SolidWorks on a Mac

Hello all,
This post is offered as purely informational - in the chance that anyone is seeking information on this *specifically rare topic*: running SolidWorks on a Mac.
I am a SolidWorks (2007-2009) user and an avid Mac advocate (since 1986). SolidWorks isn't and won't ever be Mac-native. Sure, there are other CAD-CAM modelers made just for the Mac, but NONE of them drive the world-wide manufacturing industry as SolidWorks does. What to do?
Run SolidWorks in XP-Pro SP3 via BootCamp. Period, end of story.
I embarked on this experiment with Parallels v1 - and dropped the whole project until Fusion came out of beta. Moving to VMware's Fusion was great - nothing wrong with it as emulation goes - but Fusion (any emulation) insulates the graphics card you'll likely need to run SolidWorks. By "insulate", I mean the card isn't recognized by XP - XP sees only a generic video card of SVGA). That's an emulation tax folks, sorry...
I still use SolidWorks in Fusion when I've got small, simple parts and quick design jobs, however, if I'm doing top-down assembly or working on some larger, many-parts models and/or I need fully detailed, photo-real rendering (PhotoView360), then it's over to BootCamp I go!
BTW - in Fusion (read: emulation), you won't see ANY RealView graphics OR PhotoView360 previews!
Per Dessault System's recommendations (makers of SolidWorks) the ONLY graphic card which IS Mac-compatible AND "certified for use with SolidWorks" is the NVIDIA QuadroFX 4500. (note: There may be newer, improved cards since I bought the 4500 almost 2.5 years ago...)
If you want SolidWorks to see ALL of your Mac's core processors (in my case - four of them - critical for rendering models via PhotoView360) AND you want to tap the raw power of the video card you paid dearly for - you've GOT to do this scenario via BootCamp - not Parallels, not Fusion, not any other emulation software.
Note: I'm not at all suggesting emulation is a bad strategy, it just isn't good for use with SolidWorks.
The SolidWorks user experience is much more precise and "crisp" via BootCamp. Trust me, I've thrown a lot of effort, money and research at this topic. Keyboard short-cuts, mouse tricks, etc. all work more smoothly AND PROPERLY in BootCamp as opposed to an emulation solution. Do these details make a difference you ask? YES!!!!! Trust the flat spots on my head from slamming it against walls... BootCamp = a more natural SolidWorks experience!
As for XP verses Vista - all I can add is that my SolidWorks VAR (value-added reseller) runs ALL of their PCs on XP-Pro 64bit, NOT Vista. That's enough of an XP endorsement for me. Since XP64bit isn't BootCamp-ready, we're stuck with XP-Pro 32bit SP3 - which doesn't see more than 2 GBs of RAM - so don't go hog-wild on buying lots of RAM thinking it will boost your SolidWorks experience.
Additionally, if moving files from MacOS to XP (and back again) is important to you, there are several options: MacDrive7, NTFS-3G with MacFuse to name but two popular options.
SolidWorks CAN INDEED exist in a Mac world! Don't take no for an answer; and don't expect the SolidWorks tech support guys to be "open-minded" and helpful. They're not. When this topic is presented to them, +SW Tech Supp+ is resolute in their position that this shouldn't be done.
grrrr >:-O Right. And we couldn't get to the moon in under 10 years either.
Write for details. Your mileage may vary. Consult your physician. Member LASWUG and OCSWUG.
Cheers,
webdrum007
Message was edited by: webdrum007
Message was edited by: webdrum007

SolidWorks works quite well on the Mac Mini, but the motherboard graphics are a bit weak for the big complex models I usually work on so I still use my dedicated XP machine for most of my SolidWorks tasks. I am planning on getting a new MacBook which I suspect should work great with its high power graphics system. The question that remains to be answered is how well will Parallels (which is supposed to have better OpenGL support ) or VMWare (which is supposed to have better DirectX support) work.

Similar Messages

  • SolidWorks on Mac Pro?

