Can the advanced simulation capabilities that SOLIDWORKS offers on the 3DEXPERIENCE Works platform become a bridge to an even broader use of these and other SaaS and cloud platform capabilities? I posed this question to SOLIDWORKS CEO, Gian Paolo Bassi, and his answer is interesting.

“Yes,” he said, “I think that once the users discover the flexibility, convenience and value of working in the cloud, which could be triggered by the need to use advanced simulation or by the need to have data management without the infrastructure overhead, then the adoption of other roles will be easier and more natural, so to speak. It is more logical these days to have a cloud strategy for any manufacturing company. Just as the internet is ubiquitous and being connected is part of our lives, so will this be true for any application. Desktop computers will gradually end up like DVD players—do you still have one?”

Clearly, Bassi makes an important point. You can do a lot with an SaaS and cloud platform, such as Dassault Systèmes’ 3DEXPERIENCE Works. The field of simulation and analysis is one example—but the real question is whether the SOLIDWORKS community, after the giant step they took into desktop 3D CAD in 1995, will once again dare to take the revolutionary path.

So far, the response to Bassi and his coworkers’ wishes for a breakthrough with Dassault’s cloud platform and the possibilities it brings, has been a bit tepid. However, that can change quickly, claims senior simulation consultant at Dassault Euronorth, Mattias Robertsson, stating that simulation could turn out to be the area that can bridge the way into the cloud for the SOLIDWORKS user community.

“All new technology takes time to break through and the benefit we can provide to users controls how fast development takes place in the market. The development tools available on the 3DEXPERIENCE platform are a good complement to the existing desktop solutions. There’s no doubt about that; however, there’s always a challenge to change oneself and one's own processes within the company. It may be easier for start-ups to start directly with cloud technology, which is a matter of course for the younger generation,” Robertsson says, adding that in simulation, he sees great opportunities in giving the SOLIDWORKS users access to the latest advanced technology from Dassault’s CAE suite, SIMULIA.

Explosive Interest Paves The Way For Cloud Simulation. For those who work in SOLIDWORKS environments, there are good reasons to try Dassault Systèmes SOLIDWORKS's 3DEXPERIENCE Works alternative. On this platform users get access to all the power and software capacity that the cloud today offers, states Mattias Robertsson, an experienced simulation expert within Dassault SOLIDWORKS. He also finds support for his thoughts on this in a report from the analyst Tech-Clarity. 3D prototyping has taken over more and more, and the cloud as a platform has gained an almost explosive interest from companies—an interest that is also increasingly being translated into action with concrete investments.

An interesting aspect of this is that Mattias Robertsson’s thoughts on this find support in a recent report from industry analyst Tech-Clarity. An important conclusion of the report is that there is great value to be gained from simulation in the cloud.

In today's article, I will look at some interesting conclusions in Tech-Clarity's "How to Survive and Win New Markets by Getting Even More Value from Simulation" report, and put these in perspective through a discussion with SOLIDWORKS’ simulation expert, Mattias Robertsson. Additionally, I have discussed the cloud simulation questions with Dassault Systèmes SOLIDWORKS CEO, Gian Paolo Bassi.

Why Simulation & Analysis in the Cloud is Gaining Ground

“Does the SOLIDWORKS community once again dare to take the revolutionary path,” was my question in the introduction.

I asked Gian Paolo Bassi, “What are your views on this in terms of cloud simulation?”

“Our strategy for simulation is simple,” he said:

Multi-physics, to simulate real life behavior.
Multi-scale, because nature operates at the macro level—think about the simulation of a tsunami-like force—and micro level, such as the delamination, pitting, crystal structure transformation phenomena that happens during metal sintering 3D printing.
Pervasive simulation as an integral part of the generative design process.

Heavy Investments. “We own and integrate all the top technologies including simulation, where Dassault has invested heavily for three decades,” says Gian Paolo Bassi to engineering.com.

“The only architecture possible to deliver this type of capabilities to SMB’s is cloud because of the exponential computational capabilities that are required, elastic computing is a must and cannot happen on a desktop,” he went on and landed in that 3DEXPERIENCE is uniquely positioned in the marketplace to deliver such value.

“That’s how it is for the very simple reason that we own and integrate all the top technologies including simulation where Dassault has invested for three decades,” he asserted and claimed that price is not a primary factor for the penetration of simulation in our space of small-medium business for two primary reasons:

Small medium business services firms tend to be very sophisticated and specialized since they often serve large OEM
Simulation can deliver significant business outcomes and the ROI is easily computed, one example is a small but very specialized South Korea firm, Tiniko, that manufactures surgical implants, the priority is to reduce the risk and the time of clinical trials, accurate prediction of the performance of those devices is absolutely critical they told us that the ROI is very compelling.

