License Override. An environment variable has been factored into the new release that enables you to override the default ordering of licenses the application uses and specify your own order. When you first install the application, and prior to launching it, you can use the system Environment Variable, MECHANICAL_LICENSE_OVERRIDE, to override the default ordering of licenses the application uses. The application reads this variable the first time you open the application and overwrites the system file that specifies the default license order.

Unit Systems. A new unit system is now available: Metric (mm, g, N, ms, V, A). For analyses that use this unit system and that have the Solver Target property set to Mechanical APDL, the application sets nmm for the Solver Unit System property (Analysis Settings > Analysis Data Management).

Performance Improvement. Release 2025 R1 speeds up the process of loading and opening projects by optimizing how loads with tabular information are stored and sorted. Large, complex models that used to take more than 30 minutes to open now take approximately 15 seconds, a performance improvement of over 99%.