    Hi,
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    I am about to pull the trigger on a new Mac Pro 3.0GHz Quad-Core with an Nvidia Quadro 4500 graphics card (SW certified) to run Solidworks 2008. My main goal is to do Industrial Design and be able to interface with all the other designers and engineers who I will be working with.
    From all the posts I've read over the last few weeks here and on other forums, it should be fine, but I'd love to hear from someone with experience running it on the same or similar platform (Mac Pro/Mac Book Pro with Windows). Many posts talk about running it on a MBP and it seems to be running well within reason. If I were to extrapolate from these posts, my setup should be fine, but I'd like to know what to look out for or what performance I can expect in the setup I will be buying.
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    Computer:
    Mac OS:
    Windows OS:
    Graphics Card:
    SW version:
    Memory:
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    YH!

    Hi YH.
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  • Only seeing 2 GB memory (Windows XP Pro SP2, 32 bit)

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    Message was edited by: mikenmar
    Message was edited by: mikenmar

    Hello Hatter,
    Long time no chat
    Do you have any info. on how Windows 7 will behave in the Mac Pro scenario?
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    Peace,
    wd

  • How to install office 2010 on bootcamp windows 7

    Hi,
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    I have installed Office for Mac 2011 on my iMac. And windows via bootcamp to work with the program called SolidWorks. But in order to use it's full potential I need to have excel (office) as well. The program doesn't find or see that office for mac is installed. Is it because it is installed on the other part of the hard drive or ... ?
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  • IMAC 21.5"

    Hello,
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    You got some great advice from bdAqua...just to expand a little on it...
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  • SolidWorks x64 Edition up and running on Mac Pro

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    LAN drivers (Be sure to get the x64 version):
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    14. Install SolidWorks 2007 x64 from the included DVD in your software update box that came in the mail last week.
    15. GO TO BED...IT'S 4:30 am!!!
    Mac Pro   Mac OS X (10.4.7)   Microsoft XP x64 Professional
    Please correct me on any driver postings if they are in error or missing. These are the ones I used and they are working for me. I do not claim to be a guru (this is only my 7th day of using Macintosh in my entire life), I'm just a CAD guy that has a MacNut for a boss. It was either adapt or die, so I'm hapilly adapted.
    Mac Pro   Mac OS X (10.4.7)   Microsoft XP x64 Professional

    Alright CT, here's the deal.
    You'll need to update windows first, they have the HD USB audio device driver update on Windows Update. After this, install the RealTek driver you downloaded earlier. Don't worry about windows saying it found a device but can't find the driver for it, that'll be fixed when you run the Realtek install program.
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    (tried to install on top of existing installation twice...failed twice. Suck!)
    I used the picture guide located at:
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  • Which mac for  AutoCAD, SolidWorks & MatLAB

    I am a mechanical engineering student and I want to purchase a new laptop. Which mac should I get? I want to run AutoCAD, SolidWorks and MatLAB. Are macs or which macs are sufficient for me? I don't want my laptop to be frozen or hard to run those softwares. Thanks a lot.

    It depends if you want to be portable or not, iMac or Macbook Pro probably.
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  • Solidworks On Mac

    Anyone who have an experience to run Solidworks thru iMac?

    Hi YH.
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    The only real quirk I've noticed is a 'blockyness' with complex assemblies, but this could just be caused by bi-sharing on the HD. As I don't have a Mac Pro with dual drives it's hard to give you an accurate explanation/ recommendation.
    However, I have been making moulds in SW on VMware for the last month, and apart from getting many errors for my own incompetence in mould making, SW's has been running with minimum effort.
    I hope that helps.
    PS, BTW all those I know who have switched to OS X from Windows are now wondering why they didn't switch earlier. Any initial problems they've encountered have mostly been down to not really knowing what they were actually doing in the first place!

  • Windows 8.1 Pro on Mac pro resolution problem

    I have created a partition for windows 8.1 pro on my 13' retina display mac pro via boot camp, everything is fine except the resolution, when i open the browser, i could see pixels, the words aren't very sharp, but this isn't my biggest problem, when i open the Solidworks software i'm working on, the icons are too small, or the texts are too big for their boxes. what is happening here? anyone knows what is all about, or how to fix this? changing the resolution of the display didn't solve the problem.

