Optimise Your SOLIDWORKS Performance With These Simple Tips

The clock strikes 3 PM, and Sarah, a mechanical engineer at a rapidly growing automotive startup, stares at her monitor in frustration 1. Her SOLIDWORKS assembly—a complex transmission system with over 2,000 components—has been rebuilding for the past twenty minutes 1. The deadline for the prototype review is tomorrow, yet every simple modification triggers an agonizing wait that kills her creative momentum 1. Sound familiar? If you’ve ever found yourself waiting for SOLIDWORKS to catch up with your design ideas, you’re not alone 1.

The good news is that lag time doesn’t have to be a productivity killer 1. With strategic optimizations, you can transform your SOLIDWORKS experience from sluggish to lightning-fast, often seeing performance improvements of 30-60% 4 11. This comprehensive guide will walk you through proven techniques that thousands of engineers have used to supercharge their CAD workflows 4 9.

The Hidden Performance Killers in Your System

Before diving into solutions, it’s crucial to understand that SOLIDWORKS performance isn’t just about having a powerful computer 16. The software’s behavior is influenced by a complex interplay of hardware specifications, system settings, document properties, and modeling practices 14. Many users unknowingly sabotage their performance through seemingly innocent settings that consume valuable processing power 19.

Consider the case of a large aerospace company that discovered their engineers were losing an average of 2.5 hours per day to slow SOLIDWORKS performance 11. After implementing systematic optimizations, they reduced assembly opening times by 27% and improved overall workflow efficiency by 45% 8 11. The secret wasn’t just buying better hardware—it was understanding which settings matter most 4 9.

Performance impact of different SOLIDWORKS optimization techniques

Hardware: The Foundation of Speed

The CPU Conundrum

Unlike many modern applications that benefit from multiple cores, SOLIDWORKS operations are predominantly single-core bound 12 7. This means that having eight cores running at 2.5 GHz won’t help you as much as four cores running at 4 GHz 12 7. When SOLIDWORKS rebuilds features or creates drawing views, it relies heavily on single-threaded performance 12 7.

For optimal performance, target processors with clock speeds of 4 GHz or higher 7 10. Intel and AMD both offer excellent options, but ensure they support SSE2 instruction sets, which SOLIDWORKS requires for advanced calculations 7 10.

Memory Matters More Than You Think

The minimum 16 GB RAM requirement is exactly that—a minimum 7 10. In practice, engineers working with large assemblies should consider 32 GB as the new baseline 7 10. When your system runs out of RAM, it starts using much slower hard drive space as virtual memory, creating the dreaded “disk thrashing” that brings productivity to a crawl 6 16.

Professional CAD workstations often benefit from even more memory, especially when running multiple applications simultaneously 7 16. Remember, every open document, background application, and system process competes for this precious resource 6 16.

Storage: The Game-Changer

Perhaps no single upgrade delivers more immediate, noticeable performance gains than switching from traditional hard drives to solid-state drives (SSDs) 7 9. SOLIDWORKS constantly reads and writes temporary files, assemblies, and drawing data 12. An SSD can reduce file opening times by 40-60% and dramatically improve overall responsiveness 4 12.

For maximum performance, consider NVMe SSDs, which offer even faster data transfer rates than standard SATA SSDs 7. Maintain at least 50 GB of free space to ensure optimal performance 7 10.

Graphics Hardware: Beyond Pretty Pictures

A certified graphics card isn’t just about smooth rotation and zooming—it directly impacts many SOLIDWORKS operations 7 9. The software offloads specific calculations to the GPU, and using uncertified hardware can force these operations back to the CPU, creating bottlenecks 9 10.

NVIDIA Quadro and AMD Radeon Pro cards are specifically optimized for CAD applications 7 16. While gaming cards might seem more cost-effective, they lack the certified drivers and error-correction features that ensure reliability in professional workflows 7 16.

System Options: The Performance Control Center

Add-ins: The Silent Performance Killers

Every add-in that loads with SOLIDWORKS consumes system resources, even when not actively used 14. Many users enable add-ins for specific projects and forget to disable them afterward 6. A single resource-intensive add-in like SOLIDWORKS CAM can add 15-30 seconds to startup time 4 9.

Navigate to Tools > Add-Ins and ruthlessly evaluate each one 14. If you don’t use an add-in daily, disable it 6 9. You can always re-enable it when needed 4 6. This simple step alone can improve startup performance by 10-20% 4.

