SolidWorks 3DVIA Composer Breaks Down Communication Barriers

New Version reduces production costs with easily understood images and animations.

CONCORD, Mass - As product development grows more global and decentralized, 3DVIA Composer technical communication software from Dassault Systèmes SolidWorks Corp., enables design teams to overcome language and knowledge barriers while reducing costs and production time.

Design that Matters, a non-profit product design group, used 3DVIA Composer to develop high-quality visuals of a phototherapy device to treat jaundiced infants in developing countries. The images enabled the design team to quickly gather feedback from, and gain acceptance by physicians in Vietnam, where it would initially be produced and used in hospitals that may not be able to afford traditional western machines.

“We are dealing with a different language, culture, and financial understanding,” said Will Harris, a product designer with Design that Matters. “The only way to overcome these barriers is visually. A photorealistic rendering is the next best thing to putting the device in their hands, and with 3DVIA Composer, they can see how the device goes together. These visualization tools were critical to the success of the project.”

The newest version of 3DVIA Composer, V6R2011x, transforms 3D CAD data into high quality image or animated visual assets for use in product communication deliverables. New features enable users to create lifelike images with precise detailing. Companies in industries as diverse as industrial equipment, marine engineering, and consumer retail, use 3DVIA Composer to cut up to 80 percent from production time for documents such as user manuals, assembly instructions, and marketing materials. Among the benefits users gain from 3DVIA Composer are:

Lifelike detail through new features such as alpha channel support, ambient occlusion, per-pixel lighting and depth-of-field functionality.
Cardiovascular Systems Inc., a developer of treatment systems for vascular disease, can show how parts relate to assembly fixtures and how to use a range of custom-designed tools. 3DVIA Composer also contributed to a 25 percent cut in assembly training time at the St. Paul, Minn.-based company.
Faster turnaround time by creating images in parallel with product design.
Allmand Brothers Inc., a Nebraska-based company that designs and manufactures light towers and stands, compact loader backhoes and industrial heaters, cut the time required to produce a manual for a complex assembly from a month to a week.

Higher productivity and efficiency from streamlined document production processes.
Sweden’s Produktställ AB used 3DVIA Composer to improve documentation production efficiency by 70-80 percent, freeing resources to support the company’s sales presentation needs.

“With 3DVIA Composer, users can overcome barriers to communicating design information to stakeholders in the design process – other members of the design team, customers, partners, or vendors,” said Kishore Boyalakuntla, director, product management at DS SolidWorks. “3DVIA Composer enables users to create visual assets that communicate exactly what they need to see, and with the software’s latest enhancements, they don’t have to worry about errors in documentation.”

Availability and pricing

3DVIA Composer V6R2011x is available worldwide through SolidWorks VARs. Contact a local SolidWorks VAR for pricing. To locate one in your region, visit http://www.solidworks.com/locateVAR/.

Dassault Systèmes' 3DVIA Turns the Virtual World into a Stereoscopic 3D Experience at 2011 Game Developer's Conference

3DVIA Scenes Users Now Experience Their Virtual World and 3D App Creations in Full Stereoscopic 3D for Use Online and on 3D Televisions with the Click of a Button.

CONCORD, Mass – Dassault Systèmes has announced that users of 3DVIA Scenes, a free online 3D publishing application, can share their creations in fully immersive stereoscopic 3D. With this update, over 230,000 3DVIA.com content creators can interact inside their applications online or through PC-connected TVs using anaglyph (red/blue), side-by-side, line-by-line or checkerboard-capable 3D glasses.

“This is quite simply the easiest way for anyone to create a stereoscopic 3D application online,” said David Laubner, VP, online product marketing, 3DVIA, Dassault Systèmes. “We are always looking for ways to expand the 3D content creation market and are excited to see what our consumer and professional customers will create using the new enhanced 3DVIA Scenes.”

3DVIA Scenes is a powerful, yet easy-to-use, Web-based 3D publishing application. With a library of pre-made 3D environments and models, anyone can quickly create and publish realistic and interactive multi-user applications to his or her Website or Facebook page. To activate stereoscopic 3D, users simply click a button within the 3DVIA Scenes application and toggle between anaglyph, side-by-side, line-by-line and checkerboard viewing cameras.

The new stereoscopic 3D functionality will be demonstrated at GDC 2011 in the 3DVIA Booth (#1818) in the main hall. The functionality is publically available on 3DVIA.com at: www.3dvia.com/scenes.

SOPAL Selects V6 PLM Express and 3DVIA Composer

V6’s Lifelike Experience Capabilities Facilitate Innovation for a Fast Response to Changing Market.