    This is how the words look like in the browser page, you could see pixels. The maximum resolution for this machine is 2560*1600

  • Industrial Design & CAD -- Switching to Mac (Within A Company)

    Hi all.
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    ps/ Below it says I use a PowerBook G4. This is my personal computer. At work, I'm using a 2-year old...
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    Hey Chris,
    I'm also an industrial designer but switched over to exhibit design from product design years ago. I was lucky to develop the dept. when the need for computers was new. (12 years ago) I went Mac all the way and we still maintain a strong Mac presence in the design dept. We have detailers still on ACAD on there PC's. Our outside IT guys are difficult to work with and high priced. The Macs never need the amount of attention the PC's get from the IT guys. We use FormZ as our 3d modeler and it exports and imports dwgs nicely. I've heard of Solidworks and Vellum for the Mac for more detailed work. Lightwave, Modo, Formz, Cinema 4D and Maxwell for renderings. (the pretty pictures that sell)
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    Good luck.
    Mark

  • NVidia Quadro 4500 for mac and pc question

    I am thinking of purchasing a new Mac Pro 3.0GHz Quad-Core desktop with the nVidia Quadro 4500 graphics card. I want to run Solidworks on Windows XP SP2 and also be able to boot into Mac OS X. I have done hours of research trying to make sure it will work but can't seem to find any posts that suggest my system will work as I intend.
    I have found out that the nVidia Quadro 4500 needs to configured for the mac (firmware) and that you just can't buy one from eBay and install it. There are PC versions and Mac versions. Also, flashing it to work with a mac is very difficult and may damage the card if you get it wrong. Not something I want to do.
    So, my question is: If I buy this Mac Pro from Apple with the nVidia Quadro 4500 card already installed, will I have any problems with it working on the window side of things when I boot into Windows XP? Does anyone have the setup that I am talking about and also running SolidWorks on the Windows side?
    Thanks in advance for any help you can give me.
    Yee Ha!

    Hi,
    Mac OS X Leopard has Boot Camp included with the software. I have read online (Apple site amongst others) the BootCamp bundled with Leopard has all the drivers for Windows included, so you no longer need to create a disc with the drivers needed for Windows (as you did under the BootCamp beta version).
    That being the case, Leopard should have the required drivers for your Quadro FX 4500 to function under Windows.
    See here for details:
    http://www.apple.com/uk/macosx/features/bootcamp.html
    Hope this helps

  • MacPro Dual Use--Mac OS X and Windows?

    I'm planning to purchase 2 MacPro stations for our school next year, however, I need some advice. The workstation will be used mostly for video editing--Final Cut Pro and other Mac OS X related activities, however, we need to run Windows-based applications such as SolidWorks and AutoCAD once every now and then. Furthermore, SolidWorks requires a robust video card. The software maker recommends Quadro FX cards. At present there is only one Quadro FX card available for the MacPro; it's price, however, is too high for us. Is it possible to run Mac OS X with the video card that comes installed with the MacPro when it ships and also boot up in Window XP or Vista via BootCamp using a second windows-only video card that would be specially suited to handle 3D modelling (SolidWorks) in a Windows environment? This would save me the need to purchase 2 Mac boxes and 2 Windows boxes. What difficulties would I encounter with the setup described above? Do you have any other recommendations as to what I could do? I'm also hearing rumors that Apple is planning to upgrade its MacPro workstation with possible new Quadro FX cards. Any other ideas?
    PowerMac G5 2.3 Ghz   Mac OS X (10.4.8)  

    If you use Boot Camp to create a Windows boot partition, then you can use any Windows compatible PCI-Express video card for Windows, although you will have to install your own Windows drivers because Boot Camp only has drivers for the three Apple video cards available for the Mac Pro. Obviously this would have to be installed as a second video card.
    However, you should check with SolidWorks tech support about the usability of the 7300GT or ATI X1900 cards. The latter is quite suitable for the fastest games and may be suitable for use with SolidWorks.
    Why reward points?(Quoted from Discussions Terms of Use.)
    The reward system helps to increase community participation. When a community member gives you (or another member) a reward for providing helpful advice or a solution to their question, your accumulated points will increase your status level within the community.
    Members may reward you with 5 points if they deem that your reply is helpful and 10 points if you post a solution to their issue. Likewise, when you mark a reply as Helpful or Solved in your own created topic, you will be awarding the respondent with the same point values.

  • Opening CAD/DWG files on a Mac

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    I searched versiontracker for DWG CAD
    http://www.versiontracker.com/dyn/moreinfo/macosx/92142
    I'll let you search MacUpdate

  • Staying With Macs for CS6?

