SOLIDWORKS xDesign for Makers

SOLIDWORKS for Makers is currently available with a billing address in:

• Americas: Canada, United States
• Europe: Austria, Belgium, Czech Republic, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Ireland, Italy, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, United Kingdom
• Asia-Pacific: Australia, India, Japan
• Africa/Middle East: Algeria, Morocco

More countries will be added soon.

Files created with your SOLIDWORKS for Makers account are digitally watermarked and can only be opened using a SOLIDWORKS for Makers license. They cannot be opened with commercial or academic versions of SOLIDWORKS. This watermark applies to native formats such as .3dxml, .sldprt, .sldasm, and .slddrw.

You can work with a wide range of popular CAD formats, including STL, STEP, DXF, and DWG. To collaborate or share your designs more broadly, export them in neutral formats like STEP (.stp) or IGES (.iges) for 3D printing or hobby projects.

Your email is locked in for a period of 30 days. Once that period is over, an email change should be possible. You can use the currently registered email for accessing the Makers platform. 

Link to the Makers Platform: 
Getting started steps: https://www.solidworks.com/lp/get-started-3dexperience-solidworks-makers

To replace email (once 30 days are complete), follow the steps:

My 3DEXPERIENCE ID

1. Go to https://eu1-ds-iam.3dexperience.3ds.com/3DPassport/my-profile
2. Log in with your user ID or old/wrong email address.
3. Edit your email address.
4. Scroll down and click Update.

With SOLIDWORKS xDesign for Makers, an internet connection is always required.

With 3DEXPERIENCE SOLIDWORKS for Makers, yes, you can work in an offline mode for up to 30 consecutive days.

Please note before starting ‘Work Offline’, ensure the following:

1. Local File Copies: Make sure you have local copies of the files you plan to work on. Refer to the post 'Another Way to Search for 3DEXPERIENCE SOLIDWORKS Files on Your Computer' for assistance.
2. Desktop Shortcut: Have a desktop shortcut for SOLIDWORKS Connected. See the post 'Desktop Shortcut Automatically Created for SOLIDWORKS Connected' for guidance.
3. Valid Licenses: Ensure you have licenses valid for 30 days or more.

Instructions:

Once offline, even if you are internet-enabled, SOLIDWORKS will remain in Offline Mode until you disable it, or the offline period expires.

To Enable WORK OFFLINE while in SOLIDWORKS Connected, click on your profile icon in the top right of the SOLIDWORKS window, and then Click on the ‘WORK OFFLINE’ option.

Unavailable Commands and Functionality in Offline Mode:

You can work with SOLIDWORKS Connected in an offline mode for a specified period of time between one and 30 consecutive days. During this time, no internet connectivity is required. Offline Mode is also available for Shop Floor Machining and SOLIDWORKS Visualize Connected.

While Offline Mode is active, the following commands and functionalities are unavailable:

• The 3DEXPERIENCE task pane tab is hidden (because the MySession app is not loaded).
• The 'Tools > Batch Save to 3DEXPERIENCE' command is disabled.
• All commands in the Lifecycle and Collaboration toolbar are disabled.
• The Lifecycle Status tab in the FeatureManager Display Pane is hidden.
• If autonaming is enabled on the platform, it will be disabled while Offline Mode is active. The setting will be applied only when you save your content to 3DEXPERIENCE after turning off Offline Mode.

Please ensure you review these instructions carefully before proceeding with Offline Mode in SOLIDWORKS Connected. If you encounter any issues or require further assistance, please do not hesitate to reach out to our support team for help.

If you plan to work in these apps during a platform update, you must start offline mode beforehand.

SOLIDWORKS xDesign for Makers runs entirely in your web browser, making it compatible with Mac, tablets, Chromebooks, and Windows. You’ll need an internet connection to access your projects and save your work to the 3DEXPERIENCE cloud platform.

3DEXPERIENCE SOLIDWORKS for Makers runs on Windows and can work offline for up to 30 days before syncing online. This flexibility allows you to design at any time, even without an internet connection, and seamlessly update your files once you reconnect.

• For inquiries about your purchase, managing your subscription, or accessing your 3DEXPERIENCE platform, please submit an Online Support Form.

• For setup and usage questions, visit the Makers Support Center for guides, troubleshooting, and tutorials.

• If you have a specific question or need technical advice, join the Maker | Support community.

• To share projects and connect with other Makers, become part of the Made in 3D community, where you can discover creative builds, get inspired by others, and collaborate on personal projects.

After you purchase 3DEXPERIENCE SOLIDWORKS for Makers, you will receive an email titled "Get started with your 3DEXPERIENCE subscription". If you do not receive this email, please check your spam folder. You can use the link in the email or the following link to access the software from any device with an internet connection: https://solidworks.com/maker-cloud.

