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SOLIDWORKS R&D Pulse Survey 2026
Thank you for taking a few minutes to share your experience with SOLIDWORKS R&D! We appreciate your feedback and will use it to help shape future priorities.
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1.
Your initials:
(Required.)
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2.
Where are you based?
(Required.)
North America
Latin America
Europe, Middle East, or Africa
Asia-Pacific
Other / prefer not to say
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3.
Which best describes your primary role?
(Required.)
Mechanical Engineer / Design Engineer
Product Designer / Industrial Designer
CAD Designer / Drafter
Manufacturing / CAM / CNC
Engineering Manager / Team Lead
CAD Admin / IT / Systems Admin
Educator / Instructor
Student
Maker / Hobbyist
Other (please specify)
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4.
What industry do you primarily work in?
(Required.)
Industrial equipment / machinery
Consumer products
Automotive / transportation
Aerospace / defense
Medical devices
Electronics / high tech
Energy / utilities
Architecture / construction
Education
Maker / personal projects
Other (please specify)
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5.
What size is your company or organization?
(Required.)
1 person / independent
2–10 employees
11–50 employees
51–250 employees
251–1,000 employees
1,001–5,000 employees
More than 5,000 employees
Not applicable / student / hobbyist
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6.
How long have you used SOLIDWORKS?
(Required.)
Less than 1 year
1–2 years
3–5 years
6–10 years
More than 10 years
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7.
Which pressures are having the biggest impact on your CAD/design work right now? Select up to 3
(Required.)
Speed: completing designs faster
Quality: reducing errors, rework, or design issues
Cost: reducing material, labor, tooling, or production costs
Design changes: handling frequent or late-stage changes
Workload: doing more work with limited time or resources
Collaboration: working across teams, sites, suppliers, or customers
File/version control: managing files, versions, releases, or approvals
Training/onboarding: helping new or less experienced users become productive
Manufacturing handoff: connecting design work to manufacturing needs
Technology change: keeping up with new tools, workflows, or expectations
Other (please specify)
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8.
Overall, how satisfied are you with SOLIDWORKS for your current work?
(Required.)
Very satisfied
Somewhat satisfied
Neither satisfied nor dissatisfied
Somewhat dissatisfied
Very dissatisfied
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9.
Where do you experience the most friction in your SOLIDWORKS workflow?
Select up to 3
(Required.)
Creating drawings
Managing files, versions, or revisions
Finding or reusing existing designs
Working with large assemblies
Sharing designs with others
Reviewing or approving designs
Testing or validating designs
Preparing designs for manufacturing
Learning or using SOLIDWORKS features
Other (please specify)
10.
When you revisit or inherit an existing design, which information is most often missing or difficult to find?
Original requirements and intended use
Reasons behind important design decisions
Critical dimensions, interfaces, or dependencies
Manufacturing, cost, material, or supplier constraints
Calculations, simulations, tests, or supporting evidence
Change history and prior approvals
Impact of changes on related parts, drawings, BOMs, or processes
This information is usually easy to find
I rarely revisit or inherit existing designs
Other (please specify)
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11.
How do you personally feel about AI being added to CAD/design workflows?
(Required.)
Very excited, I want AI features as soon as possible
Interested, but I need to see that they are useful and reliable
Skeptical, but open if AI solves real workflow problems
Not interested in using AI in CAD/design work
Not sure yet
Other (please specify)
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12.
Over the next few years, how much do you expect CAD tools to change?
(Required.)
A great deal
A lot
A moderate amount
A little
None at all
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13.
Which best describes your company’s current use of AI tools for CAD workflows?
(Required.)
Already using AI tools in day-to-day work
Piloting or experimenting with AI tools
Planning to adopt AI tools in the next 1–3 years
Interested in AI, but blocked by policy, security, cost, or other concerns
No current plans to adopt AI tools
Not sure
Not applicable / student / hobbyist
Other (please specify)
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14.
What would you need before trusting AI-assisted features in SOLIDWORKS? Select up to 3
(Required.)
Ability to review and approve AI outputs before applying them
Clear explanation of why AI made a recommendation
Accuracy proven through examples or benchmarks
Ability to undo or compare AI changes
Control over when AI is used
Confidence that company data is secure
Compliance with company or industry standards
Clear labeling of AI-generated work
Training or guidance on how to use AI features
I would not trust AI in CAD/design work
Other (please specify)
15.
If SOLIDWORKS could continuously monitor your design and take action on your behalf, which tasks—if any—would you want it to handle?
Detect modeling errors, broken references, or design risks
Keep parts, assemblies, drawings, BOMs, and documentation synchronized
Check designs against company standards or engineering rules
Identify manufacturability, cost, or quality concerns
Explore alternative designs and compare tradeoffs
Track design decisions, changes, and rationale
Assess the downstream impact of proposed changes
Coordinate work across CAD, simulation, data management, and manufacturing tools
Automate repetitive modeling or documentation tasks
None: I would want to initiate or approve each action
Not sure
Other (please specify)
16.
Any last thoughts on SOLIDWORKS and AI?