The download is for the SOLIDWORKS Installation Manager- this assists with an install by checking your serial key and then downloading the software applicable to this. There is also an option for a “full download”, using the option “Download and Share all files…” which is great if you have a number of machines that will need the SOLIDWORKS 2018 software. This can be downloaded in advance of the planned update and then the same downloaded files can be used by everyone rather than duplicating. Otherwise the Installation manager offers an option to complete an “Individual Install” which is for the machine it is ran on.

The full download (using the 4th option to “Download and Share all files”) contains everything so is approximately 14GB- it can be set to download overnight though as this option will not conduct any installations. For the “Individual” install you are committing to a download and install at the same time and the download size will vary between 5GB to 10GB depending on the products you are installing based on your serial keys.

As with any major software update you must consider the time to upgrade and plan accordingly. We would certainly not suggest upgrading the software midway through a major project or with deadlines looming. You should take care to backup any key data related to SOLIDWORKS- this includes the actual CAD files, Templates and standard documentation, shared data such as SOLIDWORKS Toolbox, and any databases associated with programs such as PDM or SOLIDWORKS Electrical.

You should also consider who you work with- i.e. suppliers and customers. SOLIDWORKS 2018 files cannot be opened in a fully editable format in older versions so this could hinder any collaborative projects you have with external parties. Also consider if you company operates over multiple sites, as you would want to schedule the upgrade to happen in a way that has the entire team updated at the same time. If you are running a floating/network license, you also need to update the Network License Manager and reactivate so that the client machines can retrieve a license. This is available via the download by running the “Server Products” option on the first screen.

The final consideration is any of the add-on products to SOLIDWORKS- i.e. PDM, PCB, Electrical etc. These products also need to be updated to be aligned with the SOLIDWORKS version and you may therefore need to back up the data and database, before installing the necessary server and client based programs. Due to this software being Server based you may need to co-ordinate the upgrade with your IT department to ensure access and access rights.

If you are using any of the SOLIDWORKS PDM products we strongly recommend logging a support call or contacting one of our technical staff to discuss your situation before upgrading any of your SOLIDWORKS products to the 2018 version. Due to some changes in the supported Operating Systems for the Server products, failure to do so could result in a prolonged upgrade process, extended downtime and in extreme cases loss of data. Whilst we cannot carry out the upgrade as part of the support contract, we can advise the steps involved and if required, ship additional Media for SQL Server 2014 where appropriate.

Please also see the FAQ below “Can I upgrade to SOLIDWORKS 2018 if I’m using one of the SW PDM products?”

We would always recommend a Local Administrator account is used for any sort of SOLIDWORKS install or upgrade. A normal user with Admin permissions may not be enough. You may also need to gain access to servers so require further login permissions.

This is not necessary as you can have more than one major SOLIDWORKS version installed on the same machine. It is sometimes handy to have the prior version available in case you have jobs to do in the previous edition (i.e. supplier/customer requests). The installation takes up approximately 10GB of disc space so clearly if you are running low you may need to uninstall the old version first..

If an earlier version of SOLIDWORKS is detected on the machine, you will be offered the option to install as an UPGRADE or NEW version, we recommend the NEW option to ensure clean files and folders are created and the old version can remain on the system. Consider changing the default Installation Location on the final screen so that the resulting folder contains 2018 as part of the file path- this will ensure the new files are created cleanly. Once you have fully moved over to SOLIDWORKS 2018 you can then of course remove the older versions via the Windows Control Panel.

This is only necessary if you plan to install 2018 on a different PC to your existing one. Installing a new version requires a reactivation when the product is first used so complete this process when prompted. If you hit any problems in doing this, please contact our support team.

For Network License (SNL) users, you must firstly upgrade the server machine to the 2018 version of the SNL and reactivate by opening the SolidNetWork License Manager Server software, otherwise the 2018 clients will not open. To begin this process, run the Installation Manager download on the license manager server and pick the Server Products as shown below. All PDM customers (PDM Professional and Standard) use the SNL model so will need to upgrade their server components and reactivate to use the PDM Vault for 2018.

You should consult the System Requirements page prior to any upgrade, ensuring to check the “Data Management” requirements as well as the SOLIDWORKS requirements if you are a PDM Standard or Professional customer. You should also appreciate that if you are moving from a much older SOLIDWORKS version to 2018 then there may have been many system requirement changes over the years, especially to the Windows Operating system. The website also contains an End of Life table which may be useful to look ahead- for example The Windows 8.1 and Server 2012 operating systems will not be supported beyond the 2018 release..

The most significant changes with 2018 that will affect our PDM customers relates to the support for older Server Operating Systems and older versions of Microsoft SQL Server. Firstly Windows Server 2008 R2 is NOT supported for SOLIDWORKS 2018, so PDM and Electrical Server components will not install on this setup- neither will the SOLIDWORKS license manager.

The underlying database architecture of PDM and SOLIDWORKS Electrical also requires at least SQL Server 2012 - so any customers using SQL Server 2008 R2 will need to review the update steps required to upgrade their databases and software and any licensing implications as a result. Customers who purchased PDM after April 1st, 2014 or were on subscription at that time are eligible for a free upgrade to SQL 2014. So, in summary, if you have any concerns please contact our PDM Support team prior to commencing this (or any) major PDM update where system requirements can be reviewed.

In the main, the install process is the same as previous years. Compared with 2017, you may see the odd additional product shown to be included as part of the installation, such as SOLIDWORKS CAM (see below).

