SolidWorks 2012 Beta

SolidWorks 2012 Beta was released a few days ago for subscription customers. Participating in the Beta program is one of the best ways directly influence the development of the SolidWorks software.

1. Log in to the Customer Portal (creating a new account only takes a minute if you don’t have one).
2. My Profile >> Notify me for Beta Programs >> Save >> Home
3. Download >> Downloads and Updates >> select 2012 from the drop-down >> download and install the SW2012 Beta (install it alongside your current version).
4. Head over to the Beta home page and the Forums to find out what’s new and give feedback – this forum is checked by the SW Development team regularly, and they may seek out feedback in specific areas.

Remember, the Beta software is not production-ready – don’t use it for mission critical projects as you may uncover some bugs in the software. In fact, if you report your bugs (aka SPR’s) through the Beta page, you can earn points and win prizes.

Also keep in mind that as with all future versions of SolidWorks, if you save files in 2012 you won’t be able to open them in 2011 or earlier versions – so make copies of the files you wish to use.