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DriveWorksXpress is the free design automation tool included inside every seat of desktop SOLIDWORKS® – start automating any part of your product design today!

DriveWorksXpress Design Automation

Design automation offers businesses the opportunity to streamline processes and adapt quickly to changing market conditions.

DriveWorksXpress is an easy to use, entry-level design automation tool included free inside SOLIDWORKS®. Our rules-based software allows you to create multiple versions of your SOLIDWORKS® parts, assemblies and drawings, quickly and accurately.

DriveWorksXpress is ideal for automating everyday repetitive design tasks, espeically if the designs and projects you work on are the same but different.

It is widely used in many industries from trailers to conveyors, furniture to machinery, mechanical seals to pressure vessels, windows and doors and many more.

Quickly generate new versions of your SOLIDWORKS® parts, assemblies and drawings.

DriveWorks isn’t just for complete product design. DriveWorksXpress allows you to automate any part of your SOLIDWORKS® design, giving you the flexibility to automate time-consuming and repetitive tasks, simplifying your design process, and enabling you to use your time more efficiently.

A computer screen showing the DriveWorksXpress activation steps.

Easy to Set Up, Manage and Use

A DriveWorks design automation project is easy to create, maintain and use.

No programming skills or consultants are required.

Simply activate DriveWorksXpress which is already installed under the SOLIDWORKS® Tools menu and begin automating your designs!

Automate repetitive SOLIDWORKS® tasks and free up time to focus on product innovation and development.

If you offer many different product options or every customer order is bespoke, DriveWorksXpress helps you capture your design rules, recreate variations of existing designs, reduce repetitive tasks, save time, and improve product quality.

Run Project Again and Again

Once set up, run your project again and again for each custom order.

DriveWorksXpress captures information from your existing models and your engineering knowledge.

That information, including dimensions, features and configurations can then be controlled by a series of rules.

These rules are controlled from a simple input form, so all you need to do is fill out the form for each custom order, and DriveWorksXpress will do the calculations in the background and automatically generate the necessary files.

Reuse the input form over and over again, each time creating a brand-new set of files and their relevant drawings.

Meaning there is no need for complex macros, design tables or configurations.

Run hundreds of design tasks in minutes with DriveWorksXpress!

Saving Time with DriveWorksXpress

DriveWorks isn’t just for complete product design, automation is powerful even if you only automate part of your product.

Before using DriveWorksXpress designing something such as a Standard Machine Sub-base or Leg Supports would take 30 minutes.

With DriveworksXpress this task takes just 1 minute, allowing you to focus your time on the more complex aspects of your designs.

This may only be a small part of your design process but the time savings are drastic and can be incredibly valuable to the overall design time.

Over time you can build on your DriveWorksXpress project to add more and more parts, until eventually your engineering time is spent on the parts of the design that really matter and add the most value.

Standard Machine Sub Base

From 30 minutes down to 1 minute

Leg Supports

From 30 minutes down to 3 minutes

Using DriveWorks to Automate Mundane Tasks 

BW Container Systems is a global packaging machinery firm serving the food, beer and beverage, wine and spirits, personal care, pharmaceutical, manufacturing and household products industries.

Some of the machines BW Container Systems manufacture require a machine guard.

This is only a simple item to design, but the guard cannot be designed until the machine design is complete, and if not designed quickly it could risk delaying delivery.

To overcome this, BW Container Systems are using DriveWorks to automatically generate models and drawings for these machine guards.

DriveWorks has allowed engineers at BW Container Systems to automate some of the mundane but essential engineering jobs, freeing them up to focus on other important design tasks.

With the introduction of DriveWorks, BW Container Systems can evolve product lines, meet new market needs and exceed customer expectations.

Start Automating – Free Inside SOLIDWORKS

If you’ve got SOLIDWORKS, you’ve already got design automation!

DriveWorksXpress is already installed inside every license of SOLIDWORKS®.

You’ll find it under the SOLIDWORKS® Tools menu, you just need to activate it to start automating.

Once you’ve saved time with DriveWorksXpress why not take your design automation even further with DriveWorks Solo.

Download a 30-day full-feature free trial of DriveWorks Solo to see what you could achieve.

Try DriveWorksXpress and upscale to DriveWorks Solo or DriveWorks Pro at any time.

Design Automation for SOLIDWORKS®

SOLIDWORKS® automation without complex macros, design tables or configurations

DriveWorksXpress is the time-saving Design Automation tool, free inside every licence of SOLIDWORKS®.

It’s ideal for configuring designs that are the Same but Different.

Automating your designs with DriveWorksXpress is easy:

  • Set up your project to capture your design knowledge.
  • Fill out your input form.
  • Create new SOLIDWORKS® 3D CAD parts, assemblies and drawings automatically.
  • Fill out your form to configure again and again, re-using your valuable design knowledge.
A picture of the DriveWorksXpress Activate to Automate branding on.

How to Activate DriveWorksXpress in SOLIDWORKS®

To activate DriveWorksXpress inside SOLIDWORKS® and start automating your designs, follow these quick and easy steps:

A screenshot of the SOLIDWORKS dashboard.

Step 1

Open SOLIDWORKS.

A screenshot of inside SOLIDWORKS, showing to click 'Xpress Products' and to select DriveWorks from a dropdown box.

Step 2

Go to Tools, Xpress Products, DriveWorksXpress.

As screenshot of the inside of SOLIDWORKS, with a box that shows the link to press to get your DriveWorksXpress activation code.

Step 3

Click on the link for My.SolidWorks.com/xpress to get your free activation code for DriveWorksXpress.

