The software includes all of the standard modeling tools as well as a host of useful enhancements, which include the ability to have multiple leaders and to import model dimensions into all views of the drawing at once.

Automatic feature recognition with FeatureWorks applies intelligence to static geometric data from standard 3D translators, making it possible to edit the model.

The enhanced assembly configuration tools allow easy access and editing to subassemblies such as this rear brake mount designed by Comet/Hoffco.

SolidWorks offers innovative group collaboration capabilities that help speed product development and improve quality through more effective sharing of design information. The Web-enabled feature palette folder allows easy access and sharing of parts and features, locally and globally. Full inter- operability with popular Windows applications such as Microsoft Office simplifies sharing of design information in presentations, documents, and spread-sheets. The SolidWorks Viewer software allows management and other departments across the organization to review 3D designs.

The solid modeling capabilities of the software allow engineers to develop their designs completely with all the power that complex parts and systems require. With Solid-Works 98Plus, engineers can create all the draft angles, fillets, shells, variable radius fillets, sweeps, lofts, chamfers, parting lines, and revolves required in modeling real parts and assemblies.

Detailing tools are also included in the software and they are used to generate complete, production-level engineering drawings that meet all major international standards. Engineers can create fully associative drawings; the model, drawing view, and assembly update automatically so that when a modification is made to the drawing it also appears in the model.

The assembly design feature allows engineers to refer explicitly to the surrounding geometry, associating all the relationships directly and propagating changes automatically throughout the design. The relationships between parts in an assembly also update automatically, making changes simple. Additional enhancements to assembly functions include:

•	A feature that automatically captures assembly-mating relationships. The user simply drags a component into the assembly view, which shows it snapping into position while the Smart Mate determines likely placement.
•	A lightweight component capability that allows users to open, view, and manipulate large assemblies without loading any unnecessary data, reducing memory used and improving overall performance.
•	Management of the entire assembly process with a Configuration Manager and Assembly Design Tables. Users can build and document entire families of assemblies, controlling mating relationships, visibility, versions, assembly features, part geometry, and part properties through a table.
•	Dynamic assembly motion capability allows the viewing of assemblies in full motion. New part modeling features were added to this latest release to enhance design flexibility further. These improvements are:
•	Extrude, revolve, advanced shelling, and intuitive fillet control
•	The Radiate Surface function creates nonplanar parting surfaces typically used in designing molds
•	A new Shape feature allows engineers to manipulate faces using pressures, points, and curves to influence the surfaces' shapes dynamically
•	Innovative lofting creates shapes between 3D profiles, surfaces, and faces of solids. Sheetmetal design capabilities have also been added to the software to allow engineers to model in 2D or 3D easily. The additions included:
•	A sharable library of reusable, customizable for features such as louvers, extruded holes, embosses, lances, ribs, and flanges by dragging and dropping them onto the Feature Palette
•	Bend relief, multiple tabs per bend, cuts across sharp bends, and hems
•	Easy documentation of sheetmetal production sequences, including various bend states by using Configuration Manager
•	The ability to unroll cylindrical sheet metal parts.

SolidWorks' Feature Palette is web-enabled to allow for easy sharing of parts and features.

Another engineering package offered by SolidWorks is FeatureWorks, a parametric feature-recognition software product for CAD users that is fully integrated with SolidWorks 98Plus. This software recognizes parametric features from files produced by standard 3D translators (including STEP, IGES, SAT, Parasolid Files, and VDAFS) and applies intelligence to static geometric data, making it ready-to-use in SolidWorks 98Plus. By using this software package, engineers can share 3D models with organizations that use different CAD systems, leverage legacy data, and make a complete transition to a SolidWorks' solution more quickly. In addition to this technology, the company has revealed a feature-based converter for files created using Pro/ENGINEER. The conversion utility, developed by Geometric Software Services Company Ltd., provides direct translation of part files including feature information created with Pro/ENGINEER into the SolidWorks solid modeling software environment. Previously, users had to export the Pro/ENGINEER data to a neutral file format and import the data. In this translation process, all feature data was lost and users faced the possibility of having the neutral file being out of sync with the original part created in Pro/ENGINEER.