In June, Siemens released the latest version of NX, officially designated as version 2506. During this Webinar, Ruud van den Brand (Emixa Industry Solutions) and Bas Verschuren (Siemens) guide participants step by step through the innovations in this release. Their main message? Siemens NX is becoming broader, smarter and more flexible, not only from a technical perspective, but also in terms of user experience and licence management.
A New Name: Designcenter NX
NX is no longer positioned simply as “NX”, but more broadly under the name Designcenter NX. This is more than a cosmetic change. Siemens is bringing NX together with other tools such as Teamcenter, Simcenter and Tecnomatix under the umbrella of the Xccelerator platform. Their message was clear: one integrated environment for design, simulation and manufacturing, from browser to desktop.
There is now an ‘Essentials’ edition: a browser-based version of NX that enables direct work in the Cloud. This is particularly useful for quick edits or in environments where flexibility is critical, all without compromising compatibility with the desktop version.
User Friendliness First: Improvements in the User Interface
NX has once again become smarter in terms of interface. A subtle but valuable addition is the sensitivity slider in the Select Similar Edge/Face function, allowing more precise control over what is recognised as ‘similar’. This makes it faster to adjust or group multiple elements.
There are also visual enhancements such as Ambient Shadows, which make models look more realistic without the need for heavy rendering. This is especially useful for presentations to customers or suppliers.
Sketcher: Redesigned for Speed and Intuition
One of the most significant changes is the removal of the classic Profile tool in the Sketcher functionality. Instead, its functions are distributed across the line and arc commands, with a chain option making closed profiles easier to create.
There is a new mouse-gesture approach for trimming and extending, as well as the improved handling of construction lines making the entire sketching process feel faster and more intuitive.
Modelling: New Options for Patterns, Mirroring and Surfaces
There are enhancements to the Axial Pattern and Mirror Body functions. Users can now create asymmetric patterns using a stagger function, valuable for mould design. In addition, the new delete source option allows the original object to be removed immediately when mirroring bodies, a simple but effective workflow improvement.
Offset operations are more robust, automatically generating a patch at extreme values. While this is not always visually perfect, the Fill Surface function provides a quick and clean alternative.
Assemblies: More Intuitive Copying, Better Weight Management
Enhancements in Assemblies improve both usability and management. Suppressed components can now be opened directly without adjusting the model first. When copying components with constraints, users receive a visual preview, creating more efficient reference selection.
Weight management has been extended with “budget” and “estimated” mass, aligned with Teamcenter Weight & Balance, an important advantage for organisations where weight is a critical factor.
Feature Templates: Smarter Reuse of Design Knowledge
Feature Templates now allow tooltips with images in input fields, enabling faster and more accurate parameter selection.
Use Excel spreadsheets to manage configurations, which lowers the threshold for applying parametric, reusable templates.
PMI & Drafting: Standardisation and Control
See the improvements in PMI and Drafting, such as hole callouts on pattern instances, brackets around datum references, and support for ISO 25178-1 surface finish symbols.
Benefit from the ability to change the annotation plane of multiple PMI objects simultaneously, resulting in a cleaner and more structured presentation.
Technical Data Package: Now Also for Subassemblies
Exporting to a Technical Data Package (TDP) is now more powerful. Users can include all underlying components at the top level of an assembly and apply bill-of-material filtering (e.g. excluding parts). This is a valuable improvement for organisations collaborating with external partners.
DFM Pro: Manufacturability Built into the Design
DFM Pro (Checkmate) automatically checks models for manufacturability. New checks include drilling and milling validations, warning of flat-bottom holes or impractical pockets. These can also be applied at the assembly level, reducing the risk of errors before production.
Performance Predictor & Topology Optimisation: Faster Routes to Lightweight Designs
See the direct link between Performance Predictor and Topology Optimisation. This enables optimisation directly from a stress analysis, with results fed back for recalculation. This speeds up iterations between performance and mass, all within one integrated NX environment.
Structure Designer: Parameter-Driven Frames and Dynamic Behaviour
In their demonstration of Structure Designer, they showed how expressions can now parameterise dimensions, and how relationships between frames can be set as adaptive or fixed. Splitting existing members has also been made easier, both geometrically and structurally.
They noted improvements in the corner tool, which now supports multiple mitre options per connection. They also showed how the extend function handles underlying curves intelligently, automatically lengthening or shortening them with the associated member.
Conclusion
Through their presentation, Ruud van den Brand and Bas Verschuren made clear that Siemens continues to put users at the centre of development. The 2506 release offers more flexibility, faster workflows, stronger module collaboration and a more robust platform for 3D design, analysis and manufacturing.
They also pointed out that with value-based licensing (token pool), access to specialised functionality has become easier than ever, available precisely when needed.
Ready to Experience the Benefits Yourself?
Would you like to explore the new possibilities of Siemens NX 2506 in your own environment? You can:
Get in touch with us today and discover how Siemens NX can take your design and engineering workflows to the next level.