A screenshot of the DriveWorksXpress activation code page.

Step 4

Copy the DriveWorksXpress activation code.

A screenshot of the box that the product activation code should be entered into.

Step 5

Go back to SOLIDWORKS, paste the activation code in to the product code box and press OK.

A screenshot of the inside of SOLIDWORKS now that DriveWorksXpress has been activated and ready to use.

Step 6

Start automating!

DriveWorksXpress Tutorials, Sample Projects and More!

There are many DriveWorksXpress learning resources and training materials online.

You can access them for free, from anywhere.

A screenshot of one of the DriveWorksXpress sample projects.

Sample Projects

Download DriveWorksXpress Sample Projects. Each one is set up and ready to run inside SOLIDWORKS. Open and explore the project to learn how the rules have been set up.

Several How-To DriveWorksXpress videos.

How to Videos

Watch our DriveWorksXpress How to Video Clips to learn how to capture parameters in your SOLIDWORKS Model, create an input form and build rules to generate new variations.

A screenshot of one of the DriveWorks training tutorials.

Training Tutorials

Learn how to use DriveWorksXpress by following these tutorials. There are a selection of tutorials showing different models, providing inspiration for how automating your own designs in SOLIDWORKS.

Add to your DriveWorks Knowledge and Get Certified

Demonstrate your DriveWorks knowledge and skills by completing the DriveWorksXpress Certification.

The DriveWorksXpress Associate is the first level of DriveWorks Certification. The DriveWorksXpress Training and Certification is a free certification for all engineering and design professionals who have access to SOLIDWORKS®.

Design Automation for SOLIDWORKS

SOLIDWORKS® automation without complex macros, design tables or configurations

DriveWorksXpress is the time-saving Design Automation tool, free inside every licence of SOLIDWORKS.

It’s ideal for configuring designs that are the Same but Different.

Configuring and automating your designs with DriveWorksXpress is easy:

  • Set up your project to capture your design knowledge.
  • Fill out your input form.
  • Create new SOLIDWORKS 3D CAD parts, assemblies and drawings automatically.
  • Fill out your form to configure, again and again, re-using your valuable design knowledge.
A picture of the DriveWorksXpress Activate to Automate branding on.

How to Activate DriveWorksXpress in SOLIDWORKS

To activate DriveWorksXpress inside SOLIDWORKS and start automating your designs, follow these quick and easy steps:

A screenshot of the SOLIDWORKS dashboard.

Step 1

Open SOLIDWORKS.

A screenshot of inside SOLIDWORKS, showing to click 'Xpress Products' and to select DriveWorks from a dropdown box.

Step 2

Go to Tools, Xpress Products, DriveWorksXpress.

As screenshot of the inside of SOLIDWORKS, with a box that shows the link to press to get your DriveWorksXpress activation code.

Step 3

Click on the link for My.SolidWorks.com/xpress to get your free activation code for DriveWorksXpress.

A screenshot of the DriveWorksXpress activation code page.

Step 4

Copy the DriveWorksXpress activation code.

A screenshot of the box that the product activation code should be entered into.

Step 5

Go back to SOLIDWORKS, paste the activation code in to the product code box and press OK.

A screenshot of the inside of SOLIDWORKS now that DriveWorksXpress has been activated and ready to use.

Step 6

Start automating!

DriveWorksXpress Tutorials, Sample Projects and More!

There are many more learning resources and training materials online.

You can access them for free, from anywhere.

A screenshot of one of the DriveWorksXpress sample projects.

Sample Projects

Download DriveWorksXpress Sample Projects. Each one is set up and ready to run inside SOLIDWORKS. Open and explore the project to learn how the rules have been set up.

Several How-To DriveWorksXpress videos.

How to Videos

Watch our DriveWorksXpress How to Video Clips to learn how to capture parameters in your SOLIDWORKS Model, create an input form and build rules to generate new variations.

A screenshot of one of the DriveWorks training tutorials.

Training Tutorials

Learn how to use DriveWorksXpress by following these tutorials. There are a selection of tutorials showing different models, providing inspiration for how automating your own designs in SOLIDWORKS.

Add to your DriveWorks Knowledge and Get Certified

Demonstrate your DriveWorks knowledge and skills and complete the DriveWorksXpress Certification.

Our Certifications, created by our DriveWorks Technical Experts, test your capability and understanding of the training.

The DriveWorksXpress Associate is the first level of DriveWorks Certification. The DriveWorksXpress Training and Certification is a free certification for all engineering and design professionals who have access to SOLIDWORKS.

DriveworksXpress is included free with every seat of desktop SOLIDWORKS so you can start automating any part of your product design today!

DriveWorksXpress Design Automation

Design automation is quickly becoming the norm, offering businesses the opportunity to streamline business processes and adapt quickly to changing market conditions.

DriveWorksXpress is an easy to use, entry-level design automation tool included free inside SOLIDWORKS. Our rules-based software allows you to create multiple versions of your SOLIDWORKS parts, assemblies and drawings, quickly and accurately.

DriveWorksXpress is ideal for automating everyday repetitive design tasks and great if the designs and projects you work on are the same but different.

It is widely used in many industries from trailers to conveyors, furniture to machinery, mechanical seals to pressure vessels, windows and doors, and many more.

Quickly generate new versions of your SOLIDWORKS parts, assemblies and drawings.

We’re extremely proud of our industry-leading, award-winning software, but DriveWorks isn’t just for complete product design.

