The Freedom to Create: Highlights from 3DEXPERIENCE World 2021


|
By

The main message of 3DEXPERIENCE World 2021 was loud and clear: the future is here, and it’s online.

Earlier in February, Dassault Systèmes brought 3DEXPERIENCE World 2021 to life in an all-virtual, free-to-attend event. It might have been difficult to tell from behind your computer screen, but this was the biggest-reaching 3DEXPERIENCE World ever. Tens of thousands of engineering designers registered and tuned in from all over the world.

This year’s theme was “The Freedom to Create.” For Dassault Systèmes, this meant the freedom for engineers at any skill level to create 3D designs and collaborate online, from anywhere. This theme carried through several exciting announcements and sessions. If you missed the live show, follow along for the highlights below! (Plus, see how to access on-demand recordings of the sessions led by SolidProfessor engineers!)

Digital transformation is no longer optional for engineering design

In the opening general session, we heard from Dassault Systèmes Vice Chairman of the Board & CEO Bernard Charlès and SOLIDWORKS CEO Gian Paolo Bassi about what the week, and the future of SOLIDWORKS, would look like. The focus was on digitizing processes, integrating tools, and finding new ways to collaborate on work together online.

The opening session drove these points home by referencing a recent McKinsey study that examined how Industry 4.0 technology played a part in the pandemic response for businesses. The outcome of the study suggests that this past year was “a win for companies that had already scaled digital technologies, a reality check for those that were still scaling, and a wake-up call for those that hadn’t started on their Industry 4.0 journeys.”

The rest of the session celebrated digital transformation with innovative stories from Ikea, XsunOffWorld, and even SOLIDWORKS’ own employees who worked together, remotely, to create a digital space station with the 3DEXPERIENCE platform. The theme also carried throughout the rest of the week with several sessions centering on online solutions and strategies for the “new normal.”

Dassault Systèmes unveiled new tools and offerings to support organizations going through a digital transformation

Dassault Systèmes made it clear that they are going all-in on digital transformation and the freedom to design anywhere with a few key announcements.

3DEXPERIENCE Works is now a complete set of cloud-based tools. Dassault Systèmes kept their promise from last year’s show to double down on the 3DEXPERIENCE platform. 3DEXPERIENCE Works has evolved quickly from a lofty promise to a functional, collaborative platform for engineers, managers, manufacturers, and even marketers and other roles. Within 3DEXPERIENCE Works, users can find the same tools they know and love, like SOLIDWORKS and DraftSight, but fully operable in the cloud. 3DEXPERIENCE Works also has many new tools built-in like a Project Planner, a CNC machine programmer, instant messaging and communication tools, and much more. Use cases for these tools were demonstrated in many sessions throughout the week.

Dassault Systèmes announces new 3DEXPERIENCE SOLIDWORKS subscription packages for students and makers. To further support digital transformation, Dassault Systèmes unveiled two new subscription models aimed at giving students and hobbyists access to SOLIDWORKS from anywhere. Many students and professionals have relied on Onshape and Fusion 360 for cloud-based CAD, but these options from SOLIDWORKS present a new alternative. Here’s a breakdown of the two new packages:

3DEXPERIENCE SOLIDWORKS for Students
Price: $60 per year
Available: May 2021
Includes: cloud-based 3D Design tools, online community of peers and experts, Industry-recognized certifications

3DEXPERIENCE SOLIDWORKS for Makers
Price: $9.99 per month or $90 per year
Available: TBA
Includes: SOLIDWORKS Professional, SOLIDWORKS 3D Creator, SOLIDWORKS 3D Sculptor, and other collaborative tools

3DEXPERIENCE WORLD 2021

Get more out of 3DEXPERIENCE Works and SOLIDWORKS with these on-demand sessions by SolidProfessor engineers

This year, SolidProfessor engineers led two sessions at 3DEXPERIENCE World! Hundreds of attendees tuned in to hear some training tips and SOLIDWORKS tutorials from our in-house experts. If you missed these sessions live, don’t worry — they’re now available on-demand!

To watch the recordings below, you’ll need to create a free 3DEXPERIENCE World account or login now.

Creating Custom Designs in SOLIDWORKS Based on Imported Geometry
Our Product Manager of Content and R&D Services, James Jepsen, led an in-depth SOLIDWORKS tutorial at 3DEXPERIENCE World. Viewers learned how to make custom designs by building on existing geometry (rather than creating a design from scratch), how to leverage imported part geometry found online to build new designs, and how to manipulate surfaces on-the-fly with the Freeform command.
Watch the On-Demand Session Recording Here >>
Watch the On-Demand Q&A Recording Here >>

Not Like Riding a Bike: Get the Most Out of Your CAD Software with Training
SolidProfessor Co-Founder and CEO, Pedro Santana, led this engaging session about how to build a sustainable training approach for engineering design teams. The session walked through three keys to success: have a long-term perspective, create space for learning, and maintain momentum. The session also helped to identify training “triggers,” or events that already exist in your organization that are prime opportunities for training, such as new software implementation and new product releases.
Watch the On-Demand Session Recording Here >>
Watch the On-Demand Q&A Recording Here >>


Claire Juozitis
About the Author

SolidProfessor commercial content writer and unironic classic rock record collector