REL 2024.3 / BUILD 18922

SOLLDWORKSS
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REL 2024.3/BUILD 18922/14 NOV 2024

Parametric 3D CAD that keeps your files.

Solldworkss is 3D CAD software for mechanical engineers who want parametric modelling, 50,000-part assemblies and a built-in FEA solver on their own Windows machines. A perpetual seat starts at $2,490, and the .swsx format it writes is published, versioned and written into the licence terms to open in the next ten major releases. Nothing you draw is sent to us.

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Platform
Windows 10 22H2+, Windows 11, x64
Licence
Perpetual seat, optional maintenance
Trial
30 days, full Professional feature set

Reference limits / REL 2024.3Measured on the 50k reference assembly

50,000parts

Unique components in one assembly on a 32 GB workstation.

2Melements

Second-order tetrahedra per FEA study before the solver asks for more RAM.

1.4s rebuild

Full rebuild after a top-level dimension change on the reference assembly.

N+10releases

File compatibility promise. A 2024.3 file opens in every release through 2034.

Fig. 00

Solldworkss is a parametric solid modeller with full feature history, and that is the boring part. Every serious CAD package has one. What separates it from a SolidWorks or Inventor seat is where your work lives and who can read it later. The geometry stays on your disk or on a Windows SMB share. The .swsx container is a documented schema, not a binary blob we change when it suits a sales cycle, and the free sws-view reader keeps opening your files after you stop paying us anything at all.

Inside the box you get part modelling, assemblies up to 50,000 unique components, drawings to ISO 128 and ASME Y14.5 with full GD&T, sheet metal with shipped K-factor tables, and a finite-element solver for linear static, modal and steady-state thermal studies. Nonlinear and transient arrive in 2025.2. We ship sws-cli with every seat so a build server can batch-convert to STEP AP242 or PDF/A-2 without a licence dialog in the way. Thirty-eight people write, test and support it from Austin, and have done since 2014. We are a credible SolidWorks alternative for a mid-market mechanical shop; we are not trying to be a PLM, a renderer or a browser tab.

Modeller / Part workbench The Solldworkss modeller with a bracket part open and the feature tree expanded
Fig. 01A bracket mid-build. Feature tree on the left, rollback bar parked above the last fillet. The orange is the only active tool; we keep it that way.

Modules06 workbenchesOne installer

Six workbenches, one file, one licence key.

  1. 01

    Part

    History-based solids and surfaces. A sketch solver with 46 constraint types, 23 feature types each on its own shortcut, and a surfacing set that handles boundary and fill patches to G2 without falling over on a three-sided corner.

    Standard + Professional

  2. 02

    Assembly

    Mates, sub-assemblies, flexible configurations and a large-assembly mode that loads lightweight tessellation first and resolves B-rep only for what you touch. The 50,000-part reference file opens in under a minute on a mid-tier workstation.

    Reference file: 50,000 unique parts

  3. 03

    Drawing

    Sheets to ISO 128 and ASME Y14.5 with the full GD&T symbol set, datum feature frames, revision tables that write themselves from the change log, and title blocks templated in A3, A1 and ANSI D.

    GD&T drawing software / PDF/A-2 export

  4. 04

    Simulation

    Linear static, modal and steady-state thermal on the same geometry you modelled, no export step. Meshes up to two million second-order elements. Results checked against NAFEMS LE1, LE5 and T1 and published on the module page.

    Professional, or Standard with the $1,590 add-on

  5. 05

    Sheet metal

    Base flange, edge flange, hem, jog, lofted bend and a flat pattern that matches the press brake because the K-factor tables for 5052 aluminium, 1008 mild steel and 304 stainless ship in the box. DXF export with layer mapping you set once.

    K-factor tables: 5052, 1008, 304

  6. 06

    CAM-Post

    Post-processors for Fanuc, Haas, Heidenhain and Siemens 840D, listed by controller model and firmware. Three-axis comes with Standard. Five-axis is in Professional or a $990 add-on.

    3-axis in Standard / 5-axis in Professional

If a customer cannot open a drawing from 2016 without calling us, we shipped a hostage, not a file format.

Engineering lead, file format and kernel, Solldworkss

ExchangeImport / exportChecked every build

STEP AP242 import, Parasolid, JT and 11 more formats.