DriveWorksXpress allows you to automate any part of your SOLIDWORKS design, giving you the flexibility to automate time-consuming and repetitive tasks, simplifying your design process, and enabling you to use your time more efficiently.

A computer screen showing the DriveWorksXpress activation steps.

Easy to Set Up, Manage and Use

A DriveWorks design automation project is easy to create, maintain and use.

No programming skills or consultants are required.

Simply activate DriveWorksXpress which is already installed under the SOLIDWORKS Tools menu and begin automating your designs!

Automate repetitive SOLIDWORKS tasks and free up time to focus on product innovation and development.

If you offer many different product options or every customer order is bespoke, DriveWorksXpress helps you capture your design rules, recreate variations of existing designs, reduce repetitive tasks, save time, and improve product quality.

Run Project Again and Again

Once set up, run your project again and again for each custom order.

DriveWorksXpress captures information from your existing models and your engineering knowledge.

That information, including dimensions, features and configurations can then be controlled by a series of rules.

These rules are controlled from a simple input form, so all you need to do is fill out the form for each custom order, and DriveWorksXpress will do the calculations in the background and automatically generate the necessary files.

Reuse the input form over and over again, each time creating a brand-new set of files and their relevant drawings.

Meaning there is no need for complex macros, design tables or configurations.

Run hundreds of design tasks in minutes with DriveWorksXpress!

Saving Time with DriveWorksXpress

DriveWorks isn’t just for complete product design, automation is powerful even if you only automate part of your product.

Before using DriveWorksXpress designing something such as a Standard Machine Sub-base or Leg Supports would take 30 minutes.

With DriveWorksXpress this task takes just 1 minute, allowing you to focus your time on the more complex aspects of your designs.

This may only be a small part of your design process but the time savings are drastic and incredibly valuable to the overall design time.

Over time, you can build on your DriveWorksXpress project to add more and more parts, until eventually your engineering time is spent on the parts of the design that really matter and add the most value.

Standard Machine Sub Base

From 30 minutes down to 1 minute

Leg Supports

From 30 minutes down to 3 minutes

Using DriveWorksXpress to Automate Mundane Tasks & Save Time

Oasis Trailer Mfg Ltd has been manufacturing custom trailers in Rolling Hills, Canada since 2006.

Using DriveWorksXpress, Oasis Trailers have created a simple form where they enter three inputs. These inputs automate the requirements for the Hub Face, the Spring Center and the Wheel Options of the axles.

Oasis Trailers have also taken advantage of the different form building options in DriveWorksXpress, using both the drop-down and spin button feature.

Each time a new specification is entered on the form, DriveWorksXpress works in the background to calculate the rules and drive the SOLIDWORKS model.

Before DriveWorksXpress this would be 20 minutes of repetitive work. Now, they have cut this time down to just 5 minutes.

A large utility and dump Oasis Trailer.
Oasis Trailer Axle.
A large utility and dump Oasis Trailer with ramp.

Benefits of DriveWorksXpress

Discover the benefits of using DriveWorksXpress to automate your designs.

An icon showing a clock with an arrow around it

Save Time

Capture and re-use design knowledge to reduce repetitive tasks.

An icon showing a down arrow with a percentage sign.

Reduce Costly Errors

Incorporate design rules to minimize errors and the cost of manual mistakes.

An icon showing a cog with an arrow through it

Free Up Engineers

Liberate design engineers from repetitive tasks to concentrate on new and special designs.

Start Automating – Free Inside SOLIDWORKS

If you’ve got desktop SOLIDWORKS, you’ve already got design automation!

DriveWorksXpress is already installed inside every license of SOLIDWORKS desktop.

You’ll find it under the SOLIDWORKS Tools menu, you just need to activate it to start automating.

Once you’ve saved time with DriveWorksXpress why not take your design automation even further with DriveWorks Solo.

Download a 30-day full-feature free trial of DriveWorks Solo to see what you could achieve.

Start with DriveWorksXpress and upscale to DriveWorks Solo or DriveWorks Pro at any time.

Explore the Capabilities of  DriveWorks

Learn how DriveWorks is helping companies to transform their processes and succeed.

Design Automation for SOLIDWORKS

SOLIDWORKS® automation without complex macros, design tables or configurations

DriveWorksXpress is the time-saving Design Automation tool, free inside every licence of SOLIDWORKS.

It’s ideal for configuring designs that are the Same but Different.

Configuring and automating your designs with DriveWorksXpress is easy:

  • Set up your project to capture your design knowledge.
  • Fill out your input form.
  • Create new SOLIDWORKS 3D CAD parts, assemblies and drawings automatically.
  • Fill out your form to configure, again and again, re-using your valuable design knowledge.
A picture of the DriveWorksXpress Activate to Automate branding on.

How to Activate DriveWorksXpress in SOLIDWORKS

To activate DriveWorksXpress inside SOLIDWORKS and start automating your designs, follow these quick and easy steps:

Step 1

Open SOLIDWORKS.

A screenshot of the SOLIDWORKS dashboard.

Step 2

Go to Tools, Xpress Products, DriveWorksXpress.

A screenshot of inside SOLIDWORKS, showing to click 'Xpress Products' and to select DriveWorks from a dropdown box.

Step 3

Click on the link for My.SolidWorks.com/xpress to get your free activation code for DriveWorksXpress.

As screenshot of the inside of SOLIDWORKS, with a box that shows the link to press to get your DriveWorksXpress activation code.

Step 4

Copy the DriveWorksXpress activation code.

A screenshot of the DriveWorksXpress activation code page.

