What's New in SOLIDWORKS 2026 FD04: What LEO Can Do Now

The FD04 update for SOLIDWORKS 2026, released by Dassault Systèmes on September 12, 2026, focuses almost entirely on AI. LEO, the assistant built into SOLIDWORKS Design, now generates batch drawings, nests sheet metal flat patterns, checks models before sharing, and evaluates the impact of a modification. Each action consumes Blue Tokens: 2,100 are provided once per license; additional tokens are purchased in packs of 25,000.

Table of Contents

• FD04 in a nutshell: AI steps out of the chat window
• 1. Batch-generated drawings
• 2. The Interlocking of Integrated Sheet Metal Work
• 3. Pre-broadcast review
• 4. The impact of a change, before you commit it
• 5. Improved reconstruction of STEP and IGES imports
• 6. Demand-Driven Assemblies
• 7. Non-AI: The Variability Table
• Other LEO aids from FD04
• How Much Does SOLIDWORKS AI Cost: Blue Tokens
• New Features in FD04 (Excluding SOLIDWORKS Design)
• Should we switch to FD04 right away?

FD04 in a nutshell: AI steps out of the chat window

Until now, AI in SOLIDWORKS was mainly used to answer questions such as: “How much does the part weigh?” or “Where is a particular command located?” With FD04, LEO takes action. Ask it to generate a set of drawings, an exploded view, or aligned holes in five parts, and the result appears in the model, editable just as if it had been done by hand.

Dassault Systèmes categorizes these capabilities into the following groups: manufacturing documentation, design validation, assembly optimization, and engineering support. We reviewed the complete list and selected the features that save design offices hours of work. The rest are listed below.

To help users get started, a library of queries («Explore SOLIDWORKS AI») is available through the interface, featuring example queries, FAQs, training resources, and information on data privacy.

1. Batch-generated drawings

This new feature will appeal to the widest audience. LEO generates drawings using an enhanced PropertyManager: sheet format, dimensioning style, and tolerancing. You can let LEO choose the settings on a per-part basis within a batch, or apply a rule to all selected parts—for example, ordered dimensioning. If dimensions aren’t needed (outline drawing, visual rendering), an option generates only the views.

You can switch to «Ask LEO» at any time to refine your request using natural language, either before or after the text is generated.

Our take: A draft is still a draft that needs to be reviewed. But switching from «I’m creating 30 drafts» to «I’m reviewing 30 drafts» changes an artist’s day.

2. The Interlocking of Integrated Sheet Metal Work

LEO automatically places the unfolded parts on standard or custom sheet metal sizes, in the desired quantities. Spacing, cut width, rotation, flipping, starting point, and nesting direction can be finely adjusted or modified by describing the changes in natural language. The final layout is exported as a DXF file to the cutting process.

For metal fabrication and sheet metal workshops, this is a quick way to plan a layout and estimate scrap without leaving SOLIDWORKS. Before using it as a production tool, test it on your typical parts.

3. Pre-broadcast review

LEO checks parts, assemblies, and drawings against a release checklist, the company’s checklist, or an industry standard, and flags non-compliant components before they go into production. This process replaces manual review, which is time-consuming and prone to oversights.

The same logic applies at the sketch level: you ask what’s wrong, and LEO lists the under-constrained or over-constrained entities, open contours, and intersecting geometries, then suggests adjustments (adjust, add a relationship or a dimension).

4. The impact of a change, before you commit it

Before modifying a part, LEO shows which components in the open assembly are affected, then searches the 3DEXPERIENCE platform for all other assemblies that use that part. This is the «where-used report» that PDM users are familiar with, triggered exactly when it’s needed.

This feature requires data to be managed on the platform. If your files are still stored in shared folders, that’s one more reason to switch to a proper data management system (see our guide PDM: Technical Data Management Explained).

5. Improved reconstruction of STEP and IGES imports

The ability to convert an imported solid into a parametric part already existed. FD04 improves upon this: it now recognizes circular repetitions and contextual draft angles, and uses them to reconstruct the model. The resulting creation tree is cleaner and more faithful to the design intent.

For a subcontractor who receives plain text files from clients every week, this is probably the most profitable new feature. It’s also one of the most expensive in terms of tokens (see below).

6. Demand-Driven Assemblies

Three new products in the same family:

• Exploded Views : You specify the direction and spacing, and LEO creates the exploded view steps, all of which can be edited.
• Aligned holes : Based on an existing hole or a specification, LEO creates the holes in the drilling wizard for all relevant parts.
• Assembly Instructions : The starting component is selected automatically, the zoom level is adjusted at each step, and the exported PDF is easier to read.

In addition, the software allows for manual reorganization of an AI-generated assembly structure (drag-and-drop, deletion, multiple selection) and provides an assembly performance analysis that uses constraints, repetitions, references, and reconstruction times to identify the actual bottlenecks.

