3D ContentCentral & GrabCAD For SOLIDWORKS Users

3D ContentCentral & GrabCAD For SOLIDWORKS Users

Stop designing from scratch. The ultimate guide to PartSupply, 3D ContentCentral & GrabCAD For SOLIDWORKS Users.

The key to design efficiency is simple: Never waste your time drawing standard components (like bolts, bearings, or motors) from scratch. You must use online 3D libraries. If you need standard and certified mechanical components, use 3D Components – PartSupply (3DEXPERIENCE) or 3D ContentCentral. If you need complex design inspiration or visual models, use GrabCAD.

Engineers are not paid to redraw commercial standard components—such as nuts, bolts, bearings, gears, pneumatic cylinders, electric motors, linear guides, or sensors. You are paid to design innovative systems and machines.

Here is your complete guide to mastering online libraries and integrating them into SOLIDWORKS.

Comparsion Table: Which One Wins?

How to Connect 3D Components – PartSupply Directly to SOLIDWORKS

 Instead of opening a web browser, searching, and downloading, you can link the 3D Components – PartSupply library directly to your SOLIDWORKS user interface. This is the professional workflow:

1. Open your SOLIDWORKS software.

2. On the right side of the screen, click the Task Pane tab (the stacked books icon / Design Library).

   3. In the menu list, find and click 3D Components – PartSupply

  4.  With millions of components available, you can find the right part quickly in two ways:

• Search Bar: If you know exactly what you need, type it directly into the top bar (example: “AC Motor”).

• Category Navigation: If you want to explore, click the Categories tab. You can browse folders from general to highly specific (example: Electric Engineering > Electrical Drives > High Voltage three-phase Current Asynchronous Motor > AC Motor).

   5. Setting Up the Specifications (Configurations)

• After you click the desired component, you must adjust the options in the Configurations Use the dropdown menus to change the factory default parameters to the exact specifications your design needs, such as dimensions, Power, Speed, or mounting position.

   6. Choosing Your Execution Mode

Once you configure the component, you must decide how to bring it into your workspace. There are three button options:

• Open Button: Use this option to inspect the geometry, check detailed dimensions, or save the component to modify it later. The system will open the component in a new SOLIDWORKS window as a single Part file.

• Insert Button: Use this button to put the component directly into your main design. Requirement: You must be inside an Assembly environment. The system will download the part and attach it to your cursor, ready for positioning (Mating).

• Replace Button: This is a quick fix feature. If you realize an existing part in your Assembly has the wrong specifications, select that part, find the replacement in PartSupply, and click Replace. SOLIDWORKS will automatically swap the old part with the new one.

How to Download, Import, and Edit Files from GrabCAD

If you are looking for a community model on GrabCAD (like a machine frame), here is how to process it in SOLIDWORKS:

1. Download the Right File Format

• Look for native SOLIDWORKS formats (.sldprt or .sldasm). If they are not available, always choose neutral formats like STEP (.step / .stp), Parasolid (.x_t), or IGES (.igs). Avoid .STL files because they are mesh bodies and are very hard to edit

  2. Import to SOLIDWORKS

• Open SOLIDWORKS, click File > Open, and change the file type filter to All Files or STEP. Select your downloaded file. SOLIDWORKS will automatically import and translate it into a Solid Body.

3. How to edit imported files (SOLIDWORKS Edit)

• Internet files (STEP/IGES) often import as “Dumb Solids” (parts without a FeatureManager history like Extrude or Cut). How do you edit them?

• Option A (Use FeatureWorks): Right-click on the Imported Body, then select FeatureWorks > Recognize Features. SOLIDWORKS will automatically guess and rebuild the extrude, fillet, or hole history so you can edit their sizes.

• Option B (Direct Editing): Use the Direct Editing tab in SOLIDWORKS. Features like Move Face or Delete Face allow you to shift holes or extend the component directly without needing sketch histories.

How to Download, Import, and Edit Files from 3D ContentCentral

3D ContentCentral is one of the oldest and most reliable CAD libraries, managed directly by Dassault Systèmes. This platform has very powerful specific functions:

• Supplier-Certified CAD Models: Most parts here are official components certified directly by the manufacturers. This guarantees 100% dimensional accuracy.
• Macro & 2D Support: Besides 3D parts, you can download 2D working drawings (.DWG/.DXF) and even free Macro scripts to automate repetitive tasks in SOLIDWORKS.

1. Download File

• Cari komponen yang Anda butuhkan. Sebagai contoh, kita mencari bore actuator/cylinder dari pabrikan CYLINDERS & VALVES, INC.

        2. Configure Online

• Unlike GrabCAD (which provides static files), 3D ContentCentral gives you a Configure panel on the right side of the screen. You must input specific parameters before downloading. In this cylinder example, you can change the Type to Double Acting, Mounting Options to Clevis Mount, and Rod Size to 3/4″. Click Update Preview, and the 3D Preview panel will immediately update the component’s visual shape based on your parameters.

     3. Download and Extract Native Format

• After configuring, move to the Download box. Set the Format to SOLIDWORKS Part/Assembly (.sldprt)* and choose the Version that matches your software (e.g., 2022). Check the Zipped box to speed up the download.

• Click the Download button. The website will generate a native, highly accurate CAD file. Download the .zip file, extract it on your computer, and manually Insert it into your SOLIDWORKS Assembly workspace.

Top Brands in the 3D Libraries

 To prove the capacity of these official libraries, here is a list of major manufacturers whose 3D models you can find and insert into your machine designs:

Brands in 3D Components – PartSupply:

• Pneumatic & Automation: Festo, Schneider Electric, TraceParts Catalog
• Power Transmission & Motor: SKF, FAG, Boston Gear
• Hardware & Fasteners: Würth, Essentra Components, Misumi
• Tooling & Clamping: Enerpac, DE-STA-CO

Brands in 3D ContentCentral:

• Pneumatic & Automation: SMC Corporation, Festo, Bimba Manufacturing
• Power Transmission & Motor: Boston Gear, Omron, Nook Industries
• Hardware & Fasteners: Misumi USA, CarrLane, Jergens Inc.
• Tooling & Clamping: DE-STA-CO Industries, Enerpac, Robohand

With hundreds of other manufacturing brands joined in this giant catalog, you are guaranteed to find the specifications for almost any component currently on the global market.

Conclusion

The professional world demands speed. Never draw a component from scratch if the file already exists in a digital library. Make it a habit to use PartSupply inside the 3DEXPERIENCE ecosystem as your first line of defense, because it integrates seamlessly into the Task Pane. Use 3D ContentCentral via the web if a specific manufacturer is not in PartSupply yet, and browse GrabCAD for your conceptual design references.

Make sure you use these advanced features in legal SOLIDWORKS software to avoid licensing and compatibility issues. Contact us at SEACAD TECHNOLOGIES to discuss student licensing facilities, online training, and official certifications that will skyrocket your engineering career!

Please contact us via email at sales-vn@seacadtech.com, call our hotline at +0287 3022 688 or reach us on WhatsApp or Zalo.