If your quality team is still creating inspection reports by hand, you're burning hours that SOLIDWORKS Inspection can save in minutes.
Every quality engineer knows the drill: take a printed 2D drawing, manually number every dimension with a balloon, type each characteristic into an Excel spreadsheet, format the report, and repeat the process when the engineering revision changes. For a single complex part, this can take hours. For a production run with dozens of parts, it adds up to days of wasted time.
SOLIDWORKS Inspection solves this. It's a dedicated quality-inspection application that automates the creation of inspection drawings and first-article inspection reports (FAIR) — slashing documentation time by up to 90% while eliminating manual transcription errors.
What is SOLIDWORKS Inspection?
SOLIDWORKS Inspection reads dimensions, tolerances, notes, GD&T symbols, and surface finishes directly from 2D drawings — whether they're native SOLIDWORKS Drawings, PDFs, or even scanned TIFF images (via OCR). It balloons them automatically, generates a complete characteristic list, and produces professional inspection reports in your choice of format.
Available in two tiers:
- SOLIDWORKS Inspection Standard — Auto-ballooning and FAIR report generation, included free with an active SOLIDWORKS subscription
- SOLIDWORKS Inspection Professional — Full Computer-Aided Quality (CAQ) workflow with CMM data import and Statistical Process Control
Standard: The Documentation Powerhouse (Free with Subscription)
Most organizations don't realize they already own SOLIDWORKS Inspection Standard. It comes bundled with every active SOLIDWORKS subscription — no additional purchase required. Here's what it does:
- Auto-ballooning — Automatically balloons SOLIDWORKS drawings, PDFs, and TIFFs. A 100-dimension drawing that takes an hour to balloon by hand is done in seconds.
- Characteristic extraction — Extracts dimensions, tolerances, notes, GD&T symbols, and surface finishes directly from the drawing data.
- Flexible numbering — Automatic numbering and re-numbering with full control over balloon format and style.
- Industry-standard reports — Built-in templates for AS9102 (aerospace) and PPAP (automotive), plus custom Excel templates for your own quality forms.
- Round-trip updates — When the source drawing changes due to an engineering revision, re-ballooning is automatic. No need to start from scratch.
- Dual mode — Works as a standalone application or as an add-in inside SOLIDWORKS.
Best for: Quality engineers at design or contract manufacturers who currently create inspection sheets manually in Excel or by drawing balloons on PDFs. If your team does first-article inspection but types numbers into spreadsheets, Standard is the instant win.
Professional: From Documentation to Full CAQ
SOLIDWORKS Inspection Professional takes everything Standard offers and adds the ability to close the quality loop — bringing actual measurement data back into the report for analysis and archiving.
Key additions over Standard:
- CMM data import — Direct import from coordinate-measuring machines (Hexagon, Zeiss, Mitutoyo, and others) in formats like 3D ASCII and IPC-2581.
- Portable arm support — Capture data from FARO, Romer, and other portable measurement arms.
- Hand tool integration — Manual entry from calipers, micrometers, and gauges, plus live input from Bluetooth-enabled measurement devices.
- Statistical Process Control (SPC) — Capability indices (Cp, Cpk), control charts, and trend analysis on captured measurements.
- Full CAQ workflow — Plan the inspection, capture measurements from any source, analyse the results, and archive records in one place.
- System integration — Connect with Net-Inspect, QualityXpert, and other downstream quality systems.
Best for: Quality departments at manufacturers and contract shops who want a single platform for inspection planning, data capture, analysis, and record-keeping — instead of stitching together Excel, CMM software, and a separate SPC tool.
Standard vs Professional: Quick Decision Guide
| Capability | Standard | Professional |
|---|---|---|
| Free with active SOLIDWORKS subscription | ✓ | — |
| Auto-balloon SOLIDWORKS/PDF/TIFF | ✓ | ✓ |
| AS9102, PPAP & custom templates | ✓ | ✓ |
| Excel & PDF report export | ✓ | ✓ |
| CMM data import | — | ✓ |
| SPC / Cp-Cpk analysis | — | ✓ |
| CAQ system integration | — | ✓ |
Three quick rules:
- If your team does first-article inspection but types into Excel → Standard (it's free, just enable it).
- If you own a CMM or portable arm → Professional to import data automatically.
- If you have AS9100, IATF 16949, or ISO 13485 obligations with SPC requirements → Professional.
The Bottom Line
SOLIDWORKS Inspection turns the most tedious part of quality work — manual ballooning and report generation — into an automated, repeatable process. Standard is already available to every SOLIDWORKS subscriber at no extra cost. Professional adds the measurement and analysis layer that transforms inspection from a documentation chore into a true quality-management system.
Whether you're in aerospace, automotive, medical devices, or general manufacturing, if you're still creating inspection sheets by hand, you're leaving hours of productivity on the table.
Ready to Get Started?
Contact CustomizeCAD today to verify your eligibility, request a demo, or get a quote for SOLIDWORKS Inspection Professional.