Solid message

The latest release of SolidWorks marks its tenth birthday in the marketplace, and despite of being owned by Dassault Systemes for most of that time (since 1997) the software is still as fresh and innovative as ever.

Most refreshing is the fact that the company’s marketing message has never faltered. SolidWorks is in business to bring 3D solid modelling to everyone’s desktop and when everyone is hopping on the product lifecycle management (PLM) bandwagon, SolidWorks remains focused on that mission. You can sit through a SolidWorks marketing pitch and never hear the PLM acronym that is used every other sentence by competitors. This is not to say that SolidWorks cannot do PLM. If you examine its offering the company has most of the PLM bases covered, but its consuming focus is ‘3D for all’.

Workflow is an important development thread in SolidWorks 2005 — the software has a bright new look with shaded icons to complement Windows XP. It has a multi-function Task Pane that appears to the side of the graphics area. From here, you can interact with folders and files, a PDMWorks vault, or open and edit libraries of parts and features.