Recommendations: Sorts listings by the number of recommendations our advisors have made over the past 30 days. Our advisors assess buyers’ needs for free and only recommend products that meet buyers’ needs. Vendors pay Software Advice for these referrals.
Reviews: Sorts listings by the number of user reviews we have published, greatest to least.
Sponsored: Sorts listings by software vendors running active bidding campaigns, from the highest to lowest bid. Vendors who have paid for placement have a ‘Visit Website’ button, whereas unpaid vendors have a ‘Learn More’ button.
Avg Rating: Sorts listings by overall star rating based on user reviews, highest to lowest.
A to Z: Sorts listings by product name from A to Z.
Which Simulation Package is Right for You?
For those looking to run very basic structural analyses, there is a light version of Simulation included in every seat of SOLIDWORKS 3D CAD called SimulationXpress, which allows users to run simulations on single-body parts. However, the Premium level of SOLIDWORKS 3D CAD unlocks even more capabilities by allowing the user to run simulations on multi-body parts and assemblies.
For those looking for more robust design analysis capabilities, SOLIDWORKS Simulation add-in licenses are offered in a tiered system of Standard, Professional, and Premium. As you move up to Professional and Premium levels, you gain additional capabilities as well as additional license and support costs .
Here is an overview of the Simulation capabilities and modules in which they are included to help you choose the right package for you:
SOLIDWORKS 3D CAD (All Packages)
If your simulation needs require only the static analyses of individual parts, the SimulationXpress tool may be best for you. SimulationXpress is available for free in every seat of SOLIDWORKS Standard, Professional, and Premium.
SOLIDWORKS Premium
SOLIDWORKS Premium includes SimulationXpress, but takes it a step further to give you access to a light version of the Simulation add-n, which provides time-based motion and linear static simulation capabilities for assemblies in addition to parts.
Abaqus
Abaqus is meant to accurately simulate whatever mechanical scenario you can throw at it, and in being so open-ended, may require more user training and knowledge. It makes up for this in sheer efficiency and capability. Abaqus simulations scale very well and provide trustworthy results even under extreme loading conditions. It is used from the earliest design phases up through physical prototyping, and even into correlating and rectifying product failures in the field.
3DEXPERIENCE STRUCTURAL
3D EXPERIENCE STRUCTURAL is a structural FEA tool on the 3D EXPERIENCE integrated CAD-CAE-CAM-PLM platform. It's powered by the Abaqus solvers with cloud compute capabilities.
It comes with a new pre-/post-processor with setup wizard, new FE modeling capabilities, a browser-based results viewer, a new job launching interface, and design study tools.
SOLIDWORKS Simulation Standard
The Simulation Standard add-in builds on top of the capabilities of SOLIDWORKS Premium giving you two more major tools like the Fatigue Study and the Trend Tracker.
SOLIDWORKS Simulation Professional
The Simulation Professional add-in includes all the tools and capabilities included in Simulation Standard and adds multiple productivity tools to decrease set-up time, including optimization, 2D simplification, edge weld connectors, toolbox automation, submodeling, material web portal, load case manager, and contact visualization. Additional failure modes/study types include frequency, buckling, thermal, drop test, and pressure vessel simulations.
SOLIDWORKS Simulation Premium
The Simulation Premium add-in includes all the tools and capabilities included in Simulation Professional and Standard. Additionally, SOLIDWORKS Simulation Premium adds in two new studies including dynamic and nonlinear studies.