How to improve the performance of SOLIDWORKS.

In this paper, we present a practical study on how SOLIDWORKS performance (ideal software to create 3D configurators) is optimized by hardware and settings.

Three years ago, Josh Altergott and Adrian Fanroy of Computer Aided Technology, Inc. (CATI) have written an excellent paper on maximizing SOLIDWORKS performance that is a must for every CAD user. Their detailed analysis revealed a plethora of performance enhancements that in many cases can be transferred to other CAD systems.

6.000 parts, 2.4 Gb, from 5 hours down to 55 minutes.

The study takes an assembly of 6.000 parts and 2.4 Gb and guides it through a SOLIDWORKS 2012 benchmark to determine how changes in settings and hardware components affect performance. Finally, the CATI team was able to shift the total benchmark time from over 5 hours to just under 55 minutes. Here is a summary of how they did it:

1. Adjust the Windows Visual Effects settings (found in Performance Options) for optimal performance. This disables eye shadows such as drop shadows under windows and icons, animated windows when minimizing and maximizing, and so on (8,5% savings).
2. Set the SOLIDWORKS options optimally. This includes turning off settings such as transparency and turning off various quality settings. It is important to keep in mind that the CATI team focuses on pure speed, while in practice users have to find a balance between speed and necessary features (9,1% savings).
3. Turn off the unused SOLIDWORKS add-ins. Of course, you won`t want to turn off the TransMagic add-in, as this is a huge time saver and work multiplier that allows users to open and save their formats, with typed, instant model repair tools (10,8% savings).
4. Increase processor clock speed. This can be difficult because overclocking can cause heat problems, but overclocking is standard on the Box system used by the CATI team for the benchmark (12,1% improvement).
5. Reduce Top Level Mates and enable unlocking of assemblies as rigid (15% improvement).
6. Use multiple cores – while the impact of multiple cores on SOLIDWORKS processing speed may vary depending on the test used, this benchmark showed a performance improvement of a leat 18,8%.
7. Reduction of image quality settings and deactivation of RealView graphics, improvement of 28,4%.
8. Avoid network storage and disable virus scanning (26,8% improvement).

1. Minimize the level of detail of downloaded components (32,3% improvement).
2. Installation of Adequate RAM (minimizing SWAP) (57,4% improvement).
3. Replace drives with Solit State Drives. This test was a little complicated by the SWAP problem that did not have enough memory available, but an improvement of 55,8%.
4. When using Lightweight and Large Assembly Mode Settings, an improvement of 88,6%.

Third party solutions.

Third party solutions can also accelerate SOLIDWORKS performance. Take TransMagics Powerpack for SOLIDWORKS, for example, which comes with both Pro and Expert and runs directly in SOLIDWORKS. It allows them:

• Open CAD formats that are not available in SOLIDWORKS increase the number of companies you can do business with and save them the trouble of requesting the file in a different and possibly inferior format.
• Save CAD formats that are not available in SOLIDWORKS and give your customers the format they want instead of being satisfied with what you can give them.
• Use the “Send to TransMagic” button to open the current SOLIDWORKS file within TransMagic to take advantage of automatic and advanced repair functionality, including the ability to convert stubborn surface files to waterproof solids.

Visit the SOLIDWORKS PowerPack page here or watch the TransMagic SOLIDWORKS PowerPack in this 2-minute video.

Summary.

Not everyone can benefit from all these improvements. Some users are tied to network storage, others have chipsets or packages that make overclocking problematic. Also, some SOLIDWORKS settings, such as solving assemblies as rigid, may not work for all design tasks. However, this, study reveals a significant number of SOLIDWORKS system settings (many of which will find parallels in other CAD systems), as weill as hardware alternatives (applicable to all CAD systems) that the demanding CAD user should consider.