Dassault Tools

[Christina Smith]

DassaultSystmes (also known as 3DS) grew out of the aerospace industry's search for more sophisticated drafting tools to streamline the development process and aid in the increasing complexity of aviation design. Dassault Systmes spun out in 1981 (as part of Dassault Group) to develop and market their 3D surface design software CATI, later renamed CATIA. That same year, Dassault Systmes signed a sales and marketing agreement with IBM, allowing IBM to resell the CATIA CAD software.[3]

In the 1990s, Dassault Systmes' software was used to develop seven out of every ten new airplanes and four out of every ten new cars worldwide. Major players in the aviation and automotive industries, including Honda, Mercedes-Benz, BMW and Boeing, were able to design and mock-up their products in CATIA rather than using CAD programs and physical prototypes. The Boeing 777, the Falcon 2000 business jet, and the Rafale jet fighter were designed using CATIA.[3]

Dassault Systmes launched an initial public offering (IPO) on both the Paris Bourse and Nasdaq in 1996.[4] Following its success, the next year, the company acquired SolidWorks and Deneb Robotics, which later became part of the DELMIA brand, and additional software to build toward product lifecycle management (PLM). The SolidWorks acquisition strengthened Dassault Systmes' 2D drafting capacity and provided entry into the Microsoft market, while other acquisitions added digital manufacturing software to the product lineup. These acquisitions paved the way for Dassault Systmes to introduce a total manufacturing system with their subsidiary brand, DELMIA, in 1998. The new offering enabled access to data across the spectrum of manufacturing processes, while remaining independent of the CAD environment.[3]

By the end of 1998, the CAD software industry vendors were devising strategies to become internet-enabled. The main focus was to enable the viewing of 3D models in web browsers and build interfaces to product data management (PDM) systems. Dassault Systmes was one of the leaders in enabling these functions for its users. The company benefited from their experience integrating CAD software across networks for the Boeing 777 project, and had already made moves toward internet-enabled CAD software in 1996 with CATIA Conferencing Groupware; which enabled review and annotation of models using the internet. The introduction of ENOVIA further marked their industry-leading place by providing internet-enabled PDM and 3D product lifecycle management. Dassault Systmes' acquisitions continued into 1999, when two CAD software vendors were purchased: Matra Datavision and Smart Solutions. Also in 1999, Dassault Systmes released CATIA Version 5, which was the first version to be fully implemented in the Microsoft Windows environment.[5]

As the demand for digital and virtual experiences increased in 2000, Dassault Systmes launched DELMIA, which provides digital manufacturing tools for virtual planning, simulating, and modeling of production processes.[6]

The mid-2000s heralded a series of acquisitions for Dassault Systmes to improve their product offerings and expand their market reach, and Dassault Systmes launched new software and tools. In 2005, Dassault Systmes sought to improve the quality of 3D interactions and simulations. First they acquired Abaqus, a US-based company specializing in software that allows engineers to simulate and observe the performance of components in products.[7]

Then they acquired Virtools, software that enables companies to create 3D applications.[8] The following year, the company extended its market reach into high-tech, consumer products, and medical devices through the acquisition of MatrixOne, which would be linked with ENOVIA.[9] In 2007, subsidiary brand 3DVIA was launched to create a social network and content community for 3D artists and modelers.

As the 2000s progressed, Dassault Systmes began to enter online applications and build toward more online applications for product data management, collaboration, realistic simulation and more. Examples of this strategy include the purchase or launch of brands such as EXALEAD for information intelligence, NETVIBES for business analytics, 3DEXCITE for marketing, and GEOVIA for modeling the planet. In 2012, the company launched the 3DEXPERIENCE platform to connect its software applications.

CATIA under the 3DEXPERIENCE platform enables users to go beyond physical product definition to model any product in the context of its real-life behavior. Systems, architects, engineers, designers and all contributors collaborate on fit, form, function, and customer experience.[10]

Dassault Systmes also began to offer its version of digital twins, which the company calls virtual twin experiences and are powered by the 3DEXPERIENCE platform. Virtual twins help companies visualize, model and simulate an entire environment to explore how a product or process will behave when assembled, operated or subjected to a range of events.

Throughout the decade, Dassault Systmes advanced into the life sciences and healthcare industry, including launching the Living Heart Project[21] for simulating heart function in 2014 and acquiring subsidiary brand MEDIDATA for managing clinical trials, in 2019.

In late 2022, Dassault Systmes, along with French companies Docaposte, Bouygues Telecom and Banque des Territoires, announced plans to create Numspot, a joint effort to build a European sovereign cloud service for the financial, health and public sectors that would rely on the infrastructure of 3DS Outscale.[citation needed]

In recent years, Dassault Systmes has been named Forbes' World's Most Innovative Companies, Corporate Knights' World's Most Sustainable Corporations, Forbes' World's Best Employers and Fortune's Future 50 companies with the strongest long-term growth potential.[30][31][32][33] They have also been included in the Dow Jones Sustainability Indices, have received an MSCI ESG "AAA" rating and received a "Platinum Medal" rating from EcoVadis based on an assessment of environment, labor and human rights issues, and ethics and sustainable procurement criteria.[34]

DraftSight offers licensing plans at a variety of price points to fit every budget. Customers can choose from named-user, network, or perpetual licensing. This allows you and your team to continue working in a way that makes the most sense for you. DraftSight provides a range of pricing options to suit different needs and budgets.

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DraftSight can be easily integrated with SOLIDWORKS 3D CAD using the same Network License Manager, which enables clients to add DraftSight licenses to existing network license pools. DraftSight Enterprise integrates seamlessly with other Dassault Systmes and SOLIDWORKS solutions and services, allowing for easy collaboration and management of DWG files. SOLIDWORKS and DraftSight are designed to work together smoothly, providing worry-free CAD software.

DraftSight Enterprise offers network licensing and higher-level support, while Enterprise Plus adds 3D Modeling and 2D Constraints, and advanced features. Both versions can be purchased from SOLIDWORKS resellers.

DraftSight Mechanical includes all the features in DraftSight Premium, plus advanced features that allow you to update drawings containing mechanical entities in DWG format. You have the flexibility to work with DWG data on premises with DraftSight Mechanical or on the cloud with 3DEXPERIENCE DraftSight Mechanical.

Additionally, DraftSight can be connected to the cloud for remote collaboration and data access. The 3DEXPERIENCE DraftSight combines DraftSight and the 3DEXPERIENCE platform to address design challenges.

Dassault Aviation has unveiled a new flight planning tool that allows Falcon pilots to select the most fuel efficient route and reduce excess fuel carried using updated global wind data, optimization and performance model-specific algorithms.

FalconWays was evaluated over a campaign of long flights between the U.S. and Europe and across Asia, as well as in numerous simulations. During actual flights using FalconWays, crews were able to reduce fuel consumption up to seven percent.

The new application allows pilots to download worldwide wind information and combine it with imported operational flight plans, in-house performance tools, and vertical, lateral and mach number optimization data in order to recompute the flight plan. Falcons equipped with SATCOM can update the database en-route on long flights to further optimize the trajectory. Vertical and lateral trajectory optimization can be carried out before or during the flight.

The company will first roll out FalconWays on the new Falcon 6X extra widebody twinjet, set to enter service in the coming weeks. The app will be available on the Falcon 8X early next year, on the 7X before the end of 2024 and Falcon 2000LXS/S by early 2025.

FalconWays is a pilot dedicated application, designed in-house by Dassault Engineering and flight operations teams. Their efforts have generated seven patents and led to the creation of a number of advanced algorithms for improving flight efficiency.

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