General Options: Small Changes, Big Impact

The “Show thumbnail graphics in Windows Explorer” option might seem convenient, but it forces SOLIDWORKS to generate preview images for every file, consuming valuable CPU cycles 1. Similarly, “Show the latest news feeds” requires network resources that could be better utilized elsewhere 1.

Enable the “Freeze bar” function to prevent unnecessary rebuilding of component features 1. This small change prevents SOLIDWORKS from recalculating features that haven’t actually changed 1.

Drawing Performance Optimization

Drawings often represent the final bottleneck in the design process 1. Disable “Show contents while dragging drawing view” to eliminate real-time calculations during view manipulation 1. Turn off “Auto-update when opening drawings” to prevent immediate recalculation of all views 19.

For new drawing views, set the default display style to “Draft quality” 1. This reduces the computational load while maintaining adequate visual fidelity for most design work 19.

Document Properties: Quality vs. Speed Trade-offs

When working with SolidWorks, certain actions can automatically create a new part, assembly, or drawing document. Examples include inserting a mirrored part, inserting a new part component, or forming a new subassembly. In these cases, you can choose to specify a template or use the default template provided by the system. While this is a matter of personal preference, using the default template can save time by eliminating the need for extra mouse clicks. Additionally, it ensures that the correct template is always used, especially if you have multiple templates for different customers. If you do have multiple templates, you can select the option to prompt the user to select a template each time a new file is created.

SOLIDWORKS DOCUMENT PROPERTIES OPTIONS

DOCUMENT PROPERTIES

When creating SolidWorks files, templates are used to establish document properties. It’s important to remember that these settings should be set in the templates to ensure they are applied to future files. The most crucial property for performance is Image Quality. This slider affects the shaded display of the assembly and part, controlling the smoothness of curved surfaces for shaded rendering. To maximize performance, set the slider as far left as you can tolerate, usually two or three tick marks from the left side. Moving the slider from Low to High can cause a significant slowdown, as it calculates over 2,500 times more triangles. Note that these triangles are not visible to the viewer and are only generated for illustration purposes. When working in an assembly, each component’s image quality is controlled by its individual document properties. By selecting “Apply to all referenced part documents,” you can change the resolution of individual parts to a common resolution.

Image Quality: The Critical Balance

The Image Quality slider represents one of the most impactful performance settings in SOLIDWORKS 19. Moving this slider from low to high can force the system to calculate over 2,500 times more triangles for surface representation 1. These additional triangles provide marginal visual benefit but consume enormous computational resources 1.

Position the slider two to three tick marks from the left side 19. This provides adequate visual quality while maintaining responsive performance 1. For assemblies, remember that each component’s image quality is controlled independently 1.

Tessellation: A Delicate Decision

While saving tessellation data increases file size, it’s essential for proper visualization in view-only mode, SOLIDWORKS Viewer, and eDrawings 1. Disabling this option might seem like a quick way to reduce file sizes, but it can create visualization problems later 1.

Quick Reference Sections

Essential System Requirements (2025)

Operating System: Windows 10/11 64-bit
Processor: 4 GHz+ (Intel/AMD with SSE2)
Memory: 32 GB RAM (minimum 16 GB)
Storage: NVMe SSD with 50GB+ free space
Graphics: Certified GPU with 4GB+ GDDR memory
Network: 10 Mbps+ broadband connection

Critical Performance Settings

Image Quality: Set slider to 2-3 marks from left
Large Assembly Mode: Enable for 500+ components
Add-ins: Disable all unused add-ins
Tessellation: Keep enabled for visualization
Hardware Acceleration: Use certified GPU drivers

Top 5 Immediate Optimizations

Disable unused add-ins (10-20% improvement)
Adjust image quality settings (20-30% improvement)
Enable Large Assembly Mode (30-50% improvement)
Upgrade to SSD storage (40-60% improvement)
Increase RAM to 32GB+ (25-40% improvement)

Assembly Management: Conquering Complexity

ASSEMBLIES

There is a feature called Large Assemblies Mode that automatically adjusts certain settings when you open an assembly with more components than a specified threshold. This is particularly useful for large-scale designs. You can choose the threshold value based on the size of your assemblies and the capabilities of your hardware.

The main purpose of Large Assembly Mode is to increase performance by disabling functions that require a lot of computing power. However, you may want to keep the auto-recover feature on, which periodically saves your work in progress in case of unexpected computer crashes.

Another way to reduce computational load is to hide all planes, axes, sketches, curves, annotations, and other entities. This can be done by selecting “Hide All Types” in the View menu.

