The CAD Insider

Getting the 3DEXPERIENCE in Las Vegas

LAS VEGAS, NV (3DEXPERIENCE) — In a city that is famous for experience, though most of them negative ones, we are being advised how experience counts more than product and services.

Ken Clayton, VP Americas Market and Global Sales Operations, opens Dassault's 3DEXPERIENCE in Las Vegas. Click here for the opening keynote video on YouTube.

You thought it was about the coffee? Nope, it's the experience.

What else would account for Starbucks? Ken Clayton, Dassault’s vice president of worldwide sales, tells how he goes there with his daughters, paying premium prices for coffee he could make at home. But he and his daughters have made it an event, an annual let’s-say-we-are-shopping-for-mom Christmas Eve that has become a fond memory. It wasn’t about the coffee, after all. It was the experience.

Product, Nature and Life. Bernard Charles preaches the new Trinity

Bernard Charlès, Dassault’s CEO, whose vision often exceeds the grasp of mere mortals, is preaching of a harmony between “product, nature and life.”

It is a message of a higher ideal, a balance of things, applicable to our existence, but can it be applied to our business? It is delivered by Ken, Monica Menghini (executive vice president, Corporate Strategy, Industry and Marketing), and Bernard, as they stand on the main stage, on top of the still very cryptic symbol they call the compass, (see below) which has all the mystery of secret sect. Does it control them?

Dassault's compass exerts its mysterious power over presenters at the 3DEXPERIENCE

Bernard has to tie a lot together. The company, once known primarily for its design software, CATIA, has grown by leap and bounds to encompass (get it?) mining, chemical modeling, Web technology (Netvibes, Exalead) and more. It’s a struggle for those who have followed Dassault from early on to keep up.

One analyst asks Bernard why Dassault keeps going after other verticals—ones the analyst is not familiar with.

With infinite patience, the wise Bernard tells how Dassault has reached saturation with the tools we have in place for design and manufacture. We must now adjust the process.

And what of industries which are new to Dassault?

“We want to be the catalyst,” Bernard says. Connecting disciplines that were never before connected.

He points to Accelrys (now called Biovia) as a perfect example. Here were chemists who were modeling molecular interaction in 2D. When they were showed 3D, it made the more complicated modeling behavior possible. Would this lead to more scientific discoveries, as suggested by one Dassault ad?

Dassault a Company with Heart

Dassault modeled the heart in 3D and it is being used in medical research. Click here for video.

The living heart is another example in medicine. Dassault has modeled a human heart, using modeling and simulation tools that previously had been used for aviation and automotive, accomplishing what medical technology, with all its billions of dollars, has not. Doctors have to explain to patients their conditions using fuzzy 2D images, grade-school quality charts and, if they are lucky, plastic models. Spines and knee joints form some recent unfortunate memories. Dassault has already made a walk-thru beating heart at its US headquarters in Waltham and displayed a holographic-type display at the show. Bernard dreams of a near future where state-of-the-art CAD technology is used in multiple new ways.

Click to see Bernard's keynote at 3DEXPERIENCE 2014 on YouTube

The affable Bernard again answered question patiently, smiling—never to condescend though clearly the room could not rise to his visionary prowess.

What are you doing with IoT, said one reporter, citing the Internet of Things, which seems to be the buzzword these days.

“Netvibes [acquired by Dassault] will be able to connect smart objects on the Internet,” said Bernard, deftly affirming that Dassault’s role had exceeded what is seen as the current cutting edge technology. No further questions on that subject.

Obviously, the press cannot keep up with Bernard. Dassault is not content with just designing the airplane anymore. That’s just a little bit of what an aircraft company does. That company needs to do market research, create winning proposals and collaborate with diverse and far-flung teams who not only have to devise a new airplane, they have to put it together. Then they have to sell it.

Dassault Systemes Takes Off From Planes

Aviation has long been Dassault’s forte. Automotive also. But only insofar as the design and manufacture. Through acquisition, Dassault has bought its way into other industries, something its followers from the press contingent are having trouble with. What would a company like Dassault know about arranging shelves in a retail store, would be another question that Bernard would have to field.

