Opening Models on the 3DEXPERIENCE Platform

You can use the Open tool to open models stored on the 3DEXPERIENCE platform.

You can open the following files using Open:
  • Physical product (.SLDPRT, .SLDASM)
  • Drawing representation (.SLDDRW)
See About CAD Family Object in Dassault Systèmes User Assistance.

To open models on the 3DEXPERIENCE platform:

  1. Do one of the following:
    • Click Open (Standard toolbar).
    • Click File > Open.
    • In the Welcome - SOLIDWORKS dialog box, click Open.
  2. If the standard SOLIDWORKS Open dialog box appears, click Open from 3DEXPERIENCE to open files from the 3DEXPERIENCE platform.
    The left pane has tabs for Recent, 3DSearch, Bookmarks, and This PC. The Recent tab lists recent local files and lets you filter your search results. To search for more files on the 3DEXPERIENCE platform using 3DSearch, click Search more on 3DEXPERIENCE at the bottom of the Recent list.

    To remove the filter, click Clear Filter next to 3DSearch.

    You can use 3DSearch or Bookmarks to find files or bookmarks on the platform. Double-click an object to open it. You can also multiselect objects and open them. To search for local files, click This PC to return to the standard SOLIDWORKS Open dialog box.

  3. Set options in the dialog box and click Open.
    See Searching and Opening SOLIDWORKS Data in Dassault Systèmes User Assistance.

    When opening files stored on the 3DEXPERIENCE platform, SOLIDWORKS downloads data in the background if the files are not already in your local cache. This lets you start working quickly while the rest of the data loads. Essential metadata is retrieved first, allowing you to open and interact with the model.

    While the download completes, some actions remain temporarily unavailable, like switching configurations or saving manually, If the process is interrupted, SOLIDWORKS may prompt you to reload the files or restart to clear the cache.

The Open from 3DEXPERIENCE tool is not available when SOLIDWORKS Connected is in Offline Mode, or if the system option for 3DEXPERIENCE Integration Data Management is set to SOLIDWORKS PDM or another separately installed data management system.