DASSAULT SYSTÈMES SWYM CONFERENCE – Vélizy-Villacoublay, France – Dassault Systèmes (DS) has announced that SOPAL, a Tunisian manufacturer of complex and distinctively styled kitchen and bath fixtures, is using V6 PLM Express and 3DVIA Composer to cover the entire development process of its line of faucets and related equipment. Based on the unique V6 platform, SOPAL has adopted a PLM strategy for all of its products, from initial styling of new equipment to product phase out and end of life. Using Dassault Systèmes’ solutions, SOPAL can manage all of its product information, such as technical specifications, design data, manufacturing data, regulatory constraints and sales throughout the entire lifecycle.

SOPAL chose V6 PLM Express for its superior handling and lifelike visualization of sophisticated surfaces, enabling its designers to create the complex shapes in CATIA V6 that give its faucets a distinctive and attractive look. DELMIA’s V6 Machining Solution will be used to produce their tooling and speed up the entire process. This multi-brand implementation of V6 PLM Express allows SOPAL to keep track of each product and makes the data available to anybody in the company with a need to know.

With trends in faucet design changing often, SOPAL felt it had to remain flexible and reactive to market demand.

“Knowing how to detect new trends and delivering products that respond to these changes is of prime importance. Part of bringing the right product to market, while shortening delivery times as much as possible, is being able to see that product first, in a lifelike experience,” said Moez Regayeg, manager, SOPAL. “We used the lifelike visualization enabled by V6 to create an interactive 3D experience. We even went one step further with 3DVIA Mobile, and published the actual lifelike models of our products for viewing on customers’ iPhones.”

SOPAL chose 3DVIA Composer to quickly and easily document the assembly process, and deliver it in an interactive 3D experience, complete with animated procedures. SOPAL uses 3D animation to explain to architects, construction companies or the final customer how their products should be installed and how they function. To gain worldwide exposure, SOPAL recently published its product portfolio on the 3DVIA.com website, the DS online solution for searching, uploading & sharing ideas in 3D. “3DVIA will help promote our products worldwide,” said Regayeg.

V6 is key to enabling collaboration between SOPAL’s different departments and with subsidiaries. Working together accelerates the development process, fuels innovation and helps avoid mistakes. “As more people collaborate on a design and share ideas on the fly, changes are made, which is why they need to know that they are working on the latest and right version of a design,” said Regayeg.

“V6 covers all our needs in design, manufacturing, and documentation management all on the same DS V6 collaborative platform,” concluded Regayeg.

Dassault Systèmes announces the public beta of 3DVIA Studio and 3DVIA Scenes

Dassault Systemes Unveils New Social 3D Authoring Solutions for Game Developers and Creative Professionals at GDC 2010.

SAN FRANCISCO: Dassault Systèmes today announced the public beta of 3DVIA Studio and 3DVIA Scenes, two powerful applications that enable new communities of Web users to create, publish and share highly realistic 3D experiences online. The new 3DVIA offerings combine the power of social media with content creation apps and reusable 3D content assets to radically simplify the 3D content creation process. Both applications are being made available on www.3DVIA.com, and are free to all users during the public beta period. 3DVIA.com is an active and growing community of more than 150,000 users, made up of 3D enthusiasts, artists, creative professionals and programmers, and features the 3DVIA Store and user-generated content warehouse, a rapidly expanding database with over 21,000 reusable 3D models and assets.

“3DVIA’s mission is to empower anyone to communicate ideas easily and powerfully in 3D. We have worked hard to open 3D content creation capabilities to a wider market,” said Lynne Wilson, CEO, 3DVIA, Dassault Systèmes. “The release of these two new applications marks a significant milestone in our journey.”

3DVIA Studio is a new 3D development environment for programmers and artists who want to create complex, interactive games, simulations, serious games and Web-based applications. 3DVIA Studio is downloadable software that allows skilled users to create virtually any online 3D experience they envision through a flexible programming interface, an open architecture and a 3D hosting platform located at www.3DVIA.com. Users can syndicate their 3D creations to their own websites through an embed code technique similar to the process found on many online video sites.

The real power for 3DVIA Studio comes from a new social development concept enabling approved 3DVIA users and third-party developers to create and distribute custom components—extending the applications functionality beyond the basic feature set. These custom “add-on” components will be uploaded and shared through the 3DVIA Store, establishing a very valuable 3D content creation platform for users well into the future.

3DVIA Scenes is a 100 percent Web-based, multi-user 3D application platform targeted at creative professionals and 3D enthusiasts looking to adopt 3D content creation without the need for complicated programming. It features a simple drag-and-drop interface enabling users to easily build their online applications using 3D models and pre-programmed 3D “smart objects” developed and shared through the 3DVIA content warehouse. The 3D smart objects can range from simple animated elements like lamps and doors to more complex applications that integrate data from external sources. The ability for 3DVIA Scenes users to remix content online allows non-technical users to leverage the power of the highly skilled 3DVIA community.

