Unique capabilities. Make use of a full range of built-in tools and innovative functions offered only by SolidWorks 3D CAD software:

• SolidWorks Intelligent Feature Technology (SWIFT™) – Simplify the design process with the first technology that puts expert-level techniques for 3D CAD’s most challenging
  design operations in the hands of every user. For example, SWIFT allows you to properly order part features such as drafts and fillets automatically.
• Built-in part analysis – Confirm design integrity and lower cost of materials with COSMOSXpress™, a point-and-click stress analysis wizard that lets anyone test part designs quickly and easily.
• Design communication – Share design concepts easily with eDrawings®, the first email-enabled tool that dramatically eases product design communication. Simplify sharing of design concepts beyond engineering and manufacturing workgroups by circulating SolidWorks 3D designs as Adobe® PDF documents.
• Machine design tools – Make use of a full set of weldment design, analysis, and documentation
  tools. Get best-in-class, fully associative sheet-metal capabilities that allow you to move rapidly from the design phase to final manufacturing drawings. Save time with a library of machine design features.
• Mold design tools – Automate the creation of cores and cavities with built-in mold design tools. Use MoldflowXpress, a wizard-based design validation tool, for quickly and easily testing the manufacturability of plastic injection-molded parts.
• Consumer product design tools – Speed design of consumer products with enhanced tools for creating and manipulating high-grade surfaces easily.
• Universal search capabilities – Quickly find all SolidWorks files, whether stored locally or on a shared network.
• Online access to ready-made components – Save time with 3D ContentCentral®, a web resource that provides CAD files for ready-made components from leading suppliers.

Part modeling.Create designs easily with extrudes, revolves, thin features, advanced shelling, area fill patterns, and holes using feature-based part modeling capabilities.Speed part modeling with feature-level control over multiple bodies. Make real-time design changes through dynamic editing of features and sketches.  

Assembly modeling. Reference other parts directly and maintain relationships when creating new parts. Gain unmatched performance for designing large assemblies with tens of thousands of parts. Work faster in Lightweight mode without sacrificing design and detailing capabilities. Drag and drop parts and features into place.

• Speed assembly design with snap-to-fit SmartMates and reusable Smart Components that size automatically to other design components. Simulate true motion and mechanical interaction between solids with unique Physical Simulation capabilities.
• Simulate belts, chains, racks, pinions, and gear assembly action, and visualize different colors, textures, and other on-screen characteristics easily.  

2D drawing. Develop production-ready engineering drawings without drawing a single line or arc. Construct fully associative drawings – drawing views and bills of materials update each time that you modify the part or assembly design. Automatically create multiple views with complete, accurate dimensions.

• Generate bills of materials for an entire project with a single click. Automatically add balloons to every component in a drawing view and align with ease. Easily resize, spellcheck,
  and reuse annotations. Produce ready-made revision tables, hole tables, and other types of standard tables, as well as user-defined tables.
• Compare drawings easily to highlight differences and see what changes have been made from one version to another. Take advantage of a unique 3D Drawing View function that lets you view parts and assemblies in 3D without leaving the drawing environment.
• Sketch designs using layout blocks that allow you to quickly design and manipulate multipart mechanisms in 2D before generating 3D assemblies.

Surfacing. Capture and modify design intent with advanced 3D sketching capabilities.
Use the Freeform surfacing tool to “push and pull” control points and easily
create stylish, continuous surfaces. Generate complex surfaces using lofts and sweeps with guide curves, drag-handles for easy tangency control, and an innovative Fill feature. Trim, extend, fillet, and knit together surfaces intuitively.

Improve machine design with built-in capabilities, including a full set of weldment design and documentation tools. ABOVE   Speed design of consumer products with enhanced tools for manipulating surfaces easily and intuitively. ABOVE