SOLIDWORKS

ApplicationDassault Systèmes

Also called solid works, dassault solidworks

Dassault SystèmesCreative

Mechanical CAD common in engineering schools. SLDWORKS.EXE is the process. It is not Fusion 360.

What you need to know

SOLIDWORKS is school and shop mechanical CAD. Fusion is Autodesk cloud CAD/CAM.

SLDWORKS.EXE edits .sldprt files. Fusion360.exe is Autodesk. They both do mechanical CAD. They are not the same license or file.

What is it?: Mechanical CAD
Still current?: Yes, see Current status
Official download?: Use the vendor link in this article

Feex says

If SLDWORKS.EXE is the process, that is Dassault SOLIDWORKS, not Fusion 360. I would not hunt Fusion360.exe to explain a .sldasm assembly.

What is SOLIDWORKS?

SOLIDWORKS is a parametric mechanical CAD application. Parts are .sldprt. The Windows executable is SLDWORKS.EXE.

If you have never used it

SOLIDWORKS is Dassault's mechanical CAD. SLDWORKS.EXE is the process. It is not Fusion 360. Fusion is Autodesk cloud CAD/CAM. Schools often teach SOLIDWORKS. You install it from a reseller or school portal, not from a random SLDWORKS host.

What is it used for?

Parts and assemblies

Parametric solids. Fusion 360 does this in the cloud. This is SLDWORKS.EXE.

Drawings

2D drawings from the model. AutoCAD drafts DWG without that parametric link.

School labs

The common teaching seat. Fusion is the Autodesk classroom sibling.

Who is it for?

Engineering students
Machine shops on SOLIDWORKS
Anyone who opened Fusion looking for a .sldprt

Current status

SOLIDWORKS (1995) is a current mechanical cad from Dassault Systèmes. The vendor still points Windows users at https://www.solidworks.com/.

How old is it?

SOLIDWORKS shipped in 1995 and Dassault bought the company in 1997. Fusion 360 arrived in 2013. Current SOLIDWORKS is a yearly desktop release plus a 3DEXPERIENCE cloud line this article does not treat as the same exe.

Versions

Major channels first. Exact build numbers are not all verified here.

Current Windows build

System requirements

Values follow the publisher's public guidance. Workload still changes the real need.

Minimum

Minimum system requirements
Operating system	A current supported Windows 10 or Windows 11 release, per the vendor
RAM	16 GB class, per Dassault for recent SOLIDWORKS

Resource profile

CPU demand: Follows what you open inside the app
RAM demand: Follows documents, tabs, or libraries

Installed processes

These executables belong to this product when it is installed.

Installed processes
SLDWORKS.EXE	Main Windows executable

Startup components

SOLIDWORKS does not need to start with Windows. A license manager service may run on lab PCs.

File locations

Common SOLIDWORKS locations
Typical install	C:\Program Files\SOLIDWORKS Corp\SOLIDWORKS\

File formats

SLDPRTSLDASMSLDDRWSTEP

Common problems

Toolbox or license server down

School network licenses fail offline. That is not a Fusion cloud login.

Service Pack vs year mismatch

Install the SP the lab documents. A random 2020 exe on 2024 data is a mess.

Getting unstuck

Confirm SLDWORKS.EXE

Program Files\SOLIDWORKS Corp is the app. Fusion360.exe is Autodesk.

Use the school or reseller installer

solidworks.com/support is the vendor door. A keygen is malware.

Repair SolidWorks Rx

Dassault documents Rx diagnostics. This is not Fusion Service Utility.

Alternatives

Fusion 360, Inventor, and Onshape overlap. Fusion does not open a full .sldasm the way SLDWORKS does.

Official help and downloads

Start with the vendor. Random exe sites are not a support channel.

Official contacts
Download	www.solidworks.com/ Official installer or vendor page
Help	www.solidworks.com/support Vendor support
Official site	www.solidworks.com/ Start here, not a random exe host

Related hardware

Dassault lists 16 GB RAM class machines and certified GPUs for recent SOLIDWORKS. A gaming GPU can work and is not the certified list.

Technical details

Vendor version numbers change. This article does not pin a build.

Sources and verification

Reviewed by Feex editorial. Last verified August 2026 Status: Feex Reviewed. How we research.

SOLIDWORKS official site · Vendor product page
SOLIDWORKS help · Vendor support
Foxhole process map · First-party samples on Windows PCs. Not a lab benchmark.

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