Again, the chief visionary to the rescue. Bernard explains how some of these industries would benefit from the automation that our industries have taken for granted. There may be NO other software for arranging shelves. Wouldn’t a retailer love the kind of tools we have? Tools that can model? Visualize?

It remains to be seen if industries such as retail would embrace modeling as much as manufacturing industries have. Other industries, such as mining, where there may be some software penetration already (Bentley, Trimble), may be less of a stretch. 

Dassault 3D Experience is Explained

LAS VEGAS (Dassault 3DEXPERIENCE), Nov 13, 2013 -  I love listening to Bernard Charles. I might be a sucker for the thick French accent. Or is it his delivery? The Dassault CEO gives a big smile after every sentence. He must be friendly in person, though I haven't met him.

Bernard Charles, CEO of Dassault Systemes, and the dashing Monica Menghini, EVP of Dassault marketing (seated), are trying very hard to explain 3DEXPERIENCE to the press at Dassault's annual American gathering of users. They've been at it for over a year. (see previous coverage).

The Smartest People in the Room

Are they just too smart...their concepts too advanced? "3DEXPERIENCE is a platform. V6 is an architecture." Huh? Us CAD guys are used to connecting functions to software. Design with CATIA. Analyze with SIMULIA. Like that. But these guys are trying to raise us to a new level. From the back of the room, I see pens in mid air. Normally, we're a dutiful crowd, busy with our pens, recording it all. But words are failing us now. And then, finally, some gather the courage to question, to try to bring the talk down to a level we can all get. But Charles and Monica remain undaunted. Their higher ideals are not to be brought down to the mundane, this product for this purpose for this price. I do admire people with ideals. 

I try to get some CAD insiders to dumb it down for me, but they seem equally befuddled. And one is actually a whip-smart young dude so it's not my advanced years blocking new ideas. Whew. One or two of the analysts (these guys are paid to know a thing or two --unlike us press types) do attempt to give me an interpretation of Charles's wisdom. But they differ. 

There must be an explanation. I wend my way to the show floor, past posters of icebergs pulled across oceans and cars with wings, which only further my sense of not getting it. Some of those product guys must be able to tell me what this 3D EXPERIENCE is.

Refuge in CATIA

I go for the heart of the matter, the CATIA booth. I know CATIA, what it does well, who uses it and for what. If there is one product Dassault is known for, it's CATIA. I get CATIA. I'll ground myself there and then see if 3DEXPERIENCE can be explained from that vantage point. But what I see on the screens appears to show 2 cars in motion, looking something like systems modeling. Oh, no they've changed CATIA. It's hopeless.

Erik Bolognini, Sr Technical Sales Specialist for Dassault, is a CAD guy but able to explain 3DEXPERIENCE. Finally.

The show floor is serving as a reception, with food and drink in wide supply. Erik Bolognini is not having either. I sense this guy is serious.

"We're showing a simulation of the cruise control," says Erik. The software is showing how a car can sense another in front of it and adjust it's speed. Very cool ... but it's not CATIA.

No, it's Dynmola used for system engineering. CATIA is a modeler. But the interface blurs the lines. An automotive engineer and go from CATIA to Dymola seamlessly. In fact, there is other software they can use, including SolidWorks. Dassault will package the design, analysis and system software together. The automotive engineer can get all their needs met, have a good experience...ohhhhh! a 3DEXPERIENCE. So the 3DEXPERIENCE is really a package of software? Erik nods. Oh, for gods sake. Why don't they just say that? I can handle packages and bundles.

I can't help but ask how much for the automotive 3DEXPERIENCE? Erik, Sr Technical Sales Specialist, can't tell me. I guess there is still some knowledge just out of reach for mere mortals, even Erik.

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Hurricane Monica Sweeping Through Dassault

Dassault Conference, Pt 1 - Bernard Comes Down From the Mountain

Dassault Debuts Compass Magazine

Dassault Conference, Pt 2 - Dassault Plans World Domination

Dassault Conference, Pt 3 - Dassault Mines for Credibility

Nov 11, 2012, ORLANDO, FL (3DEXPERIENCE FORUM North America) – CEO Bernard Charles gave a hint of how he hopes Dassault will achieve credibility as he targets new industries with the recent Gemcom acquisition (see press release )

CATIA and SolidWorks were probably in use for the design of earth mining machinery. But what of the geologic analysis, the planning and management of the mines, etc.? Dassault was only scratching the surface (ha ha, get it?).

