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SOLIDWORKS Design 2027 Lets Suppliers Edit Your Models on Your Own Platform: What Cross-Company Collaboration and Auto-Save Mean for Your CAD Data | SolidWorks | Register and Certify IP of CAD design

2026-10-29 14:31 News
On 28 October 2026, Dassault Systèmes published its overview of the data management and collaboration changes in SOLIDWORKS Design 2027. The top ten list includes cross-company collaboration, which lets partners and suppliers who are not on your 3DEXPERIENCE tenant open and edit your parts and assemblies, plus auto-save to the platform and a new Task Host that creates STEP, PDF, DXF and DWG files from your native designs.
These are useful features. Most SOLIDWORKS teams still send models to suppliers by email, file transfer links or shared drives, and then lose track of which copy is current. Doing that work inside the platform, with a task, permissions and a revision history, can be an improvement.
But the same features change where your design data lives, who can touch it and how many copies leave the building. For SOLIDWORKS engineers, CAD managers and manufacturing SMEs, the question is not only "does it work?" but "who controls the data and who can prove what happened to it?" Here is what Dassault describes, what it does not describe, and what to set up before you switch it on.
TL;DR: SOLIDWORKS 2027 makes supplier sharing easier, so set the rules first

Cross-company collaboration lets you invite an external SOLIDWORKS user to a task on your platform, attach parts or assemblies and give Read-only or For Edit access. Auto-save keeps platform data current, and the Task Host generates neutral and 2D files automatically. Dassault's posts do not describe audit logs, data location or what external users can download. Before you use it: decide who may invite outsiders, share the smallest model that does the job, default to Read-only, remove access when a project ends, and keep your own dated proof of what you shared and when.

What did Dassault announce for SOLIDWORKS 2027 data management?

The SOLIDWORKS blog post of 28 October opens with "SOLIDWORKS Design 2027 is here" and lists ten data management and collaboration enhancements. All of them work with the 3DEXPERIENCE platform, not with SOLIDWORKS PDM:
  • Content Explorer: browse, search and organise platform files, open them and change maturity states from the SOLIDWORKS Open dialog or Task Pane. Dassault says it was introduced earlier this year.
  • Materials mapping: a SOLIDWORKS material applied to a part is mapped to 3DEXPERIENCE platform materials, so libraries stay in sync.
  • 3DEXPERIENCE SOLIDWORKS Task Host: a conversion engine that generates derived files, such as PDF, STEP, DXF and DWG, from native designs on the platform. It uses your own SOLIDWORKS installation instead of the cloud converter, which Dassault says eliminates tokens.
  • Composed Drawings: a drawing linked to its part or assembly, so revisions, duplicates and maturity changes follow the product. An administrator turns on the coupling.
  • Auto-save to the platform: an option in MySession. In Dassault's words, "SOLIDWORKS Design automatically saves modified files so platform data is always current."
  • Guided new tenant setup: SOLIDWORKS-recommended platform settings applied in one step from the Welcome app.
  • Cross-company collaboration: share data with external SOLIDWORKS users, such as partners and suppliers, who are not on your tenant, by creating a task.
  • Primary and secondary governed revisions: work-in-progress revisions such as A.2 and A.3, with the previous one set to Obsolete, and only the primary revision (A, B) shown once released.
  • Toolbox batch save: the Batch Save to 3DEXPERIENCE add-in reuses Toolbox parts already on the platform instead of creating duplicates.
  • Content co-editing: several people can edit a Conversations post or wiki page at the same time.
The post does not mention licence tiers, pricing, data location or logging. For the wider release, including AI and PDM single sign-on, see our earlier article on what SOLIDWORKS 2027 means for your design data and IP.

How does cross-company collaboration work?

