SolidWorks
SolidWorks is a Windows-native, parametric, mid-market 3D CAD application founded in Concord, Massachusetts in 1993 by MIT graduate Jon Hirschtick and a team that included PTC alumni. SolidWorks was acquired by Dassault Systèmes in 1997 and grew into the most-deployed mid-market mechanical CAD tool by installed base, currently distributed through Dassault's reseller channel. SolidWorks PDM Standard and SolidWorks PDM Professional (formerly Enterprise PDM, originally Conisio) are companion data-management products.
Why it matters
SolidWorks is the canonical example of a Boston CAD startup disrupting an incumbent — it took the parametric-modeling ideas pioneered by PTC's Pro/ENGINEER and made them affordable for SMB manufacturers. For PLM specifically, the SolidWorks installed base is the on-ramp through which thousands of small manufacturers first encountered PDM, and its acquisition by Dassault is the move that gave Dassault its mid-market beachhead against Autodesk and PTC.
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Cite this definition
Finocchiaro, Michael. “SolidWorks.” DemystifyingPLM PLM Glossary, 2026, https://www.demystifyingplm.com/glossary/solidworks