Dassault solved this problem by going out and buying the mining software market leader, Gemcom (its product will be renamed GEOVIA by the time you read this). Gemcom was such a force to be reckoned with that mining terms are named after the founder of the company, according to Bernard. Everyone in mining knows Gemcom, like everyone in airplanes knows CATIA. With this acquisition, Dassault bought itself instant credibility.

Can Dassault keep buying market leading software? The company reports $1.6 billion of cash and cash equivalents. It could buy 4 more companies the size of Gemcom outright.

Still miners don’t know the Dassault name. But that is slated to change. Dassault is targeting corporate name recognition from the high vantage of national advertising campaigns (remember the iceberg commercial) along with a marketing maverick – more on that later.

If Gemcom serves as an example, look for Dassault to try to achieve market penetration and leadership by buying industry leading software while at the same time increasing its name recognition to the world at large, Impressing the public, which includes stockholders, other approvers, as well as targeted industries. Why not establish the ideas that that Dassault is a huge company with a world vision, one that acts with the whole world in mind? This 2 pronged approach, which relies on establishing name familiarity, would be vital in prevent skeptics from asking “Who the heck is Dassault. Don’t they make software that designs airplanes?” Instead, they would remember a company that is good, green, benign, friendly, smiling… a personification of Bernard Charles himself, intent on saving the world – and, incidentaly, a comany you can count on to do your job. 

Dassault Debuts Compass Magazine

Nov 5, 2012, ORLANDO, FL (3DEXPERIENCE FORUM North America) - Dassault chose the opening press reception of its annual US conference and user meeting (formerly Dassault Systemes Customer Conference, or DSSC), to announce Compass, it's new in-house print magazine.

Chief editor Michael Marshall introduces us to Compass, Dassault's beautiful new magazine.

Compass is printed in France, available in several languages (including English), and features subjects as far reaching as CEO Bernard Charles' vision, which extends far beyond the mere design of planes, trains and automobiles. It's debut issue is hardly the nuts-and-bolts user interest stories of Contact magazine (Dassault's old in-house magazine) but meant to appeal to a "higher" level of reader: those further up the corporate food chain. In its debut issue are departments such as Society, Education, Art...it even  has book club recommendations.

If anything, Compass wants to put a focus on the "3DEXPERIENCE," the concept which Dassault has been mentioning in just about every corporate communiqué for a several months now.

It's a beautiful magazine. Glossy. Big. It will look great in corporate office lobbies, which I am sure is its intention. It looks like money. Trade press publishers, most trying just to keep the lights on, will be jealous. Vanity press, they'll say. Does anyone read that stuff?

COMPASS debut issues opens to Bernard Charles smiling face. Turn the page and Monica Menghini, EVP of Marcom, greets us from her own page. Almost lost in the ensuing fine print is chief editor Michael Marshall.

Michael, who handled customer stories for Dassault, tells me that anyone and everyone who wants it can subscribe, you don't have to be a Dassault customer. Michael tells me of stories he is going to be working on. New technologies. Interesting people. Now I'm jealous.

The magazine features advertising, though in the debut issue, the ads were gratis for Dassult partners, including NVIDIA, Lenovo, Wacom, others.

Is it any wonder that big companies put out its own magazine? Google does it. So does Bentley, ANSYS. MSC. They are bright, colorful magazines, on thick paper. It leaves companies free to create their own marketing vehicles, promote the customers they are proud of, brag of new products and initiatives. They can break free of page limits imposed by trade press and not be subjected to the editors who change the stories -- if they run them at all.