Step 5

Go back to SOLIDWORKS, paste the activation code in to the product code box and press OK.

A screenshot of the box that the product activation code should be entered into.

Step 6

Start automating!

A screenshot of the inside of SOLIDWORKS now that DriveWorksXpress has been activated and ready to use.

DriveWorksXpress Tutorials, Sample Projects and More!

There are many more learning resources and training materials online.

You can access them for free, from anywhere.

A screenshot of one of the DriveWorksXpress sample projects.

Sample Projects

Download DriveWorksXpress Sample Projects. Each one is set up and ready to run inside SOLIDWORKS. Open and explore the project to learn how the rules have been set up.

Several How-To DriveWorksXpress videos.

How to Videos

Watch our DriveWorksXpress How to Video Clips to learn how to capture parameters in your SOLIDWORKS Model, create an input form and build rules to generate new variations.

A screenshot of one of the DriveWorks training tutorials.

Training Tutorials

Learn how to use DriveWorksXpress by following these tutorials. There are a selection of tutorials showing different models, providing inspiration for how automating your own designs in SOLIDWORKS.

Design Automation for SOLIDWORKS

SOLIDWORKS® automation without complex macros, design tables or configurations

DriveWorksXpress is the time-saving Design Automation tool, free inside every licence of SOLIDWORKS.

It’s ideal for configuring designs that are the Same but Different.

Configuring and automating your designs with DriveWorksXpress is easy:

  • Set up your project to capture your design knowledge.
  • Fill out your input form.
  • Create new SOLIDWORKS 3D CAD parts, assemblies and drawings automatically.
  • Fill out your form to configure, again and again, re-using your valuable design knowledge.

How to Activate DriveWorksXpress in SOLIDWORKS

To activate DriveWorksXpress inside SOLIDWORKS and start automating your designs, follow these quick and easy steps:

Step 1

Open SOLIDWORKS.

A screenshot of the SOLIDWORKS dashboard.

Step 2

Go to Tools, Xpress Products, DriveWorksXpress.

A screenshot of inside SOLIDWORKS, showing to click 'Xpress Products' and to select DriveWorks from a dropdown box.

Step 3

Click on the link for My.SolidWorks.com/xpress to get your free activation code for DriveWorksXpress.

As screenshot of the inside of SOLIDWORKS, with a box that shows the link to press to get your DriveWorksXpress activation code.

Step 4

Copy the DriveWorksXpress activation code.

A screenshot of the DriveWorksXpress activation code page.

Step 5

Go back to SOLIDWORKS, paste the activation code in to the product code box and press OK.

A screenshot of the box that the product activation code should be entered into.

Step 6

Start automating!

A screenshot of the inside of SOLIDWORKS now that DriveWorksXpress has been activated and ready to use.

DriveWorksXpress Tutorials, Sample Projects and More!

There are many more learning resources and training materials online. The best thing is, you can access them from anywhere.

A screenshot of one of the DriveWorksXpress sample projects.

Sample Projects

Download DriveWorksXpress Sample Projects. Each one is set up and ready to run inside SOLIDWORKS. Open and explore the project to learn how the rules have been set up.

Several How-To DriveWorksXpress videos.

How to Videos

Watch our DriveWorksXpress How to Video Clips to learn how to capture parameters in your SOLIDWORKS Model, create an input form and build rules to generate new variations.

A screenshot of one of the DriveWorks training tutorials.

Training Tutorials

Learn how to use DriveWorksXpress by following these tutorials. There are a selection of tutorials showing different models, providing inspiration for how automating your own designs in SOLIDWORKS.

Activate DriveWorksXpress

Free entry-level design automation included in every seat of SOLIDWORKS®

Activate DriveWorksXpress in the SOLIDWORKS® tools menu.

Design Automation for SOLIDWORKS

SOLIDWORKS® automation without complex macros, design tables or configurations

DriveWorksXpress is the time-saving Design Automation tool, free inside every licence of SOLIDWORKS.

It’s ideal for configuring designs that are the Same but Different.

Configuring and automating your designs with DriveWorksXpress is easy:

  • Set up your project to capture your design knowledge.
  • Fill out your input form.
  • Create new SOLIDWORKS 3D CAD parts, assemblies and drawings automatically.
  • Fill out your form to configure, again and again, re-using your valuable design knowledge.

As DriveWorksXpress is based on your rules, you’ll save time, reduce repetitive tasks and minimize errors and costly mistakes.

How to Activate DriveWorksXpress in SOLIDWORKS

To activate DriveWorksXpress inside SOLIDWORKS and start automating your designs, follow these quick and easy steps:

Step 1

Open SOLIDWORKS

Step 2

Go to Tools, Xpress Products, DriveWorksXpress

Step 3

Click on the link for My.SolidWorks.com/xpress to get your free activation code for DriveWorksXpress.

Step 4

Copy the DriveWorksXpress activation code.

Step 5

Go back to SOLIDWORKS, paste the activation code in to the product code box and press OK.

Step 6

Start automating!

Training & Resources

Learn more about DriveWorksXpress with these free online resources:

Webinars

Join our DriveWorksXpress Getting Started Webinar to learn the first steps to automating with DriveWorksXpress.

Help File

You’ll find the DriveWorksXpress help file by pressing F1 or the help icon from inside SOLIDWORKS.

How to Videos

Watch video clips to learn how to capture parameters in your SOLIDWORKS model, create an input from and build rules to generate new variations.

Sample Projects

Download and learn from DriveWorksXpress sample projects. Each one is set up and ready to run inside SOLIDWORKS.

