CAD Forum

Will be testing 2024 SP3.1 for SolidWorks and PDM in the next couple weeks.
Currently still on 2023 SP 5.0.
I've 128+ users and like to be as confident as possible that we don't introduce any unforeseen "features."
What has been the experience from the group that may have already updated to this version?

I have some time, so I'll go ahead and install it this morning. I'll try to remember to give an update later on (if I forget, feel free to remind me).

We have been using it for several weeks now. So far I would say it is fairly stable. We were getting quite a few crashes on 2024 1.0 and 2.0 so that is one reason we upgraded as soon as it was available.

We did have one issue with a sheet metal feature & normal cut. I will see if I can duplicate it & document it. The first time it happened I noticed that a cut did not look right & so I edited the feature & clicked the normal cut option & just assumed that I forgot when I created the feature on the first try! Since it was not a work flow that I use all the time I also did the same process the next time it happened. I then went to use the same feature on another part immediately following and discovered that the option for normal cut was not available in that feature! I created the feature anyway & then clicked to edit the feature & sure enough the option for normal cut was now there!

Again I will try to see if I can figure out what feature it was & document it here.

I am happy to see that they fixed one issue with one of the "enhancements." See viewtopic.php?p=36414#p36414.

Looking forward to the feedback. Should have a testing workstation setup during the first full week of August to put through the paces.
I'll be on the lookout for what has been mentioned so far, and likewise, report any new behavior.

Will be following this thread to learn the same.

Any updates on that sheetmetal "anomaly" ?

TRKemp wrote: ↑Tue Aug 06, 2024 7:58 am Will be following this thread to learn the same.

Any updates on that sheetmetal "anomaly" ?

What sheet metal anomaly? Do you have a link? Was the "enhancement" introduced in 2023 or early 2024 release?

Thank you.

we will wait for SP5 and our servers OS update, but the new hole wizard reference geometry (on by default?) is going to be annoying.

bnemec wrote: ↑Tue Aug 06, 2024 9:49 am What sheet metal anomaly? Do you have a link? Was the "enhancement" introduced in 2023 or early 2024 release?

Thank you.

It was explained in the second post, strange behavior with a normal cut. We use and rely on the sheetmetal aspect of SW quite heavily so any sign of an issue always gives me some anxiety.

TRKemp wrote: ↑Thu Aug 15, 2024 6:58 am It was explained in the second post, strange behavior with a normal cut. We use and rely on the sheetmetal aspect of SW quite heavily so any sign of an issue always gives me some anxiety.

I'm sorry for not responding to your previous post. I have been trying to recreate the issue that I posted about with the normal cut & one of the sheet metal features. As I had stated in post #3 it was a workflow I don't normally use. I do a lot off my work in multi body part & very little in assemblies. At this time I can't even remember the product that I was working on!

My normal work flow is to create the sketch & then use the extrude cut feature to create odd size holes, slots, & such like. One thing I remember about the issue was that when the property manager came up for the feature I wanted to use, the normal cut option was available to select, but when I changed direction from "blind" to "up to surface" or what ever it was that I wanted to use at that time, the option for normal cut disappeared. Then when I went back to the feature in the feature tree & edited it, the option for normal cut was there to select!

I am starting to wonder if my mind was playing tricks on me because I am not being able to recreate the issue! Since that time I have not had that issue present itself again. If it does I will try to post it here.

So far I'm getting more crashes with 2024 sp3.1 than 2022 sp5 and a few other odd bugs. Really fast blinking/flashing curser on the odd occasion in sketches. Exit sketch and go back in and it's fine again.

I actually loaded it on to be able to save to older SolidWorks for clients. That new function does seem to work fine.

Rich,
Interesting behavior regarding the cursor. What are the chances that it could be caused by a video driver that isn't on the certified list?
We have a broad range of Win 10 and Win 11 machines, so what OS are you experiencing the unstable behavior with?\
In a holding pattern until my IT department can catch up.
Thanks for ringing in on this.

