A Look Back at Day One of 3DEXPERIENCE World 2024

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Excitement was in the air in Dallas as we collectively kicked off 3DEXPERIENCE World 2024. General sessions began with a welcome greeting from Gian Paolo Bassi, Senior Vice President of 3DEXPERIENCE Works, who drove onto the stage in a classic Shelby Cobra that retrofitted to be a fully electric car. GP reminded the crowd of 4,700 attendees from over 30 countries that 2024 marks the 25th anniversary of this event. 

Next up we welcomed Bernard Charles, Dassault Systemes Executive Chairman of the Board. He announced that he will be passing the reigns to Pascal Daloz, who will become the new CEO of Dassault Systemes. Although Pascal was unable to join us this year, Bernard conveyed his confidence in the new CEO’s ability to lead the company into the future.

Together, Bernard and Pascal envision a new world of design. “Together, we have a legacy of trust and empowerment. From 2D to 3D. From desktop to platform. From product to experience. We build on this powerful heritage. It’s a legacy of investment.”

Bernard spoke about the investment Dassault Systemes made back in 1997 when it acquired a startup, SOLIDWORKS. Next the company moved to the next partnership for synergy: SOLIDWORKS was provided with an engine for scalability—the 3DEXPERIENCE platform and the Cloud.

He also discussed the new economy, one in which products regenerate themselves. The future of design is designing the product’s next life. We used to manage the lifecycle of a product. For the next 25 years, we will be managing the multiple lives of a product. Life is magic. And the magic of design is back!”

Next, he shared some exciting news about new patented technology, straight from DS R&D. Imagine the power of AI combined with Modeling and Simulation, or MODSIM. Bernard provided an example of using AI to design a handlebar for an electric bike.

“Bringing MODSIM and AI together is an unparalleled opportunity to bring life to shapes.” DS is not new to AI. Dassault Systèmes filled its first AI patent over a decade ago and Bernard reminds the audience that “Generative AI is an intrinsic part of the fabric of the platform.”

Perhaps most exciting to the thousands of attendees was when Bernard made the announcement that this new AI-empowered design experiences will be available in all Dassault Systemes design apps by the end of the year.

Michael Jackson, the VP of Research at CADENCE, joined SOLIDWORKS CEO Manish Kumar on stage to announce a partnership to provide an integrated electromechanical solution for SOLIDWORKS users.  Michael shared with the audience that he believes this new integration will provide “electrical and mechanical engineers with an unparalleled collaboration experience” and will “accelerate end-to-end electromechanical systems development process, while optimizing designs across often conflicting technology and business requirements.”

Manish also provided updates on DraftSight, HomeByMe, and the new AI-empowered features being incorporated into SOLIDWORKS design tools.

Suchit Jain, Vice President of Strategy and Community for 3DEXPERIENCE Works, took the time to celebrate the 7.5 million creators (engineers, designers, makers, students, and entrepreneurs) that make up the amazing SOLIDWORKS community. Suchit highlighted some of the incredible innovations being created by its members; innovations that will improve our world. “Your creations have the ability to change the world for the better, and with SOLIDWORKS and the 3DEXPERIENCE platform, you’re equipped to do so.”

Up next were two customers who got their start in the SOLIDWORKS for Startups Program. Suchit first brought up to the stage Linas Gelazankas, the creator of DBOX, a game changer in fully autonomous drones. DBOX, or Drone in a Box, is the world’s most advanced autonomous drone integrated with AI-powered software. Using the company’s technology, a fleet of drones could be managed automonously and deployed for various tasks, such as assisting first responders.

Up next was Kevin Huang, cofounder and CEO of Gluxkind, a startup that developed an award-winning AI stroller to ensure that parents and their little ones can explore and navigate the world safely and comfortably. The stroller provides hands-free strolling and actually can rock the baby while strolling.

The team at Gluxind used SOLIDWORKS to design and simulate the “Ella” stroller and the 3DEXPERIENCE platform enabled the geographically diverse team to easily collaborate and bring the stroller from idea to production in just three years.

Our keynote, Dr. Lonnie Johnson, gave an inspiring talk on the evolution of technology. Johnson’s diverse career spans many decades and he has played a key role in innovations in myriad industries, having served in engineering and analyst positions at NASA and the U.S. Air Force where he worked with the world’s most advanced robots at the time.

Perhaps what Dr. Johnson is most well-known for inventing the Super Soaker, which changed the squirt gun game forever. He also holds over 100 patents.

Dr. Johnson then focused on more serious global issues, in particular the search for more renewable energy sources. As the world continues to see the effects of climate change, more research needs to be dedicated to technologies that support renewable energies, and batteries will play a key role in storing that energy.

In the U.S. a significant portion of electricity generated is rejected as “waste heat.”  According to Johnson, there is $190 billion of electricity available every year from global waste heat. Unfortunately, up to 69% of the energy generated by primary sources is wasted. One of his innovations, the Johnson Thermo-Electrochemical Converter (JTEC), reduces the amount of waste heat from 69% to 40%.

Johnson’s continued dedication to solving the renewable energy storage problem resulted in Johnson Energy Storage, a company that aims to develop a proprietary, solid-state battery with high-energy density made of ceramics, glass and metal that doubles the drive time of today’s lithium batteries, from 300 to 600 miles.

He closed out by discussing the evolution of both technology and humans, and the role Artificial Intelligence (AI) will play in our future. He asks the question “How might our use of technology accelerate human evolution?” He also broached the topic of whether we will ever reengineer ourselves through use of things such as genetic engineering and bio-mechanical devices. He certainly left us all with a lot to think about.

We hope you join us for General Sessions tomorrow for Day Two of 3DEXPERIENCE World where the focus will be on the amazing innovations being created by our customers. If you would like to join us and you are not in Dallas, be sure to tune in at 8:30AM CT to our exclusive coverage of the event on SOLIDWORKS Live at 3DEXPERIENCE World.

If you missed the action today at 3DEXPERIENCE World, watch the video below to get caught up!

SOLIDWORKS

SOLIDWORKS

Dassault Systèmes SolidWorks Corp. offers complete 3D software tools that let you create, simulate, publish, and manage your data. SolidWorks products are easy to learn and use, and work together to help you design products better, faster, and more cost-effectively. The SolidWorks focus on ease-of-use allows more engineers, designers and other technology professionals than ever before to take advantage of 3D in bringing their designs to life.
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