SOLIDWORKS PDM API Tip: Ideal Number of Add-ins Per SOLIDWORKS PDM Vault
- Authored by Amen Jlili
- Updated February 28, 2025
- Published
- Topics covered: solidworks pdm
Your add-ins consist of DLL files. Each time an application like Explorer.exe logs into PDM, it loads those files into the application’s session, increasing startup time and memory usage. While memory use is not a major issue these days, startup time can be noticeably affected.
The ideal number of add-ins is five, but PDM already includes three default ones:
- Dispatch – Automates workflows via scripting.
- SOLIDWORKS Task Add-in – Add-in used to run custom SOLIDWORKS macros (Convert, Print, Designer Checker…).
- SOLIDWORKS PDF Task Add-in – Add-in used to convert Office and DraftSight documents to PDF.
This means you only have 2 slots left for custom add-ins before performance starts to degrade.
Each add-in adds overhead, increasing vault load times. Instead of multiple separate add-ins, merge functionalities into one to keep performance smooth.
PDM already has 3 built-in add-ins, leaving space for just 2 custom add-ins. Too many add-ins slow down vault operations. Merging multiple add-ins into one improves performance & simplifies maintenance.
