SolidWorks
3D CAD design and engineering software, brand of Dassault Systèmes.
SolidWorks (stylized as SOLIDWORKS, officially rebranded as SOLIDWORKS Design in 2026) is a brand of software used for solid modeling computer-aided design (CAD) and computer-aided engineering (CAE). It was one of the first 3D CAD applications designed to run on a desktop PC.
The brand is owned by French software company Dassault Systèmes.
Company overview
Manish Kumar is CEO of SolidWorks, as of 2025.
SolidWorks, originally a privately held company, was acquired by Dassault Systèmes in 1997 through a stock transaction valued at $300 million. Prior to the acquisition, it was named Solidworks Corporation.
As of 2024, SolidWorks had an estimated 7.5 million users.
History
SolidWorks Corporation was established in December 1993 by MIT graduate Jon Hirschtick. During this time, computer-aided design software was only compatible with UNIX systems. Hirschtick aimed to create a software that was easy to use and affordable and so created SolidWorks for Microsoft Windows.
SolidWorks was originally based in Concord, Massachusetts with Hirschtick as its first chief executive officer.
The public source identifies “SolidWorks” as 3D CAD design and engineering software, brand of Dassault Systèmes. This brief keeps that definition visible, then builds a research path around SolidWorks, design and engineering.
Why this record matters
A short description can identify a subject without explaining its stakes. For “SolidWorks”, the useful work is to connect “3D CAD design and engineering software, brand of Dassault Systèmes” to the records capable of establishing context and consequence.
Datasets, specimens, observations and peer-reviewed methods provide the appropriate test for the technical claims summarized here. The source revision retrieved here is dated Sep 17, 2026. The linked authority identifier is Q751281. 3 of 4 selected statements include explicit references; 2 carry qualifiers and 1 use preferred rank. The first chronological checks are 2026, 2025, 1997 and 2024.
Current terminology should not be projected backward without checking the classification used when the underlying evidence was created. The source lead contains qualifying language; that uncertainty should survive quotation, summary and reuse. Authority statements aid reconciliation but still require their own references, qualifiers and ranks to be checked.
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Three-step research path
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This entry incorporates text from “SolidWorks” on English Wikipedia. Contributors are listed in the page history. Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Selected authority identifiers and statements are retrieved from Wikidata under CC0; their references and qualifiers remain part of the verification path.