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The CAD field guide / Independent comparison

SolidCraft vs SOLIDWORKS: Features, Licensing & Migration

Choose around the engineering you must deliver.

A part that opens is only one piece of an engineering workflow. Compare modeling, native files, drawings, manufacturing dependencies and product-specific licensing before switching.

Compare the working detailsEvaluate a representative part
SC / 03STEP · B-REP
80.0050.00XYZ
SOLIDWORKS.STEPSolidCraft
Workflow schematic · not a migration test result
By SolidCraft Guide · Independent community guideSources reviewed

01 / Try SolidCraft

SolidCraft or SOLIDWORKS: which meets your engineering deliverables?

Start with your deliverable, then choose the tools. These are task-based recommendations, not a ranking.

01

Try SolidCraft

Try SolidCraft for standalone parts and 3D printing

Evaluate a bracket, spacer or simple printed enclosure whose required geometry and dimensions you can measure. Check every change, save and export before using the result.

Build a sample part
02

Keep your established tools

Keep SOLIDWORKS for native files and production deliverables

Retain SOLIDWORKS for required native handoff, complex assembly relations, drawings, BOM, sheet-metal manufacturing or validated simulation, CAM and company data processes.

Check official product conditions
03

Use both deliberately

Export one SOLIDWORKS configuration as STEP

Move one exported STEP configuration to SolidCraft. Retain native files, referenced parts, drawings and manufacturing records in the established workflow.

Follow the migration path

02 / SOLIDWORKS

SolidCraft vs SOLIDWORKS: parts, assemblies & licensing

Capabilities need context: product, platform, dependencies and the installed version all matter.

Scroll the table sideways on small screens.

Documentation-based comparison. Scope and sources are listed below; no feature-parity claim.
Your requirementSolidCraftSOLIDWORKS
Products & licensing[1][2][3][4]Open-source project under MIT / Apache-2.0. This site's optional hosted services are separate from the software license.Design is commercial desktop CAD with package and deployment options. Makers offers separate Windows desktop and browser xDesign subscriptions, with eligibility and native-file restrictions. Commercial xDesign is a separate browser product.
Operating system[1][8][4][3]Desktop builds for Windows, macOS and Linux, plus a browser app. Test your browser, graphics and target build.Desktop Design requires supported Windows; check the release matrix. xDesign needs an internet connection. Makers' Windows desktop package can work offline for up to 30 consecutive days before reconnecting; its xDesign package cannot work offline.
Parts & assemblies[1][2][9]Parametric sketches, solid features and documented assembly tools. Test your exact geometry, joints and rebuild behavior; no large-assembly equivalence is claimed.Design covers parts and assemblies. Configurations, external references and assembly relations create migration work beyond moving the visible solids.
Engineering delivery[1][2]Evaluate against your required drawings, BOM, tolerances and flat patterns. Keep the source process for outputs that have not been independently accepted.Design documents production drawings and specialized engineering tools. Simulation, CAM and other capabilities depend on the package, add-ins and entitlement.
Files & collaboration[5][2][9]STEP creates imported base geometry. A .solidcraft design is a new editable document; it is not a SOLIDWORKS native archive or enterprise PDM replacement.Retain .sldprt, .sldasm, .slddrw and references. Check the product's cloud services, revision management and team requirements separately.
Automation & AI[10][2]CLI and MCP are documented for a separate local installation. Check the command and client you need in that installed build.Do not classify SOLIDWORKS as having no automation or AI. Design advertises assistive and generative AI; availability depends on release and package. Audit existing macros and integrations separately.
Makers file handoff[3][5][9]Use an eligible neutral-format export for a geometry assessment. No direct .sldprt, .sldasm or .slddrw import is promised here.Makers native files carry a digital watermark and cannot open in commercial or academic editions. Neutral exports such as STEP avoid that native-file restriction; usage terms still apply.
Comparison scope

SolidCraft v0.18.2 is the site's pinned browser build. The main comparison concerns commercial desktop SOLIDWORKS Design; Makers and xDesign are called out separately. Product pages currently describe the 2027 range; STEP instructions cite 2026 Help. Check your installed release, package, add-ins and license.

03 / STEP

How to migrate SOLIDWORKS parts and assemblies to SolidCraft with STEP

Start with a STEP copy of one intended configuration. Treat native CAD, drawings and manufacturing records as separate deliverables that must remain available. [5][9][7][6]

01Preserve the original.sldprt / .sldasm
02Exchange geometry.step / .stp
03Save the new work.solidcraft

Work on a copy. A successful import is the beginning of the evaluation, not its acceptance test.

  1. Preserve the complete source

    Archive the part or assembly, referenced parts and drawings, using Pack and Go where appropriate. Record the release, license, configuration, units, key dimensions and required deliverables.

  2. Export the selected configuration

    Open the intended part or assembly. Use File > Save As, or File > Export As for a 3DEXPERIENCE-installed product, and select STEP. Review export options, components, units and any reported translation errors or .err log. STEP exchanges part and assembly geometry, not .slddrw drawings.

  3. Inspect the imported geometry

    Open STEP in SolidCraft and compare solids, key dimensions, units, orientation and component placement. A completed export can still have translation errors; correct placement does not prove that mates or motion transferred.

