Reinventing the Upgrade: SOLIDWORKS’ Transition to Ongoing Enhancement
You know that feeling when SOLIDWORKS release season rolls around? For so many of us, it feels like a major holiday. Even before we get our hands on the new version, we’re already scouring the “What’s New” document, curious to see which long-awaited enhancements have finally made it in and what surprises the Product Development team has cooked up this year.
Figure 1. What’s New 2026 cover page.
If this year’s “What’s New” document looks a little slim, don’t worry, there’s a good explanation. The way SOLIDWORKS delivers new features has changed, and now enhancements are released throughout the year, not just in the main annual update. So, even if the document feels lighter at first glance, it is actually a sign that we’re getting improvements more often, simply in smaller, more frequent packages.
This is not a brand-new trend. It started two years ago with SOLIDWORKS 2024, when the “What’s New” document grew from 268 pages in Service Pack 0 (SP0) to 282 pages in SP5. A closer look at the content shows that 15 new enhancements were introduced incrementally over the course of that year.
The difference was even more significant in SOLIDWORKS 2025, where between SP0 and SP4.1 the number of pages grew from 167 to 336 — more than double. This expansion reflects the addition of 190 extra enhancements delivered across the last four service packs.
Core Functionality
In this article, we will focus on the enhancements introduced in the most popular areas of SOLIDWORKS and representing its core functionality:
- Interface (user interface, user experience and system-level)
- Sketch
- Part (includes sheet metal and weldment functionality)
- Assembly
- Drawing environments
Have you noticed a trend in the charts above? More enhancements are added early in the cycle and none in the last service packs.
Upgrade Timing: Is the Service Pack Approach Outdated?
Many CAD administrators approach upgrades with caution, weighing the risks of adopting a new SOLIDWORKS version against the benefits of early access to enhancements.
Traditionally, some companies have been early adopters, upgrading at SP0 to leverage the latest features and to identify bugs and regressions as soon as possible. This proactive approach allows them to report issues early, giving SOLIDWORKS the opportunity to address them in subsequent service packs (SP1 through SP5). Conversely, other organizations prefer to wait for a specific service pack before upgrading — often SP1, when major bugs are typically resolved, or for what they consider “mature” releases like SP2 to SP4. A significant number of companies hold off until SP5, aiming to ensure the version is fully stabilized and unlikely to change further.
Service Pack 0: Early Adopters
- Upgrade immediately to access the latest enhancements.
- Aim to discover bugs and regressions as early as possible.
- Report issues quickly so SOLIDWORKS can address them in subsequent service packs.
Service Packs 1–4: Cautious Upgraders
- Wait for SP1, believing most major bugs will be resolved by then.
- Some companies prefer “more mature” service packs SP2, SP3 or SP4, expecting increased stability and reliability.
- Balance between getting new features and minimizing risk.
Service Pack 5: Conservative Upgraders
- Hold off until SP5, when the version is considered “fully cooked.”
- Expect minimal changes and maximum stability.
- Prioritize reliability over immediate access to new features.
With SOLIDWORKS’ shift to a continuous development schedule, where enhancements and fixes are released incrementally throughout the year, the logic behind these upgrade strategies is evolving. The data shows that most enhancements are now introduced early in the cycle (SP1 to SP3), while the final service packs focus primarily on bug fixes. This means that waiting for later service packs may still reduce the risk of encountering major bugs, but new features and improvements are available sooner and more frequently. As a result, companies may need to reassess their upgrade policies to balance the desire for stability with the opportunity to benefit from ongoing enhancements.
Community Driven Enhancements
What is even more interesting is the source of the most important enhancements: SOLIDWORKS users like you. If you have read our previous articles on the most effective ways to promote SOLIDWORKS Enhancement Requests, you know that the best time to submit and promote your own ideas to catch the attention of the SOLIDWORKS Product Development team is during the annual 3DEXPERIENCE World Top 10 List event.
While in the past we might have needed to wait years for the best ideas to be implemented in SOLIDWORKS, these days the wait is measured in months.
For example, if you participate in the 3DEXPERIENCE World Top Ten List you will recognize many enhancements that were added to the software in the last two years, some appearing in as little as two months! Below are a just few of them for each environment:
User Interface Enhancements
Figure 2.
Figure 3.
Sketch Enhancements
Figure 4.
Figure 5.
Just hold the Shift key when drawing a rectangle, and you will get a square.
Part Enhancements
Figure 6.
- Copying Cut List Properties to Cut List Items (2024 SP1)
- Exiting Part Processes with the Escape Key (2025 SP2) – including Combine, Intersect, Shell
- Selecting a Profile Size from Design Tables and Configuration Tables (2025 SP2)
- Retaining Hole Wizard Sketch Options (2025 SP3)
- Grouping Weldment Profiles and Quantities (2025 SP3)
Assembly Enhancements
Figure 7.
Figure 8.
- Detecting Interference between Surface Bodies (2024 SP3)
- Canceling Interference Detection Calculations (2025 SP1)
- Option for Automatically Resolving Lightweight Components (2025 SP2)
- Locking External References in Frozen Features during a Rebuild (2025 SP3)
Drawing Enhancements
Figure 9.
Figure 10.
Conclusion
To truly benefit from SOLIDWORKS’ new continuous enhancement development model, it’s important to stay proactive and engaged:
- Review “What’s New” after each service pack: Regularly check for newly released features. You might have the pleasant surprise of encountering a critical enhancement that would make a compelling business case for upgrading to that specific service pack.
- Take advantage of the new continuous development process: Upgrade strategies should be flexible, allowing your team to access new features and improvements as soon as they’re available.
- Test and report bugs promptly: With faster development cycles, reporting issues as soon as they’re found helps SOLIDWORKS address them quickly, improving stability and reliability for everyone.
- Be active in the SOLIDWORKS Forum and the Top Ten List: Brainstorm with other users on the SOLIDWORKS Forum and participate in the annual 3DEXPERIENCE World Top Ten List event to ensure your ideas catch the attention of the Product Development team.
- Submit enhancement requests year-round: When the Top Ten List isn’t open, use the Enhancement Ideas Community to submit your ideas while providing your feedback on other users’ ideas. Remember, to vote on an idea you simply hit the thumbs-up icon to “like” it.
Figure 11.
About the Author
As an Elite AE and Senior Training and Process Consultant, working for TriMech Solutions, Alin Vargatu is a Problem Hunter and Solver. He has presented 47 times at 3DEXPERIENCE World and SOLIDWORKS World, twice at SLUGME and tens of times at SWUG meetings in Canada and the United States. His blog and YouTube channel are well known in the SOLIDWORKS Community. In recognition for his activity in the SOLIDWORKS Community, at 3DEXPERIENCE World 2021, the SWUGN (SOLIDWORKS User Group Network) awarded Alin the SOLIDWORKS AE of the Year title.