SOLIDWORKS

Learning Objectives

• Understand what SOLIDWORKS is and why it is a cornerstone of mechanical design
• Evaluate how its AI companion Aura and AI-generated drawings change day-to-day work
• Assess where Dassault's broader AI companions fit into the engineering workflow

What Is SOLIDWORKS?

SOLIDWORKS is the most widely used mainstream mechanical computer-aided-design application, developed by Dassault Systèmes. Mechanical engineers and product designers use it to model parts and assemblies in 3D, produce manufacturing drawings, and validate fit and motion before anything is built.

Its dominance comes from being approachable and deep at the same time: a designer can sketch a part in minutes, but the same software scales to complex assemblies with thousands of components. SOLIDWORKS runs as a long-established desktop application and, increasingly, as a connected experience on Dassault's cloud-based 3DEXPERIENCE platform.

How AI Changes the Workflow

The headline AI feature is Aura, an AI virtual companion introduced in beta in 2025. Aura is a design assistant tuned for engineers: it learns from your projects and shared organizational knowledge, answers design questions, summarizes reference material, and suggests next steps — bringing a conversational helper directly into the modeling environment.

The SOLIDWORKS 2026 release added a cluster of practical AI features that target the slow, repetitive parts of the job. AI-generated drawings automatically produce detailed manufacturing drawings — with dimensions, tolerances, and callouts — in batches rather than sheet by sheet. Generative Assembly and Smart Insert Component recognize and place fastener-like parts automatically, and a Command Predictor anticipates the next action while Image to Sketch turns a picture into editable geometry.

Dassault's Broader AI Companions

Beyond SOLIDWORKS itself, Dassault is rolling out a family of AI companions on the 3DEXPERIENCE platform, built on the Mistral AI foundation model and hosted on a sovereign European cloud. Aura assists with business and strategic decisions by connecting internal and external knowledge, while two more companions are arriving for engineering and science. Leo focuses on mechanics, simulation, and manufacturability — checking whether a design can actually be produced — and Marie focuses on materials, chemistry, and physics. Together they aim to put a domain expert beside the engineer at each stage of product development.

Who Uses SOLIDWORKS?

SOLIDWORKS is used across product design, industrial equipment, automotive, aerospace, consumer goods, and machinery — from independent designers and small shops to large manufacturers. It is also one of the most widely taught CAD tools in engineering schools, which keeps it central to how new mechanical engineers learn to model.

Company Details

Strengths

• Industry-standard mechanical CAD — broad adoption across manufacturing and engineering education
• Approachable yet deep — fast to learn, scales to large, complex assemblies
• AI design companion — Aura answers questions and suggests steps inside the modeling environment
• Documentation automation — AI-generated drawings cut one of the most tedious parts of the job
• Backed by a platform — ties into Dassault's 3DEXPERIENCE for simulation, data, and AI companions

Limitations and Considerations

• Paid, professional software — per-seat subscription or perpetual licensing aimed at businesses
• Newer AI features evolving — Aura and the 3DEXPERIENCE companions are early and still expanding
• Desktop-versus-cloud split — some AI capabilities land first in the connected or cloud experience
• Engineering judgment still required — AI accelerates drafting, but the engineer owns the design

Pricing

SOLIDWORKS is paid professional software, sold through Dassault Systèmes and its resellers as a per-seat subscription or perpetual license, with editions that bundle different capabilities. AI features such as the design companion are included within editions rather than sold separately. Contact Dassault or a reseller for a quote.

Key Takeaways

• SOLIDWORKS is Dassault Systèmes' flagship mechanical CAD application and one of the most widely used design tools in the world
• Its AI companion Aura brings a conversational design assistant directly into the modeling environment
• SOLIDWORKS 2026 added AI-generated drawings, generative assembly, and smart component insertion that automate routine design and documentation
• Dassault's wider 3DEXPERIENCE companions — Aura, Leo, and Marie, built on Mistral AI — extend AI across business, engineering, and materials decisions