SOLIDWORKS vs. hamwiCAD Comparison


SOLIDWORKS Dassault Systèmes 2.0 out of 5 stars	hamwiCAD Hamwic Engineering Limited
Learn More about SOLIDWORKS Update Features for SOLIDWORKS	Learn More about hamwiCAD Update Features for hamwiCAD	Add To Compare	Add To Compare

SOLIDWORKS	hamwiCAD
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SOLIDWORKS: About SOLIDWORKS is the industry-standard 3D CAD and product development solution, trusted by millions of designers and engineers worldwide. For over 30 years, SOLIDWORKS has empowered innovators to transform ideas into real, manufacturable products through intuitive modeling, simulation, and collaboration tools. The 2026 release introduces groundbreaking capabilities including AI-powered drawing automation, fastener recognition, and the AURA AI virtual companion. Integrated with the 3DEXPERIENCE platform, it enables seamless cloud collaboration and data-driven decision-making. From startups to global manufacturers, users rely on SOLIDWORKS to accelerate design cycles, improve accuracy, and reduce time to market. It’s the complete ecosystem for taking any product from concept to production.	hamwiCAD: About hamwiCAD is a desktop 3D CAD application for modeling structural steelwork, mechanical structures and pipework. It is designed for engineers, CAD drafters and fabrication businesses that need to create and detail engineering models. The software includes structural section libraries and tools for beams, columns, plates, connections, holes, notches and pipework components such as flanges. Assembly and 3D modeling tools support the preparation of parts and structures for engineering and fabrication workflows. hamwiCAD can import and export STEP files and export DXF drawings, helping users exchange model and drawing data with other CAD workflows. The application runs on Windows and Linux and is available with a perpetual license and a 90-day trial. It supports practical structural and mechanical design tasks, including steelwork and pipework modeling.
SOLIDWORKS: Platforms Supported Windows Not Supported Mac Not Supported Linux Not Supported Cloud Supported On-Premises Not Supported iPhone Not Supported iPad Not Supported Android Not Supported Chromebook Not Supported	hamwiCAD: Platforms Supported Windows Supported Mac Not Supported Linux Supported Cloud Not Supported On-Premises Not Supported iPhone Not Supported iPad Not Supported Android Not Supported Chromebook Not Supported
SOLIDWORKS: Audience Engineers, designers, manufacturers, educators, and product development teams seeking powerful, intuitive 3D CAD software with advanced AI-driven automation, real-time collaboration, and simulation tools for faster, smarter product creation	hamwiCAD: Audience Structural steel designers, mechanical engineers, pipework designers, CAD draughtsmen, fabrication workshops, small engineering companies and Linux CAD users.
SOLIDWORKS: Support Phone Support Not Supported 24/7 Live Support Not Supported Online Not Supported	hamwiCAD: Support Phone Support Not Supported 24/7 Live Support Not Supported Online Supported
SOLIDWORKS: API Offers API Not Supported	hamwiCAD: API Offers API Not Supported
SOLIDWORKS: Screenshots and Videos View more images or videos	hamwiCAD: Screenshots and Videos No images available
SOLIDWORKS: Pricing No information available. Free Version Not Supported Free Trial Not Supported	hamwiCAD: Pricing £345 one-time £345 + VAT for a perpetual licence for one named user (£414 including UK VAT at 20%). Includes every HamwiCAD 1.x update and 12 months of email support. A free 90-day trial is available for evaluation; it is not licensed for paid client work, production fabrication or installation. Free Version Not Supported Free Trial Supported
SOLIDWORKS: Reviews/Ratings Overall 2.0 / 5 ease 2.0 / 5 features 2.2 / 5 design 1.8 / 5 support 2.0 / 5 Read all reviews	hamwiCAD: Reviews/Ratings Overall 0.0 / 5 ease 0.0 / 5 features 0.0 / 5 design 0.0 / 5 support 0.0 / 5 This software hasn't been reviewed yet. Be the first to provide a review: Review this Software
SOLIDWORKS: Pros & Cons from Real Users Pros Intel now I've seen some more options and additional setups And i love that the program introduced visualise to more users The ability to save to an older version is a good step but i think they know that they are playing with fire so they added it After using SOLIDWORKS for 11 years now, I can safely say it only gets the job done. It is the best of the available options at the moment for a mid-size company. None there is no pros to this system as it never worked. To download on your computer is a super complex process that there is no support for. Customer service is the worst and won’t help you. As soon as they get your money they will take it and stop helping you. None, the system never worked and the customer service is terrible. A complete waste of time, if you need a software, you will better look