What is SOLIDWORKS xDesign?

Imagine getting a great idea for a part or mechanism while you’re away from your workstation. If your CAD tools only live on a powerful desktop, that idea might sit in a notebook or, worse, disappear. SOLIDWORKS xDesign solves that problem by letting you model, iterate, and collaborate directly in a web browser, on almost any device, without installing traditional CAD software.

This article explains what SOLIDWORKS xDesign is, how it works on the 3DEXPERIENCE platform, the key features you can use in your day-to-day design work, and how it compares to classic desktop SOLIDWORKS CAD.

What is SOLIDWORKS xDesign?

SOLIDWORKS xDesign is a next-generation, cloud-native 3D CAD solution developed by Dassault Systèmes. It runs entirely in a web browser and is delivered as part of the 3D Creator role on the 3DEXPERIENCE platform. That means you can create and edit parametric 3D models from a PC, Mac, Chromebook, or tablet with nothing more than an internet connection and your login.

Unlike traditional installed CAD, xDesign is always current: updates are rolled out regularly on the platform, so you automatically benefit from new features and improvements without manual upgrades or downtime.

At a glance: key characteristics

• Browser-based parametric modeling: Create, review, and modify 3D parts and assemblies using familiar operations like extrude, revolve, sweep, loft, fillet, chamfer, shell, and patterns—all in a web browser.
• Cloud-native data management: Designs are stored in a secure cloud environment on the 3DEXPERIENCE platform, giving teams version control, permissions, and lifecycle management without traditional on-premise PDM infrastructure.
• Integrated collaboration: xDesign is tightly connected to other 3DEXPERIENCE apps for simulation, rendering, manufacturing, and PLM, so stakeholders can review, comment, and contribute from the same unified platform.
• Generative assistance via Design Guidance: Built-in topology optimization tools help you converge toward lighter, stiffer designs early in the process, based on loads, constraints, and materials you specify.
• Accessible offers for different users: xDesign is available in commercial roles, maker subscriptions, and student portfolios, so professionals, hobbyists, and learners can all access the same core technology.

Under the hood: a different modeling kernel

Desktop SOLIDWORKS uses the Parasolid geometric kernel, while xDesign runs on the CGM kernel used by CATIA and other 3DEXPERIENCE apps. This is largely invisible in day-to-day modeling, but it explains why xDesign works so seamlessly with other 3DEXPERIENCE tools and why data sometimes needs to be translated when moving between desktop SOLIDWORKS and xDesign.

Practically, the message is simple: xDesign is not just “SOLIDWORKS in a browser.” It’s a cloud-native CAD environment built on Dassault’s 3DEXPERIENCE technology stack, designed to emphasize flexibility, collaboration, and guided design.

Within that environment you can:

• Create parametric models and assemblies using feature history you can roll back, suppress, and edit at any time.
• Use Design Guidance to explore optimized shapes based on structural requirements instead of starting from a fully defined geometry.
• Share designs directly inside your 3DEXPERIENCE communities to gather feedback from teammates, customers, or suppliers.

Cloud deployment and embedded data management

Because SOLIDWORKS xDesign is browser-based, no local installation or serial number is required. You log in to the 3DEXPERIENCE platform, open the xDesign app, and start modeling. This makes deployment extremely fast—organizations can scale access up or down without imaging machines, managing license servers, or worrying about OS compatibility.

xDesign also includes what many resellers describe as embedded data management. Instead of configuring a separate PDM server, your models live in the cloud with built-in capabilities for:

• Version and revision control
• Secure sharing based on user roles and access rights
• Task and lifecycle management (such as approvals and change processes) when combined with PLM roles on the platform
• Real-time collaboration and discussions around design data

Every authorized user can access the latest data from any compatible device to review models, participate in design discussions, or perform downstream tasks such as simulation or manufacturing planning.

How to use SOLIDWORKS xDesign: main tools and workflows

xDesign is intended to feel familiar to SOLIDWORKS users while taking advantage of the browser-based environment. Below are some of the core capabilities you’ll use most often.

1. Core parametric CAD features

xDesign combines many of the SOLIDWORKS CAD functions you already know with improvements tailored for cloud workflows. For example, a microphone holder modeled as a single-body part in xDesign will have its full feature tree listed in the Design Manager. You can roll the model back, suppress or edit features at any point in the history, and the component updates to reflect those changes—just as you would expect in desktop SOLIDWORKS.

The base feature for a part can start as an extrude, revolve, sweep, loft, or similar operation. Once you’ve created the initial solid, you can apply common features such as fillets, chamfers, shells, and linear or circular patterns to refine the part. xDesign’s feature dialogs and behavior are intentionally similar to SOLIDWORKS, which shortens the learning curve for existing users.

2. Multibody modeling

Multibody modeling is a core capability in xDesign and gives you more flexibility in how you build components. Within a single part file you can create multiple solid bodies and then:

• Copy or mirror bodies to explore design alternatives.
• Combine or subtract bodies using Boolean operations to carve complex geometry.
• Delete or replace bodies as concepts evolve.

This approach is especially useful for molds, housings, and parts that go through several conceptual variations before being finalized.

