Working with complex multibody sheet metal and enclosure parts means feature-tree management quickly becomes a bottleneck. Manually renaming solid bodies to match version names and keeping cut-lists organized easily eats up 30–45 minutes per assembly—and leaves room for manual errors.

I teamed up with an LLM to write and debug a native SOLIDWORKS VBA macro to automate this. Here is a before-and-after look at the FeatureManager tree and a breakdown of the setup:

• Why an LLM-coded VBA macro instead of MCP? MCP and agentic AI workflows are great for conversational CAD queries and dynamic exploration, whereas production documentation needs deterministic, zero-latency execution. Using an LLM to generate native COM-based VBA gives me fast AI-assisted development while keeping the actual execution 100% offline, repeatable, and free of token overhead.

• Under the hood: The macro accesses the active IModelDoc2 and IPartDoc interfaces, traverses the IBody2 solid body collection, parses the version naming convention, and programmatically updates the body names and cut-list properties in a single pass.

• Time saved: Turns a 30+ minute manual cleanup routine into a 5-second execution—saving roughly 3 to 4 hours a week across design revisions.

As SOLIDWORKS CEO Manish Kumar mentioned in the Design in the Age of AI webinar, AI isn't replacing engineers—it acts as a multiplier on your existing CAD fundamentals. Even if debugging a custom macro takes a few tries, the long-term ROI on your workflow is huge.

Happy to share API tips if anyone else is getting started with SOLIDWORKS VBA automation!

#solidworkschampions #solidworks #AI #solidworksmacro #llm

I’m in a beginner solid works class and my professor gave me all the parts to download for my assembly. However the base part itself has an error and I can’t go and edit it myself. Solid works isn’t letting me what should I do?

How can I create a threaded hole here? (Small hole)

I am attempting to do a mating job with a ball between two grooves that cross each other. the grooved areas can move allowing the ball to move around in an XY setup. The ball has a hole in the center for a pin that will end up angling as it moves around. I want to be able to test the extreme areas to see if the pin length is acceptable so I am trying to setup proper mates. My problem is that if I use a slot mate on either or both slots then the pin will not pivot freely as the ball and pin is locked to the slot. I was able to put a center point in the center of the ball and mate it to a path drawn down the center of one grooved area but attempting the same on the other results in errors about being over defined. I tried using distance of a rear point with a centerline but that didn't appear to work well.

Any suggestions on how to do this XY setup with a pin through the ball that can freely pivot?

https://imgur.com/a/8X71F0I

I have a base part that I've drawn a sketch on it. Using this sketch, I want to extrude cut hundreds of small closed contour regions. What is the fastest way to extrude cut these regions without having to select the regions one by one? Is there a shortcut/power move for such cases?

How is AI going to affect CAD industry...Vibe Coding is already here..is Vibe Modeling will arrive any time soon...those who are long time in this industry...what do u say?

I recently bought the Maker’s license after being on the EDU license through my college. Graduating + finally getting a mechanical engineering job (which also uses SolidWorks! Dream come true!!!!) enabled me to consider getting my own personal SolidWorks license.

Yes, the browser-based aspects of it are hard to work with sometimes. I, too, was not a fan of having to open SolidWorks from the browser every time.

However, after adding a desktop shortcut things got better! For context, I have always been used to the EDU license from my college: super simple startup since you just launch the software from your desktop.

Regarding 3D Drive, I love it!! It was a rubik’s cube to set it up, but once I understood how to work with the synced files from my file explorer, things started to feel really seamless.

I ESPECIALLY am a fan of 3D Play. I love how it is accessible from any device (Tablet, Phone, Laptop). This makes it super easy to showcase progress of a given design as I share them with my friends and family. It also makes it easy for me to work on my projects on the go, as I have a desktop PC in my room and a ThinkPad for when I go out to have fun :D (aka get crazy sloshed with da homies and do some CAD if I feel like it haha)

Ultimately, I hope to find a more robust way of accessing my 3D drive from my tablet / phone. Not the biggest fan of the 3DSwym app just throwing a hyperlink to a browser when I want to see the 3D Drive. I am sure it exists somewhere, I just need to keep digging.

Very excited for this new era of SolidWorks for me! Was hoping the Maker’s license would come with PDM, but I was pleasantly surprised by the whole 3D Drive / 3D Play thing.

I'm new to solidworks, could anyone please explain how to close this gap between a flat surface and the curved surface?

Have they even used their software? Lol

Especially working with surface modeling, sudden explosions can just occur. and of course ctrl-z never works

It’s for 3d printing
Im new here and a bit lost. Thanks

A = 370, B = 410
material = Al 1060 alloy

Think a folding camp chair is just some tubes and a piece of fabric? Think again! Join our latest SOLIDWORKS modeling challenge to tackle the hidden engineering behind it, from welded frames and cut lists to scissor linkages that actually fold, and a packaging envelope that has to fit in a carry bag.

