Reimagining the Future of Product Development

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SOLIDWORKS is a word synonymous with design, but today we do so much more; design is just one part of turning ideas into reality. After all, nothing exists until it is built. A design is an intangible, digital representation of a product. It’s not until raw material is processed—whether by additive or traditional subtractive manufacturing—that a product becomes real.

Now that said, SOLIDWORKS remains the industry leader in CAD and we are certainly proud of our heritage. We know that many of today’s coolest products were designed in SOLIDWORKS and that many of the world’s most innovative minds got their start in SOLIDWORKS. I’m happy to say our developers continue to make improvements to all of our SOLIDWORKS tools so I encourage all of our users to check out those new enhancements in SOLIDWORKS 2022.

Create part geometry faster in SOLIDWORKS 2022.

 

The importance of innovation

Despite the success we have had, as a company we must constantly be forward-thinking, always investigating what new technologies offer the most potential to improve how products are developed. We—much like our customers—must continuously innovate and improve what we offer our customers. An unwillingness to innovate puts any company at risk of failure. You have to look no farther than well-known brands such as Kodak, Xerox, Blockbuster, Motorola, or Atari.

Companies, such as Porsche and Ford, understand the importance of innovation and are providing their respective customers with product options that go way beyond traditional offerings. Similar to choosing between two-wheel drive and four-wheel drive, or four doors or two, customers can now decide between propulsion platforms: traditional gasoline, hybrid, or fully electric vehicles. Even Ford’s iconic F150 truck is available in both hybrid and electric models.

Now will all customers rush out and buy these more environmentally friendly options? No, they won’t, but just last week Ford announced it has taken over 150,000 orders for the electric version of the F150, and as a result are hiring 450 people to help meet the demand. The bottom line is that both of these industry leaders made the decision that they needed to be innovative and adopt the technologies that will enable them to grow, not just today but decades into the future.

It is with this in mind that we are now delivering our solutions in myriad of ways so our users can adopt the tools and technologies that are best suited for the unique needs of their businesses. Our users can now choose between solutions that run on the desktop, are cloud-connected or pure cloud tools.

Going beyond the desktop

The 3DEXPERIENCE Works portfolio of tools was designed specifically for businesses and people that use SOLIDWORKS today. These tools enable us to provide our users with capabilities that exceed what was possible on the desktop alone. These include Artificial Intelligence (AI), Generative Design, Sub-D modeling, advanced, multi-axis CNC toolpath creation, advanced nonlinear simulation, advanced data management, and High-Performance Computing (HPC).

Perhaps one of the biggest benefits of adopting our unified solution is our unique platform approach to product development. The 3DEXPERIENCE platform serves as the backbone of the 3DEXPERIENCE Works portfolio.

If the idea of using a platform intimidates you, it shouldn’t. Most likely you interact with cloud-based platforms daily, whether you realize it or not. By definition, platforms are ecosystems that enable and support the exchange of information between groups. A platform makes it possible to connect tools, teams, data, and processes under one digital roof. Think Amazon, Apple, and Facebook—all are platforms. What makes the 3DEXPERIENCE platform different is it’s the only purpose-built business platform for product development.

This platform approach improves efficiencies and workflows, and enables everyone in your organization to have access to a single source of truth. And, this digital continuity spans the entire lifecycle of the product, from concept to design and manufacturing to validation and quality to marketing and sales.

 

Once your SOLIDWORKS data is saved on the 3DEXPERIENCE platform, all your data is automatically managed in a structured environment—no PDM vault or IT infrastructure needed. This resolves a host of issues that lead to costly mistakes when work is being done on files that are not up to date.

By connecting all of your teams in one unified environment and providing access to real-time data, they can innovate, collaborate, and make critical, data-driven decisions faster than ever. As a result, rapid design and engineering iterations can take place with less physical prototyping needed to finalize product development and manufacturing.

It also means customers get products faster, resulting in higher customer retention and lower overhead costs so you can focus on what matters most: creating that next competition-crushing, new product.

Looking back and forward

The original mission of SOLIDWORKS was to provide 3D CAD on every engineers’ desktop, back when the internet and email were considered revolutionary, and most businesses competed locally. Today, nearly 25 years later, the world is connected in ways we could have never imagined possible in 1995. When SOLIDWORKS started 3D modeling was only available to the largest companies with the deepest pockets. SOLIDWORKS allowed anyone to compete regardless of size or experience.

Using 3DEXPERIENCE SOLIDWORKS, access your favorite 3DEXPERIENCE commands from multiple places within SOLIDWORKS, including the File Menu, Command Manager, and Context menu.

 

Today tools in the 3DEXPERIENCE Works portfolio continue that tradition and provide the next logical step, leveling the playing field by providing tools that enable companies of any size to do much more than what is possible on the desktop. Let’s reimagine the future of product development together.

We encourage you all to take you first steps onto the product development platform of the future: the 3DEXPERIENCE platform. You can learn more about tools in the 3DEXPERIENCE Works portfolio here. Click the banner below to learn more about all the exciting new tools and enhancements coming in SOLIDWORKS 2022.

 

 

 

 

 

Gian Paolo Bassi

Gian Paolo Bassi

Gian Paolo Bassi is senior vice president of 3DEXPERIENCE Works.