3DEXPERIENCE SOLIDWORKS

3DEXPERIENCE SOLIDWORKS is a cloud-connected version of the SOLIDWORKS mechanical computer-aided design environment delivered through Dassault Systèmes' 3DEXPERIENCE platform. It combines the familiar parametric, feature-based modeling approach associated with SOLIDWORKS Desktop with online access to product data, collaboration tools, project coordination, and selected platform services. The offering is aimed primarily at mechanical designers, engineers, makers, educators, startups, and small and midsize product-development teams that want professional 3D design capabilities without operating a traditional on-premises file server and product-data-management stack. The SOLIDWORKS brand originated as a desktop-focused mechanical CAD product and became one of the best-known tools for three-dimensional solid modeling. Dassault Systèmes acquired SolidWorks Corporation in 1997, retaining the brand while integrating it into a broader portfolio that includes CATIA, ENOVIA, DELMIA, SIMULIA, and the 3DEXPERIENCE platform. The 3DEXPERIENCE SOLIDWORKS proposition extends that heritage rather than replacing the SOLIDWORKS design methodology. Users can create parts, assemblies, drawings, and related engineering documentation while using cloud services for storage, sharing, review, version control, and access management. The product is part of Dassault Systèmes' wider 3DEXPERIENCE Works strategy, which packages cloud-based applications for design, engineering, simulation, manufacturing, data management, and collaboration. In this model, SOLIDWORKS is positioned as the design entry point, while additional roles and applications can be added as a team requires simulation, manufacturing preparation, visual communication, project management, or structured product lifecycle processes. The cloud delivery model is intended to simplify deployment and updates, reduce dependence on local infrastructure, and make design data available across locations and devices, subject to the requirements of the selected service and customer environment. 3DEXPERIENCE SOLIDWORKS is not a separate independent company. It is a commercial product and sub-brand within Dassault Systèmes' design and engineering software portfolio. Its market positioning sits between accessible professional CAD and broader enterprise product-development platforms: it preserves the usability and ecosystem associated with SOLIDWORKS while connecting customers to a larger platform intended to support multidisciplinary collaboration. The brand competes in a market that includes desktop and cloud CAD products from Autodesk, PTC, Siemens Digital Industries Software, Onshape, and other specialized vendors. The offering is sold through Dassault Systèmes and its reseller and partner network. Availability, included applications, storage, collaboration functions, and licensing terms can vary by plan, geography, and customer segment. Because the product is continuously updated as a cloud service, its capabilities and packaging may change more frequently than those of a conventional perpetual-license desktop release. The brand remains active and is a central part of Dassault Systèmes' effort to move SOLIDWORKS users toward connected, platform-based product development.

SOLIDWORKS was developed as a professional mechanical CAD system using parametric, feature-based solid modeling. SolidWorks Corporation was founded in the United States in the 1990s, and Dassault Systèmes acquired the company in 1997. The acquisition gave Dassault Systèmes a widely adopted mechanical-design product that complemented its higher-end CATIA portfolio. SOLIDWORKS continued to operate as a distinct brand and became an important entry point for small and midsize engineering organizations, educational users, designers, and suppliers. Over time, the SOLIDWORKS portfolio expanded beyond core part and assembly modeling. Its surrounding products and integrations addressed drawing creation, rendering, technical communication, electrical design, simulation, manufacturing preparation, product data management, and collaboration. The brand's traditional delivery model centered on locally installed software, files stored on customer-controlled systems, and periodic version releases. That model remained important to many customers, but it also created familiar challenges around file access, version coordination, data duplication, IT administration, and collaboration across offices and supply-chain partners. Dassault Systèmes developed the 3DEXPERIENCE platform as a cloud-enabled environment for design, engineering, simulation, manufacturing, marketing, and product lifecycle processes. The platform brought together applications and role-based services under a common identity, data, and collaboration architecture. Dassault Systèmes later applied this strategy to the SOLIDWORKS community through the 3DEXPERIENCE Works portfolio. The objective was to let SOLIDWORKS users retain recognizable design tools while gaining access to online storage, controlled sharing, project spaces, revision management, review workflows, and connections to other product-development disciplines. The cloud-connected SOLIDWORKS offering was announced publicly around 2019 and became a prominent commercial product from 2020 onward. It was marketed as 3DEXPERIENCE SOLIDWORKS and, in some communications, as SOLIDWORKS on the 3DEXPERIENCE platform. Rather than presenting cloud delivery solely as remote software hosting, Dassault Systèmes positioned the product as part of a broader platform approach. Different roles and services could be combined according to a team's needs, allowing a mechanical designer to work with colleagues involved in simulation, manufacturing, project management, or data governance. The product therefore represents both a technology transition and a portfolio strategy. Technically, it connects SOLIDWORKS design work with cloud services and platform-managed data. Commercially, it gives Dassault Systèmes a way to offer subscription-oriented access and to introduce SOLIDWORKS customers to additional applications. Strategically, it supports the company's effort to serve smaller organizations and distributed teams while extending the reach of the 3DEXPERIENCE platform. 3DEXPERIENCE SOLIDWORKS operates within a competitive cloud and desktop CAD market. Autodesk Fusion, Onshape, PTC Creo and Onshape, Siemens Solid Edge and NX, and other products address overlapping use cases, although their workflows, deployment models, and target segments differ. The SOLIDWORKS brand's established user base, file and partner ecosystem, training availability, and familiar modeling approach remain important differentiators. At the same time, customers evaluating the cloud offering must consider migration, licensing, internet dependence, data governance, compatibility, and the differences between legacy desktop workflows and platform-managed collaboration. The brand remains part of Dassault Systèmes' active portfolio. Its exact capabilities, plans, and packaging are updated over time, so current product documentation is the appropriate reference for licensing and feature details.