Find out more, and subscribe, at www.3ds.com/compassmag

Dassault Systemes: Elite Status Not Enough

LAKE BUENA VISTA, Florida (2008 COE* Annual PLM Conference) Dassault Systemes is a company best known for CATIA, which, in turn, is best known for designing airplanes and cars. CATIA's firm unshakeable hold on the automotive and aerospace design market is due to its power, depth and complexity. Its elite status in the CAD community is assured. However, it is precisely that status that Dassault needs to get behond in order to achieve the next stated goal: to provide the 3D software of choice among non-designers and non-engineers.

Dassault Systemes CEO Bernard Charles talks to himself in a virtual appearance at annual user meeting

Respect from engineers notwithstanding, there are only so many big auto companies and even less aircraft companies. How is a company supposed to grow in such a limited market? Dassault could mine its customers good will and sell more products to the exiting base (Dassault's portfolio does contain over 160 products), they can get new customers by acquisition (MatrixOne, SolidWorks, ICEM, etc.) but their goals are even more ambitious. Seizing on its roots in 3D technology, why not drive 3D data to the purchasing agent, to the sales people, to management? And once 3D has spread to the entire company and over the walls to vendors and customers, why not shoot for the sky: the consumers market?

I'm trying to imagine how Dassault products would appeal to consumers. I imagine a Game Boy version of CATIA, flashy and fun, but the image breaks up. Wasn't there a Cosmic Blob that did some fun modeling by SolidWorks? Whatever happened with that?

3DLive uses turntable interface for exploring components in an assembly

Bernard Charles, CEO of DS, shows the assembled audience some new stuff. Bernard is not here in person, but there are two of him on the screen. One is an avatar (surely you must have made one of yourself  on Second Life?) and the other is a video image. One of them apologizes for not being here in person, this being the first COE he has missed. But I think he is making a point. He is here virtually, in multiple ways, in 3D. Physically being here is overrated.

The Bernards go on to show me bold, brave, fun things, all 3D. One product takes not only disassembles a 3D model of a machine but puts it on a revolving turntable (see picture). Some one was eating at a Chinese restaurant when they thought of this. Not very CATIA-like, to be sure, but maybe because of that, its animated interface, uncluttered with menus and devoid of complex command chains, is easy to understand. If I was a purchasing agent, I wouldn't be scared of CATIA and 3D solid models any more. I'd be thinking "Yeah, I can do that."

I scan the audience for a response but these guys are like poker players. I can't quite read them. It's an older crowd than you'd find at the SolidWorks meetings. They are here to educate themselves mostly, add to their expertise of CATIA, of SMARTEAM and take that knowledge back to their companies. They need to make their landing gear parts, their automobile hoods, tame the bursting database that holds the metadata of an entire jet aircraft. They are many who are top guns with many years of CATIA experience, but right now they look like dads who are worried about their jobs or their work going overseas and how they are going to pay the kids college tuition.

Picking up tips and tricks in the classes are going to make them indispensable. When the virtual Bernards are finished on the main stage, they trudge off to the class rooms. Must learn more. Must work harder.

*CATIA Operators Exchange, the CATIA users group.

The French Connection - IBM and Dassult

The IBM/Dassault reletionship was once very easy to understand: Dassault made the CATIA software and IBM made the workstations the software ran on. Remember those specialized and very expensive CAD workstations with special hardware controls with rotating knobs for 3D? Now that those workstations are gone and IBM's role seems to be selling and supporting Dassault software in US and Canada. But lately IBM has been phasing out its service relationships. So what is the current IBM/Dassault relationship?

At the recent COE 2007, officials from both companies tried to assure us the Dassault/IBM relationship is stronger than ever. IBM confirmed that they will be handling a smaller number of customers and customers will be  transitioned from IBM coverage to Dassault coverage. However, IBM still states adamantly that it is not phasing out Dassault, and is in fact, keeping "1200 of  the biggest customers." Dassault says IBM is selling even more Dassault products.

Probably the most curious aspect of this relationship, which has spanned 25 years, is that both parties have remained faithful to each other -- at least in the US. Though there has never been a contractual obligation of exclusivity, neither party has offered rival products and services.

It's hard to believe a handshake still works.