The two new applications being released to the public are free for non-commercial use during the beta period, with the goal of capturing feedback from new users and the existing 3DVIA community. 3DVIA will openly and actively engage with users to help shape the future product direction. Both products are expected to emerge from their beta phases with a “Freemium” business model, allowing a basic edition of each program to remain free while offering a premium version for commercial use. Interested parties may contact 3DVIA to discuss the details of the premium version.

Dassault Systèmes also announced the upcoming release of the first game title built with 3DVIA Studio – “Billions, Save Them All,” a social game to be released on Facebook.com later this year. Please see accompanying press release for details.

The new applications and the complete 3DVIA Platform will be showcased at the 2010 Game Developers Conference in San Francisco, California, March 11-13 in 3DVIA’s booth (#1432).

Dassault Systèmes Introduces 3DVIA Composer V6R2010x

Paris – Dassault Systèmes today announced the availability of 3DVIA Composer V6R2010x. Significant enhancements in this release further support Dassault Systèmes’ V6 strategy to enable on-line 3D collaboration to all users within an enterprise, while introducing other features including an improved user experience and enhanced technical illustration capabilities.

3DVIA Composer revolutionizes the product documentation process for enterprises of all siz-es. With its easy-to-use desktop content-creation system, 3DVIA Composer leverages CAD data to automate the creation of assembly and disassembly procedures, technical illustrations, interactive 3D animations, training materials, marketing materials and sales tools. Further extending its ability to unlock potential for traditional 2D publications, the new features allow professionals and non-experts to generate advanced technical illustrations that do not require time-consuming, manual adjustments and revisions.

“Companies everywhere are trying to do more with less, and 3DVIA Composer is an innova-tive product that helps manufacturers of all sizes create efficiencies that are clear and tangi-ble,” said Lynne Wilson, CEO of 3DVIA, Dassault Systèmes. “New functionalities in this re-lease enhance the creation and distribution of lifelike product experiences across an organi-zation, putting power in the hands of non-CAD users and extending the promise of PLM 2.0 on the V6 platform.”

3DVIA Composer V6R2010x enhancements include:

• Lifelike Experience

o Enhanced technical illustration capabilities: The new “Paper Space” feature provides a What You See Is What You Get capability, transforming the 3DVIA Composer display into a preview of the final document layout. This will ensure the consistent layout and delivery of your content regardless of user display resolutions for 3D documentation or specified paper sizes for 2D published il-lustrations.

o Enhanced and simplified user experience: The intuitive and easy-to-learn Rib-bon interface provides the option of organizing commonly used and advanced functions in a logical way that allows users of all experience levels to become more productive and proficient in 3DVIA Composer. Products, parts, geome-tries and internal nodes are now displayed with different icons to increase ease of use. Experiences can be published directly from Composer to 3DVIA.com.

o Support for CATIA FT&A cross-highlighting: For companies using 3D as the master source of information, enhanced support CATIA V5 Feature, Toleranc-ing and Annotation (FT&A) data now includes cross-highlighting capabilities. By providing interactive FT&A that highlight the related surfaces for an operation, 3DVIA Composer and 3DVIA Composer Player Pro will ensure that the engineering intent is effectively communicated and understood by downstream users.

• Online Creation and Collaboration

o Direct publishing to 3DVIA.com: 3DVIA Composer content can be directly pub-lished to 3DVIA.com as standard 3D content or fully interactive 3D documents. This information can then be shared with the large community of 3DVIA.com users. In addition, 3DVIA Composer offers effective functionality to help pre-pare models for sharing on the 3DVIA Mobile app for iPhone and iPod Touch.


• Lower Cost of Ownership

o Interoperability plug-in: The ability to expand the number of 3D formats sup-ported by 3DVIA Composer through a new framework, that enables high-quality, externally developed importer products to be plugged directly into 3DVIA Composer and 3DVIA Sync. This enhancement automatically adds new native 3D import options directly into the user interface, providing a seamless and intuitive end-user experience.

o CATIA V5 Piping Design: Meta properties defined in piping design of CATIA V5 are now supported, allowing important information such as nominal size, to be associatively displayed into 3DVIA Composer labels and BOM tables.

“We are delighted to contribute new interoperability capabilities to this latest release of 3DVIA Composer.” said Trevor Leeson, Product Manager at Theorem Solutions. “The integration of Theorem’s JT CADverter technology makes the benefits of 3DVIA Composer V6R2010x available to a whole new community of users.”

Theorem Solutions announces CADverter for 3DVIA Composer

Theorem Solutions, a supplier of PLM interoperability solutions announces the immediate availability of CADverter JT for 3DVIA Composer. Working within the 3DVIA architecture CADverter JT provides interactive, batch and command line interfaces to open JT files, enabling maximum flexibility and maximum benefit to 3DVIA Composer users.