somewhere else. SolidWorks is the industrial standard for computer aided design. It is a go to program to create designs for customer presentations and show floor drawings. Cons When I'm editing and rendering it's important for me to have a tool to render in the application itself It's unacceptable to send every simple design to visualise to do the rendering And even visualise become worse things are missing like (fast rendering, materials, material control setups, Environments ...... Etc) and when saving, every image save in a separate folder. Where do I start? Maybe that it is incredibly overpriced for the service it provides. Besides that, SOLIDWORKS has well intentioned and ever growing feature sets that lay the ground work for a potentially amazing design program and yet, every time I use it I get heartburn.... every single time. If the part or assembly starts to grow to any measurable sort of complexity the holes in the program became very apparent. It seems to me that instead of fortifying the basics, DDS just continues to add features resulting in a bloated program and basic features (like save or rename of all things) becoming unreliable or unpredictable and making for an incredibly frustrating experience. System never worked. When I tried to get a refund they did not want to give one and kept giving me the runaround after I canceled they kept charging me. I paid for the subscription, they sent me the access link but it never worked. When I asked for help, the customer service responded after a week. I asked for a cancellation of the subscription and a refund, they replied (after another week) that the cancellation will require two weeks and it will take additional ten days to process the refund. I had to report the transaction to Visa and have them block any further transaction from this company. Scammers. More training materials would be useful for the casual user.
SOLIDWORKS: Training Documentation Not Supported Webinars Not Supported Live Online Not Supported In Person Not Supported	hamwiCAD: Training Documentation Supported Webinars Not Supported Live Online Not Supported In Person Not Supported
SOLIDWORKS: Company Information Dassault Systèmes Founded: 1981 France www.solidworks.com	hamwiCAD: Company Information Hamwic Engineering Limited Founded: 1993 United Kingdom www.hamwic.com/hamwicad.html
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SOLIDWORKS: Categories 3D Modeling Supported AI CAD Supported Architecture Supported CAD Supported CAD Data Exchange Supported CAD Libraries Supported Civil Engineering Supported Engineering Supported Furniture Design Supported Industrial Design Supported Mechanical Engineering Supported Parametric Modeling Supported Product Design Supported Surface Modeling Supported	hamwiCAD: Categories 3D Modeling Supported CAD Supported
SOLIDWORKS: CAD Features 2 1/2-Axis Milling Not Supported 2D Drawing Supported 3-Axis Milling Not Supported 3D Modeling Supported 4-Axis Milling Not Supported 5-Axis Milling Not Supported Civil Supported Collaboration Supported Database Connectivity Not Supported Design Analysis Supported Design Export Supported Document Management Supported Electrical Supported Hole Making Not Supported Mechanical Supported Mechatronics Supported Presentation Tools Supported Simulate Cycles Not Supported Spiral Output Not Supported Structural Engineering Not Supported Toolpath Simulation Not Supported User Defined Cycles Not Supported Show More Features Engineering Features 2D Drawing Supported 3D Modeling Supported Chemical Engineering Not Supported Civil Engineering Not Supported Collaboration Supported Design Analysis Supported Design Export Supported Document Management Supported Electrical Engineering Supported Mechanical Engineering Supported Mechatronics Supported Presentation Tools Supported Structural Engineering Not Supported
SOLIDWORKS: Integrations 3Dfindit Supported Alibre Atom3D Supported Arena PLM Supported Artec Studio Supported ArtiosCAD Supported BobCAD-CAM Supported CMM-Manager Supported Canvas Envision Supported EZ-CAM Supported Envision evCreator Supported Epicor CPQ Supported Esko Software Supported Mercura Supported Propel Supported Rollup Supported SUPERVIEW Supported Vistapoint Supported VisualCAM Supported Yulio Supported iRender Supported Show More Integrations View All 118 Integrations	hamwiCAD: Integrations 3Dfindit Not Supported Alibre Atom3D Not Supported Arena PLM Not Supported Artec Studio Not Supported ArtiosCAD Not Supported BobCAD-CAM Not Supported CMM-Manager Not Supported Canvas Envision Not Supported EZ-CAM Not Supported Envision evCreator Not Supported Epicor CPQ Not Supported Esko Software Not Supported Mercura Not Supported Propel Not Supported Rollup Not Supported SUPERVIEW Not Supported Vistapoint Not Supported VisualCAM Not Supported Yulio Not Supported iRender Not Supported Show More Integrations
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