SOLIDWORKS API Help

SOLIDWORKS API Getting Started Overview

Prior to developing SOLIDWORKS API applications, you should be familiar with using the SOLIDWORKS software interactively and programming in the languages that you intend to use. If you are not, then you should:

• Attend SOLIDWORKS training courses offered at SOLIDWORKS Authorized Training and Support Centers.

• Take courses in the programming languages that you intend to use.

The SOLIDWORKS API SDK contains templates that help you develop SOLIDWORKS add-ins.

To install the SOLIDWORKS API SDK:

1. Ensure that Microsoft Visual Studio is installed.

2. Copy \apisdk\SolidWorks API SDK.msi from the installation media to a local directory. For SOLIDWORKS Connected installations, copy \win_b64\resources\MSI\SOLIDWORKS API SDK.msi from the installation media to a local directory.
   
   - Or -
   
   Modify your SOLIDWORKS installation from Settings > Apps. In the installation dialog under Product Selection, check API Tools and SOLIDWORKS API SDK (install manually). apisdk/SOLIDWORKS API SDK.msi will be installed in your installation folder.

3. Double-click apisdk.exe or SolidWorks API SDK.msi to run the API SDK InstallShield Wizard. (If you have multiple Visual Studio versions, you may need to manually copy the template zip files to the template folders of each VS version. Locate and copy the zip files to c:\Users\user\Documents\Visual Studio 20xx\Templates\ProjectTemplates\Visual Basic and Visual C#.)

4. Restart Visual Studio. SwVBAddin, SwCSharpAddin, and SOLIDWORKS COM Non-Attributed Add-in Wizard templates should be available in the Create a new project dialog. See the Using the SOLIDWORKS C# and VB.NET Add-in Templates to Create Add-ins and the Using the SOLIDWORKS COM Non-Attributed Add-in Wizard to Create a C++/CLI Add-in topics.