part of your data.
02 / API
One URL pattern for the whole API reference
Served from the install folder. No account, no portal login.
The reference is static HTML generated from the same source as the binaries. Every page sits at a predictable path, so a build script or a wiki can link straight to a member without guessing.
docs\api\<release>\<namespace>\<member>.html
docs\api\2024.3\Sws.Part\Feature.Rebuild.html
docs\api\2024.3\Sws.Assembly\Mate.Add.html
docs\api\2024.3\Sws.Cli\Convert.html
Three namespaces carry most traffic. Sws.Part and Sws.Assembly drive the modeller from scripts. Sws.Cli documents sws-cli, the batch converter that ships with every seat and turns .swsx into STEP AP242, Parasolid X_T, JT 10.5, 3MF, STL or PDF/A-2 drawings inside a build pipeline.
The REST adapter for Git-LFS, PDM Works, Teamcenter 13 and SharePoint has its own section under docs\api\<release>\Sws.Rest\. It integrates with those systems. It does not replace them, and we do not sell a PLM.
Old release folders stay on disk after an upgrade. A script written against 2023 can still read its own reference.
03 / Keys
The shortcut sheet fits on one page
Printed at A4 or US Letter. Pin it next to the monitor for the first two weeks, then throw it away.
The sheet covers the shortcuts that work in every workbench: view control, selection, rebuild and file handling. Feature shortcuts live with their workbench, and the full list of 23 features and their keys is on the Part modelling page. Every key is remappable in Settings, and a remap exports as a small text file you can hand to a colleague.
KEYS / GLOBAL
| Action | Keys | Where it works |
|---|---|---|
| Zoom to fit | F | All 3D views |
| View orientation menu | Space | All 3D views |
| Rebuild model | Ctrl B | Part, Assembly |
| Force full rebuild | Ctrl Q | Part, Assembly |
| Undo / Redo | Ctrl Z / Ctrl Y | Everywhere |
| Command search | S | Everywhere |
| Cancel command | Esc | Everywhere |
| Save | Ctrl S | Everywhere |
04 / Changelog
Every build gets a line in the changelog
Plain text, newest first, at docs\CHANGELOG.txt.
We write it for the engineer deciding whether to install a patch on a Friday afternoon. Each entry says what changed, which files it touches and whether a .swsx saved by the new build needs anything from the reader. The answer to that last question has so far always been no.
| Release | Build / date | Headline |
|---|---|---|
| 2024.3 | 18922 / 14 NOV 2024 | Current. 14 import and export formats re-checked on 2024-11-14, including STEP AP242 import and PDF/A-2 drawing export. |
| 2025.2 | PLANNED | Nonlinear and transient solvers join linear static, modal and steady-state thermal. CFD is not on the roadmap. |
Patch releases inside a maintenance year install over the top and keep your settings. Holders of a perpetual seat with no active maintenance year can read the changelog freely and decide when renewing is worth it. Terms are on the pricing page.
Read it on your own disk
The trial installer carries all four documents
A 30-day trial of the Windows 11 and Windows 10 22H2 build, with the full docset in the install folder. For the kernel, tolerance and unit model behind the spec, read the product page. For who writes the docs, see the company page.