SOLIDWORKS 2026 – Fundamental & User Interface Enhancements

Our latest category video features all the most impactful fundamental and user interface enhancements included with SOLIDWORKS 2026 so you can see what matters in one place. These include an expanded (and higher quality) appearance library, the ability to render realistic images directly from within SOLIDWORKS, and several quality-of-life upgrades to the user interface that improve menu organization and make general day to day design work much more streamlined. For example, Manage Pane tabs you never use can now be hidden, and collapsed tabs can easily be accessed through a new button:

Hiding/re-enabling Manager Pane tabs and accessing collapsed tabs with the ellipses button

In response to SOLIDWORKS’ more frequent enhancement release cadence, this video also highlights several enhancements that were included with service packs throughout the 2025 season that you might have missed:

• New warning for unintentionally large movements of components in assemblies,
• “Pin” option for Fillet and Chamfer commands to create multiple features back-to-back
• Smarter Command Search terminology from additional CAD programs
• Flexible update choices for 3DEXPERIENCE SOLIDWORKS users
  

A new warning popup indicating that an assembly component was accidentally moved a great distance

This video is a comprehensive overview of all the user interface and other functional enhancements, and it’s the first of several broad category videos within our What’s New in SOLIDWORKS 2026 series. Be on the lookout for additional category videos covering Sketches, Features, & Parts, Assemblies, Drawings, and more, along with several short and sweet 2-Minute Tech Tips covering individual enhancements.