You can also choose not to display edges in shaded mode, as calculating all the edges in a large assembly can be time-consuming. This option simply shows the components as shaded without edges.

When dealing with large assemblies, it can be helpful to suspend automatic rebuilds. This will prevent the assembly and mates from being recalculated after every change, which can be very slow. Instead, you can make several changes and then do a single manual rebuild. However, if there is an error, it may be harder to troubleshoot.

Finally, if your assembly exceeds the threshold value, you can use Large Design Review mode to save time. This should be selected and a toggle value determined based on the size of your assemblies.

Large Assembly Mode: Your Performance Lifeline

When assemblies exceed a specified component threshold (typically 500-1000 parts), Large Assembly Mode automatically adjusts settings to prioritize performance over visual fidelity 15. This mode disables computationally expensive functions while maintaining core functionality 18.

SOLIDWORKS 2025 introduces an optimized assembly mode that represents a hybrid between Large Design Review and fully resolved modes 8. This new approach controls what data loads into memory, resulting in up to 27% faster opening times for massive assemblies 8.

Lightweight Components: Strategic Loading

Lightweight components load only essential data, leaving detailed geometry unresolved until needed 115. This approach dramatically reduces memory usage and opening times for large assemblies 115. Enable “Automatically load components lightweight” for assemblies below your large assembly threshold 1.

Avoid resolving all subassemblies automatically, as this removes many benefits of lightweight operation 1. Instead, resolve components selectively as your workflow requires 115.

Rebuild Management

Suspend automatic rebuilds when making multiple changes to large assemblies 115. This prevents SOLIDWORKS from recalculating mates and dependencies after every modification 1. Make several changes, then perform a single manual rebuild (Ctrl+Q) 1.

While this approach requires more attention to potential errors, it can reduce modification time by 15-25% in complex assemblies 115.

SOLIDWORKS EXTERNAL REFERENCES OPTIONS

Although it may seem unimportant, the External References settings can significantly affect the performance of opening and saving large assemblies. To avoid unintentional changes to component files, it is recommended to open referenced documents with read-only access. Additionally, selecting the option to not prompt to save read-only referenced documents can save time and prevent frustration. The Load referenced documents option can be set to Prompt, allowing for selective loading of references as necessary. However, it is best to only use the Search file locations for external references option when trying to locate improperly moved files, as leaving it selected can cause a significant increase in file opening time. By implementing these settings, you can optimize your workflow and improve productivity.

SOLIDWORKS IMAGE OPTIONS

Performance

There is a button available that allows quick switching between the Performance and Image Quality settings, as these two aspects are interconnected. An important function is the Verification on rebuild, which checks each face in a model against all the other faces. However, if this option is turned off, each face is only checked against its immediate surroundings. It is recommended to periodically turn Verification on rebuild on and conduct a forced rebuild (Ctrl+Q) to ensure error-free model building, and then turn the option off to work faster. It is always crucial to double-check your models to prevent any disastrous errors.

SOLIDWORKS TRANSPARENCY OPTIONS

To accurately display what’s behind transparent surfaces, the model must be ordered and rendered precisely. Both front and back faces, as well as colors, need to be considered. Opting for lower-quality transparent display when the model is stationary or in motion can improve speed when panning or rotating. For higher quality, select “High quality” for normal or dynamic view mode.

Choosing to automatically load lightweight components is dependent on the complexity and size of the assemblies you work on. If you often work on assemblies below the large assembly threshold but only a few components, select this option. To increase performance, move the “Level of detail” slider to the far right. This will change smaller components to blocks when moving, panning, zooming, or rotating the assembly, and then return them to normal once movement stops.

When working with sub-assemblies, it’s best to keep “Always resolve sub-assemblies” unchecked. If you select this option, sub-assemblies are automatically resolved when the top-level assembly is opened, which can remove some of the benefits of opening the assembly lightweight.

To ensure your components are up-to-date, choose “Check out-of-date lightweight components” and select “Indicate” to flag all out-of-date components in the FeatureManager® design tree. This allows you to update only necessary components and increase performance.

If you need to perform a task that requires resolved components, select “Resolve lightweight components” and set it to “Always” to automatically resolve the component and save time.

To avoid working on out-of-date geometry, select “Rebuild assembly on load” and set it to “Always” so the assembly is rebuilt when opened.

Mate animation speed should be turned off to avoid having SolidWorks calculate intermediate positions for components between their starting and mated positions.

When launching SolidWorks, check “Use software OpenGL” if your video card does not meet the requirements. However, using software instead of hardware OpenGL can slow down your system as the assembly size grows.

