Axion user guide

• Windows 10 or 11 (64-bit) with SOLIDWORKS installed.
• An internet connection – for activation, the daily licence check and the AI features.
• For the trial, Plus and Pro: your own API key from an AI provider – Anthropic (Claude), OpenAI (ChatGPT), Google (Gemini) or Mistral. How to get one is described in First start. Start works without AI.
• The activation key AXN-… from the e-mail you received after signing up for the trial or after buying a plan.

1. Close SOLIDWORKS.
2. Run Axion-Setup-….exe. Because Axion is new, Windows or your browser may warn that the file isn't commonly downloaded. The installer is digitally signed by LMD Technologies s.r.o. – choose Keep in the browser and More info → Run anyway in Windows.
3. Follow the installer. It registers the Axion add-in in SOLIDWORKS.
4. Start SOLIDWORKS. Axion appears in the Task Pane on the right as a tab with the Axion icon.

If you don't see the panel: in SOLIDWORKS open Tools → Add-ins, tick Axion in both columns (active and Start Up) and click OK.

On the first start Axion shows the Activate Axion window. Paste the activation key from the e-mail (best copy and paste it) and click Activate. Activation runs online and binds the licence to this computer.

• The trial runs 7 days from activation on one computer; the key must be activated within 14 days of signing up. A paid plan (Start, Plus, Pro) works on up to two computers.
• The badge in the panel header shows your licence: DEMO · N d with the days left in the trial (orange in the last 5 days), or START, PLUS, PRO. Click it to open the Licence window – see Plans and licence.
• The key is already activated on another computer – a trial key works on one computer, a paid key on two. Write to us if you need to move it.
• A trial has already run on this computer – each computer can run one trial. Write to us if you need more time.
• Could not reach the licence server – check the internet connection; in a company network the IT department may need to allow the connection.

After activation the Welcome to Axion wizard guides you through three steps:

1. Language – Czech or English.
2. AI provider and API key – choose Claude (most capable), ChatGPT or Gemini (balanced) or Mistral (fastest), paste your API key and click Test connection. The key stays only on your computer, stored encrypted. The recommended model is preselected; you can pick another one later in Settings (see AI models). With the Start plan this step is skipped – Start works without AI.
3. Where to save exports – the folder for STEP, DXF, PDF and PNG files. If left empty, files are saved next to the model.

Where to get an API key: Anthropic (Claude) · OpenAI (ChatGPT) · Google (Gemini) · Mistral. You pay the provider directly; typical costs are a few euros per month per user.

You can change everything later in Settings (the gear icon in the panel header).

Status as of 15 October 2026. In Axion you choose the model in Settings → AI assistant → Model from a list – no need to type model names. If you don't change anything, the recommended model of the selected provider is used.

¹ Approximate price per token compared with Gemini 3.8 Flash = 100 % (typical Axion task: about 80 % input and 20 % output tokens). The cost examples on our website are for Gemini 3.8 Flash. The real cost of a task also depends on how many tokens the model needs – in our experience Gemini 4 Argon finishes tasks faster and with fewer tokens.
² Introductory price until 30 November 2026; from 1 December 2026 about 530 %.
Prices and models change – the current price list is always on the provider's website. Axion also offers Ollama – a local model on your own computer without internet; you enter the model name yourself and quality depends on the model and the computer's performance.

Chat (trial, Plus and Pro). Open a part, assembly or drawing and describe the task in your own words, for example “Create a shaft 15 mm in diameter and 120 mm long with a 3 mm chamfer” or “Is this part manufacturable? What would you change?”. Axion reads the live model and works directly in SOLIDWORKS. You can drag a drawing or an image into the panel and ask about it.

Attachments and favourites. The + button next to the input (or drag & drop, Ctrl+V) attaches a drawing, image, PDF, Excel or CSV table, or a Word document (.docx). Attachments appear as chips with the original file name. Axion reads Excel and CSV tables and Word documents (including their tables) itself and works with their content directly; an old .doc file needs to be saved as .docx first. Click the ☆ star in the bubble of a sent request to save it to your favourites; the ★ Favourite prompts strip under the input lists them – a click puts the text into the input so you can adjust it before sending.

Under an answer you may find:

• 📄 Report ▾ (trial, Plus and Pro) – a menu to save the answer as a PDF report (to print and send) or a Word report (.docx) with the same content that you can edit. Both contain the request, the result with tables and OK/NOK status, document data and a 3D view and are saved in Documents\Axion Reporty. When the answer contains a table, the menu also offers Tables to Excel – each table becomes one sheet.
• ↶ Undo changes (N) – shown when Axion added something to the model. It deletes the added features, mates and components and closes new unsaved documents. Edits of existing features (dimensions, material) are not reverted – use Ctrl+Z in SOLIDWORKS for that.

Report template. PDF and Word reports look the same – they are filled into a Word template with a header and logo, the title and request, an information strip (document, date, prepared by, software), an OK/NOK summary and page numbers. With the Pro plan, in Settings → Storage and templates → Report template (Word .docx) you can choose your own template (Browse…), edit it in Word (Open) or start from a copy of the built-in one (Default…), ; the name for Prepared by can be entered in every plan. Other plans use the built-in Axion template and show 🔒 Available in Axion Pro instead of the template field. The PDF is converted by Microsoft Word; without Word it is created in the same style but without your template. In your own template, use the tags {{TITLE}}, {{SUBTITLE}}, {{DOCUMENT}}, {{DATE}}, {{AUTHOR}}, {{SOFTWARE}}, {{SUMMARY}} and {{CONTENT}} (the report body). We prepare company templates on request.