You can click this link here to watch several helpful videos to get started with the 3DEXPERIENCE platform and also your 3D modeling apps. You can explore this link here to access the 3DEXPERIENCE SOLIDWORKS Installation Guide.

Yes, 3DEXPERIENCE SOLIDWORKS (SOLIDWORKS Connected) and NC Shop Floor Programmer require a download and installation onto your computer with Windows® 10 or Windows® 11 operating system.

3D Creator (xDesign) and 3D Sculptor (xShape) however are completely online and do not require any installation on your computer. Please note, 3DEXPERIENCE SOLIDWORKS (SOLIDWORKS Connected) cannot be installed on the same computer as SOLIDWORKS 3D CAD at the same major release.

Please see the knowledge base article for step by step instructions for performing a clean reinstallation.

Before you buy, you can check that you have the right hardware and environment. 3DEXPERIENCE SOLIDWORKS for Makers is compatible with computers running the Windows 10 or Windows 11 operating system. You can use this Cloud Eligibility Tool to check compatibility and look up your computer on this list of Certified Workstations.

You may log in at solidworks.com/maker-cloud. If you need further assistance, submit the Online Support Form https://www.3ds.com/online-store/support-form

If you have just purchased your license:

A few moments after your purchase, an automatic email is sent to you with a personal link to log in. If you did not receive it, please check your junk email. If you cannot find the email, please try to log in using this link.

Please make sure to log in using the same email address as the one used to complete your purchase.

If it does not work, please follow these steps:

1. Open Google Chrome, Mozilla Firefox, or Microsoft Edge and go on the log interface using the link above.
2. Go to settings to clear the cache and then close the window.
3. Open Google Chrome using the incognito mode.  
4. Try to log in again.

If you are still facing issues, please fill in this form and select the category "First Access". 

If it has been over 30 days since you subscribed:

Your license might have expired. Either because your billing information was not up to date or because you did not have sufficient funds on your credit/debit card.

If so, please renew your subscription from the store.

If you have been charged and you still do not have access to your environment, please fill out a form & select the "Access to the platform & Login issues" category.

Follow this link to get back to the 3DEXPERIENCE platform.

Please share a screenshot of the error in the MAKERS | Support community to receive suggestions for next steps.

Please see the knowledge base article for step by step instructions for performing a clean reinstallation.

To manage your 3DEXPERIENCE SOLIDWORKS for Makers subscription, log in to your MAKERS platform, open the cockpit/dashboard panel using the  icon, open the Platform Management cockpit and go to the Subscriptions tab 

In the Subscriptions tab, you can change your payment method. If you need assistance with your subscription, submit an Online Support Form.

To change your subscription plan, you will need to stop your current plan and purchase the new plan at the renewal date of the current one. If you do not follow that sequence, both subscriptions might overlap. Please follow these steps to do so:

1. Stop your ongoing subscription from your current 3DEXPERIENCE platform.

• For Makers : Stop your upcoming subscription renewal with this link         

You can stop your ongoing subscription until 5 days before its renewal date (5 days for a monthly subscription). When you stop, your ongoing subscription remains active until its renewal date.

2.  At the renewal date of your ongoing subscription (and only at that date), purchase the new yearly subscription on our online store. For Makers: Makers Offers

To keep your existing model data, use the same email address that you previously used to purchase your subscription plan. If during your purchase you are prompted to choose a platform, choose your existing platform. Do not choose “Deploy on a new platform.” If you need assistance with your subscription, submit an Online Support Form.

To cancel your 3DEXPERIENCE SOLIDWORKS for Makers subscription, log in to your MAKERS platform, go to the Platform Management cockpit > Subscriptions tab (click here).

In the Subscriptions tab, you can stop your subscription renewal (until 5 days before renewal).

If you need assistance with your subscription within 15 days of submitting your order, submit an Online Support Form.

SOLIDWORKS xDesign for Makers includes:

1. 3D Creator
2. 3D Sculptor
3. 3D SheetMetal Creator
4. 3D Structure Creator
5. 3D Mold Creator
6. 3D Motion Creator
7. Manufacturing Definition Creator
8. 3DSwymer
9. Collaborative Industry Innovator
10. Product Communicator
11. Cloud Render Credits

3DEXPERIENCE SOLIDWORKS for Makers includes:

1. 3D Creator
2. 3D Sculptor
3. 3DEXPERIENCE SOLIDWORKS Professional
4. NC Shop Floor Programmer
5. 3DSwymer (formerly Collaborative Business Innovator)
6. Collaborative Industry Innovator

xShape, included with the Makers license as part of 3D Sculptor is a Sub-D modeling application.