    I have been perusing the various posts for "Ultimate Photoshop CS6 Workstations". Been a Mac guy since 1987, and although I have my gripes, Apple has pretty much delivered for me. Been limping along with a MacBook Pro as I thought there would be a "real" update to the MacPro's over a year ago. But a laptop just won't cut it for most of the retouching work I do -and forget about 3D rendering in high res. I have never wanted to go for a PC as there has always been a worthy Apple tower available. But the wait is interminable. I suspect that Apple will either come out with some incremental upgrade, but perhaps something truly huge. But maybe nothing at all. I'm fairly certain that whatever it is won't arrive until the return option expires on whatever it is I purchase in the interim.
    Option 1: Stay with Apple. Pray that I can configure something that won't be woefully obsolete when Apple finally releases the long overdue "new" workstations. I work on heavily layered high res Photoshop files, and plan to get back to working in 3D with Modo. So I'm thinking a 12Core which I can expand over time, buying only the necessary options from Apple & the rest after market. Will the 2.66GHz or 3.06 Ghz options really add significant improvement, or would those $$$ be better spent on more RAM, SSD Drives, and a more robust video card? It doesn't seem prudent to blow the bank on a system that is virtually obsolete.
    Option 2: Go PC and face myriad options and a platform that I have no experience with that is more prone to viruses and potentially incompatible hardware that I'm not familiar with. Whew!
    I have an ancient 30" cinema display, which I would like to upgrade with a new 30" monitor. Alas, Apple has abandoned that class of display so I'll probably need to pop for about $2k (can't afford the Eizo) for a Dell or HP.
    Would like to keep the cost below $7K for workstation + monitor. I have good G-Drives for file storeage.

    Rumor has it and Tim Cook has commented that Apple will be taking care of the 'Pro' in 2013.
    Discounting rumor, Tim's comment was in the context of questions about the rather minimal update to the Mac Pro workstations last year.
    I suggest getting by with what you need until this summer. We should know what the Mac Pro specs will be by then. I suspect they will be running the leading edge processors with typical high quality Apple engineering in the heat sinks and air flow, so the machines should suite your stated needs (large, layered Photoshop files and 3D rendering).
    Since processor, graphic card and RAM play large parts in working with those types of files and programs, you would probably want to go with the 3.x Ghz processor and best graphics card for any interim machine (or for any new Mac Pro they offer later this year).
    While you can get a high-end engineering PC with Windows 7, I suspect you would be happier with a new Mac Pro in the long run.
    FWIW. I run a MacBook Pro 17" (late 2011) with SSD, 2.5 Ghz i7 processor connected to Thunderbolt display at home (which handles fairly large multi-layer PSD files in PS CS6). I also run a Dell engineering box at work running Windows 7, CS5 suite runs good and it is very capable of running SolidWorks. I used to have a 2008 Mac Pro which I really liked, but sold to go mobile at home.

  • Solidworks crashes after 40 sec on IMac

    hello all!
    I am having a slightly frustrating situation:
    I have installed SolidWorks 2010-11 64bit with Windows 7 64bit on an IMac Mid 2010 27" Intel Core I5 2.8 4G Ram with the ATI Radeon HD 5750 1G option. Running BootCamp
    Windows 7 installed normally and seems to run fine.
    Solidworks install with first 4G of Ram:
    Install went fine no issues.
    Licensing process went fine no issue.
    SW launches normally ... and freezes after about 3 operations or 40secs.
    I considered: Not enough Ram. Upgraded IMac to 16G (Max allowed)
    Clean installed SW again.
    Exact same issue!
    Not sure what is happening. SolidWorks told me to just buy a new computer!! ... Right...
    Did anybody have a similar problem and found a solution?
    Thank you!!

    Your issue sounds like a Windows or Solidworks problem not a Mac problem. These forums are for discussing Mac specific problems.
    That said, you did not say what edition of Windows 7 you are running. The Solidworks system requirements specify that Solidworks runs on Windows 7 Professional, Ultimate, and Enterprise editions only. If your Windows 7 edition is "Home Premium" I don't think it will work.
    You will probably need to follow up your issue with Solidworks or Microsoft to get the answer.
    See http://www.solidworks.com/sw/support/SystemRequirements.html#7 note 10.
    Message was edited by: BobTheFisherman

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