Toolbox is a repository of standard fixtures and fittings managed by a database. SOLIDWORKS Professional and Premium customers have this functionality. If you plan to maintain multiple build versions of SOLIDWORKS side by side on the same PC (i.e. 2018 and 2017) then on the SUMMARY screen of the install, you should choose to create a new toolbox rather than upgrading, as toolbox only works with a specific version.

If you share the toolbox by locating it on a server for multi-user access, then you should ensure a) the toolbox is backed up before any upgrades are done. The folder that needs backing up is specified in the SOLIDWORKS options (Tools > Options > Hole Wizard/Toolbox). b) It would then be wise to take a copy of this toolbox and place on a local client machine. Update this client first using the option to update an existing Toolbox pointing to this local copy. Once complete it can be moved back to the server. For each subsequent client install you can choose for them to create a new C drive fresh copy of toolbox which is then redirected to the server updated version once inside of SOLIDWORKS in the options. The clean local copy of toolbox (normally on C:\SOLIDWORKS Data) can then be deleted.

SOLIDWORKS CAM is included with all SOLIDWORKS licenses under the subscription program. If a subscription contract is not renewed SOLIDWORKS CAM will cease to function. The installation of the SOLIDWORKS CAM component is included with the default selections for the installation and therefore will appear both when the reactivation of the software occurs, and also as a toolbar upon first startup. Since this is a new product, we will not be offering any product training over our helpdesk. If you are looking to see what capabilities are available with the CAM product, please speak with your account manager.

As with SOLIDWORKS 2017, Visualize Standard is granted as a free license to any SOLIDWORKS Professional or Premium customers under the subscription program. Like SOLIDWORKS CAM, if subscription is not renewed the Visualize software will cease to function. If you obtained your unique serial key for Visualize with SOLIDWORKS 2017 then this key remains the same. If you are skipping SOLIDWORKS 2017 straight to 2018 you will need to contact our support team to obtain your license codes for Visualize which we are happy to do over email. There is a matching license key for Visualize with your SOLIDWORKS license, so please use Help > About SOLIDWORKS and have your serial key handy for when you contact us.

We don’t know definitively what the exact dates for the Service Packs will be, it won’t differ too much from the 2017 cycle which is shown below:

SP0.0 18/10/2016

SP1.0 05/12/2016

SP2.0 13/02/2017

SP3.0 25/04/2017

SP4.1 21.08/2017

SP5.0 Late November 2017

Workgroup PDM was retired at the end of the 2017 release cycle, yet still supported at that version until the end of 2018. The 2017 installation and Workgroup Admin software would have shown various alerts (example below) about its end of life, and we have also contacted all customers we believed to be using Workgroup to raise awareness. as a current Workgroup PDM customer you need to discuss your options regarding Data Management in SW 2018 please contact your account manager or the support team.

Yes you can upgrade SOLIDWORKS to 2018 but there are a number of points to consider:

The major version of SOLIDWORKS PDM (Standard or Professional) has to be equal to or greater than the SOLIDWORKS major version. All versions of SOLIDWORKS PDM 2018 are fully compatible with SOLIDWORKS 2018 and the two previous releases (2017 and 2016). SOLIDWORKS versions prior to this will be able to interact with the Vault, but the SOLIDWORKS Add-in for PDM will not be available in the task pane.

There is no SOLIDWORKS Workgroup PDM Server 2018 and SOLIDWORKS Workgroup PDM Server 2017 will not work with SOLIDWORKS 2018. You should therefore maintain an installation of SOLIDWORKS 2017 if you need to access data still within a Workgroup Vault.

Prior to the upgrade and as part of your disaster recovery planning in order to prevent loss of data, you must ensure that your SOLIDWORKS PDM files and databases are fully backed up - consult the Administration Guide (Section 10) for more information.

Upgrading your SOLIDWORKS PDM system will involve upgrading server software as well as client software and should not be undertaken without first consulting with your IT support personnel. Once the software update is complete there are a number of post processes that need to be performed to ensure a fully operational system. We recommend these processes are fully tested prior to upgrading your production system. Search MySolidSolutions for “Upgrading PDM” to review a webcast series on planning for, and executing a PDM upgrade.

When files are opened and saved in SOLIDWORKS 2018 they can only be opened in 2018 with full editing capability. You can however open the files in SOLIDWORKS 2017 SP5 (it must specifically be SP5) in a limited capacity- you will not be able to edit/add to the models but can use them in your assemblies, mate to them and reference configurations. Please consult this help file to see what is possible.

Yes you will need to request new activation keys for the 5 Xpress Products (Simulation, Flo, DriveWorks, DFM and Sustainability). This is done via http://my.solidworks.com/xpress (login is required). Solid Solutions support can also help with this if you email us with your SOLIDWORKS Serial key (Help > About SOLIDWORKS) and the version you need activation codes for.

When SOLIDWORKS 2018 is launched, you typically see a System Tray Notification alerting you to check your system setup using the SOLIDWORKS RX program. This will alert you to any changes to your video card driver that may be required. SOLIDWORKS may have tested different video drivers for the 2018 release compared to 2017.

You should also check your System Options (under Tools > Options > File Locations). In an effort to keep a new SOLIDWORKS version working similarly to the old version (User Interface, Layout, Keyboard shortcuts) the previous version settings get copied to the new version. Reviewing the file locations may show you that some need updating to the 2018 installation and Program Data paths. Consult this blog post for advice on how to undertake this.