• 2020

  3DEXPERIENCE SOLIDWORKS becomes a commercial offering

  [8]3DEXPERIENCE SOLIDWORKS becomes a commercial offeringsolidworks.com

  The 3DEXPERIENCE SOLIDWORKS product became a major cloud-delivered addition to the SOLIDWORKS portfolio.

• 2019

  Cloud-connected SOLIDWORKS strategy announced

  [7]Cloud-connected SOLIDWORKS strategy announced3ds.com

  Dassault Systèmes presented SOLIDWORKS capabilities connected to the 3DEXPERIENCE platform as part of the 3DEXPERIENCE Works strategy.

• 2012

  Launch of the 3DEXPERIENCE platform

  [3]Dassault Systèmes 3DEXPERIENCE platform3ds.com

  Dassault Systèmes introduced the 3DEXPERIENCE platform as a common environment for product design, engineering, simulation, manufacturing, and collaboration.

• 1997

  Dassault Systèmes acquires SolidWorks Corporation

  [6]Dassault Systèmes acquires SolidWorks Corporation3ds.com

  Dassault Systèmes acquired SolidWorks Corporation and retained SOLIDWORKS as a distinct product brand within its portfolio.

• 1995

  Initial SOLIDWORKS product release

  [2]SOLIDWORKS: About the company and productsolidworks.com

  The first commercial SOLIDWORKS release established the brand's focus on Windows-based parametric mechanical design.

• 1993

  SolidWorks Corporation is established

  [2]SOLIDWORKS: About the company and productsolidworks.com

  SolidWorks Corporation was established as the company behind the SOLIDWORKS mechanical CAD product.

Professional mechanical design software connected to a cloud-based product-development and collaboration platform, combining the established SOLIDWORKS modeling workflow with Dassault Systèmes' 3DEXPERIENCE services.

• Cloud mechanical CAD · 2020

  3DEXPERIENCE SOLIDWORKS Standard

  The entry-level professional 3DEXPERIENCE SOLIDWORKS role provides core parametric 3D mechanical design capabilities for parts, assemblies, and drawings, together with access to selected 3DEXPERIENCE platform services. It is intended for users who need the established SOLIDWORKS modeling workflow with cloud-connected storage, sharing, and collaboration rather than a purely local file-based setup. Exact entitlements and availability can vary by market and subscription plan.

• Cloud mechanical CAD · 2020

  3DEXPERIENCE SOLIDWORKS Professional

  The Professional role adds capabilities for more advanced design documentation, communication, and productivity workflows beyond the core SOLIDWORKS modeling environment. It is aimed at engineering teams that need a broader set of design tools while also using the 3DEXPERIENCE platform for data access and collaboration. The precise feature set is subject to Dassault Systèmes' current packaging and regional terms.

• Cloud mechanical CAD · 2020

  3DEXPERIENCE SOLIDWORKS Premium

  The Premium role is positioned for users requiring the most extensive SOLIDWORKS design capability in the 3DEXPERIENCE SOLIDWORKS tier structure. It supports demanding part and assembly work and may be paired with additional platform roles for simulation, manufacturing, project management, or lifecycle processes. Feature inclusions and licensing conditions should be checked against current official documentation.

• Product-development software portfolio · 2019

  3DEXPERIENCE Works

  3DEXPERIENCE Works is the broader Dassault Systèmes portfolio surrounding 3DEXPERIENCE SOLIDWORKS. It connects mechanical design with role-based applications and services for simulation, manufacturing, data management, project coordination, electrical design, and other product-development activities. The portfolio is designed to let smaller and midsize organizations add capabilities incrementally while keeping data and collaboration within a common platform environment.

• 2020

  Launch of 3DEXPERIENCE SOLIDWORKSProduct launch

  Background

  Cloud delivery and online collaboration were becoming more important to distributed engineering teams, while Dassault Systèmes was expanding the role-based 3DEXPERIENCE platform.

  Action taken

  Dassault Systèmes commercialized SOLIDWORKS roles connected to the 3DEXPERIENCE platform, combining mechanical design with cloud-based data and collaboration services.

  Aftermath

  The product became a principal route for customers seeking SOLIDWORKS capabilities with platform-managed access, sharing, and product-development workflows.

  Source

• 2019

  Move SOLIDWORKS toward a connected platform modelStrategy

  Background

  Dassault Systèmes sought to extend its established SOLIDWORKS mechanical CAD business into cloud collaboration, shared data, and a wider product-development environment.

  Action taken

  The company introduced the 3DEXPERIENCE Works strategy and began presenting SOLIDWORKS as a role connected to the 3DEXPERIENCE platform.

  Aftermath

  The strategy produced the 3DEXPERIENCE SOLIDWORKS offering and gave customers a platform-based alternative to a purely local SOLIDWORKS deployment.

  Source

1. 1Dassault Systèmes 3DEXPERIENCE SOLIDWORKS3ds.com
2. 2SOLIDWORKS: About the company and productsolidworks.com
3. 3Dassault Systèmes 3DEXPERIENCE platform3ds.com
4. 4Dassault Systèmes leadership3ds.com
5. 5Dassault Systèmes annual reports and financial informationinvestor.3ds.com
6. 6Dassault Systèmes acquires SolidWorks Corporation3ds.com
7. 7Cloud-connected SOLIDWORKS strategy announced3ds.com
8. 83DEXPERIENCE SOLIDWORKS becomes a commercial offeringsolidworks.com