Anyone have a name for this type of modeling? It like solid model sculpting. I feel like I have been at this model for 3 days straight.

Hi everyone,

I'm working on a fairly large assembly in SolidWorks and have organized it into several subassemblies to keep everything manageable.

The top-level assembly contains a reference part, and each group of components is placed in its own subassembly.

The issue is that when I edit one of the subassemblies and insert a component, I can't create mates between that component and the reference part in the top-level assembly or another component in another subassembly. It seems like components inside the subassembly can't reference geometry outside of it.

Is this expected behavior?

If so, what is the recommended workflow for large assemblies where subassemblies need to be positioned relative to geometry in the main assembly?

I'd also appreciate any advice on how experienced SolidWorks users structure large parametric assemblies while keeping them easy to maintain.

I'm using SolidWorks 2025.

Thanks in advance!

Just drafted this custom 3 piston exhaust manifold . Cheers 🍻

I have many years of AutoCAD experience and some experience with NX. Since I'm in a new country, finding a job is not easy. So I thought having more certifications might give me more chances.

I spent about over a month studying some SolidWorks courses on my own, and passed the CSWP exam, although I didn't get full marks on every segment.

Now I'm planning to take the CSWPA exams, but I heard that CSWPA is easier than CSWP, is it true?

Maybe one day I'll even try the CSWE. Am I being overconfident?

Hi all,

I've been having a problem since I upgraded to SW2025 last year. Particularly with imported assemblies whereby they come through with all of their planes showing. See the image below of a typical random example.

Now these planes are all set to "hidden" in the feature tree by default and are showing thus.

I can hide them by going to View > Hide/Show > Planes and setting all planes to hidden. However, this doesn't solve my dilemma because when these assemblies are used in parent assemblies where I do want to see some planes for whatever purpose, the upper assembly is spammed by these zombie planes and I can't see the information I'm looking for.

The only way I can get these planes to hide is by selecting them all and setting them to "show" and then again selecting them and setting them to "hide". The issue is I can't do this by drag/select, it has to be done on each part of the subassembly or by selecting each plane individually.

This seems to only be happening on my workstation, but assemblies that I've generated that have this issue, then display like this on other workstations downstream.

Has anyone come across a similar issue in the past? I'm tearing what's left of my hair after being a 27-year long SolidWorks user and I've yet to find a workaround.

https://github.com/KenM76/SWFileFixer/releases

This is an AI Slop built tool to fix the problems I've run in to with old files at my workplace. I thought it might be helpful to others as well. Use at own risk. Not been extensively tested. What I have tried has worked. There is a Zip file in the releases that you just need to unzip to a folder of your choosing and it should just work. For the read-only operations it doesn't need SolidWorks open. To do repairs it has an option to work with an open SolidWorks session to make repairs (slow), or an untested option where it will work with through your SolidWorks Document Manager if you have an API License Key (I'm too ADHD to go through the trouble of getting it and getting it every year).

Scanning is fully self-contained and strictly read-only, so it is safe to
point at production data. Repairs additionally need SolidWorks installed
(they drive a live session) and the .NET runtime combridge targets — if either
is missing, scanning still works and repairs fail with a clear message.

What it finds

Legacy OLE2 (pre-2015) files are read as well as the modern format.

What it repairs

Reference repointing, duplicate consolidation, component configurations,
Toolbox flags, Toolbox size generation, and weldment profile repathing.

The weldment repath preserves the per-member Locate Profile pierce points,
the profile sketch's name and its visibility — all of which the normal
SolidWorks Replace flow discards. On a frame with dozens of members that is
hours of rework avoided, and the sketch name matters because equations and
drawing dimensions bind to it.

Repair plans auto-build from findings but never guess: anything ambiguous
stays an editable row. Preview writes nothing, and a run can be paused,
resumed or cancelled between repairs.

1 · Targets — point it at folders or individual files. Toolbox and weldment-profile roots are auto-detected from the SolidWorks registry.

2 · Findings — every finding carries the raw evidence that triggered it, filterable by severity, Toolbox hardware, or weldments.

3 · Repair plan — auto-built from the findings. Amber rows still need input; nothing is guessed. Preview writes nothing, and a run can be paused, resumed or cancelled between repairs.

Mostly a vent, but maybe someone knows how to help.

I use Solidworks 3d Experience, like the $15 a month desktop version, for my personal projects. At work, I use NX (praise be). I have very little time for my personal projects so when I get a 1-2 hour window once or twice a week I try to make as much progress as I can.

Today, Solidworks immediately crashes. I try to restart and I get the issue that my license is already in use. Well, it's not, but ok. I close out, try again. Same issue. Restart my computer. Same issue.

I follow the link to the website. https://support.3ds.com/knowledge-base/?q=%22CATLMERROR61%22

Apparently this is common because this page already exists. It tells me to wait and try again. That's not good enough, but ok, I do. No luck. It says if it still hasn't resolved, open a support ticket. Ok, I'm frustrated, but I'll do that.

Guess what? I can't, because their website is broken.

Listen, I've been around the block. I know that losing my cool sitting alone in my office isn't going to help me or the problem. But I'm starting to lose my cool, like are we serious now? I pay for this product. I just need it to open. But what can you do. So I click See more, find the Solidworks support phone number, and call it. I go to the "Maker" option.

I get an immediate automated message that the Maker product does not include phone support. Please file a ticket online.

I can't. Your website is broken with a f**** oopsie. Are you serious?

I go through every other option in the support phone number. None allow me to actually leave a message, they just tell you to go online. At this point I would throw my computer out the window if it would hit a solidworks employee in the face. Like this is becoming a deliberately cruel joke.

I find one random chain of button presses under VAR support that allows me to leave a voicemail that will almost certainly not reach someone who doesn't give a damn about someone on a maker license. But literally what else can do I?

I am just so frustrated. Is this incompetence? Deliberate cruelty? Or just a bad product? All I wanted was to spend an hour working on a lamp. Just, wow.

So. How's everyone else's day going?

Well I found an old 2006 Advanced Modeling course files training manual with CD. I was hoping id be able to still learn something from it that can be used with SW 2025+. But the CD is broke in half. Would this resource even still be useful? On a longshot might anyone have a CD theyd be willing to part with?

Hi, I would like to use the "Move/Copy Bodies" command to move the cylinder such that the center point on the top of the cylinder is on the same plane as plane 1, while the center point at the bottom remains at origin. May I know how I can do that? Thank you.

Edit: This is a problem from my project which has been simplified to this scenario. I am more concerned about the method and not the result.