Activate DriveWorksXpress in the SOLIDWORKS® tools menu

DriveWorksXpress Design Automation

Design automation is quickly becoming the norm, offering businesses the opportunity to streamline business processes and adapt quickly to changing market conditions.

DriveWorksXpress is an easy to use, entry-level design automation tool included free inside SOLIDWORKS. Our rules-based software allows you to create multiple versions of your SOLIDWORKS parts, assemblies and drawings, quickly and accurately.

DriveWorksXpress is ideal for automating everyday repetitive design tasks and great if the designs and projects you work on are the same but different.

It is widely used in many industries from trailers to conveyors, furniture to machinery, mechanical seals to pressure vessels, windows and doors and many more.

Quickly generate new versions of your SOLIDWORKS parts, assemblies and drawings.

DriveWorksXpress allows you to automate any part of your SOLIDWORKS design, giving you the flexibility to automate time-consuming and repetitive tasks, simplifying your design process, and enabling you to use your time more efficiently.

DriveWorks Certifications

Add to your DriveWorks knowledge and get certified

There are three DriveWorks Certifications, ranging across all three DriveWorks Products, starting from DriveWorksXpress, to DriveWorks Solo and then on to DriveWorks Pro.

Our Certifications, created by our DriveWorks Technical Experts, test your capability and understanding of the training. They are a great way to demonstrate your DriveWorks knowledge and skills.

The DriveWorksXpress and DriveWorks Solo Certifications are open to everyone. You can learn and get certified online anytime.

DriveWorksXpressCertification

DriveWorksXpress

SoloCertBadge

DriveWorks Solo 

DriveWorksProfessional

DriveWorks Pro

DriveWorksXpress Associate poster, with benefits of completing certification: improve SOLIDWORKS skills, complete in under 3 hours, reduce design errors, save engineering time, get certified for free.

DriveWorksXpress Associate

Demonstrate your SOLIDWORKS design automation skills

The DriveWorksXpress Associate is the first level of DriveWorks Certification. The DriveWorksXpress Training and Certification is a free certification for all engineering and design professionals who have access to SOLIDWORKS.

Follow the online training and take the certification to become a Certified DriveWorksXpress Associate in just 3 steps, in 3 hours.

Improve your SOLIDWORKS skills and design automation knowledge.

Embrace design automation and use DriveWorksXpress inside SOLIDWORKS to save time, reduce errors and improve quality.

What?

The DriveWorksXpress Training and Certification is a free certification for all engineering and design professionals who have access to SOLIDWORKS.

Becoming a Certified DriveWorksXpress Associate gives you new skills to add to your résumé, opens doors in a competitive jobs market and differentiates you from your peers.

How?

You can become a Certified DriveWorksXpress Associate by completing 3 steps in just 3 hours:
Step 1: Download and complete the DriveWorksXpress Training Tutorial.
Step 2: Take a short online test to complete the certification.
Step 3: Join a global community of DriveWorks and SOLIDWORKS engineers.

Why?

Embrace Design Automation techniques to work smarter.
Gain an extra qualification to gain an edge on the competition and stand out from the crowd.
Join a community of professionals to improve your career prospects in a competitive jobs market.
Improve your employability with an extra qualification on your résumé.

DriveWorksXpress Learning Resources

We provide all the resources you need to easily complete the DriveWorksXpress Training and Certification and gain this valuable new skill to use in industry.

Get the most out of your free software with webinars, video clips, sample projects, forums and tutorials.

Activate DriveWorksXpress inside SOLIDWORKS now to start automating.

Several How-To DriveWorksXpress videos.

Get certified, expand your knowledge and demonstrate your expertise.

Oasis Trailer Mfg Ltd has been manufacturing custom trailers in Rolling Hills, Canada since 2006.

We recently caught up with Draftsman Jake Loewen to see how they’ve been using DriveWorksXpress to speed up their design process.

Implementing DriveWorksXpress

Oasis Trailers build mostly custom trailers and focus on custom welding.

Jake has been using DriveWorksXpress for over a year and has implemented the software to create correct manufacturing drawings for the axles.

Building the Form

Using DriveWorksXpress, Oasis Trailers have created a simple form where they enter three inputs. These inputs automate the requirements for the Hub Face, the Spring Center and the Wheel Options of the axles.

Oasis Trailers have also taken advantage of the different form building options in DriveWorksXpress, using both the drop-down and spin button feature.

Each time a new specification is entered on the form, DriveWorksXpress works in the background to calculate the rules and drive the SOLIDWORKS model.

Before DriveWorksXpress this would be 20 minutes of repetitive work.

Using DriveWorksXpress, they have cut this time down to just 5 minutes at most.

Benefits

Through implementing DriveWorksXpress, Oasis Trailers have experienced several benefits, including:

  • Saving both time and effort
  • Focusing time on more important tasks
  • No rules to remember
  • Getting the job done quicker and more efficiently

Resources

When setting up the projects, Jake took advantage of the free DriveWorksXpress resources, such as the DriveWorksXpress Training and Certification and the DriveWorksXpress Getting Started Webinar to advance his knowledge of the software.

Activate to Automate

DriveWorksXpress is included free inside every license of SOLIDWORKS. Activate your license in the SOLIDWORKS tools menu, using your MySolidWorks account.

DriveworksXpress comes free with every seat of SOLIDWORKS so you can start automating any part of your product design today!

DriveWorksXpress Design Automation

Design automation is quickly becoming the norm, offering businesses the opportunity to streamline business processes and adapt quickly to changing market conditions.