Compat / 14 formatsChecked 2024-11-14

FormatVersionImportExportWhat travels
.swsxSchema 7YesYesEverything: history, mates, drawings, studies
STEP AP242Ed. 2, 2020YesYesSolids, assembly structure, PMI semantic
STEP AP214CC1–CC6YesYesSolids, colours, layers
STEP AP203Ed. 2YesYesSolids, assembly structure
Parasolid X_Tv10 – v36YesYesExact B-rep, no history
ACIS SATR1 – R2023YesYesExact B-rep, no history
IGES5.3YesYesTrimmed surfaces, wireframe
JT10.5YesYesTessellation, XT B-rep segment, PMI
3MFCore 1.3YesYesMesh, units, colour, build items
STLASCII / binaryYesYesMesh only, chord tolerance you set
DXFR12 – 2018YesYesSketch geometry, flat patterns, layers
DWG2000 – 2018YesNo2D geometry into a sketch or sheet
PDF/A-2ISO 19005-2NoYesDrawing sheets, vector, archival
OBJWavefrontYesNoMesh as reference body
Native history from other CAD vendors does not transfer. Neutral formats carry geometry.Exchange notes in the docs
Input / 6-DoF puck A hand resting on a 3D navigation puck beside a mechanical keyboard
Fig. 02Left hand on the puck, right hand on the keys. 3Dconnexion devices map out of the box; every feature has a shortcut so the mouse stays optional.

LicenceUSD listPerpetual

A perpetual CAD licence, no subscription lock.

A Standard seat is $2,490 once. It covers Part, Assembly, Drawing, Sheet Metal and three-axis CAM-Post. A Professional seat is $3,890 once and adds the simulation solvers and five-axis posts. Both are yours to keep.

The maintenance year is $590 per seat and is optional. It buys twelve months of releases, patch builds and email support with a one-business-day first reply. Let it lapse and the seat carries on working on the last release you were entitled to. Most shops renew in the year a major release lands and skip the year it does not, and we would rather you did that than resent the invoice.

Teams of five or more can run a floating network licence from their own server. Accredited students and faculty pay nothing. The figures above are list prices, not a binding quote; volume pricing comes back on a written quote within one business day.

Full price list and seat terms

ProcessTrial to seat

From trial request to a licence key in four steps.

No sales call is required. If you want one, ask for it in the notes.

  1. Day 0 / Request

    You send the trial form with a name and a phone or email. We reply within one business day with a download link for the Windows installer (about 2.1 GB) and a 30-day key that unlocks the full Professional feature set.

  2. Days 1–30 / Evaluate

    Open your own STEP files, rebuild a real assembly, run a static study. Support answers trial questions on the same hours as paying customers, Mon–Fri 09:00–18:00 Central. The trial writes normal .swsx files; nothing is locked or watermarked except drawing PDFs.

  3. Quote / Written

    Tell us seat count, edition and whether you need a floating licence. You get a written quote at list or volume pricing. We do not take card payments on the site; you pay against an invoice.

  4. Licence / Issued

    On payment we issue node-locked keys or a licence file for sws-lic on your server. Trial files open in the licensed seat unchanged.

Fit check4 inputsNo data leaves this page

Is it the right 3D CAD software for your work?

Fit check / 4 inputsLogic from stated product limits

The checker loads here. It uses the same limits printed on this page: Windows only, no cloud tenant, a 50,000-part reference assembly, and linear static, modal and thermal solvers today.

Runs in your browser. Nothing you choose here is stored or sent. If the answer is no, the linked page explains why in more detail than we can fit in a result box.

Who this is not for, and the four questions we get first.

If you need a browser tool, a Mac-native app, CFD, or a PLM that manages release workflows, buy something else. We integrate with Teamcenter 13, PDM Works, SharePoint and Git-LFS through a REST adapter; we do not replace them.

Does it run on a Mac or in a browser?

No. Solldworkss is a 64-bit Windows application for Windows 10 22H2 or later and Windows 11. It runs under Parallels on Apple silicon for evaluation, but we do not support that setup for production work. The exact build matrix is on the product page.

Can I open SolidWorks or Inventor files?

Through neutral formats, yes: STEP AP242, Parasolid X_T, JT 10.5 and IGES come in as solid bodies. Native feature history from another vendor does not transfer, and any tool that claims it does is rebuilding guesses. The most common failure we see on migration is a team trying to re-parametrise 4,000 legacy parts. Don't. Keep them as dumb solids and model new work natively.

What happens to my files if I stop paying for maintenance?

The perpetual seat keeps working on the last release you were entitled to. The free sws-view reader opens .swsx files indefinitely, and the schema is published, so your own scripts can read them too.

Is there nonlinear or CFD simulation?

Linear static, modal and steady-state thermal ship today. Nonlinear and transient are scheduled for release 2025.2. CFD is not on the roadmap. If flow is your main study type, an Inventor alternative with a CFD bolt-on will serve you better. See Simulation for the solver list.

Output / ASME Y14.5 sheet A printed drawing sheet showing GD&T symbols and a revision cloud
Fig. 03Feature control frames and a revision cloud on a printed flange drawing. The revision table on the sheet is generated from the part's change log.

Austin, Texas / Mon–Fri 09:00–18:00 CT

Ask for the trial and a person answers within one business day.

Support, sales and the people who wrote the code sit in the same building.

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