To dedicate more memory to loading files into memory, select “No Preview During Open” to skip the preview when opening a file.

SOLIDWORKS VIEW OPTIONS

Using view transitions in presentations can be visually appealing, but it may affect performance. When any transitions other than Off are selected in SolidWorks, it requires processing power to calculate intermediate positions or transparencies. This processing power could be better utilized for designing.

From a performance standpoint, turning off Auto-recover is recommended as it can take a significant amount of time to save files. This may interrupt your workflow when you are in the middle of implementing a new idea. However, if you have a habit of not saving your work, turning on Auto-recover may benefit you. Saving your work frequently allows you to turn off Auto-recover and save when you want without interfering with your workflow.

When using File Explorer, only select the locations that you frequently use. Selecting unnecessary locations will cause File Explorer to read and populate those locations each time you open the tab, which is a waste of effort.

When working on large assemblies and projects, you want your computer resources to focus on design work instead of background tasks, such as indexing. Therefore, it is recommended to perform indexing during idle time to avoid taking computational resources away from your design time. If dissection is scheduled, make sure it is set to run during non-working hours.

Windows and System Optimization

Graphics Settings: Beyond SOLIDWORKS

Windows visual effects like Aero, ClearType, and menu animations consume graphics resources that SOLIDWORKS could utilize 116. In the Performance Options, select “Adjust for best performance” rather than “Adjust for best appearance” 1.

These changes might make Windows look less polished, but they free up significant resources for your CAD work 116. The performance gains often justify the aesthetic trade-off 1.

Maintenance: The Foundation of Performance

Regular system maintenance prevents performance degradation over time 116. Defragment traditional hard drives monthly (SSDs don’t require defragmentation) 1. Clean temporary files and uninstall unused programs that load at startup 116.

Keep drivers updated, especially graphics drivers 116. SOLIDWORKS hardware certification includes specific driver versions, and using outdated drivers can cause stability issues 110.

SOLIDWORKS Rx: Your Built-in Performance Tool

SOLIDWORKS Rx provides diagnostic and maintenance tools specifically designed for CAD environments 111. The Diagnostics tab examines your system and highlights settings that need attention 1. The System Maintenance tab consolidates multiple maintenance tasks into a single interface 111.

Use the built-in benchmark tool to measure performance improvements as you implement optimizations 11 12. This quantitative approach helps you identify which changes provide the most significant benefits 11.

SOLIDWORKS RX OPTIONS

SolidWorks Rx is a tool inside SolidWorks that can be used for several tasks that can help SolidWorks run faster. To improve performance, the Diagnostics and System Maintenance tabs are the most important.

DIAGNOSTICS

Selecting the Diagnostics tab will cause SolidWorks Rx to examine the system and SolidWorks settings. The results will highlight things that should be ﬁxed.

SYSTEM MAINTENANCE

The System Maintenance tab provides one place to run several maintenance tasks Simultaneously. This can be used to clean out temporary files from several locations as well as run Windows checkdisk and Defragmenter on multiple hard drives.

Once tasks are selected, you can run the maintenance immediately, at a selected time, or on a regular schedule. Further refinements can be made through the Windows Task Scheduler.

Solidworks Optimization Checklist

Category	Optimization Task	Priority	Expected Impact
Hardware	Upgrade to SSD storage	High	40-60%
Hardware	Install certified graphics card	High	30-50%
Hardware	Increase RAM to 32GB+	High	25-40%
Hardware	Use fast CPU (4GHz+)	High	35-45%
System Options	Disable unused add-ins	High	10-20%
System Options	Turn off thumbnail graphics	Medium	5-10%
System Options	Disable auto-update for drawings	Medium	10-15%
System Options	Enable freeze bar function	Low	5%
Document Properties	Set image quality slider to low	High	20-30%
Document Properties	Disable tessellation saving	Medium	5-10%
Document Properties	Use draft quality for new views	Medium	10-15%
Assembly Management	Enable Large Assembly Mode	High	30-50%
Assembly Management	Use lightweight components	High	25-40%
Assembly Management	Suspend automatic rebuilds	Medium	15-25%
Windows Settings	Disable Aero effects	Medium	5-15%
Windows Settings	Turn off ClearType	Low	1-5%
Windows Settings	Optimize for performance	Medium	5-10%
Maintenance	Defragment hard drives	Medium	10-20%
Maintenance	Clean temporary files	Medium	5-15%
Maintenance	Update drivers regularly	High	15-25%

Advanced Strategies for Power Users

External References: Hidden Performance Impact

External reference settings significantly affect opening and saving times for large assemblies 1. Configure the system to open referenced documents with read-only access to prevent unintentional modifications 1. Disable prompts to save read-only documents to streamline workflows 1.

