With a part file open, you just go to “File,” select “Save as…” and choose STEP as the file type. This file format is well-known and is a widely used way to exchange CAD data between platforms.Įxporting a STEP file out of SOLIDWORKS is easy.

The full name is the Standard for The Exchange of Product Model Data or more commonly, a STEP file. The International Standard Organization (ISO) tried to solve this by creating a uniform standard format. Not all CAD programs have the same capabilities as and so exchanging things like a STEP file between SOLIDWORKS and other CAD software packages can become troublesome.