DriveWorksXpress is an easy to use, entry-level design automation tool included free inside SOLIDWORKS. Our rules-based software allows you to create multiple versions of your SOLIDWORKS parts, assemblies and drawings, quickly and accurately.

DriveWorksXpress is ideal for automating everyday repetitive design tasks and great if the designs and projects you work on are the same but different.

It is widely used in many industries from trailers to conveyors, furniture to machinery, mechanical seals to pressure vessels, windows and doors and many more.

Quickly generate new versions of your SOLIDWORKS parts, assemblies and drawings.

We’re extremely proud of our industry-leading, award-winning software, but DriveWorks isn’t just for complete product design.

DriveWorksXpress allows you to automate any part of your SOLIDWORKS design, giving you the flexibility to automate time-consuming and repetitive tasks, simplifying your design process, and enabling you to use your time more efficiently.

A computer screen showing the DriveWorksXpress activation steps.

Easy to Set Up, Manage and Use

A DriveWorks design automation project is easy to create, maintain and use.

No programming skills or consultants are required.

Simply activate DriveWorksXpress which is already installed under the SOLIDWORKS Tools menu and begin automating your designs!

Automate repetitive SOLIDWORKS tasks and free up time to focus on product innovation and development.

If you offer many different product options or every customer order is bespoke, DriveWorksXpress helps you capture your design rules, recreate variations of existing designs, reduce repetitive tasks, save time, and improve product quality.

Run Project Again and Again

Once set up, run your project again and again for each custom order.

DriveWorksXpress captures information from your existing models and your engineering knowledge.

That information, including dimensions, features and configurations can then be controlled by a series of rules.

These rules are controlled from a simple input form, so all you need to do is fill out the form for each custom order, and DriveWorksXpress will do the calculations in the background and automatically generate the necessary files.

Reuse the input form over and over again, each time creating a brand-new set of files and their relevant drawings.

Meaning there is no need for complex macros, design tables or configurations.

Run hundreds of design tasks in minutes with DriveWorksXpress!

Saving Time with DriveWorksXpress

DriveWorks isn’t just for complete product design, automation is powerful even if you only automate part of your product.

Before using DriveWorksXpress designing something such as a Standard Machine Sub-base or Leg Supports would take 30 minutes.

With DriveworksXpress this task takes just 1 minute, allowing you to focus your time on the more complex aspects of your designs.

This may only be a small part of your design process but the time savings are drastic and can be incredibly valuable to the overall design time.

Over time you can build on your DriveWorksXpress project to add more and more parts, until eventually your engineering time is spent on the parts of the design that really matter and add the most value.

Standard Machine Sub Base

From 30 minutes down to 1 minute

Leg Supports

From 30 minutes down to 3 minutes

Using DriveWorks to Automate Mundane Tasks 

BW Container Systems is a global packaging machinery firm serving the food, beer and beverage, wine and spirits, personal care, pharmaceutical, manufacturing and household products industries.

Some of the machines BW Container Systems manufacture require a machine guard.

This is only a simple item to design, but the guard cannot be designed until the machine design is complete, and if not shipped together it could risk delaying delivery.

To overcome this, BW Container Systems are using DriveWorks to automatically generate models and drawings for these machine guards.

DriveWorks has allowed engineers at BW Container Systems to automate some of the mundane but essential engineering jobs, freeing them up to focus on other important design tasks.

With the introduction of DriveWorks, BW Container Systems can evolve product lines, meet new market needs and exceed customer expectations.

Benefits of DriveWorksXpress

Discover the benefits of using DriveWorksXpress to automate your designs.

Save Time

Capture and re-use design knowledge to reduce repetitive tasks.

Reduce Costly Errors

Incorporate design rules to minimize errors and the cost of manual mistakes.

Free Up Engineers

Liberate design engineers from repetitive tasks to concentrate on new and special designs.

Start Automating – Free Inside SOLIDWORKS

If you’ve got SOLIDWORKS, you’ve already got design automation!

DriveWorksXpress is already installed inside every license of SOLIDWORKS.

You’ll find it under the SOLIDWORKS Tools menu, you just need to activate it to start automating.

Once you’ve saved time with DriveWorksXpress why not take your design automation even further with DriveWorks Solo.

Download a 30-day full-feature free trial of DriveWorks Solo to see what you could achieve.

Try DriveWorksXpress and upscale to DriveWorks Solo or DriveWorks Pro at any time.

Explore the Capabilities of  DriveWorks

Learn how DriveWorks is helping companies to transform their processes and succeed.

Working from home is giving us all a chance to continue our learning and make the time for those things we normally wouldn’t be able to fit into our busy schedules.

In the DriveWorks team, we’re taking this as an opportunity to learn, improve, create and innovate.

In these uncertain times, it’s heartwarming to see that through it all, the SWUGN community are also staying connected digitally and sticking together – from a distance of course!

Virtual SWUGN Meetings

Whilst all in person user group meetings have been postponed, SOLIDWORKS is working with user groups across the world to ensure everyone stays connected virtually and continue to share exciting and innovative content.

A series of SWUGN Virtual Events have been set up, covering a range of topics. Users can learn SOLIDWORKS tips and tricks, plus information on the latest products, features and technology.

The SOLIDWORKS Certification Game, Surfacing for Beginners and Productos Xpress – including a look at DriveWorksXpress – are just some of the sessions you can be a part of.

Check out the full list and register on our events page.

DriveWorks Technical Resources Available for SWUGN

We have lots of free online technical resources for you to use during your meetings, or anytime in between to top up your knowledge.