3. Surface modeling

xDesign also supports surface modeling, so you’re not limited to purely prismatic solids. Many of the commands you may know from SOLIDWORKS—such as surface extrude, revolve, sweep, and loft—are available as options within the standard feature dialogs. This lets you switch between solid and surface workflows without changing environments.

Additional surfacing tools like surface extend and trim help you refine curvature, build up complex skins, and tidy up boundary conditions. Combining surfaces and solids in one parametric tree is especially powerful for industrial design, enclosures, and any component where aesthetics and aerodynamics matter.

4. Scribble Sketch: freehand sketching with design intelligence

Sketching in xDesign builds on technology originally used in SOLIDWORKS Industrial Designer. With the Scribble Sketch capability, you can draw freehand with a mouse, stylus, or even your finger on a touchscreen device. Rough shapes—like approximate rectangles, circles, or lines that almost meet—are automatically recognized and cleaned up into precise geometric entities.

Once you’re satisfied with a sketch, you can save it, turn it into a model by extruding or revolving it, and add features just as you would with traditional sketches. This makes tablets and other mobile devices realistic tools for capturing early design ideas, even before you’re back at your main workstation.

5. Design Guidance and topology optimization

One of xDesign’s standout features is Design Guidance, a generative design tool built into the 3D Creator role. Instead of manually guessing the best shape and then checking it later with simulation, you can:

• Define the design space (the volume the part is allowed to occupy).
• Apply loads, restraints, and material properties.
• Specify design goals such as minimizing mass while maintaining stiffness.

Design Guidance then performs a topology-style optimization and suggests a geometry that meets your constraints. You can treat this as a starting point, refine it with standard parametric features, and quickly arrive at a design that uses less material while still meeting performance targets.

Because this feedback is available early in the design process—often at the concept stage—you can reduce the number of redesign loops and shorten your overall time to market.

6. Cloud-based modeling and collaboration

In xDesign, models are created and stored entirely online. You can open the app from a PC, Mac, or tablet and immediately start working on your projects without a local installation.

Because your CAD data lives on the 3DEXPERIENCE platform, you always know where the “single source of truth” resides. Team members don’t need to email large files or worry about working on the wrong revision. Instead, they can:

• Access designs from anywhere with browser access and the right permissions.
• Use built-in tools to compare revisions, track changes, and see who modified what and when.
• Connect designs seamlessly to simulation, manufacturing, and rendering roles for downstream processes.

How does SOLIDWORKS xDesign differ from SOLIDWORKS desktop CAD?

xDesign and desktop SOLIDWORKS are related but serve different purposes. Both come from the same ecosystem and can work together, but they differ in deployment, capabilities, and typical use cases.

Area	SOLIDWORKS xDesign	SOLIDWORKS 3D CAD (desktop)
Deployment	Runs in a web browser on the 3DEXPERIENCE platform; no local installation; uses cloud licensing and updates.	Installed locally on Windows; traditional or cloud-connected licensing; upgrades handled via installers or subscription updates.
Modeling kernel	Uses Dassault’s CGM kernel (same family as CATIA and other 3DEXPERIENCE apps).	Uses the Parasolid kernel licensed from Siemens, which powers many traditional MCAD systems.
Core focus	Browser-based parametric modeling, generative assistance with Design Guidance, fast collaboration, and cloud data management—ideal for conceptual design, lightweight production work, distributed teams, and situations where hardware or IT resources are limited.	Full-featured mechanical CAD for detailed parts, large assemblies, and production-ready 2D drawings, with mature tools for sheet metal, weldments, molds, electrical routing, and more. Desktop SOLIDWORKS remains the primary tool for high-end configurable mechanisms and manufacturing documentation.
Data & lifecycle	Cloud-native data management and optional PLM on the 3DEXPERIENCE platform; designs, tasks, and discussions live in a single online environment.	Can use local file storage or traditional SOLIDWORKS PDM; now commonly paired with cloud services that synchronize desktop data with the 3DEXPERIENCE platform.
Typical usage	Best when you need flexibility, rapid deployment, multi-device access, and close integration with cloud-based collaboration and simulation.	Best when you need the broadest set of mature mechanical design features, extensive add-in support, and deep integration with existing on-premise workflows.

In practice, many organizations use both. xDesign and other 3DEXPERIENCE apps handle conceptual work, lightweight modeling, and remote collaboration, while desktop SOLIDWORKS is still the primary tool for detailed production design and documentation.

Conclusion

SOLIDWORKS xDesign represents a fresh, cloud-native approach to CAD design. It gives you a browser-based parametric modeler with modern tools like Scribble Sketch and Design Guidance, backed by integrated cloud data management and collaboration on the 3DEXPERIENCE platform.

If you already understand traditional SOLIDWORKS, learning xDesign is straightforward, and it can significantly improve how quickly you capture ideas, explore alternatives, and share work with others—especially when you’re away from your primary workstation. For many teams, the most powerful setup is not “xDesign vs. SOLIDWORKS,” but using xDesign alongside desktop SOLIDWORKS to cover everything from early concepts to final, production-ready designs.