Top 11 Features in SOLIDWORKS 2021 Page 1

SOLIDWORKS 2021 is all about performance. It is a common thread woven throughout all aspects of the user experience from parts, assemblies, drawings and more. In this article, let’s take a look at the biggest performance gains for drawings thanks to some changes to the software architecture and extensions to detailing mode.

One of the best enhancements to SOLIDWORKS 2021 is the improvements to lightweight components. Working with lightweight is the best way to dramatically increase the performance of your SOLIDWORKS assemblies. If you want to make performance a standard part of your workflow, see how the changes to lightweight components can make this an effortless reality.

Silhouette Defeature was introduced in SOLIDWORKS 2019 and it quickly became a favorite tool used to easily create simplified versions of your components. This offers an easy way to get some performance improvements or protect your intellectual properties. In SOLIDWORKS 2021, this powerful tool got even better by extending its capabilities to now include the option to save the simplified version as a configuration instead of a separate file. Let’s take a look!

Now, with SOLIDWORKS 2021, the Custom Properties tool got a welcomed extension of functionality to include the use of equations. This tool has been a fan favorite for many years because it is incredibly useful as a way to reuse information about your design. Custom properties are a huge part of any power user’s toolbox and in this article we're going to look at what’s new in SOLDIWORKS 2021.

Want to save time when using SOLIDWORKS? You can use the search functionality, but that’s not news. The Command Search has been one of our favorite tips to share for over a decade. What's new to SOLIDWORKS 2021 is the addition of the search capabilities to the customize interface. If you want to really save time when working with SOLIDWORKS, you can take advantage of the robust searching tools that are now available to you to help you instantly find what you're looking for. There’s no need to memorize were something is.  You can save that precious brain space for other, more important knowledge.

SOLIDWORKS 2021 brings with it countless enhancements to an already great piece of software, building upon the strength of the core modeling tools for designing most anything you can think of. Whether it’s sheet metal, large assemblies, or weldments, you’re guaranteed to find something useful in SOLIDWORKS 2021. 

As we look at all the great improvement to SOLIDWORKS 2021, it is hard to pick just one we like the most. When we asked the question: “What’s your favorite enhancement this year?” we get different answers from different industries. But one thing is clear, if you’re using the Sheet Metal Tools, then I’m pretty sure your favorite enhancement is the new curved edge flange tool.

With a 3D modeling system like SOLIDWORKS, one of the most important benefits is the ability to see how components fit together. When done correctly, this practically eliminates costly manufacturing mistakes that happen when various elements interfere with one another. The interference detection capabilities of SOLIDWORKS has been a favorite of designers for decades. Now with the SOLDIWORKS 2021 release, interference detection has been greatly improved with the ability to export interferences to an easy to share Excel spreadsheet.

With every major release of SOLIDWORKS there’s enhancements both big and small. More often than not, it seems that the best enhancements aren’t epic new tools but rather welcomed improvements to core functionality. This is especially true with SOLIDWORKS 2021. Some of the most outstanding advancements come in the form of what we call modeling delighters – little software upgrades that amount to epic workflow gains.