Tech Talk | Solid Edge 2026 Designcenter – Part Two

Solid Edge 2026 introduces AI-driven automatic drawing creation for part and sheet metal files, enabling users to generate drawings that are up to 70–80% complete in just a few clicks.

Using the new Automatic Drawings AI command, users can:

• Select drawing templates and sheet sizes

• Let AI automatically choose base views

• Generate dimensions using either stack-style or overall dimensioning

• Control dimension origins (top-left, top-right, bottom-left, bottom-right)

The AI places views and dimensions intelligently, significantly reducing manual drafting time while maintaining consistency with company standards.

Key Takeaway: AI-driven drawings accelerate drafting by automating view placement and dimensioning while preserving engineering intent.

Managing design changes becomes far more transparent with enhanced Revision Tables and Revision Tags in Solid Edge 2026.

When a model change is made:

• Solid Edge tracks updated dimensions automatically

• Revision tables capture previous vs. current values

• Metadata such as who made the change and when is recorded

• Interactive revision tags visually link table entries to affected dimensions

Users can highlight revisions directly from the table, making design reviews clearer and more traceable.

Key Takeaway: Interactive revision tracking ensures complete visibility into design changes and eliminates ambiguity during reviews and approvals.

Solid Edge 2026 removes a long-standing limitation by allowing fit class tolerances to be retrieved directly from part and sheet metal models into hole tables in draft files.

Designers can now:

• Apply fit tolerances (e.g., H7) at the model level

• Automatically retrieve them into drafting tables

• Sort and organize hole data efficiently

This ensures full consistency between 3D models and 2D documentation.

Key Takeaway: Tolerance data now flows seamlessly from model to drawing, improving accuracy and reducing rework.

Another visual enhancement in Solid Edge 2026 allows decals to appear in shaded drawing views.

If decals are already applied in the assembly environment, enabling shaded views in drafting will automatically display them—ideal for branding, labels, or visual identification.

Key Takeaway: Shaded drawing views now reflect realistic assembly visuals, improving clarity and communication.

A major enhancement to the Design Configurator introduces View Configuration Model Actions, allowing users to automate changes to drafting views.

With this feature, users can:

• Swap source models within views

• Change view positions using X–Y coordinates

• Control view scaling dynamically

• Visually confirm which draft view is being modified

All changes are driven through input fields, making drafting automation far more flexible.

Key Takeaway: Draft views can now be dynamically controlled and automated without manual repositioning or scaling.

Sheet metal automation takes a big step forward with the ability to drive thickness directly from gauge tables.

Using a simple reference-text syntax:

• Materials and gauge values are linked dynamically

• Designers can switch gauges (16, 20, 24, etc.) via input fields

• Thickness updates automatically based on gauge definitions

This enables faster configuration and ensures compliance with manufacturing standards.

Key Takeaway: Gauge-driven thickness control eliminates manual updates and improves sheet metal consistency.

Solid Edge 2026 enhances configurator flexibility by exposing occurrence-level properties alongside master file properties.

Users can now:

• Assign unique properties to individual assembly occurrences

• Drive displayed text such as labels, identifiers, or parameters

• Configure values like pressure, position, or naming dynamically

This is particularly useful for configurable products such as vehicles, machinery, or modular assemblies.

Key Takeaway: Occurrence-level control enables highly customized, data-rich configurations without duplicating parts.