How to Participate:

• The Goal: Model a functional folding camp chair as a fully mated assembly using any version of SOLIDWORKS, with the frame built using the Weldments tools

• Pick Your Tier: Go Bronze (deployed chair with a weldment frame and cut list), Silver (add a working fold with real mates and a motion study), or Gold (hit the packaging envelope and run a 120 kg load case in SOLIDWORKS Simulation)

• Show Your Work: Don’t just share a final render. Upload your native files along with screenshots highlighting your workflow, feature tree, and modeling strategy

• Key Features to Capture: Welded structural members with mitered corners, scissor pivot mechanisms, fabric seat and back, and hardware that makes the whole thing move

Ready to prove your skills? Check out all the details and submit your work here: https://solidworks.com/folding-chair-design-challenge-2026-10

#solidworkschampions
#solidworks
#modelingchallenge

These speakers go to 11, and we need your help to spread the word! 🔊

SLUGME 11 - the SOLIDWORKS Largest User Group Meeting Ever - is almost here, and the SOLIDWORKS community is building portable, waterproof speakers live, with KICKER and off-the-shelf electronics. Why stop at 10 when you can go to 11? 🤘
Join the live stream on November 19th from 11am ET / 4pm GMT: https://solidworks.com/slugme-11-dyi-speakers
#SOLIDWORKS #SLUGME11 #DIYSpeakers

Hi! I’m trying to find some stresses relating to anchor bolts so I’ve been using the foundation fixture feature but anytime I try to run the simulation, it won’t finish. Any advice?

I have been using Solidworks for years now and other than some of its weird quirks and having to put up with 3DExperience, I'm pretty comfortable with it.

However, I recently had the opportunity to switch to Inventor for free. I know nothing beats free but I'm worried about impacts to my time, capability and workflow.

Personally, I don't need to work in large assemblies (25 parts max), however I do a lot of organic surface modeling (class A surfacing) and DFM work. I also worry about the time spent getting up to speed but I'm sure I'll be fine.

Does anyone have any insights/suggestions? There doesn't seem to be a lot out there in terms of comparing surfacing between the two.

I have inserted these four sketches to a new part. The sketches appear at a seemingly random point in space. How can I ensure that the origin of the new part and that of the document where the sketches were made will be in the same place?

I want to share this partly to get help and partly as a warning for other Makers buying through the 3DS online store.

What happened:

• During Black Friday 2025 I accidentally bought a yearly SOLIDWORKS xDesign for Makers licence instead of 3DEXPERIENCE SOLIDWORKS for Makers (same price, the names/buttons are easy to confuse).

• I noticed within 30 minutes and submitted the official Refund & Cancellation form. Dassault's own policy offers a 15-day cancellation/refund for yearly subscriptions.

• To not miss the BF discount, I then also bought the correct Makers licence.

What I've tried since:

• - The support form 4 times. Every time it shows "submitted, we'll respond within 2 business days". I never received a ticket number, a confirmation email or a reply.

• - Posted on the 3DSupport and Makers SWYM communities.

• - A Dassault staff member picked it up in January. She confirmed in writing that none of my form submissions ever created a ticket on their side, and forwarded my case to the refunds team in February. No response since, despite follow-ups in March, April and July.

• - Contact Sales form in October (this one did send a confirmation email). No reply.

What I'm asking for:

Either a refund of the xDesign purchase (about €24), or, which I'd actually prefer, simply converting it into an extra year of SOLIDWORKS for Makers, which I'm renewing anyway next month.

It's a small amount, but it's the principle: the official refund route doesn't appear to work at all.

Questions:

1. Has anyone had the same experience with the support form not creating tickets?

2. Is there anyone from SOLIDWORKS/Dassault here who can point me to someone who can actually resolve this?

Tip for other Makers: double-check you're buying "3DEXPERIENCE SOLIDWORKS for Makers" if you want the desktop app. xDesign is browser-only.

If nothing comes of this, my next step is the European Consumer Centre. The amount isn't the point, it's the principle: the official refund route doesn't appear to work at all.

I'm learning SOLIDWORKS and sometimes feel overwhelmed by the number of tools and features.

For experienced users, what would you recommend a beginner focus on first?

Would you suggest following tutorials, practicing real-world projects, or learning specific features first?

Hi! I’m a recent EE grad now working as a Design Engineer and would love to help any students starting out in Solidworks! :))

I got a maker license at home because I use it all day at work and I’m proficient with it. I didn’t want to learn new software. Maybe I’m lazy I guess.
But I’m so completely done with this crap version. Constant crashing, constant logging in and restarting, constant monitoring and hand slapping, I hate the fact that it’s basically taken over my machine with so much crap running in the background.
I’m out.

Hey everyone,

I’m running into a sudden display issue in SolidWorks and I’m not sure what triggered it.

• Image 1 - is what i got now

• Image 2 - is what is used to be

Thanks in advance!

• Sometimes appearances are undeletable, even removing all appearances I can't kill them

• Linking appearances to configurations always breaks. If I save/close/open a file and click through configurations, one of them will change appearance unexpectedly.

• Appearances on faces never stay put. If I have complex geometry, with like 30+ faces, some of them will always flip or revert on me at seemingly random times.