In the below video of a 2D snap fit assembly analysis, the relationship of force required to snap through versus the vertical push distance that is needed to understand the stiffness variation in the system. The same API macro works on 2D simplification problems as well. Using the Simulation API macro, this takes less than a minute to complete with further customization of data in excel and auto creation of XY plots! In the example below of a nonlinear analysis to simulate the push and snap operation of a latch mechanism, manually transferring the data of displacement and reaction force for each time step takes roughly about 20 minutes. Before I walk you through the steps for using the attached files, here are some practical applications of the API. While knowledge of any above programming languages will help my goal in this article is to provide you with a self-training excel automation file and a sample SOLIDWORKS part file. The API contains functions that can be called from Visual Basic for Applications (VBA), VB.NET, C++ 6.0, C++.NET, and C#.NET. The API provides a powerful platform for automation as well as productivity gains for any user who needs to build custom inputs or outputs to drive Simulation studies or has to work past user interface limitations. The SOLIDWORKS Simulation Application Programming Interface (API) functionality can be used to automate the creation of studies, applying loads and fixtures, material selection, meshing, running analyses and processing results.