7. Non-AI: The Variability Table

Not all new features go through LEO. The variability table allows you to define variants, options, and numerical parameters, and then control dimensions, the suppression status of functions and components, and reference configurations from a single source. For a product line with dozens of versions, this spells the end of those configuration tables you’re too afraid to open.

Two handy new features: The eDrawings installer is now included in the SOLIDWORKS Design installation folder—no download or registration required—and a dedicated tab in the task pane opens Content Explorer or the bookmark editor directly.

Other LEO aids from FD04

Just a few things, for the sake of completeness:

• Photorealistic rendering described in natural language (resolution, denoiser, render name), executed by SOLIDWORKS Visualize. The Visualize add-in must be enabled.
• Guidance step-by-step guidance on the correct function, constraint, or drafting method.
• Rehearsals created by specifying the desired spacing.
• Natural Language Selection geometric shapes or information, even with complex criteria.
• Area Calculation by piece, by side, by color, or by type of function—useful for estimating the cost of painting or flooring.
• Configuration : equations, relationships, and conditional behaviors created based on a written intention.
• Organizing the Tree of Creation : identifying unnecessary functions, organizing them into folders by type.

How Much Does SOLIDWORKS AI Cost: Blue Tokens

Blue Tokens track LEO and AURA's AI activity. Chatting with the assistant costs nothing: tokens are only deducted when a skill is executed and returns a result.

What's on offer. Each license receives 2,100 tokens once: 2,000 for SOLIDWORKS Design and 100 for 3DSwymer. This balance is not renewable. It applies to both new and existing customers.

That comes back to haunt you later. Tokens are purchased in packs of 25,000, valid for 12 months, automatically renewed, and shared among all users within the company (the holder). They can be purchased online or from your reseller. The pricing for the packs has not yet been announced; we will share it as soon as it is released.

How much does an application cost?. Dassault Systèmes provides estimates, which are subject to change:

Our advice: 2,100 tokens is enough for a few generations. Don’t waste them on questions that the online help can answer just as well. Choose a situation where the team is really wasting time (a batch of drawings, a customer import, a nesting issue), measure the time saved, and then decide whether you need a pack.

Who has access to it. The SOLIDWORKS Design Standard, Professional, Premium, and Ultimate roles, Collaborative Designer for SOLIDWORKS, and SOLIDWORKS xDesign. SOLIDWORKS Design 2026 SP3.0 or later is required, connected to the 3DEXPERIENCE platform. LEO can be opened from the virtual companions icon in the CommandManager or the task pane.

New Features in FD04 (Excluding SOLIDWORKS Design)

SOLIDWORKS xDesign (browser): Import DXF and DWG files converted into editable sketches; convert BRep solids into native models; launch in full-screen mode; and a single tab for creating views for both drawings and MBD.

Simulation : NVIDIA GPU-accelerated fiber orientation calculation and an optional second-order solver for plastic injection simulations (filling and compaction); intermediate results can be viewed during a cloud calculation; volume forces and heat fluxes defined by expression.

DraftSight Premium and Mechanical : Quickly switch between model and presentation views from the status bar; new line weight control by layer or by block.

3DEXPERIENCE Platform : The migration tool now transfers Solid Edge data (parts, assemblies, drawings, sheet metal, and fabricated structures) to the cloud; wiki pages can be edited collaboratively in real time; and an automatic summary of the documents is added to the document management system.

Two Notable Deaths : SharePoint integration has been discontinued across all versions of 3DEXPERIENCE (Microsoft has ended support), and the Collaborative IP Management application will be phased out in 2027xGA in favor of Collaborative Lifecycle. If you’re using either of these, now is the time to discuss this with your reseller.

Should we switch to FD04 right away?

On the 3DEXPERIENCE platform, there’s no need to worry: updates are delivered automatically. As for the workstation, FD04 corresponds to SP4 for SOLIDWORKS Design 2026. LEO is available starting with SP3.0, but the new features described here are included in SP4.

Our advice: Start with the task that takes your team the most time. An engineering firm that produces dozens of drawings per week, cuts sheet metal, or modifies client STEP files will see the benefits the fastest. Try out LEO on a real project using the 2,100 free tokens, time how long it takes, and then decide if you need a package.

If your business mainly involves designing just a few parts, AI will be less useful to you on a day-to-day basis. The variability table, on the other hand, becomes useful as soon as you create multiple versions of a product.

To learn more about AI in CAD: AI in SOLIDWORKS for Manufacturers and Mistral AI Integrated into SOLIDWORKS 2026.

Want to know if LEO is worth it for your projects? Our engineers will show you what's new in FD04 using your own files: An expert will call you back. And to activate your SOLIDWORKS licenses, the price simulator answers in two minutes.