SOLIDWORKS Frequently Asked Questions

Yes. With SOLIDWORKS Cloud Services included with SOLIDWORKS Subscription Service, you can connect your SOLIDWORKS CAD data to the 3DEXPERIENCE platform and extend how your team works with design information. This allows you to share and mark up 3D designs with others, securely store and access design data, and formally manage design changes. For details about your specific CAD software subscription and available capabilities, contact your local SOLIDWORKS reseller partner.

Yes. As environments drift further from supported configurations, future upgrades can become increasingly complex due to version gaps, aging dependencies, hardware limitations, integration compatibility issues, and fragmented workflows. Subscription Services help teams maintain more manageable and predictable upgrade paths over time.

The Subscription Service fee will be pro-rated for additional users. All seats will be tied to the same subscription period.

Not necessarily. Many teams turn to SOLIDWORKS Subscription Services initially to regain flexibility, access technical support, improve compatibility, and ensure supported upgrade paths. This approach enables organizations to plan their upgrades more strategically, rather than reacting under operational pressure to urgent changes.

Yes, an active SOLIDWORKS Subscription drastically reduces the burden on your administrative staff. Instead of fighting unpredictable software conflicts, IT leaders gain access to documented compatibility guides, direct technical support from a SOLIDWORKS certified expert and validated configurations. This clarity makes planning and maintaining your infrastructure straightforward.

SOLIDWORKS Subscription Services also includes newer capabilities that may not have been available during previous subscription periods. One example that could drastically simplify ongoing IT planning is SOLIDWORKS Cloud Services. Cloud Services is available to SOLIDWORKS customers on subscription – it provides secure, cloud-based storage, sharing, and management capabilities made for SOLIDWORKS 3D CAD data, and accessible from any web browser.

Active subscription provides each SOLIDWORKS user with regular rolling updates, continuous validation and predictable upgrade paths. These tools help IT administrators manage change efficiently across the entire team and production environment, ensuring hardware and software upgrades remain aligned.

The quickest way to access technical support is to create a service request in our 3DSupport App or call your SOLIDWORKS Reseller. It’s that simple.

The easiest way to order SOLIDWORKS Subscription Services is to contact your local VAR. If you are unsure who your VAR is, please contact SOLIDWORKS and we will assist you.

Software releases and service packs can be downloaded directly from our Downloads page on SOLIDWORKS.com.

Subscription Service provides direct access to SOLIDWORKS technical support, known issue guidance, compatibility validation, bug fixes, and supported recovery paths. This helps reduce internal time spent diagnosing unsupported issues or building manual workarounds when engineering workflows are interrupted.

Subscription Services help organizations maintain stability by providing access to supported configurations, ongoing compatibility improvements, technical support, performance optimizations, and supported upgrade paths.  With an active SOLIDWORKS Subscription, you'll receive new software releases directly via email. Each Service Pack will also be available for download through the SOLIDWORKS Support page, formerly the Customer Portal. This helps teams adapt more predictably as surrounding technologies and engineering requirements continue evolving.

Subscription Services helps both teams and the individual SOLIDWORKS user Subscription Services helps teams reduce delays caused by troubleshooting, unsupported issues, compatibility problems, and outdated workflows. Access to live technical support from SOLIDWORKS experts, supported upgrade paths, interoperability improvements, and ongoing software optimizations through service packs help teams recover faster and maintain momentum across engineering projects.

Yes, SOLIDWORKS Subscription Services includes full access to SOLIDWORKS Cloud Services, which connect your 3D CAD data from SOLIDWORKS to the 3DEXPERIENCE platform. 

This gives users tools for:

• Share & Markup — share 3D designs by link and collect feedback
• Store & Revise — cloud storage, revision control, design locking, and markup tools
• Manage & Control — data management, change actions, approvals, and project/task control
   

Many organizations find the long-term value comes from the cumulative effect of ongoing performance improvements, interoperability enhancements, usability refinements, technical support access, and workflow optimizations that help engineering environments remain efficient and supportable over time.

No. Many teams find the long-term value comes from the cumulative effect of ongoing improvements to everyday software performance, usability, workflow efficiency, interoperability, and technical support access. These smaller refinements can help reduce engineering friction across everyday work.

The benefits of SOLIDWORKS certification included with the SOLIDWORKS Subscription service are also advantageous. As a Subscription Services member, you have access to 15 of the 17 SOLIDWORKS Exams, including the CSWA (Certified SOLIDWORKS Associate), CSWP (Certified SOLIDWORKS Professional), and Specialty exams, all to validate user proficiency of the SOLIDWORKS essentials. Build your team’s skills by selecting one exam from three main categories—twice a year—for every seat of SOLIDWORKS on Subscription.