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AI in SOLIDWORKS in 2026

AI in SOLIDWORKS is here. It’s evolving and evolving fast. Let’s look at the current state of AI in SOLIDWORKS 2026. Native AI to SOLIDWORKS comes in two flavors – there’s embedded AI and AI Virtual Companions. Here’s what that means for you: 

Embedded AI 

Embedded AI isn’t new. It’s actually been around for many years. It’s just getting better and faster. SOLIDWORKS looks at your models and workflow in real-time and predicts or automates what you do next with tools like:

– The Command Predictor
– Generative Drawings
– What’s Wrong Analysis which can identify model errors and suggest resolutions
– Auto-Fastener Recognition & Creation with smart features and components in both CAD and Simulation.

These are tools that are embedded seamlessly into your SOLIDWORKS workflow and appear right when you need them to help you develop products faster.  

AI Virtual Companions 

AI Virtual companions in SOLIDWORKS are more like what you’re used to with modern AI assistants similar to tools like like Claude and ChatGPT – but grounded in an engineering context. These integrated SOLIDWORKS virtual companions leverage their engineering context to help you stay focused on design and engineering. The AI Companions are available in the SOLIDWORKS Labs tab of the task pane.  

There are currently two main companions AURA and LEO that are driving this functionality.  

Aura is currently a documentation chatbot. It was trained on the SOLIDWORKS documentation, help files, and community forums. It’s a more intuitive way to navigate SOLIDWORKS help content-which has always been one of the most valuable sources for learning and troubleshooting.  

Leo is your design companion which accelerates early-stage design tasks-assisting with drawing creation and helping structure assemblies based on prompts and user input. You can even interact with it to really fine tune things to get you exactly what you want.  

Today, these capabilities are delivering meaningful improvements to product development workflows-and with millions of users across the SOLIDWORKS community driving continuous feedback, scope and impact are expanding rapidly.

But this is just the beginning, and more interactive, AI-assisted design workflows and improvements are continuously being added to SOLIDWORKS, so stay tuned! We expect a lot more improvements to be added
any day now.

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Network vs. Standalone

A Network license allows multiple users to share a pool of licenses across a network, while a Standalone license is tied to a single computer and can only be used by one user at a time.

  • If you are a sole user or prefer to have dedicated licenses for each machine, a standalone license will likely be the best option. However, for teams that need to share licenses across multiple users or locations, network licenses offer greater flexibility.

 

Term vs. Perpetual

With a perpetual license, you own the software and can use it forever, while with a term license, you only have access to the software for the duration of your subscription period. 

  • If you have stable design needs, a predictable budget and want to own the software outright, perpetual is your best option. For companies with fluctuating project needs who want lower upfront costs and flexibility to adjust their software usage, term licenses are your best option.

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