The basic concept behind subdividing surfaces is the act of dividing areas into smaller, more detailed regions. Subdivision modeling allows a designer to push and pull a simple mesh model into any shape they want. If a designer has a mesh model of a circle, for instance, they can click on a point where the mesh connects and then drag or pull that point to change the shape of the model. This allows for freeform designs that can more accurately depict natural curves. Using this technique, designers can produce organic-looking, realistic 3D models in less time and with more detail than other modeling methods.

xShape, provides additional capabilities to that of SOLIDWORKS, and can be used alongside to create ergonomic designs in a more creative. Watch this video to see how xShape and SOLIDWORKS can be used together.

With subdivision (Sub-D) surface modeling capabilities you can:

• Use a push and pull interaction to create complex surfaces quickly
• Use image and sketch guides to create 3D surface geometry
• Automatically convert subdivision surfaces to NURBS geometry
• Create stylized models faster than with parametric modeling tools

3DEXPERIENCE SOLIDWORKS is a 3D CAD design program with the same industry-leading functionality, features, and tools as desktop SOLIDWORKS Professional, with the additional benefit of the cloud data management via the 3DEXPERIENCE platform. You can securely save all your design data to the cloud, easily share and connect with other makers. Please note, compatibility with commercial licenses and Add-Ins are not supported with this version of 3DEXPERIENCE SOLIDWORKS for Makers.

To bring your designs to life, 3DEXPERIENCE SOLIDWORKS for Makers supports exporting your files as STEP, IGES, DXF, OBJ, STL and many more formats for 3D printing and laser cutting. Additionally, you can generate the NC code for CNC machining using the Shop Floor Machining application.

See here to learn more about import/export formats available in SOLIDWORKS Connected

There are a variety of different methods you can use to find your models. Here are a few of them:

On the Platform - xDesign | xShape

For Recently created files:

1. At the top of the page, click the 'Search' bar > type in filename
2. If you cannot find your file, click on the clock icon 'Show my content from the last 5 minutes.' Clicking this will only show things created in the last five minutes.
3. Click 'Show my recent content'
4. Click the down arrow (chevron) next to the file name > click 'Open With' to see the list of apps in which to open the file

NOTE: if you click on 'More Apps', you can click on an app from the 'My Apps' section of Compass pane to choose to open the file in that app.

To use 6WTags to find and open a file in a specific app (xShape, xDesign):

1. Click on the desired app from the Compass, 'My Apps' list > Once the app widget opens, click 'Open'
2. The 6WTags pane should have expanded on the left and the '6WTags' icon should be highlighted light blue.  If you don't see the 6WTags pane,click on the '6WTags' icon to expand it.
3. If you click on any of the tags, it will filter the results to only show items that match the selected tag. As an example, if you know the file was saved to a specific collaborative space, you can click on that specific collaborative space tag, under 'Where' > 'Source' > '<collaborative space name>'. Similarly, if you know you're the file owner, under 'Who' > 'Persons' > click your username from the list to filter out files by other owners. 

In SOLIDWORKS Connected

Search your files saved on the 3DEXPERIENCE Platform using the 3DEXPERIENCE Open Dialogue Box in SOLIDWORKS Connected.

Sharing and learning from others are some of the best things about being a maker. Connect with thousands of makers from across the world in our Made in 3D community - all for free. Learn how to share your designs with the community.

The 3DEXPERIENCE platform and its apps are continuously improved based on feedback from Makers and other users. These improvements are delivered to you via platform updates on a regular basis.

As you may know, the platform is inaccessible during updates. This can cause some inconvenience to those who are looking to access the apps during this period.

To help you work during platform updates, we encourage you to take advantage of the following enhancements.

1. Offline Mode

You can work with SOLIDWORKS Connected in an offline mode for a specified period of time between one and 30 consecutive days. During this time, no internet connectivity is required. Offline Mode is also available for Shop Floor Machining and SOLIDWORKS Visualize Connected. If you plan to work in these apps during a platform update, you must start offline mode beforehand.

2. SOLIDWORKS Open Dialog Box and 3DEXPERIENCE files on This PC

To work with offline mode in SOLIDWORKS Connected, you will need to have your model files downloaded to your computer. The open dialog box and 3DEXPERIENCE files on This PC tab help you find such files.

See the Quick Links page for more information about new Makers enhancements, known issues and more.

The default “Save” setting in SOLIDWORKS Connected is to save to the cloud. From within SOLIDWORKS Connected, you can also choose to “Save” to your local desktop. Or, to make it easier, you can even edit the keyboard shortcuts to change Ctrl+S from "Save to 3DEXPERIENCE" to "Save to my PC."

Make the same switch to the “Save” icon that appears in the toolbar. Or, if you decide to work in “offline” mode, everything you do will be saved locally.

Your 3DEXPERIENCE ID is your passport to helpful online resources.  If you have trouble logging in and need to reset your password, check out this page.