The SolidWorks integration: send designs straight to SimplyPrint

The SolidWorks integration: send designs straight to SimplyPrint


The SimplyPrint add-in for SolidWorks lets you export the active part or assembly and upload it to your SimplyPrint account in one click. Pick STL or 3MF, choose which configuration and bodies to send, dial in the mesh quality, press Send, and the file lands in SimplyPrint ready to slice and print.


The add-in runs on Windows only, since SolidWorks itself is Windows-only.


What you can do

  • Export STL or 3MF directly from SolidWorks to SimplyPrint (3MF needs SolidWorks 2019 or newer)
  • Export a single configuration, the active configuration, or every configuration at once
  • Send a whole part or assembly, pick individual bodies or components, or export one file per body
  • Engineering-grade mesh control - Coarse and Fine presets, or a custom chord deviation (mm) and angle tolerance (degrees)
  • Assemblies keep their real position, and units auto-convert to millimeters
  • Chunked uploads for huge assemblies - multi-hundred-megabyte exports just work
  • Sign in once - the SimplyPrint session is independent from your Fusion 360, Blender, SketchUp, FreeCAD and Onshape plugins


Install


  1. Download SimplyPrintSolidWorks-installer.exe from cdn.simplyprint.io/i/static/integrations/solidworks/SimplyPrintSolidWorks-installer.exe.
  2. Right-click the file and choose Run as administrator - registering the add-in needs admin rights.
  3. If Windows SmartScreen warns about an unknown publisher, click More info, then Run anyway.
  4. Click through the installer. It copies the add-in and registers it with SolidWorks for you.
  5. Open SolidWorks, or restart it if it was already running.


Option 2 - Manual install

  1. Download SimplyPrintSolidWorks.zip from cdn.simplyprint.io/i/static/integrations/solidworks/SimplyPrintSolidWorks.zip.
  2. Extract the zip somewhere you'll keep around. A folder like C:\Program Files\SimplyPrint\SolidWorks is a safe choice - don't leave it in Downloads where it might get cleaned up later.
  3. Open an administrator command prompt and register the add-in with RegAsm: %WINDIR%\Microsoft.NET\Framework64\v4.0.30319\RegAsm.exe /codebase "C:\path\to\SimplyPrintSolidWorks.dll" (swap in the real path to the extracted DLL).


If you ever move the extracted folder, SolidWorks loses track of the add-in. Re-run RegAsm at the new location.


Enable the add-in

Whichever way you installed it, turn the add-in on inside SolidWorks:


  1. Go to Tools in the menu bar and open Add-Ins.
  2. Tick SimplyPrint in the list.
  3. Tick Start Up next to it so the add-in loads automatically every time you open SolidWorks.
  4. Click OK.


Where to find it

Once enabled, you can reach the add-in from three places:


  • Task Pane - a SimplyPrint tab appears on the right-hand Task Pane. This is the main panel where you set options and send.
  • Toolbar - a SimplyPrint button is added to the command bar.
  • Tools menu - a SimplyPrint entry is added under Tools.


How to send a design to SimplyPrint

  1. Open the part or assembly you want to print in SolidWorks.
  2. Click the SimplyPrint tab in the right-hand Task Pane. The export panel opens.
  3. The first time you use the add-in, click Log in. Your browser opens SimplyPrint's sign-in page - approve the request and return to SolidWorks. You stay signed in for future exports.
  4. Configure the export options (see below), then click Send to SimplyPrint.
  5. SimplyPrint opens in your browser with the file pre-loaded. From there you can save it to your cloud storage, slice it, queue it, or start a print on one or more printers.


SimplyPrint panel in the SolidWorks Task Pane with export options


Export options explained


Format

Option

When to use

STL

Universal mesh format. Pick this if you're not sure - every slicer reads it. Works on every SolidWorks version.

3MF

Newer format that preserves units and per-body metadata. Better for multi-body prints. Needs SolidWorks 2019 or newer.


Configuration

SolidWorks files often hold several design variants as named configurations. The add-in lets you choose which ones to send.


Option

What it exports

Active configuration

Just the configuration you currently have open.

A single configuration

Pick one named configuration from the list.

All configurations

Every configuration exports separately - each lands in SimplyPrint as its own file.


Scope

Option

What it exports

Whole model

Every body in the part, or every component in the assembly.

Selected bodies / components

Only the bodies (in a part) or components (in an assembly) you tick in the list.

One file per body

Each body or component exports as its own file, and each gets its own card in SimplyPrint.


Assemblies export in their assembled position, so multi-part designs stay aligned when they open in SimplyPrint.


Mesh quality

Controls how finely SolidWorks tessellates the model into triangles. Higher quality means smoother curves and larger files.


Preset

What you get

Coarse

Fast export, larger triangles. Good for quick fit checks and test prints.

Fine

Smooth curves, larger file. Best for show-piece prints with curved surfaces.

Custom

Exposes the chord deviation (mm) and angle tolerance (degrees) for full control over the tessellation.


Logging out or switching accounts

Open the SimplyPrint panel in SolidWorks and click Log out. Your stored token is cleared and you can sign in with a different account next time. Signing out here doesn't affect any other SimplyPrint plugins you may have installed (Fusion 360, Blender, SketchUp, FreeCAD, Onshape) - each one handles its own session.


Uninstall

Both install methods register the same COM add-in, so removing it is the same either way.

  1. In SolidWorks, go to Tools → Add-Ins, untick SimplyPrint (and untick Start Up), then close SolidWorks.
  2. Unregister the add-in from an administrator command prompt: %WINDIR%\Microsoft.NET\Framework64\v4.0.30319\RegAsm.exe /unregister "C:\path\to\SimplyPrintSolidWorks.dll". Point it at wherever the DLL lives - the installer puts it under %LOCALAPPDATA%\SimplyPrint\SolidWorks, or use the folder you extracted the zip to.
  3. Delete the add-in folder (%LOCALAPPDATA%\SimplyPrint\SolidWorks if you used the installer, or the folder you extracted).
  4. Optionally delete ~/.simplyprint/oauth_solidworks.json to remove the stored login token.


Troubleshooting

  • Sign-in window opens but never returns. Your browser may be blocking the localhost redirect the add-in uses to receive the sign-in. Try a different default browser, or close any other program using the local port and try again.
  • The Send button doesn't do anything. Check the status shown in the panel - upload errors appear there. The most common cause is being signed out, so confirm you see Signed in as ... at the top.
  • The SimplyPrint tab is missing. Go to Tools → Add-Ins and make sure SimplyPrint is ticked. If it's not in the list at all, the add-in isn't registered - re-run the installer, or run RegAsm again on the manual install.
  • Curved parts look faceted in SimplyPrint. Switch mesh quality to Fine, or use Custom and lower the chord deviation (try 0.05 mm) for a smoother surface. The trade-off is a larger file and a slower export.
  • The 3MF option is greyed out. 3MF export needs SolidWorks 2019 or newer. On older versions, use STL instead.


Updated on: 14/07/2026

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