  4. Rebuild the required intent

    Add or recreate the dimensions and features you must edit. Test a change and downstream rebuild. Budget separately for configurations, mates, drawings, BOM and manufacturing data.

  5. Save and validate the handoff

    Save .solidcraft, close and reopen it, export STEP and reopen it in the receiving CAD. Verify required deliverables with the recipient before using the new process.

04 / .sldprt / .sldasm

Does STEP preserve SOLIDWORKS features, mates, drawings & CAM data?

Which geometry, units and component placements can STEP transfer?

Use STEP to assess solid geometry, units and component placement. The exact export options and receiving importer determine what metadata and structure survive.

Must SOLIDWORKS features, configurations and mates be rebuilt?

Budget for sketches, feature trees, equations, configurations, mates and external references. Imported solids do not recreate their original editable design logic.

How should you retain drawings, BOM, sheet metal, simulation and CAM data?

Keep associative drawings, BOM, GD&T, sheet-metal manufacturing records, simulation studies, CAM setups and PDM approvals in their original systems until separately validated.

[5][9][2]

05 / Try SolidCraft

SOLIDWORKS to SolidCraft migration and delivery checklist

Choose a plate, spacer or enclosure with known dimensions. Set your tolerances before you begin and record expected and actual results. This is a blank test plan, not a report of a completed migration.

Download the blank checklistUTF-8 text · editable · no registrationTry the sample part

  1. Units & dimensions

    Confirm units and at least three critical dimensions against the original, within your stated tolerances.

  2. Solid bodies

    Match the expected solid-body count; investigate missing bodies, open surfaces and import errors.

  3. Component placement

    Check origins, orientations and repeated instances. Test required motion separately from static placement.

  4. One dimension change

    Change a native parameter, or add and edit a new feature on the import. Record any original feature that must be rebuilt.

  5. Downstream rebuild

    Check dependent holes, fillets and features after the change; resolve every rebuild error.

  6. Geometry export

    Export STEP and reopen it in the receiving tool. Check dimensions, units, body count and placement again.

  7. Save & reopen

    Save a .solidcraft file, close it and reopen it; confirm the geometry and new edits remain correct.

  8. Required delivery

    Verify drawings, BOM, tolerances and manufacturing records in their required tools. Record any dependency you must retain.

Proceed only when every required check passes your project criteria. A visual match alone is insufficient. Keep the source workflow for any unresolved deliverable.

06 / FAQ

SOLIDWORKS native files, Makers restrictions & platform FAQ

Does SolidCraft open SOLIDWORKS native files?

No direct .sldprt, .sldasm or .slddrw workflow is promised in this comparison. Export a STEP copy of the part or assembly in a tool licensed to open the original. Keep the native files and drawings separately. [5][9]

Are Makers files compatible with commercial SOLIDWORKS?

Makers native files carry a watermark and cannot open in commercial or academic editions. Neutral exports such as STEP avoid that opening restriction. The vendor limits Makers to personal, non-commercial projects, allowing sales of parts you make only below US$2,000 annual revenue from them. Professional or broader use needs a commercial or eligible startup license; neutral export does not change eligibility. Recheck current terms and regional availability. [3]

Is SOLIDWORKS available in a browser or on a Mac?

Desktop SOLIDWORKS Design requires supported Windows; xDesign is a separate browser product that needs internet access. Makers sells Windows desktop and browser xDesign packages separately. The desktop Makers package permits up to 30 consecutive days offline; xDesign requires a connection. Browser access does not imply identical functions or native-file editing. [8][4][3]

Will STEP preserve drawings, mates and machining setups?

Do not plan on a complete transfer. SOLIDWORKS documents STEP export for parts and assemblies, while SolidCraft uses imported geometry as a base feature. Retain drawings, mates, configuration logic and manufacturing records, then recreate and validate any that the new workflow requires. [9][5]

07 / SolidCraft Guide

Comparison scope, review date & official sources

SolidCraft Guide prepared this independent comparison from the linked official project, product and format documentation. Recommendations are editorial judgments about workflow fit. Source titles remain identifiable even when the official page is in another language.

The site currently pins SolidCraft v0.18.2. Upstream guides and vendor pages are living documents and can describe newer capabilities. No hands-on FreeCAD or SOLIDWORKS migration, speed, success rate or complete replacement is claimed here. Desktop CLI/MCP requires a separate local installation; desktop-only import is not advertised as a browser feature. Software licenses and this site's hosted services are separate; see Pricing for service conditions. No temporary prices are used. Pricing

Official source index

  1. SolidCraft v0.18.2 · project & license
  2. SOLIDWORKS Design · packages & licensing
  3. SOLIDWORKS for Makers · eligibility & watermarks
  4. SOLIDWORKS xDesign · browser product
  5. SolidCraft v0.18.2 · file formats & desktop import
  6. SOLIDWORKS 2026 Help · Pack and Go
  7. SOLIDWORKS 2026 Help · STEP export options & errors
  8. SOLIDWORKS · system requirements by version
  9. SOLIDWORKS 2026 Help · STEP exchange
  10. SolidCraft · local CLI & MCP