SOLIDWORKS 2025 Weldments - What's New

In SOLIDWORKS Weldments 2025 is a new feature called Groove Beads and an ever-improving UI to Structure Systems. Connection elements just got a lot more powerful too. Let's work on the raised platform for a model and see what's new in SOLIDWORKS 2025.

Improved Access to Structure Systems

Accessing the Structure System is easier than ever. If you don't often work on Structure Systems (therefore, you don't keep your CommandManager tab on), SOLIDWORKS 2025 will offer help whenever you open a part with an existing structure system.

In 2025, there are also distinct buttons for Create Structure System and Edit Structure System, helping to avoid the mistake of starting a second structure system instead of adding to an existing one.

Finally, when choosing Create Structure System for the first time in a file, you'll automatically be launched into the Primary Structural Member command, whereas, on subsequent systems or edits, this won't happen.

Favorites Feature for Quick Access

The new Add to Favorites button for my most used profiles will more than halve my button clicks in all future members where I want to use that cross-section.

From now on, I can stay on the Member tab and choose from a short list of the current or favorite profiles.

Reorganization of Corner Management

The Corner Management PropertyManager for complex corners has been reorganized with a workflow that resembles the more traditional weldment environment.

Convenient callouts in the graphics area contain functional buttons with the details of the selected members such as trim type, gap, and trim order.

Let's add some connection elements, which can now trim attached members. This eliminates a lot of time when adding gaps and linking dimensions to the corner trims.

The trim even applies to the connection element pattern.

New Mirroring Capabilities for Patterns

Speaking of patterns, another bonus added mid-year in SOLIDWORKS 2024 FD01 was the ability to mirror a patterned Structure System and pattern a mirrored Structure System.

This saves time by letting us select all the bodies in just one click and will save time exponentially if any bodies get added to the structure later, such as welds we need to add now.

Groove Beads

Groove beads are the new sibling to fillet beads, born in SOLIDWORKS 2025 for times when you need to physically represent welds for reasons such as mass and surface area calculations between faces that may not have an intersection, such as two opposing sides in this gap.

Welding one corner is not sufficient and since these are solid bodies, mirroring is fast and easy.

The Q key shortcut shows reference geometry for easy selection and we can mirror these bodies in two different directions simultaneously.

Piece of cake.

Now I will need to edit the first mirror feature as the welds are not considered part of the Structure System yet, but this pattern feature will be considered as one Structure System for all subsequent patterns, making my edits complete.

Summary

With new Groove Beads, connection elements that can trim Structure System members automatically, and patterns of pattern Structure Systems, keep an ever-watchful eye on the ease of use with SOLIDWORKS 2025 as our jobs become faster and easier with Weldments and Structure Systems.

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