If you’ve been using SOLIDWORKS for a while, chances are your team has a design system in place. You’ve built workflows, trained designers, and developed libraries that work. On the other hand, you may have also experienced growing frustration: managing files, sharing designs, and avoiding versioning mistakes.
Note: This is the first in a series of articles on 3DEXPERIENCE SOLIDWORKS. In this article, we review some myths in transitioning to the online platform.
3DEXPERIENCE SOLIDWORKS offers the same modeling environment as the desktop version, making a move to the cloud less daunting. Image source SOLIDWORKS.
If you’ve been skeptical about this move, you’re not alone — and it’s understandable. After years of refining your process, no one wants to undo what’s already working. But in many cases, the concerns around working on the cloud are more manageable than they first appear. And, the potential upside — better organization, smoother collaboration, fewer surprises — is worth a closer look.
3DEXPERIENCE SOLIDWORKS delivers the same modeling environment you already know, but with built-in tools for collaboration, version control, and data management. It’s designed to reduce the friction that’s built up around traditional workflows, without requiring you to start from scratch.
In this article, we’ll explore three common myths that keep teams from making the move — and clarify what’s involved in taking the next step.
The Concern: You’ve spent years mastering SOLIDWORKS. The last thing you want is to trade that experience for a new interface and a steep learning curve.
The Reality: 3DEXPERIENCE SOLIDWORKS is still SOLIDWORKS. It has the same modeling environment, with the same features, menus, and workflows. The biggest difference is in how you access, store, and collaborate on your work. When you launch the program, either from the platform or from the desktop icon, you will recognize the layout. There’s no need to learn new CAD skills or retrain your team. What you gain is better organization, easier collaboration, and fewer “is this the latest version?” moments.
Designers will find this a seamless transition. For owners and CAD managers, it means fewer support issues, less risk, and more time spent moving projects forward.
The Concern: Your company has years of legacy files, configurations, and parts libraries. The thought of those files not working in a new environment, or needing a major cleanup, makes a move a nonstarter.
The Reality: Your existing SOLIDWORKS files will be 100% compatible with 3DEXPERIENCE SOLIDWORKS. You can open and edit your legacy parts, assemblies, and drawings just like before. What changes is how you store and manage those files. Instead of living on a shared drive or floating around in email threads, your data lives in a secure cloud workspace. That means:
• Search: Search by file name, type, description, owner, or status using built-in filters.
• Version control: Everyone sees the most up-to-date version automatically.
• Collaboration: Teams across locations can work from the same source.
Version control issues, lost files, and email bottlenecks are common pain points for many design teams. In a connected environment, they’re often the first things to improve.
All stakeholders inside and outside your organization can be connected to a project on the 3DEXPERIENCE platform, a cloud-based platform that scales with you. Image source SOLIDWORKS.
The Concern: Changing the way you manage CAD files sounds like opening the door to downtime, retraining, and unexpected hiccups. Is it worth the risk?
The Reality: If your team is already productive in SOLIDWORKS, there’s no need to overhaul it. 3DEXPERIENCE SOLIDWORKS tools keep your core tools intact while updating how the surrounding systems handle storage, sharing, and collaboration. You can still save work to your local drives if needed.
These are common workflow snags — and in a connected setup, they tend to get easier to manage:
• File management is built-in. No more searching through shared drives or chasing down the latest version.
• Collaboration is simplified. Instead of email attachments, teams share secure, permission-controlled links.
• Reduced IT overhead. You don’t have to buy servers and hire staff to maintain them.
• Access is more flexible. Designers and collaborators can log in from multiple devices, supporting remote and hybrid work.
For design teams, this means fewer workflow interruptions and less backtracking. For owners and CAD managers, it provides better project visibility and fewer last-minute surprises.
3DEXPERIENCE SOLIDWORKS markup tools and design process will be familiar to current desktop users. Image source SOLIDWORKS.
Most teams don’t make major workflow changes all at once — and with SOLIDWORKS, you don’t have to. The shift to a more connected design environment can happen gradually, with minimal disruption.
Here’s how the progression typically looks:
1. Desktop: Traditional SOLIDWORKS is installed locally. Files are saved locally or on a shared network. Collaboration relies on email, shared drives, and manual version control.
2. Connected: With SOLIDWORKS with Cloud Services, you can add new capabilities without changing your core tools. You still run SOLIDWORKS on your desktop, but your data lives in a centralized, secure cloud environment. Collaboration, file management, and lifecycle control are all embedded. In addition, the license lives on the computer it is installed on.
3. On the Cloud: With 3DEXPERIENCE SOLIDWORKS, you launch the program either from the platform or on your desktop; data lives in the centralized cloud environment. The license follows the user.
The transition to 3DEXPERIENCE is not all-or-nothing. You can move incrementally and update as you’re ready.
With product development cycles tightening and teams working across multiple locations, the limitations of traditional desktop CAD are becoming more visible. Cumbersome file sharing, inconsistent version control, and difficult collaboration techniques make project workflows inefficient.
Connected tools don’t erase those challenges overnight, but they do offer a more efficient way to manage them. Centralized storage, built-in version control, and simple sharing help reduce rework and miscommunication — without forcing you to overhaul the way you design.
For many teams, that’s reason enough to start exploring new options, not because the old way is broken, but because staying aligned is getting more difficult.
3DEXPERIENCE SOLIDWORKS is available in three versions: Standard, Professional, and Premium, with varying options included in each. Image source SOLIDWORKS.
So, why change what mostly works? Because the way we work is changing — and the tools we use need to keep up. 3DEXPERIENCE SOLIDWORKS makes it possible to evolve at your own pace, without sacrificing the workflows, files, and expertise you’ve built over years.
So whether you’re a day-to-day CAD user, CAD manager, or a decision-maker steering the company, the message is the same: You don’t have to overhaul everything to move forward. You just need a solution that fits the way you work — now, and into the future.
This article was sponsored by SOLIDWORKS.
###
Searching for more information about Product Design & Manufacturing?
Click here!