DriveWorksXpress Training and Certification Program

What better time to start learning about design automation and add an extra qualification to your resume too!

The DriveWorksXpress Training and Certification is a free certification for all engineering and design professionals and students who have access to SOLIDWORKS.

Become a Certified DriveWorksXpress Associate in just 3 steps, in 3 hours.

Gain new skills to add to your résumé and automate your designs to save time and reduce errors.

DriveWorksXpress Getting Started Webinars

Join our free 1-hour webinar for a step by step guide, taking you through the first steps to automating with DriveWorksXpress.

The webinar shows you how to set up a DriveWorksXpress Project from start to finish.

Anyone can sign up to watch the webinar as normal, or if you would like to watch the webinar together as part of your meeting, get in touch with us and we’ll provide direct access to the webinar for you to watch virtually with your group at a time that suits you.

DriveWorksXpress Tutorials, Sample Projects and More!

There are many more learning resources and training materials online. The best thing is, you can access them from anywhere.

A screenshot of one of the DriveWorksXpress sample projects.

Sample Projects

Download DriveWorksXpress Sample Projects. Each one is set up and ready to run inside SOLIDWORKS. Open and explore the project to learn how the rules have been set up.

Several How-To DriveWorksXpress videos.

How to Videos

Watch our DriveWorksXpress How to Video Clips to learn how to capture parameters in your SOLIDWORKS Model, create an input form and build rules to generate new variations.

A screenshot of one of the DriveWorks training tutorials.

Training Tutorials

Learn how to use DriveWorksXpress by following these tutorials. There are a selection of tutorials showing different models, providing inspiration for how automating your own designs in SOLIDWORKS.

Connect With Us

Read the latest updates from the DriveWorks team on our blog and connect with us on social media to stay updated on product information, events and learning opportunities available to all SOLIDWORKS User Groups.

Let’s connect so we can share your news and updates too.

Design Automation for SOLIDWORKS

SOLIDWORKS® automation without complex macros, design tables or configurations

DriveWorksXpress is the time-saving Design Automation tool, free inside every licence of SOLIDWORKS.

It’s ideal for configuring designs that are the Same but Different.

Configuring and automating your designs with DriveWorksXpress is easy:

  • Set up your project to capture your design knowledge.
  • Fill out your input form.
  • Create new SOLIDWORKS 3D CAD parts, assemblies and drawings automatically.
  • Fill out your form to configure, again and again, re-using your valuable design knowledge.

As DriveWorksXpress is based on your rules, you’ll save time, reduce repetitive tasks and minimize errors and costly mistakes.

How to Activate DriveWorksXpress in SOLIDWORKS

To activate DriveWorksXpress inside SOLIDWORKS and start automating your designs, follow these quick and easy steps:

Step 1

Open SOLIDWORKS

Step 2

Go to Tools, Xpress Products, DriveWorksXpress

Step 3

Click on the link for My.SolidWorks.com/xpress to get your free activation code for DriveWorksXpress.

Step 4

Copy the DriveWorksXpress activation code.

Step 5

Go back to SOLIDWORKS, paste the activation code in to the product code box and press OK.

Step 6

Start automating!

Training & Resources

Learn more about DriveWorksXpress with these free online resources:

Webinars

Join our DriveWorksXpress Getting Started Webinar to learn the first steps to automating with DriveWorksXpress.

Help File

You’ll find the DriveWorksXpress help file by pressing F1 or the help icon from inside SOLIDWORKS.

How to Videos

Watch video clips to learn how to capture parameters in your SOLIDWORKS model, create an input from and build rules to generate new variations.

Sample Projects

Download and learn from DriveWorksXpress sample projects. Each one is set up and ready to run inside SOLIDWORKS.

Activate DriveWorksXpress in the SOLIDWORKS® tools menu

FIRST® is a not-for-profit public charity designed to inspire young people’s interest and participation in science and technology.

The charity designs accessible, innovative programs that motivate young people to pursue education and career opportunities in science, technology, engineering, and math, while building self-confidence, knowledge, and life skills.

It inspires them to become leaders and innovators, and enhance their 21st-century work-life skills.

The exciting mentor-based programs foster well-rounded life capabilities including self-confidence, communication, and leadership.

The FIRST® Robotics Competition

One of the programs run by FIRST® is the FIRST® Robotics Competition. Combining the excitement of sport with the rigours of science and technology. The FIRST® Robotics Competition is the ultimate Sport for the Mind. High-school student participants call it “the hardest fun you’ll ever have”.

Under strict rules, limited time and resources, teams of students are challenged to raise funds, design a team “brand,” hone teamwork skills, and build and program industrial-size robots to play a difficult field game against like-minded competitors.

It’s as close to real-world engineering as a student can get. Volunteer professional mentors lend their time and talents to guide each team. Each season ends with an exciting FIRST® Championship.

How are we supporting FIRST®?

To create their robots, teams can request a variety of resources from the network of FIRST® sponsors.

SOLIDWORKS® are a sponsor of the program, providing access to a dozen SOLIDWORKS® products, tutorials and a Kit of Parts, which they can use to create quick assemblies and models of their robots.

With their SOLIDWORKS® licenses, FIRST® Robotics Competition teams also had access to DriveWorksXpress, included free inside every seat of SOLIDWORKS.

By using DriveWorksXpress, students are able to automate parts of their robot design to save time and reduce errors.

Improving Skills & Gaining Knowledge

Not only are they improving their robot and the team’s performance, they’re also adding to their CAD skills.