Dean
I haven't been getting it for the last two working days.
When it was happening last week I was modifying SW2023 models, they were existing sketches/or adding new (?) in a clients model.
The last two working days I have been working on my models which are either new or from 2022 and it's not happened. It could be nothing to do with version and certain feature sketches were activating the problem? I just don't know at this point.

So there are a lot of variables of the possible cause which doesn't help.

I'm on windows 10 pro, drivers wise they are one of the latest versions for my card. Probably newer than the last certified version. As you know with certified drivers they are certified at a point with certain windows updates and even might have future security issues as windows updates. I edge towards newer drivers and see if they work, if not try the certified version.

Out of curiosity Rich, why not go for SP5 rather then SP3.1?

Glenn Schroeder wrote: ↑Thu Aug 01, 2024 8:59 am I am happy to see that they fixed one issue with one of the "enhancements." See viewtopic.php?p=36414#p36414.

For a little more information about this fix, initially I thought they had removed the Units drop-down that appeared when you'd click in a cell in the Value / Text Expression column that would previously block the cells below it, which annoyed some of us (I know it did me). Apparently I wasn't paying enough attention before, because I just noticed that they added it to a drop-down, so it's still there for the users who do want it, but not in the way of the ones that don't.

In my not particularly humble opinion that's how they should have done it in the first place, but I'm glad they got it right, and all things considered I think they did so fairly quickly.

AlexLachance wrote: ↑Wed Aug 21, 2024 8:25 am Out of curiosity Rich, why not go for SP5 rather then SP3.1?

I assume you mean 2023 sp5 instead of 2024 sp3.1

Good question
I never usually want to load anything less than sp5

To be honest it was a bit of give SolidWorks the benefit of the doubt and secondly I have a feeling the client I am working for will be loading it on soon. Yeah it is not something I have done for many years, generally I think I have gotten away with it though. The save as previous version(s) actually seems pretty good and you have the function of checking compatibility (which showed a issue up on a part with a hole wizard feature I needed to fix).

Ask me in a month if it was a wise decision.

RichGergely wrote: ↑Mon Aug 19, 2024 3:55 pm Dean
I haven't been getting it for the last two working days.
When it was happening last week I was modifying SW2023 models, they were existing sketches/or adding new (?) in a clients model.
The last two working days I have been working on my models which are either new or from 2022 and it's not happened. It could be nothing to do with version and certain feature sketches were activating the problem? I just don't know at this point.

So there are a lot of variables of the possible cause which doesn't help.

I'm on windows 10 pro, drivers wise they are one of the latest versions for my card. Probably newer than the last certified version. As you know with certified drivers they are certified at a point with certain windows updates and even might have future security issues as windows updates. I edge towards newer drivers and see if they work, if not try the certified version.

Good to know. Fortunately all our workstations are setup with identical hardware and a split on Win 10 and Win 11 OS's. It will be interesting to see what does, or does not, crop up.

If it weren't for many of our customers having already moved to '24, I would wait until SP 5.0. But cant afford the time lag.

DeanD wrote: ↑Mon Aug 26, 2024 8:32 am Good to know. Fortunately all our workstations are setup with identical hardware and a split on Win 10 and Win 11 OS's. It will be interesting to see what does, or does not, crop up.

If it weren't for many of our customers having already moved to '24, I would wait until SP 5.0. But cant afford the time lag.

Update, not had one crash or that blinking/flashing curser issue since I have only been working on new models. I don't know then if it was something in the clients models (how they modelled/settings/templates) or something in SolidWorks 2023 files that was causing the issue.

RichGergely wrote: ↑Tue Aug 27, 2024 10:20 pm Update, not had one crash or that blinking/flashing curser issue since I have only been working on new models. I don't know then if it was something in the clients models (how they modelled/settings/templates) or something in SolidWorks 2023 files that was causing the issue.

