TopSolid'Design

What it is

TopSolid'Design is a 3D CAD solution for mechanical design on supported 64-bit Windows systems. It combines parametric and associative design with solid and surface modeling, direct editing and sheet-metal tools. Assembly design supports bottom-up and top-down methods, partial loading for large assemblies and welded structures. Its motion engine simulates kinematics and dynamics, detects collisions and measures properties such as speed and distance. The software creates 2D drawings, ISO GPS tolerancing, bills of materials, exploded assemblies and cutting lists. TopSolid'Pdm integration supports revisions, lifecycle management, access rights and change tracking. TopSolid'Automation is an included API for data exchange and repetitive-task automation. File compatibility includes major mechanical design formats, plus point clouds; some interfaces may be optional. Rendering includes ray tracing, PBR materials, HDR environments and Adobe Substance 3D generators. Cloud collaboration is not offered. Pricing is available on request, with a free 30-day trial of the full version. The supplied SQL Server Express supports at most 10 simultaneous PDM users.

Who it suits. It suits mechanical design teams working in a supported Windows environment that need 3D modeling, assembly tools and manufacturing documents. Teams should consider the lack of cloud collaboration and the PDM database limits.

Verdict

TopSolid'Design covers mechanical modeling, assemblies, simulation and manufacturing documentation, with PDM and automation tools. Its Windows requirements and absence of cloud collaboration should be weighed against the team’s workflow.

Plans and prices

From TopSolid'Design's own pricing page, checked 11 Oct 2026. Every plan

What the maker publishes

API and integrations

TopSolid'Automation is an included API for controlling TopSolid and exchanging data or automating repetitive tasks, including links with sales, production, and tool management systems. source

Assemblies

Assembly tools support bottom-up and top-down methods, large assemblies with partial loading, and welded structures. source

Assembly design

Yes source

Cloud collaboration

No source

Company

TOPSOLID is headquartered in Evry, France, and was founded in 1984. source

File compatibility

Documented exchange formats include Catia, Creo, NX, Inventor, SOLIDWORKS, STEP, IGES, DXF, DWG, IFC, and point clouds; some interfaces may be optional. source

File compatibility

The page lists Catia, Creo, NX, Solidworks, Inventor, SolidEdge, Parasolid, STEP, IGES, DXF, DWG, and FBX data formats, plus scanner point-cloud formats XYZ, PTS, and PLY. source

File import and export

Reads Catia, Creo, NX, SolidWorks, Inventor, Solid Edge, Parasolid, STEP, IGES, DXF, DWG, FBX; point-cloud formats .xyz, .pts, .ply. source

Founded

1984 source

Free plan

No source

Hardware limits

TopSolid 7 does not support ARM processors, and the requirements page says laptop docking stations are unsupported. source

Headquarters

7 Rue du Bois Sauvage, 91055 Évry, France source

Manufacturing documents

The software creates 2D drawings, ISO GPS tolerancing, bills of materials, exploded assemblies, and cutting lists. source

Modeling

It provides parametric and associative design, solid and surface modeling, direct editing, and a sheet metal design module. source

Modeling method

hybrid source

Notable limit

The supplied SQL Server Express supports at most 10 simultaneous PDM users, and a SQL Standard license and per-user CALs are required beyond that threshold or when the database exceeds 10 GB. source

Operating system

TopSolid 7 supports Windows 64-bit, with version-specific support for Windows 10 Pro and Windows 11 Pro; Windows Home is not supported. source

PDM

TopSolid'Design is natively integrated with TopSolid'Pdm for document revisions, lifecycle management, access rights, and change tracking. source