Translation guide for SolidWorks, Fusion and Onshape users
Where each familiar concept lives in Solid Vibes: feature tree, equations, mates, configurations, rollback, drawings, and the places the model is deliberately different.
You already know how to model. This page maps what you know onto Solid Vibes, so you can stop translating in your head. Turn on the Pro terms toggle in settings and the interface itself will use words like "mates", "BOM" and "feature tree".
The geometry underneath is a true parametric B-rep, evaluated by OpenCascade, so the fundamentals will feel familiar: sketches, extrudes, fillets, booleans, patterns, exact curved surfaces, STEP in and out.
Concepts
| Concept | SolidWorks | Fusion | Onshape | Solid Vibes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| A single manufactured body | Part | Component or body | Part | Piece |
| A part or an assembly, without choosing | Part file or assembly file | Design | Part Studio or Assembly | Thing (one piece behaves like a part, many like an assembly) |
| Feature history | FeatureManager design tree | Timeline | Feature list | Recipe |
| Named variables | Equations, global variables | User parameters | Variables | Parameters, with formulas and slider ranges |
| Rules that stay true | Sketch relations, equations | Sketch constraints, parameters | Sketch constraints, variables | Design intent chips (checks and formula-built rules) |
| Standard hardware | Toolbox, Design Library | Insert McMaster-Carr component | Standard content | Bought pieces |
| Joining pieces | Mates | Joints | Mates | Connections: Bolted, Hinged, Snapped, Sliding, Glued, Geared, Press-fit |
| Bill of materials | BOM | Parts list | BOM | Make list (with how each piece is made, material, time, cost) |
| Design variants | Configurations | Configurations | Configurations | Parameters and branches. Generated variant cards are coming soon |
| Revision control | PDM, Vault | Team hub versions | Versions and branches | Commits, branches, release tags |
| Roll back | Rollback bar | Timeline marker | Rollback bar | Build replay and the time-travel slider |
| Review a change | Compare tools | Compare versions | Compare versions | Visual diff (red and green) plus a parameter changelog |
Features
| Operation | In Solid Vibes |
|---|---|
| Boss-extrude, cut-extrude, extrude join/cut/new body | Extrude with operation new, add, cut or intersect; normal, reverse or symmetric; optional taper |
| Revolve, sweep, loft | Revolve, Sweep, Loft (ruled or smooth) |
| Primitives | Box, cylinder, cone, sphere, torus |
| Shell | Shell with open faces and inward or outward thickness |
| Fillet, chamfer | Fillet, Chamfer on edge selectors (distance and angle for chamfer) |
| Draft | Draft with pull direction and optional neutral plane |
| Hole Wizard, Hole | Hole: simple, counterbore, countersink, tapped, heat-set, clearance, with thread specs |
| Linear and circular pattern, curve-driven pattern | Pattern: linear (two directions), circular, along a path |
| Mirror | Mirror, with or without keeping the original |
| Combine, boolean | Boolean: union, cut, intersect, with named tool bodies |
| Rib | Rib from an open sketch path |
| Move/copy body, scale | Transform: translate, rotate, scale |
| Move face, press/pull, direct editing | Offset faces (push/pull handles drag faces and update parameters) |
| Split body | Split with an optional dovetail, pin or tongue joint |
| Library features, design library | Smart features: boss, vent slots, snap hook, lid lip, text emboss and engrave, spur gear, hinge knuckle, standoff, USB-C cutout, cable hole, keyhole mount, countersunk mount holes |
| Insert part, import body | Import of STEP, STL, 3MF, OBJ as a body |
Documentation and output
| Need | In Solid Vibes |
|---|---|
| 2D drawing | Drawings maker: ISO or ANSI, GD&T frames, hatching, notes, title block, revisions, multi-sheet |
| Exploded view and assembly instructions | Generated from the Things tree |
| Rendering | Render Studio (path-traced in the browser) |
| DFM checks | Manufacturability check with heatmap, issues list and Fix |
| Simulation | Coming soon |
| Export | STEP, STL, 3MF, OBJ, GLB, DXF, DWG, PDF, PNG (by plan) |
How it differs on purpose
No part-or-assembly decision. A Thing grows as needed. Splitting a piece out is an edit, not a migration.
Dimensions and formulas drive the geometry. Sketches are defined by their values and parameter formulas. Sketch constraints (horizontal, tangent, equal and so on) are recorded as intent metadata. You do not fight an over-constrained sketch solver. See How parametric intent maps to the Recipe.
Selections are semantic. There are no stored face or edge indices, so upstream edits rarely break downstream features. See Selectors and topological naming.
Everything has a sentence. Every step has a readable description. Agent-written steps can carry a short "why" note.
The agent is a co-pilot, not a replacement. You can build a Recipe entirely by hand, or ask for the next five steps. Either way you get the same, inspectable steps. The agent never deletes history; it suppresses.
Z is up, units are millimetres. The print bed is the XY plane at Z = 0.
History is git-like. Commits are immutable content-addressed snapshots, so branching is cheap and safe.
What to check before you switch a project
- Sheet metal. Flange, bend and unfold workflows are planned for a later release.
- Simulation. Quick linear static analysis is coming soon.
- Real-time co-editing and review requests. Planned for a later release.
- Feature coverage you depend on. If you rely on a niche feature (advanced surfacing, weldments, mold tools), check that it exists before moving a production project.
A first hour for a pro
- Import a part from your current CAD as STEP and ask the agent to describe it.
- Open the Parameters panel and the Recipe, and add a rule or two with "always".
- Try script view on a simple piece.
- Learn ⌘K.
- Redo one real project from your backlog. Time it.
Try it
I come from SolidWorks. Show me this piece's Recipe the way I would read a feature tree, and tell me which steps are the equivalent of boss-extrude, cut-extrude, hole wizard and fillet.
Did this help?
Keep reading
For CAD pros
How parametric intent maps to the Recipe
Where sketch relations, equations and design intent live in Solid Vibes: formulas that define geometry, rule checks that guard it, and what sketch constraints currently do.
Pro5 min readFor CAD pros
Selectors and topological naming: how Solid Vibes stays robust
Recipes never store face or edge indices. They store semantic queries. Here is the selector vocabulary, why it survives upstream edits, and how to debug an empty match.
Pro4 min readFor CAD pros
STEP workflows: moving between Solid Vibes and other CAD
How to bring geometry in from SolidWorks, Fusion or Onshape, build on top of it, and send exact solids back out to a shop or a colleague.
Pro4 min read