SOLIDWORKS is listening to customers and implementing the features they have been asking for. Many of the updates to SOLIDWORKS are small enhancements that add up in the end for increased efficiency and easier design and collaboration. These are the top seven enhancements coming in SOLIDWORKS 2024 that our team is excited about. Everyone works differently, however, so make sure to check out all the enhancements from the latest SOLIDWORKS 2024 documentation.
1. Sketching Gets Enhancements with Dimension Previews
Now you can use the dimension previews functionality to speed up workflows. When you select one or more entities, you can edit dimensions more easily. When looking at a sketch, you can click sketch segments or elements of your sketch to type in the dimensions you want. It saves a ton of steps and can change your workflow quite a bit. It recommends dimensions and saves you time in using best practices such as Fully Defined Sketches. Be sure to turn on the “Preview Sketch Dimension” option to take advantage of this new feature.
2. Previous Compatibility with SOLIDWORKS 2022 and SOLIDWORKS 2023.
With the new version of SOLIDWORKS, you can now collaborate with partners who may not be on SOLIDWORKS 2024 by saving files as older versions. Enhancements for parts and features include saving as a previous version option for assemblies and drawings. There are some limitations around this however and some new features may not work if you save your files in a previous version of SOLIDWORKS. You can save files for backwards compatibility with SOLIDWORKS 2022 and 2023.
3. Speed up Part Design
With parts and features enhancements in SOLIDWORKS 2024, you can really speed up your sketching while reducing design effort. There is a new option to preview and edit dimensions, which we talked about earlier, but you can also create bidirectional, symmetric patterns with the Symmetric option for Linear Pattern, as well as display units of measurements as a custom property in notes and tables.
4. Sheet Metal Stamp and Rip Tool
SOLIDWORKS 2024 introduces both the Rip and Stamp tool to reduce bottlenecks and have more control over your designs.
Rip Tool – Create rips in hollow or thin-walled cylindrical and conical bodies. Avoid creating excessive features or sketch geometry like intentional gaps required previously.
Stamp tool – Create sketch based, parametric, and forming tools to save time from always having to create forming tools for this type of feature. Control depth, internal radius, etc.
5. Assemblies: Defeaturing Rule Sets to Better Protect IP and Saving Time Opening STEP Files
Defeature Rule Sets – rules-based defeaturing with more specific methods of defeaturing based on your requirements. Take certain things from an assembly and defeature them to protect certain parts of your intellectual property. You define the rule sets and then can pick through the assembly and say, this part is protected by various IP levels based on custom properties. You may have different needs so can also have different rule sets for different needs. Share your data without giving away all your IP.
Defeature Rule Sets – rules-based defeaturing with more specific methods of defeaturing based on your requirements. Take certain things from an assembly and defeature them to protect certain parts of your intellectual property. You define the rule sets and then can pick through the assembly and say, this part is protected by various IP levels based on custom properties. You may have different needs so can also have different rule sets for different needs. Share your data without giving away all your IP.
6. Drawings Enhancements that Improve Visibility and Customization Workflows
New Drawings enhancements include Overridden Dimensions and Highlight Entities so you can more clearly communicate information about your drawings.
Overridden Dimensions – Automatically highlight overridden dimensions, making them clearly visible. This gives you the ability to change any colors of any dimensions that’s been overridden to visually highlight it if changes are needed or to convey additional information. This feature allows users to easily differentiate and identify overridden dimensions, enhancing clarity and design accuracy.
Highlight Entities – Shows attached entities when highlighting dimensions, gives better visibility and better understanding of PMI (product manufacturing data) when detailing. In addition, it gives you a better understanding of how dimensions will behave.
7. SOLIDWORKS PDM Enhancements New Features for 2024
SOLIDWORKS PDM can now work even better for SOLIDWORKS CAD users with enhanced functions to access PDM Variables within the Assembly Visualization tool, as well as Check out upon State Change. Saving time for the everyday SOLIDWORKS User. All kinds of options for managing your data.
Assembly visualization – Allows you to access PDM variables from the assembly visualization tool which means you have faster, more powerful information gathering from your model. You can color code specific areas of your lists, so you know more about your models more quickly. Quickly look at performance, mass properties and PDM variables.
Days in State Columns to Identify Bottlenecks – Easily display column for days in state of files keep projects on time and quickly identify bottlenecks for specific processes. Figure out how long something has been in a state. For admins, you can go in and add days in state, so users can see it. Easy to implement, very important feature to activate.
Check Out Option During State Change – There is now an option to check out files from transition dialogue box. Save time with less steps you no longer have to open the file, then sort your check out dialogue and then check all the boxes.
Ready to Upgrade to SOLIDWORKS 2024 for New Features and Product Enhancements?
SOLIDWORKS continues to enhance existing features to give users more flexibility to fit their needs. Are you using SOLIDWORKS 2024? Time to capitalize on enhanced IP protection, smoothing out steps in the design process workflow, and being able to save files for previous versions of SOLIDWORKS when collaborating with users on older versions. Talk to us to today to upgrade.
