Design: SolidWorks 2008 incorporates user requests

Concord, Mass.—SolidWorks Corp. has released SolidWorks 2008, the latest version of its 3D CAD software.

By Control Engineering Staff July 12, 2007

Concord, Mass. — SolidWorks Corp. has released SolidWorks 2008, the latest version of its 3D CAD software. Integrating more than 250 user-requested enhancements, the software has improved its user interface, 3D graphics, and design analysis capabilities, as well as added features that accelerate product design. It helps users improve their designs by providing feedback about quality and manufacturability up front.One feature of SolidWorks 2008 is the intuitive workflow, which predicts what tools users will need in the context of their task and makes them readily available. The interface reportedly reduces mouse travel, provides customization options, and provides task-based command selection. Swift Instant3D uses live cross-sections that enable users to make edits by dragging edges while looking at a slice of the model.The software helps users design faster by repurposing portions of existing designs with Design Clipart. It lets users search their file systems for sketches, tables, images, features, views, or DWG blocks that are inside existing designs. Once the item is located, the feature dissects target files, allowing users to simply drag the items to incorporate them in new designs.Design teams can also manage 2D files using a new capability called the DWG navigator, which allows users to perform searches, find references, view, and package files for sharing. Another feature, DFMXpress, helps prevent costly downstream design errors by automatically flagging elements that are difficult, expensive, or impossible to machine, such as 90-degree milled corners.—Edited by Lisa Sutor , Control Engineering news desk