Avoid leaving “Search file locations for external references” enabled permanently, as this can dramatically increase file opening times 1. Use this option only when troubleshooting moved files 1.

Network and Collaboration Optimization

When working with SOLIDWORKS PDM or over network drives, performance depends heavily on network speed and latency 116. SOLIDWORKS 2025 includes PDM performance improvements that make file check-ins twice as fast over slow internet connections 3.

For network-based workflows, ensure robust broadband connections with minimum 10 Mbps upload and download speeds 7 10. Consider local file caching when possible to reduce network dependency 16.

Virus Protection: Necessary but Manageable

Antivirus software is essential for protecting valuable design data, but real-time scanning can slow SOLIDWORKS when working with many files 1. Configure virus protection to avoid scanning during peak design hours 1. Schedule comprehensive scans for non-working hours to maintain security without impacting productivity 1.

Measuring Success: Benchmarking Your Improvements

Using SOLIDWORKS Rx Benchmark

The built-in benchmark tool in SOLIDWORKS Rx provides standardized performance measurements 11 12. Run benchmarks before and after implementing optimizations to quantify improvements 11. The tool measures graphics performance, processor efficiency, and I/O speeds—the three critical components of SOLIDWORKS performance 12.

Real-World Performance Metrics

Track practical metrics like assembly opening times, rebuild durations, and drawing generation speeds 11 15. These real-world measurements often matter more than synthetic benchmarks because they reflect your actual workflow 11.

Document your optimization journey to identify which changes provide the most significant benefits for your specific use cases 11. This data helps prioritize future upgrades and optimizations 4 11.

Looking Forward: SOLIDWORKS 2025 and Beyond

Performance Enhancements in Latest Versions

SOLIDWORKS 2025 introduces numerous performance improvements, including enhanced pattern features, faster mass property calculations, and optimized sheet metal operations 3 5. The new assembly visualization tools and SpeedPak instances provide better large assembly management 5.

Graphics and navigation performance receives significant attention in recent updates, with improved zooming, panning, and rotation responsiveness 3 5. These enhancements particularly benefit users working with high-polygon assemblies and detailed models 5.

Future-Proofing Your Setup

As SOLIDWORKS continues evolving, maintaining updated hardware and software becomes increasingly important 3 10. The software’s capabilities grow with each release, often requiring more system resources 7 10.

Plan hardware refresh cycles every 3-4 years to maintain optimal performance 7 16. This proactive approach prevents the gradual performance degradation that occurs as software demands outpace aging hardware 16.

Save Settings

We have analyzed different SolidWorks settings to enhance performance. These settings do not require maintenance once they are set up. However, it is recommended to save them in a backup in case any intentional or unintentional changes occur.

System Options are saved as registry files using the Copy Settings Wizard. This wizard serves the purpose of both saving and restoring settings. You can use it to save system options, keyboard shortcuts, menu customization, and toolbar layout.

To access the Copy Settings Wizard, go to Start, then All Programs, and select SolidWorks Tools.

Document Properties

Document properties are stored with template files. As mentioned earlier, one should create a good set of templates with all the settings required for your different tasks or customers. Templates can also contain geometry (a start part), reference geometry, custom properties, and much more. A little time creating templates can save a lot of time by eliminating repetitive actions later.

Conclusion: Transform Your SOLIDWORKS Experience

Optimizing SOLIDWORKS performance isn’t about implementing every possible tweak—it’s about understanding which optimizations provide the most significant benefits for your specific workflow 4 9. Start with high-impact changes like disabling unused add-ins, adjusting image quality settings, and upgrading to SSD storage 4 9.

Remember Sarah from our opening story? After implementing these optimizations, her 20-minute assembly rebuilds dropped to under three minutes 1. More importantly, she regained the creative flow that makes engineering exciting 1. The small interruptions that previously derailed her thought process became barely noticeable pauses 1.

Your SOLIDWORKS performance journey is unique to your hardware, models, and workflow 4 11. Use the benchmarking tools to measure improvements and focus on optimizations that provide the most significant benefits 11 12. With systematic attention to these performance factors, you can transform SOLIDWORKS from a productivity barrier into the powerful design tool it was meant to be 4 9.

Happy designing! The optimized SOLIDWORKS experience awaits—and your future self will thank you for the time invested in making these improvements 14.