Dassault explained the workflow in an earlier blog post on collaborating across company boundaries (10 September 2026). The feature arrived with the R2026x FD03 update in July and is now part of the 2027 story. The steps, as described there:
  1. The admin opens the door. In the Platform Management dashboard, the administrator enables "Allow platform members to invite external users". Without it, users see a note telling them to contact the admin.
  2. The designer creates a task. From the Lifecycle and Collaboration tab, they create a task, invite the external user by email and pick the Collaborative Space where that person can create new data with restricted author responsibility.
  3. The designer attaches content. Any part, assembly or sub-assembly can be attached, including by dragging it from the FeatureManager design tree.
  4. The designer sets access. Either the Collaborative Space permissions apply, or custom access rights make the content For Edit or Read-only.
  5. The supplier works on your platform. The external user signs in from the email invitation and uses their own eligible SOLIDWORKS licence. They can comment, add attachments, make changes if they have edit access and save back to the shared environment.
  6. The designer reviews. When the task is set to Complete, the designer is notified and uses Reload from Server to load the changes into the assembly.
  7. Access is removed. When a collaborator leaves or the project ends, Dassault points to a help page for removing the external member's access while preserving any data they created.
The good news for IP control: the data stays on your tenant, the supplier works inside a space you choose, and there is a task record instead of a loose email attachment. The open questions: Dassault's posts do not say whether an external user with Read-only access can save a local copy or export a STEP file, what is logged when they open or download a model, or how long their access lasts if nobody removes it. Ask your reseller or Dassault before you rely on it for sensitive projects.
Keep your own proof of what you shared, and when.

BORIS for SOLIDWORKS registers parts, assemblies and drawings with a blockchain timestamp and a certificate of ownership, right from SOLIDWORKS. Your proof does not depend on any platform, task history or supplier account.

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What changes for your design data and IP?

Sharing a model with a supplier has always carried risk. The Ford v. InterMotive supplier trade secret case and the Canadian GE Renewable v. Canmec ruling on copied drawings both show how hard it is to prove, years later, what was shared, under which terms and who owned it. Platform sharing changes the shape of that risk in four ways.
  • Outsiders inside your platform. Instead of receiving a file, the supplier signs in to your tenant. That makes identity, invitations and removal part of your security, as our guide to managing CAD file access for external collaborators explains.
  • Edit rights on your master data. With For Edit access, a supplier can change the shared model and save it back. Governed revisions help you see what changed, but someone still has to approve it.
  • More automatic copies. Auto-save sends every modified file to the platform, and the Task Host can generate STEP, DXF, DWG and PDF files automatically. Each derived file is another copy that can be shared or downloaded.
  • Mixed ownership. Data created by the external member stays on your platform when you remove them, according to Dassault. Who owns that data is a contract question, not a software one. See establishing ownership of collaborative CAD projects.
Remember also that a supplier signing in to your platform is a target in its own right. Attackers who trick users into approving sign-ins can download shared files quickly, as we described in our article on phone-call and device code attacks on SharePoint. The same care applies to every external account you invite.

Which SOLIDWORKS 2027 features need a rule before you switch them on?

Use this table to decide who owns each setting in your company.
FeatureWhat it doesIP or data questionRule to set
Cross-company collaborationExternal SOLIDWORKS users work on your tenant through a taskWho may invite outsiders, and to which space?Admin-only or named project leads; one space per supplier
Custom access rightsRead-only or For Edit per taskCan the supplier change or copy master data?Default to Read-only; edit only with approval
Removing external membersEnds access, keeps data they createdWho checks that access ends?Remove at project close and review monthly
Auto-save to the platformModified files saved to the platform automaticallyIs everything you save allowed on the cloud?Enable per project, not by default for all
Task Host derived outputsPDF, STEP, DXF, DWG generated from native filesMore neutral copies that are easy to shareGenerate only what each recipient needs
Governed revisionsA.2, A.3 work in progress; A, B releasedCan you prove which revision a supplier saw?Share released revisions only, and record it

What should SOLIDWORKS teams do now?