Why Simulation & Analysis in the Cloud is Gaining Ground

How can simulation become a bridge to Dassault’s SOLIDWORKS PLM SaaS and cloud platform, 3DEXPERIENCE Works? One important reason is that simulation & analysis in product development work is gaining ground. Generally, this development is based on the fact that when products become more complex, it follows that the technical decisions become more difficult. An enhanced basis for decision making is needed when more factors are to be weighed into constructions and designs, which are not only built as digital 3D models, but which also often move from a basic mechanical content to having large parts of the product functions being dependent on electronics, sensors and software—all of which often are developed in distributed teams containing more than one stakeholder.

According to the recent study by Tech-Clarity, up to half (44%) of manufacturers say that it has become more difficult to make design decisions. As an aggravating factor, the financial losses that COVID-19 has entailed can lead to engineers having fewer resources available and having to take greater responsibility. How do you solve this?

One good answer is about simulation & analysis (S&A) in the cloud. This has become one of the most important items on the agenda for more and more developers of PLM and industrial IT support, especially with SOLIDWORKS, the largest and leading midmarket player in CAD, PLM and simulation. The company has a long history in terms of simulation and analysis for the SMB segment, where it was among the first to introduce packaged CAD and CAE solutions for these small and medium-sized companies.

Today, SOLIDWORKS has moved on and offers a broad package—including connections and possibilities to enable the use of advanced S&A solutions in the cloud—on the 3DEXPERIENCE Works platform. This all comes with the advantage of also providing the computing power and infrastructure needed for efficient and fast iterations, in parallel with the access to more advanced simulation software.

What does Tech-Clarity's report say about simulation in the cloud? Above all, the study shows that simulation—especially cloud-based analysis—really is a necessary tool. People and companies using simulation in the cloud report the following:

71 percent: Computing power/faster solutions.
50 percent: Workstations freed up for other tasks.
42 percent: Easier access to experts.
42 percent: Easier collaboration.
42 percent: Lower costs for purchasing and maintaining hardware.

Great Gains In Cloud Collaboration. There are great gains that can be made through collaboration between parties in development work, when all the data and software capabilities needed are in the cloud. It is easy to share results with everyone who is involved in a project, as all data is on the cloud.

Collaboration Tools A Key To Get More Of The Simulation Work

Tech-Clarity analyst Michelle Boucher notes in her report that respondents claim that both experience and better software tools help facilitate decision-making in today's complex design environments. In fact, 74 percent of top-performing companies provide their design engineers with the simulation tools they need to improve their capacity and output.

This leads to many benefits, but there are opportunities to bring out even more value.

“It is often the lack of knowledge that holds back. This is probable as 83 percent of the top performers in the report say that if design engineers could collaborate more easily with a simulation expert, it would help them,” Boucher writes.

Collaboration is thus one of the keys to effective simulation work. The majority of respondents (54 percent) also agreed that the best way to enable collaboration between analysts and design engineers is to send a link to collaborate on a model in real time.

It is not unreasonable to interpret these views from a parallel perspective that will also have bearing on other positive effects that will come from being able to utilize the richer software range and infrastructure in the cloud, and to also apply in general for sharper collaborative collaboration in product development work.

Save Money. Today, the majority of all calculations are run locally on the computer, but cloud technology is interesting as an alternative to save money and time in projects, says Dassault SOLIDWORKS simulation expert, Mattias Robertsson.

Winnings With Cloud Simulation

A cloud platform, such as 3DEXPERIENCE Works, is one way to facilitate this, says Mattias Robertsson. For some time, Dassault has established the possibility of connecting SOLIDWORKS to the 3DEXPERIENCE Works portfolio, which is a unified, cloud-based platform with an array of product development tools and apps, including simulation solutions. Apps related to SOLIDWORKS include DELMIA Works (manufacturing), SIMULIA Works (simulation), ENOVIA Works (PDM) and more. In general, 3DEXPERIENCE roles are a collection of related software apps.

“This means that you can design with the help of SOLIDWORKS while having access to cloud-based CAD and tools for Sub-D modeling, data management, rendering, simulation and manufacturing—just when you need them,” says Robertsson.

Why should you simulate in the cloud? What do you gain?

“Collaboration is of course a valuable gain in this. It is easy to share results with everyone who is involved in a project as all data is on the cloud. But there are several important factors, such as that you earn time and computing power when you can run the calculation on the cloud. Calculating on the cloud today is actually free up to 8 cores CPU. Then you can expand the capacity up to 144 cores,” Robertsson adds.

What is the fastest way to access the tools needed to do this?

“You can buy a three-month role for the type of calculation you need, e.g. "Structure" or "Flows." Via a plugin in SOLIDWORKS, the geometry is copied to the 3DEXPERIENCE platform and there the simulation can be run in the cloud. The geometry and the simulation are always connected and in the event of a change in SOLIDWORKS, a new variant is made or the previous result is overwritten. In short, we want the step to the cloud to be as simple as possible, as the technology in the cloud can interact with the desktop world,” he continued.