Investing in the future and supporting STEM is very important to us. We launched our DriveWorksXpress Training & Certification Program to help students gain the design automation skills they need and gain a certification to prove their knowledge and skills.

Two students from Ayer Shirley FIRST® Robotics Team (Andromeda One) were the first high school students in the world to become Certified DriveWorksXpress Associates.

Becoming a Sponsor

We want to help even more students learn extra skills that will help them in future STEM careers. We are now a FIRST® Robotics Competition Sponsor.

As part of the FIRST® Robotics Supplier Sponsorship, FIRST® Robotics Competition Teams can now request a free 12-month license of DriveWorks Solo.

Using DriveWorks Solo will help teams automate their repetitive SOLIDWORKS tasks and free up students and mentors to focus on quality robot design.

In addition to the software, students have access to resources to support their learning, including DriveWorks Solo Technical Webinars, Online Training, How to Videos, Extensive Online Help Files and much more.

We are excited to be part of the FIRST® Robotics Competition, supporting teams with useful resources, learning opportunities and new skills.

How can FIRST® teams get support from us?

FIRST® Robotics Competition Teams can request a license of DriveWorks Solo Design Automation Software for a period of one year.

Get in touch with our team to Request Your License.

How else are we supporting STEM?

We continue to actively promote and support STEM. The DriveWorksXpress Training & Certification is available completely free to anyone who has access to SOLIDWORKS. Students and professionals can learn DriveWorksXpress and get certified in 3 easy steps.

Our team also attend events to teach students about DriveWorksXpress and to inspire them to follow STEM careers.

Investing in our own team and their future is also hugely important to us. We have an Investors in People Silver Award and every year we take on placement students and graduates across multiple disciplines. Many of our students continue their careers with us and most of our team started their careers here as a student.

DriveWorksXpress Certifications at Universidad Tecnologica de Durango

The Universidad Tecnológica de La Laguna Durango is a University located in Durango, Mexico and operates under a bilingual scheme offering classes in both English and Spanish.

UTLD courses range from Renewable Energies, Industrial Processes and International Logistics to Information and Communication Technologies.

UTLD has been a recognized SOLIDWORKS Certification Centre since 2015, with most students graduating as Certified SOLIDWORKS Associates (CSWA).

Jesús Torres, an engineering lecturer at the university came across the DriveWorksXpress Training and Certification programme via social media and quickly noticed the capabilities of the software and the programme.

After successfully completing the certification himself, the DriveWorks team reached out with further information about teaching the programme to his students.

As a lecturer to the next generation of engineers, Jesús saw the potential in the programme for his students to gain an extra skill and set them aside from other candidates in a competitive jobs market.

Jesús took advantage of the wide range of DriveWorksXpress teaching resources found inside the DriveWorksXpress Educator Pack, freely available to download from the DriveWorksXpress certification website. The Educator Pack has been created to make it easy for lecturers and other educational leads to administer the training.

“The tutorial and webpage instructions are easy to follow” – Jesús

The step by step guide allowed Jesús to teach his students efficiently at each stage of the certification, the short DriveWorksXpress videos provided further instruction on how to set up an effective project. The presentation material enabled Jesús to dedicate more time to teaching the class as opposed to time spent devising his own presentation material.

All 6 students became Certified DriveWorksXpress Associates following the session, demonstrating “their hard work and commitment to fully understanding the capabilities of the software”.

Jesús now plans to run regular DriveWorksXpress training sessions, equipping future students with valuable skills and helping them to find employment.

“This experience demonstrates that everyone can succeed with DriveWorksXpress” – Jesús

Well done to the students and to Jesús for his commitment to inspiring engineers of the future and helping them to improve their skills.

Do you want to become a Certified DriveWorksXpress Associate?

Take our free certification online now to improve your SOLIDWORKS skills, add an extra qualification to your résumé and stand out from the crowd in a competitive jobs market.

Your Future: Automate to Accelerate

By Becoming a Certified DriveWorksXpress Associate

DriveWorksXpress is a free design automation tool included in every license of SOLIDWORKS.

More and more companies are adopting design automation techniques to save time, reduce repetitive engineering tasks and minimise costly errors. Design automation is becoming the norm and engineering professionals can gain the skills they need by completing the DriveWorksXpress Training & Certification.

SOLIDWORKS Gold Certified Partner

What?

The DriveWorksXpress Training and Certification is a free certification for all engineering and design professionals who have access to SOLIDWORKS.

Becoming a Certified DriveWorksXpress Associate gives you new skills to add to your résumé, opens doors in a competitive jobs market and differentiates you from your peers.

How?

You can become a Certified DriveWorksXpress Associate by completing 3 steps in just 3 hours:
Step 1: Download and complete the DriveWorksXpress Training Tutorial.
Step 2: Take a short online test to complete the certification.
Step 3: Join a global community of DriveWorks and SOLIDWORKS engineers.

Why?

Embrace Design Automation techniques to work smarter.
Gain an extra qualification to gain an edge on the competition and stand out from the crowd.
Join a community of professionals to improve your career prospects in a competitive jobs market.
Improve your employability with an extra qualification on your résumé.

DriveWorksWebinars

Learning Resources
We provide all the resources you need to easily complete the DriveWorksXpress Training and Certification and gain this valuable new skill to use in industry.

Completely Free
DriveWorksXpress is a free tool included in every educational and commercial license of SOLIDWORKS and the certification is free for anyone who has access to SOLIDWORKS.

Professional Certificate
On completion of the DriveWorksXpress Certification you’ll receive a professional certificate to add to your résumé and prove your knowledge.