How to Force SolidWorks to Use Full NVIDIA GeForce RTX GPU Power for Motion Analysis to Prevent Crashing?
I am experiencing frequent crashes in SolidWorks, specifically when running Motion Analysis on complex assemblies. My system is equipped with a powerful NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5050 GPU, but it seems like SolidWorks is not fully utilizing it, leading to instability and crashes.
3 Answers
While modern CAD software may use different APIs for specific rendering features, the standard 3D viewport in most CAD applications—such as SolidWorks, CATIA, or Creo—relies on OpenGL. This is why certified CAD GPUs are optimized with OpenGL drivers. Since your RTX is optimized for DirectX, crashes like these occur specifically in large assemblies due to the huge number of graphic features.
Do you also have a integrated Graphics card? in my laptop I have both. I had to go to the NVIDA Control Panel (right click on desktop, select more options, then select the NVIDA control Panel). in the left hand window select Manage 3D Settings. the primary window select Program settings tab, add in solidworks and then select High-performance. Attached is a screen shot.
One thing that helps is ensuring that “Use software OpenGL” is unchecked in the performance settings, as it can sometimes restrict GPU use. Also, make sure the RTX drivers are up to date and that your NVIDIA Control Panel has SolidWorks set to “High Performance NVIDIA Processor.”
Sometimes, background apps or Windows power settings can throttle GPU performance. Switching to High Performance mode in Windows can make a noticeable difference. It’s a good idea to monitor GPU utilization using tools like MSI Afterburner or Task Manager to see if SolidWorks is offloading any tasks to the CPU unnecessarily.