If you have to work with SolidWorks files, created by other companies, it is wise to check the history of these files. Often we experience external files have been based on existing files of almost 20 years old. And you loose time by solving all kind of strange effects, you never see with fresh templates and files. There is a macro to check history.

Frank_Oostendorp wrote: ↑Wed Aug 28, 2024 3:45 am If you have to work with SolidWorks files, created by other companies, it is wise to check the history of these files. Often we experience external files have been based on existing files of almost 20 years old. And you loose time by solving all kind of strange effects, you never see with fresh templates and files. There is a macro to check history.

Doesn't need to be 20 years. I've had features fail on parts created in SW2017 when opening in SW2020. I never assume that I can just "continue where I left off" after a version upgrade.

That said, everything has been ok with SW2024 in this regard (so far).

Frank_Oostendorp wrote: ↑Wed Aug 28, 2024 3:45 am If you have to work with SolidWorks files, created by other companies, it is wise to check the history of these files. Often we experience external files have been based on existing files of almost 20 years old. And you loose time by solving all kind of strange effects, you never see with fresh templates and files. There is a macro to check history.

Frank,
You've peaked my curiosity about checking files provided by others. What information does this "macro to check history" provide and where might it be found? I've quit trying to keep track of all the surprises that show up with others files over the decades.

DeanD wrote: ↑Wed Aug 28, 2024 9:55 am Frank,
You've peaked my curiosity about checking files provided by others. What information does this "macro to check history" provide and where might it be found? I've quit trying to keep track of all the surprises that show up with others files over the decades.

The macro shows the creation date of features, the versions of SolidWorks that was used to save the file, the name of the user creating the feature. The macro is somewhere to be found on this forum, posted by Josh.

viewtopic.php?t=3518

You can just right click the first plane in the tree and select properties from RMB menu. it shows the user that made the template on which that file is based and from the date you could guess the sw version.

To avoid problems we export everything in parasolid and re impory in out templates. at least for catalog parts. it avoid also unwanted properties values to enter our pdm.

DLZ_SWX_User wrote: ↑Thu Aug 15, 2024 9:38 am I'm sorry for not responding to your previous post. I have been trying to recreate the issue that I posted about with the normal cut & one of the sheet metal features. As I had stated in post #3 it was a workflow I don't normally use. I do a lot off my work in multi body part & very little in assemblies. At this time I can't even remember the product that I was working on!

My normal work flow is to create the sketch & then use the extrude cut feature to create odd size holes, slots, & such like. One thing I remember about the issue was that when the property manager came up for the feature I wanted to use, the normal cut option was available to select, but when I changed direction from "blind" to "up to surface" or what ever it was that I wanted to use at that time, the option for normal cut disappeared. Then when I went back to the feature in the feature tree & edited it, the option for normal cut was there to select!

I am starting to wonder if my mind was playing tricks on me because I am not being able to recreate the issue! Since that time I have not had that issue present itself again. If it does I will try to post it here.

No worries, I know how that goes.
In 2022 SP.5 - I've noticed that I get some strange behavior on geometry in flat patterns depending on what type of end condition the part has, whether it be "blind" or "up to surface" or something else. So this may still be a thing in more recent builds. I'll just have to keep an eye on it and test it accordingly once we upgrade.

Work generally gets in the way of reporting. Just to update all, we've had a very successful upgrade to 2024 SP 4.0 actually across a great many workstations and laptops. Very stable and have had practically no issues whatsoever.
Greatly appreciate all that commented on this.

DeanD wrote: ↑Thu Nov 14, 2024 12:13 pm Work generally gets in the way of reporting. Just to update all, we've had a very successful upgrade to 2024 SP 4.0 actually across a great many workstations and laptops. Very stable and have had practically no issues whatsoever.
Greatly appreciate all that commented on this.

I've updated to SP 5.0 and it seems better than 3.0 as stability goes. The only thing.... I get a hunch it may be a bit slower at opening things? Without sp3 still loaded I can't quantify it, it could just be the project I'm working on.