Drawing check with marked findings. When Axion checks an open drawing, the elements with a problem turn red (does not comply) or orange (check) and get a number in a circle. Under the answer you then have two tabs: Answer with the full text and Findings with the list. Show zooms to the element, the Fixed checkbox removes its mark, Hide marks hides them for a while and All OK – remove marks restores the original drawing. The marks are on their own layers and are not printed; before you save a drawing with marks, Axion asks whether to remove them.

Menus in the panel header offer ready-made actions:

• Design – model from drawing, generate drawing, exports (STEP, sheet metal flat pattern to DXF, drawing to PDF, model snapshot, model to phone (AR)), standards and calculations (ISO 2768, ISO 286, metric thread, sheet metal bend).
• Analyze – assembly interference, fits analysis, mass and center of gravity, measuring holes, DFM check of a plastic part, drawing check against general rules, similar parts, mating parts, rotational parts and the 3D preview.
• Company – connections to PDM/CAD data storage, ERP, company standards and central administration. They are part of the version tailored to your company; the part properties table is included from the Pro plan.
• Support – write to us or send feedback.

Model to phone (AR). Design → Export → Model to phone (AR)… (or just write “send it to my phone”) saves the open part or assembly in real size and with its colours for Android (GLB) and iPhone/iPad (USDZ) and shows a QR code. Scan it with a phone on the same Wi-Fi: a 3D preview opens and View in your space (AR) places the model on the table or floor in front of you. If Windows asks about the firewall, allow access on private networks. Sharing runs only in your local network and ends when you close the window (after 60 minutes at the latest); the files stay in your export folder, so you can also send them by e-mail. Available in all plans, without AI.

Features that are not in your plan are visible but greyed out with a lock 🔒 – what each plan includes is in Plans and licence.

Always check the results before using them – Axion is an assistant and the responsibility for designs stays with the engineer.

Similar parts, mating parts and rotational parts search your own parts. Before the first use Axion explains what is needed and asks for your consent: you choose a folder with parts (.sldprt), Axion opens each part read-only, computes its shape fingerprint and saves a small preview. Nothing in the parts is changed. It takes about 1–3 seconds per part and you can stop at any time. The index is stored only on your computer. It holds up to 350 parts in the trial and 2,000 parts in Start; Plus and Pro have no limit.

Axion runs locally in SOLIDWORKS. Your models, drawings, files and chat history stay on your computer. Only chat questions with the context they need go directly to the AI provider you selected. Details are in the Privacy policy.

There is one installer for everyone. What is unlocked depends only on your licence key (AXN-…) – when you change plans, you keep the same key and nothing needs to be reinstalled.

More functions are on the way for each plan (exports and calculations without AI, rule-based drawing check, AI spending overview, custom check rules and more) – see the pricing page. They arrive with Axion updates.

Badge and the Licence window

• The badge in the panel header shows your licence: DEMO · N d (trial with days left), START, PLUS or PRO. A version tailored to your company has no badge.
• Click the badge to open the Licence window with your plan, key and validity. Opening it always checks the licence online, so a purchase or a plan change shows up immediately.
• To use a different key (for example after buying on the website with a new e-mail), choose Enter another key in the Licence window.

Locked features 🔒

• A feature from a higher plan shows Available in Axion Plus (or Pro). Click it – Axion explains what the plan includes and opens the pricing page with your key, so the purchase upgrades the licence you already have.
• Features of the Company menu show Solutions for companies and lead to the form to book a meeting.

Buying a plan

• From Axion: Choose a plan at the end of the trial, or a click on a locked feature. Your trial key is sent along and switches to the paid plan after payment.
• On the pricing page: choose the plan, monthly or yearly billing and currency, and pay by card, Apple Pay or Google Pay. Payment is handled by Link (Stripe), which also sends you the invoice.
• After payment you receive an e-mail with the licence key and download link. If Axion is already installed, just open the Licence window – the change loads by itself.

Subscription

• The subscription renews automatically every month or year; before an annual renewal you get a reminder.
• You manage the card, invoices and cancelling the renewal via the link in the purchase e-mail. After cancelling, Axion works until the end of the paid period.
• If a payment fails, it is retried for a week and Axion keeps working for 7 more days. When a paid licence ends, Axion shows Your licence has expired – you can renew it on the pricing page.
• Within 14 days of your first purchase you can ask for a full refund. Plan changes: write to info@lmd-technologies.cz. Details are in the Terms of use.

Licence check and working offline

• Axion checks the licence online after SOLIDWORKS starts and then about once a day. Without a connection the trial keeps working for up to 7 days, the Start, Plus and Pro plans for up to 10 days.
• A paid licence can be active on two computers at once (for example at work and on a laptop). Write to us if you need to move it to another computer.

End of the trial

• 2 days before the end we'll send you an e-mail. If you need more time to evaluate, just reply – we'll gladly extend the trial.
• When the trial ends, Axion shows Your trial has ended. Click Choose a plan to continue with Plus or Pro – with the same key. For a version tailored to your company, book a meeting.

Close SOLIDWORKS, open Windows Settings → Apps → Installed apps, find Axion and choose Uninstall.

• The AI does not answer – in Settings click Test connection and check that your API key is valid and has credit with the provider.
• A feature has a lock 🔒 – it is not in your plan. Click it for details, or see Plans and licence.
• I bought a plan but Axion still shows DEMO – click the badge in the panel header; the Licence window checks the licence online and loads the change. If it doesn't help, enter the key from the purchase e-mail via Enter another key.
• The panel is not visible – see Installation.
• Anything else – write to info@lmd-technologies.cz or use Support in the panel. We usually reply within one working day.