The interface works in a Reader mode.
This is a stand-alone reader which does not require that the SOLIDWORKS system be installed.
No CAD associativity support.
No CAD Parameter support.
The interface can be configured during Ansys installation or by using the Product & CAD Configuration Manager.
See Product & CAD Configuration Manager for usage information.
For detailed installation information about the Product & CAD Configuration Manager, see:
Support
At the time of release, detailed version support information for the Windows platform is accessible via Geometry Interface Support.
For information about post-release CAD system compatibility with Ansys Workbench, see the Platform Support section of the Ansys Website.
Document import supported by interface: Part (*.sldprt) and Assembly (*.sldasm)
Versions: 98 — 2024
Table 24: Import Preference Support for SOLIDWORKS Reader Interface
| Import Solid Bodies | Yes | ||
| Import Surface Bodies | Yes | ||
| Import Line Bodies | Yes | ||
| Parameter Processing and prefix/suffix key | No | ||
| Attribute Processing and prefix | Yes - Color | ||
| Named Selection Processing and prefix | Yes - Color | ||
| Material Processing | Yes | ||
| Analysis Type |
| ||
| Associativity | No | ||
| Coordinate Systems | No | ||
| Work Points | No | ||
| Reader Save File | No | ||
| Instancing | No | ||
| Smart Update | No | ||
| Enclosure and Symmetry Processing | No | ||
| Mixed Import Resolution | No | ||
| Decompose Disjoint Geometry | Yes |
Notations
Selective Update — This interface fully supports the Selective Update feature.
Length Unit — The length unit specified in the part or assembly is automatically read from the geometry file and is transferred into Ansys Workbench. The Length Unit field in the Details will be read-only. If a unit system is not detected in the geometry file, the Length Unit field in the Details will be active, allowing the Length Unit to be specified.
Hidden parts — Parts that are hidden or suppressed in SOLIDWORKS are skipped automatically by this interface.
Import CAD Color as Named Selections — To import an object's Color as Named Selections in Ansys Workbench, specify the "Named Selections" option and set the "Named Selections Key" to "Color" or a list of specific Colors delimited by a semicolon (for example: "Color:255.0.0; Color:255.255.0").
Caveats and Known Issues
No Support for a Color Attribute assigned to an Instance of a Part or Assembly. — Color information is read only when it is present in the B-rep data section in the .sldprt file.
Limited Support for Reading Units in Part or Assembly Files. — Reading unit information from SOLIDWORKS parts of assembly files is only supported for file version Sw2001 through the latest and currently supported SOLIDWORKS version. For earlier versions, the unit is assumed as meter. Also, unsupported units such as feetandinch and angstrom are assumed as meter.
Material Properties — The Reader translates material properties for part files from SOLIDWORKS version 2012. The Material Properties will always be in the MKS unit system irrespective of the SOLIDWORKS file unit system. The Reader supports only part level material properties.
No Support for Assembly Features. — Only the data in the B-rep section of a file is read.
No Support for Attributes Show, No-Show and Hidden for Versions Prior to Sw2004. — Attributes show, no-show and hidden are supported from version Sw 2004 through the latest and currently supported SOLIDWORKS version.
No Configuration Support for Assemblies and Sub-Assemblies for Versions Prior to Sw98. — Configuration support is present for version Sw98Plus through the latest and currently supported SOLIDWORKS version.
No Support for Writing Actual Instance Names — The reader does not supports actual instance names for separate parts and sub-assemblies in XML write.
Part Configuration Support. — SOLIDWORKS part files can contain different configurations for the same feature. Each configuration has separate geometry and topology data. The reader extracts the B-rep data stored in the “.SLDPRT” file. SOLIDWORKS stores B-rep data corresponding to each configuration in separate streams of the “.SLDPRT” file. To support reading of configurations, reader requires the B-rep data of that configuration. Typically, a SOLIDWORKS part file when re-saved in a higher version does not contain B-rep data for all configurations in the file. Hence, the reader cannot translate these files completely. In such cases, open the part in SOLIDWORKS, activate each configuration and save the part.
No Support for Translation of Hidden and Suppressed Bodies/Features in Part. — Reader does not support translation of hidden and suppressed bodies/features in part. Those features will simply be translated as they are ignoring their hidden or suppressed status in the part file.
No Support for Translation of Coordinate Systems.
No Support for Translation of Free Curves, Free Points or Work Planes.
No Support for User Defined Attribute (UDA) Defined on Configurations.
Limited Support — Non-Commercial, Education Edition, Alpha, Beta, and PR versions (even of supported official versions) are not supported.
Limitations
Limited Support for Virtual Assemblies — The SOLIDWORKS reader does not support pure Virtual Assemblies. To import a Virtual Assembly then the supporting parts must also be saved as part files.
Troubleshooting
See the SOLIDWORKS Errors Related to CAD Integration section in CAD Integration Troubleshooting for detailed information.