What does it look like in the SOLIDWORKS community in terms of simulation in the cloud?

“It is an important part for us who work with simulation tools to inform what opportunities there are with modern technology. The majority of all calculations are run locally on the computer today, but cloud technology is interesting as an alternative to save money and time on projects. The growth we can see is only the beginning of what is coming. In addition, Abaqus' calculation engine offers new opportunities for more advanced physics and faster performance,” Robertsson explained.

Import Of SOLIDWORKS Simulation Geometries. Today you can easily import SOLIDWORKS simulation geometries, model functions and simulation settings (including all previously defined loads, boundary conditions, mesh definitions and material properties) to Structural Professional Engineer. The solution was created within the framework of Dassault's high-end system, SIMULIA, and is now part of SIMULIAWorks’ portfolio of simulation solutions connected to the 3DEXPERIENCE platform. Changes made to SOLIDWORKS CAD models are automatically updated in Structural Professional Engineer, eliminating the need to redefine your simulation setting and saving a lot of time.

The Value Of Cloud-Based CPU Power

The Tech-Clarity report confirms Robertsson's statement about the value of the cloud's extensive computing power. While better collaboration is a powerful benefit, the leading benefit for cloud-based simulation—reported by 71 percent of respondents—is the extra computing power and faster results. It is also noted that high achievers want to use the extra time gained to complete the design work faster, innovate more and perform additional simulations.

"[The research shows] that those using simulation in the cloud are more likely to realize even more benefits than their peers [not using it yet] anticipate. This says that once you start using simulation in the cloud, it will likely help you in ways that you may not expect,” asserts Michelle Boucher.

A Great Way To Manage Different Types Of Data

Another way to support design engineers is to ensure that they have access to the data required to support simulations—a cloud platform again.

The survey shows that top performing companies are 63 percent more likely than others to agree that the cloud is the perfect way to handle the different data types needed for simulation.

Incidentally, those who use the cloud for simulation are also more likely to handle material data, best practices, test data, previous simulations and actual performance data.

Figure 1. The 3DEXPERIENCE platform as an SaaS model allows you to activate the Structural Mechanics Engineer for the duration of a project (three months or one year). The simulation functions in this are available with a streamlined workflow for all SOLIDWORKS users via a connection that makes it possible to save, share and manage SOLIDWORKS models on the 3DEXPERIENCE platform. Expert users can customize the user interface to guide new or inexperienced users to solve the most complex simulations, making the promise of democratization a reality. As an example: Save a spreader unit and share it to the 3DEXPERIENCE platform directly from SOLIDWORKS. The SOLIDWORKS model opens automatically in the Structural Mechanics Engineer from the 3DEXPERIENCE compass, located in the SOLIDWORKS user interface. Figure (above) shows an applied finite element mesh and the load in the SOLIDWORKS model of the spreader unit. Because what is needed is on the cloud-based 3DEXPERIENCE platform, it is easy for all project stakeholders to know which data to use or review for simulation. The team saves time and no longer encounters errors when searching for data or using the wrong model for simulation.

Figure 2. Here the more advanced Abaqus technology is used, which now also is available to SOLIDWORKS users to solve the most complex physics problems with confidence: nonlinear static (implicit) and dynamic simulations (explicit); high-speed events such as fall testing, impact and crash; snap fits; low speed events such as compression of packing; pre-installed bolt unit; and other problems. In summary, the SOLIDWORKS community now has access to a scalable simulation portfolio to solve from the simplest to the most complex physics, all in a single environment.

The Broadness is the Most Important Reason For the Cloud Platform

But as I said, the whole—with an integrated platform, infrastructure, computing power, software access, collaborative capacity and more—is difficult, if not unrealistic to build in local on-premise installations. This is especially true for smaller companies with limited resources.

The cloud is therefore a way to support an integrated and capable platform in terms of capability. Companies, quoted in the Tech-Clarity report, reported many benefits of an integrated platform. Of particular interest was the fact that the more complex the product, the more likely respondents reported more benefits. Easier collaboration between design engineers and analysts, better traceability, more flexible licensing, easy sharing and control of access to results and access to multiphysics were among the most commonly reported benefits.

For those who work in SOLIDWORKS environments, this is a good reason to try Dassault Systèmes SOLIDWORKS’ 3DEXPERIENCE Works alternative. Especially as 3D prototyping has taken over more and more and the cloud as a platform has gained an almost explosive interest from companies, this interest is increasingly being translated into action with concrete investments.

The SOLIDWORKS community was once a group of revolutionaries—is it time to produce more of that kind of action again?

“Yes,” Mattias Robertsson says emphatically.

What do the SOLIDWORKS users say?