Collaboration with SOLIDWORKS Desktop

You can use the 3DEXPERIENCE 3DSpace to share models between the 3DEXPERIENCE platform and SOLIDWORKS desktop.


Before you begin: Ask your Administrator to configure a collaborative 3DSpace available to both 3DEXPERIENCE platform apps and SOLIDWORKS desktop users. A collaborative space is a workspace that contains objects related to a group of users or organizational projects.
  • 3DEXPERIENCE platform apps - Click the Compass to access the 3DSpace. For more information on 3DSpace, see Social and Collaborative: Enterprise Modeling and Execution: 3DSpace in the Web Help at http://help.3ds.com.
  • SOLIDWORKS desktop - Access collaboration apps such as 3DSpace using add-ins to connect to the 3DEXPERIENCE platform. Click the Compass to access the 3DSpace.

Context: These instructions describe the workflow starting with a model on the SOLIDWORKS desktop that is saved to a collaborative 3DSpace then accessed by the 3DEXPERIENCE platform app. After editing the model in the 3DEXPERIENCE platform app, it is saved back the 3DSpace and is available to SOLIDWORKS desktop with the changes.

  1. Complete a model on the SOLIDWORKS desktop.
  2. Save the model to a 3DSpace on 3DEXPERIENCE platform using the add-ins panel.
    1. From the add-ins panel, click the Compass to access the shared 3DSpace.
    2. From the 3DSpace, click From SOLIDWORKS Upload to upload and save the SOLIDWORKS desktop model in the 3DSpace.
  3. Open the 3DEXPERIENCE platform app.
    1. Click the Compass to access the shared 3DSpace.
    2. Drag the shared model into the 3D area of the app.
    3. Edit the model and save it.
      The model is automatically save to the 3DSpace.
  4. From the SOLIDWORKS desktop, select the model in the 3DSpace and click Update .
  5. After the update, drag the model from the 3DSpace into the SOLIDWORKS desktop work area.
    The model edited in the 3DEXPERIENCE platform app includes the changes in the SOLIDWORKS desktop. Either app can make additional changes.