ICEM: If You Have to Ask, You Can't Afford It

LAS VEGAS, NV (COE 2007), April 30, 2007 - Some highlights from press conference held by Dassault:

• ICEM will continue to support interfaces to CAD products, even if they compete with CATIA and SolidWorks. "It makes us look good to have our competitors use our products."
• There are no plans to change the pricing for ICEM, which now "starts at $35-40K." Asked if this was the most expensive product in Dassault's portfolio (Dassault's average selling price is about $16,000), Dassault's Andy Reilly smiled and indicated, no, not by a long shot.
• Asked to confirm a rumor that the acquisition of ICEM was a result of Dassault's inability to create the same tools in house, Reilly said this was not the case. There was no large scale scale development project that Dassault was scrapping. Dassault does have various surface tools, that's true, but development of high end surfacing as found in ICEM was not under development. The surfacing tools already developed at Dassault can and will be used with ICEM.

Dassault Buys ICEM, Part 2: Lots of Happy People at ICEM

LAS VEGAS, NV (COE 2007), April 30, 2007 - Being at the annual CATIA user meeting gave me a chance to follow up on "Dassault Systemes Buys ICEM: Ongoing Consolidation," which appeared here yesterday.

ICEM got its start at Volkswagen, where it was developed in house for doing styling. In 1998, PTC bought ICEM for $41 million to "get into Ford." This did not achieve the desired results. PTC unloaded it 4 years later in a management buy out. Though the price was disclosed at the time, PTC tells me they sold it for $10M. PTC may have lost $31M on the deal but it was quite a bargain for as ICEM's management as ICEM's revenue (now) are about $20M annually.

All told, ICEM as it netted a total of over $100M from the deals ($31M profit after PTC plus the $70M Dassault is paying now) -- a very nice turn of events for whoever has equity in ICEM. ICEM has about a hundred people so that's an average of of $1 million per employee -- though I doubt it is distributed that way.

Dassault Systemes Buys ICEM: Ongoing Consolidation

Dassault recently announced it was going to buy ICEM (see press release). Is this yet another example of a big CAD company gobbling up a smaller one? Or does it change the game?

The other leading surface modeler, Alias, was acquired by Autodesk more than a year ago. This did not seem to ring alarms with high end MCAD vendors who probably expect Autodesk, a self-professed vendor of CAD for the masses, to relegate Alias to the design of toasters and toothbrushes. Autodesk would not be expected to encroach on their contracts with Big Auto, Big Air and "Tier 1" suppliers, the most highly coveted customers in the CAD world.

But Dassault buying ICEM -- that's a different story.

Lamborghini Murcielago -- styling by ICEM.

ICEM is already in use by automakers, aircraft and consumer product companies world wide, the giants in industry. It is widely recognized as an industry leader in sophisticated surface modeling. A win with these companies can mean thousands of licenses of CAD software, continued revenue with annual maintenance fees, earn big-time bragging rights for the vendor -- not to mention make a salesperson's career.

With ICEM, Dassault has gained important technology that is valuable for manufacturing companies in automotive, aerospace and consumer products. These companies may have used ICEM for surfaces while using MCAD products such as Pro/ENGINEER and Unigraphaphics for modeling and manufacturing. Dassault may hope to exploit the ICEM/CATIA connection, a strong connection already but bound to only get stronger now that the products are under one roof. Does this place existing PTC and UGS installations at risk and give Dassault an extra advantage for new sales?

Leveraging ICEM to gain shares in the automotive market is what PTC hoped to do when it acquired ICEM in 1998. PTC must have had little success, as it unloaded ICEM only four years later, spinning it off as a separate company.

Probably the competition most affected is UGS which until now could claim it had a more robust surface product than CATIA.

While Dassault may not entirely change the game with this acquisition, it does scores an important victory in the minds of all CAD users with this acquisition. Dassault's CATIA already enjoys a rarefied reputation among engineers. Ten years ago, CATIA had already been used to model the entire Boeing 777 -- down to the nuts and bolts. This was when other MCAD products were still getting off the ground (get it?) proudly showing a landing gear assembly with dozens, that's right, dozens of parts. Now add to CATIA's reputation with a product that can create the sexy curves of the world's most seductive cars and you have a killer combination of strength and sex appeal.