You can use the new workflow safely. These eight steps cover the gaps that Dassault's posts leave open.
  1. Decide who can invite. Keep "Allow platform members to invite external users" off until you have a written rule, then allow it for named people. Our guide to role-based permissions shows how to think about roles.
  2. Use one Collaborative Space per supplier. Do not put several suppliers in the same space, and never share a space that holds unrelated projects.
  3. Share the minimum. Attach the part or sub-assembly the supplier needs, not the full top-level assembly. Simplify or remove internal features where you can, as in our best practices for sharing CAD files with suppliers.
  4. Default to Read-only. Give For Edit access only when the supplier must design with you, and review every change before release.
  5. Sign the paperwork first. Have an NDA and a clear clause on who owns data created in the shared space before the first invitation.
  6. Control automatic copies. Turn on auto-save and Task Host outputs per project, and decide which neutral formats each partner gets.
  7. Close access on time. Remove external members when the task ends, and check the member list every month.
  8. Keep dated proof. Register the version you shared with an independent timestamp, so you can show what existed and when, whatever happens to the platform account. See blockchain timestamping for IP and how to prove authorship of CAD designs.

What if you use SOLIDWORKS PDM instead of the 3DEXPERIENCE platform?

None of the ten features in Dassault's post applies to SOLIDWORKS PDM vaults. If your released data lives in PDM, nothing changes unless you also start using the platform. Many companies will run both, with PDM for internal work and the platform for partner projects, which means two permission systems and two sets of copies to manage.
If you are in that position, start with our SOLIDWORKS PDM security configuration guide and our overviews of SOLIDWORKS cloud security and SOLIDWORKS collaboration tools and their security risks. Dassault's Q3 2026 results show where the company is heading: 3DEXPERIENCE software revenue grew 25%, and new SOLIDWORKS customers are mostly joining through the cloud. Expect more of these platform workflows, not fewer.

How does this fit the bigger picture for CAD users?

Across our network this week, the same question keeps coming up: who controls engineering data once it leaves the original team?

Conclusion

SOLIDWORKS Design 2027 moves supplier collaboration from email attachments into the 3DEXPERIENCE platform. External partners can open and edit your parts and assemblies on your tenant with their own licence, auto-save keeps platform data current, and the Task Host turns native files into STEP, PDF, DXF and DWG automatically.
That can be safer than loose files, but only with rules: who may invite, what is shared, Read-only by default, access removed on time and contracts that say who owns the result. And because no platform log replaces your own evidence, keep dated proof of every design you share.
Make your SOLIDWORKS designs provably yours before you share them.

BORIS for SOLIDWORKS adds blockchain timestamps and certificates of ownership to your CAD files, so you have independent, dated proof of your designs, whether they sit in PDM, on the 3DEXPERIENCE platform or with a supplier.

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FAQ: SOLIDWORKS 2027 cross-company collaboration and data management

What is cross-company collaboration in SOLIDWORKS Design?

It lets you share data with external SOLIDWORKS users, such as partners and suppliers, who are not on your 3DEXPERIENCE tenant. You create a task in SOLIDWORKS, invite them by email, attach parts or assemblies and set their access.

Does the supplier need their own SOLIDWORKS licence?

Yes. According to Dassault, the external user works on the inviting company's platform using their own eligible SOLIDWORKS licence.

Can a supplier change my model?

Only if you give them For Edit access. With Read-only access they can review and comment. Changes are saved to the shared environment, and you load them with Reload from Server after the task is marked Complete.

Can I stop a supplier's access?

Yes. Dassault describes removing the external member's access from the Invite user to platform dialog, while keeping any data they created on your platform.

Does this work with SOLIDWORKS PDM?

No. The features in Dassault's 28 October post are for the 3DEXPERIENCE platform. SOLIDWORKS PDM vaults are not part of this workflow.

What is the 3DEXPERIENCE SOLIDWORKS Task Host?

A conversion engine that uses your own SOLIDWORKS installation to generate derived files, such as PDF, STEP, DXF and DWG, from native designs on the platform. Dassault says it avoids the tokens used by the cloud converter.

Does Dassault say what is logged when a supplier opens or downloads a file?

Not in the posts about this feature. Ask your reseller or Dassault about audit logs, download rights and data location before using it for sensitive projects.

How do I prove what I shared with a supplier?

Keep your own record: the released revision, the date, the recipient and the terms. An independent timestamp, such as a BORIS for SOLIDWORKS certificate of ownership, gives you dated proof that does not depend on the platform.