SolidWorks offers a suite of simulation packages to set up virtual real-world environments so you can test your product designs before manufacture. Test against a broad range of parameters during the design process—like durability, static and dynamic response, motion of assembly—to evaluate design performance and improve quality and safety. Simulation lowers costs and speeds time to market by reducing the number of physical prototypes you need before going into production. SolidWorks Simulation helps designers and engineers to innovate, testing and developing new concepts with greater insights.
SolidWorks Simulation Premium software provides a full range of simulation capabilities to ensure product robustness and bolsters the depth of Simulation Professional with additional features, including tools for simulating nonlinear and dynamic response and dynamic loading.
SolidWorks Simulation Professional goes beyond core simulation and expands the virtual test environment to product durability and natural frequencies, heat transfer and buckling, and pressure analysis and complex loading.
Included with the SolidWorks Premium 3D CAD design package, SolidWorks Simulation provides core simulation tools to test for strength and safety, analyze assembly kinematics, and simulate product performance to help you make the decisions that improve quality.
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SolidWorks Premium
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SolidWorks Simulation Professional
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SolidWorks Simulation Premium
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Assembly Simulation
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Mechanism Analysis
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Event-Based Motion
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Compare and Optimize Design
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Simulate Natural Frequencies
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Predict Buckling or Collapse
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Simulate Heating or Cooling
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Simulate Drop Test
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Simulate Fatigue
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Simulate Plastic and Rubber Components
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Simulate Composites
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Simulate Forced Vibrations
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Nonlinear Dynamics
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Calculate Plastic Deformation and Residual Stresses
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Motion Simulation (SolidWorks Premium): Calculates sizing of motors, actuators, Understand power consumption, Optimize springs & dampers, Simulate cam-drives & latch mechanisms, Investigate gear-drive motion, Study linkage movement, Calculate contact/impact/collision forces
Thermal Simulation (Simulation Professional): Evaluate temperature change Steady State, transient, Heat transfer effect due to Conduction, convection, radiation, Time, Turn heat source on/off during analysis using a thermostat, Apply contact condition to simulate thermal resistance, Combine thermal and static loading
Frequency Simulation(Simulation Professional): Check for resonance which causes destruction and should be avoided at all cost, Calculate natural frequencies of the system, Visualize mode shape for each frequency, Calculate mass participation, Support pre-stress stiffening
Drop Test (Simulation Professional): Study shifting and interaction of components in an assembly, Calculate impact results as Stress, deformation, force, Ability to specify Drop height, impact velocity, angle of impact, Drop the object on Rigid floor Flexible floor like wood, concrete
Fatigue Simulation (Simulation Professional): Predict how long will the product last, Modify existing design to extend working life, Performance under cyclic loading, Constant/variable loading, Import load history from physical tests, Multiple load cases, Input unique S-N curves for different material types, Identify critically damaged areas, Total life, damage, factor of safety, 3D rain flow and damage chart
Nonlinear Simulation (Simulation Premium): Analyze plastic and rubber products and determine deformation beyond yield or does not return to initial shape when applied loads are removed, Simulate large deflection effects where load and deflection relationship is no longer a straight-line and capture change in stiffness as parts deform (like a guitar string), Capture product instability due to complex buckling or collapse
Advanced Dynamics (Simulation Premium): Dynamic load input, Stress on moving components, Impact/shock loading, Simulate shaker test, Base isolator design of mounted machinery, Earthquake simulation, Suspension, test fixtures, mounted machinery, buildings, bridges, aerospace
Composites (Simulation Premium): Predict individual layer failure, Laminate strength for different fiber orientation, Inter-laminar shear stress, Nature of failure mode, Storage tanks, building panels, marine, furniture, automotive, aerospace, high-speed manufacturing equipment
Motion Optimization – designers can now optimize mechanism design based upon motion parameters such as motor size bearing loads and range of travel.
Beams in linear dynamic studies – Beam elements can be used, instead of solid or shell elements, to simulate long slender components and optimize performance in Simulation.
Import flow results to structural studies with shell elements – import temperature and pressure data from SolidWorks Flow Simulation to shell definitions in SolidWorks Simulation.
Thermal joints in flow simulation – allow heat transfer between disjoint faces allowing for model simplification resulting in faster solve times.
Tracer studies for flow simulation – quickly determine gas concentrations, condensation or evaporation with the HVAC module.
Mixed mesh enhancements – solution efficiency sometimes demands that solid, shell and beam elements are used in the same study. The elements are now bonded together, imprinting its virtual thickness to its connecting body. This method improves both accuracy and solution time.
Beam results displayed on beam sections – Showing the beam results on the 3D section helps designers communicate their design with more clarity to non technical people.
Motion sensors – designers can now create sensors based on any motion study result. Motion Sensors allow you to track key information about your machine.
SolidWorks
| Operating Systems |
SolidWorks
2009
(EDU
2009-2010) |
SolidWorks
2010
(EDU
2010-2011) |
SolidWorks
2011
(EDU
2011-2012) |
SolidWorks
2012
(EDU
2012-2013) |
(SolidWorks
2013)
(EDU
2013-2014) |
| Windows 7 |
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| Windows Vista |
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| Windows XP |
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| Minimum Hardware |
Configuring a SolidWorks Workstation |
| RAM |
2 GB or more |
| Disk Space |
5 GB or more |
| Video Card |
Certified cards and drivers |
| Processor |
Intel or AMD with SSE2 support. 64-bit operating system recommended |
| Install Media |
DVD Drive or Broadband Internet Connection |
| Microsoft Products |
| Internet Explorer |
IE 6,7,8 |
IE 6,7,8 |
IE 7,8,9* |
IE 7,8,9 |
IE 8,9 |
| Excel and Word |
2003, 2007* |
2003, 2007, 2010* |
2007, 2010 |
2007, 2010 |
2007, 2010 |
| Other |
| Anti-Virus |
Supported Anti-Virus Products |
| Network |
Microsoft Windows networking. Novell networks and non-Windows network storage devices are not supported |
| Virtual environments and storage devices |
Supported storage devices |
eDrawings
| Operating Systems |
eDrawings
2009 |
eDrawings
2010 |
eDrawings
2011 |
eDrawings
2012 |
(eDrawings
2013) |
| Windows 7 |
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| Windows Vista |
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| Windows XP |
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| Mac 10.4 |
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| Mac 10.5 |
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| Mac 10.6 |
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| Mac 10.7 |
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SolidWorks Network License Server
| Operating Systems |
SolidWorks
2009 |
SolidWorks
2010 |
SolidWorks
2011 |
SolidWorks
2012 |
(SolidWorks
2013) |
| Windows 7 |
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* |
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| Windows Vista |
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| Windows XP |
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| Windows server 2003 |
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| Windows server 2008 |
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Microsoft Products
| Operating Systems |
* Earliest Supported SolidWorks Version |
| Windows 7 |
SolidWorks 2010 SP1 |
| IE 8 |
SolidWorks 2009 SP5 |
| IE 9 |
SolidWorks 2011 SP4 |
| IE 10 |
Not supported |
| Excel, Word 2007 |
SolidWorks 2009 SP5 |
| Excel, Word 2010 |
SolidWorks 2010 SP5 |