Interactive 3DVIA Composer users can now simply open JT data, including geometry, assemblies, product structure, meta data and PMI. All that is required is a selection from a pull down menu for quick and easy use of JT files for the creation of assembly and disassembly procedures, technical illustrations, interactive 3D product experiences, training materials, marketing materials, sales tools and more.

Working within the Dassault Systèmes' 3DVIA Composer architecture Theorem's CADverter provides two additional ways for the 3DVIA user to incorporate JT data. The need to work with multiple JT files in a batch is met by using the 3DVIA Sync interface and a command line interface enables integration with PLM applications through 3DVIA Enterprise Sync.

The integration of CADverter and 3DVIA Composer is more than a technical innovation. This new CADverter enables 3DVIA Composer users in enterprises of all sizes to work with JT files to meet and overcome longstanding business challenges of reducing costs, improving quality and reducing timescales.

Theorem's Product Manager Trevor Leeson comments “There is a fast growing trend for the re-use of 3D design data across business enterprises. Wider use of 3D data brings tangible business benefits and we are delighted that Theorem technology is being applied from within 3DVIA to make this happen”

KineoWorks™ from Kineo CAM integrated with 3DVIA Composer

Set To Revolutionize Product Documentation and Experience.

Paris, France– Dassault Systèmes today announced that the technology for automatic motion and path planning from Kineo Computer Aided Motion (Kineo CAM), an independent software developer, has been integrated with 3DVIA Composer. This integration, named 3DVIA Path Planning, allows users to effectively communicate the most complicated steps of interactive documentation with automatically generated, lifelike animations, rather than photos and text.

Assembly and maintenance tasks of tightly fitting components have always been difficult to describe, regardless of the communication tool used. These processes are complex to explain using traditional photo and text instructions, often leading to misinterpretation, reduced quality, or damage to sensitive components. A potential solution to this challenge is to provide users with 3D interactive and animated instructions, which are more effective in communicating difficult concepts. For example, an assembly worker with a 3D animated instruction for the difficult removal of a component is better equipped to successfully remove the part than a colleague that has been provided instructions with images and text. Creating these 3D animations, unfortunately, has traditionally been difficult and time consuming.

The combination of 3DVIA Composer and 3DVIA Path Planning now automates the creation process to deliver top-in-class lifelike experiences that improve comprehension and error-free execution by end users.

“We are very pleased that our software technology has been integrated within 3DVIA Composer, making it easier for users to access the power of our collision detection engine,” said Laurent Maniscalco, CEO Kineo CAM. “With 3DVIA Path Planning, content creators can automatically generate non-colliding animated paths between desired components, helping to quickly plan and illustrate complex processes.”

3DVIA Composer revolutionizes the product documentation process for enterprises of all sizes. With its easy-to-use, desktop content-creation system, 3DVIA Composer quickly automates the creation of assembly and disassembly procedures, technical illustrations, interactive 3D product experiences, training materials, marketing materials, sales tools and more.

“With shrinking budgets and increasing pressures to bring products to market quickly, companies are unable to spend as much time creating technical documentation as they would like,” said Garth Coleman, director product marketing, 3DVIA, Dassault Systèmes. “Kineo CAM offers incredible capabilities that benefit our users in industries that are tasked with providing improved and more comprehensive instructions on shrinking budgets and delivery times. By combining the ability to create complex animations using 3DVIA Path Planning with the superior interactive capabilities of 3DVIA Composer, companies can easily create lifelike 3D experiences to improve comprehension of complex technical procedures.”

French Pavilion Becomes First World Expo Participant to Launch True Interactive 3D Pavilion

World Expo Online 2010 - 3DVIA Virtools Enables Real Time 3D Experience and 360-Degree Walkthrough.

SHANGHAI - Dassault Systèmes and the French Pavilion at the Shanghai World Expo 2010 today unveiled the first true, interactive, 3D virtual pavilion among participants of World Expo Online 2010, bringing unprecedented real time 3D interactivity and 360-degree immersive walkthrough experience to hundreds of millions of online visitors.

The French Pavilion is building up a vivid counterpart in the virtual world by using Dassault Systèmes’ 3DVIA Virtools software to compliment the Pavilion’s theme of “Sensual City.” Visitors can freely walk through the pavilion, both inside and outside, as if they were in the physical pavilion, viewing the French-style rooftop garden and masterpieces of the Musée d'Orsay. Through cutting-edge 3D technology, visitors can also enjoy incredible 3D interactivity, such as participating in mini games to virtually experience the five senses, and “entering” masterpiece paintings such as Gauguin’s “Le Repas” where they can navigate around the painting’s subjects.

Jose Freches, Commissioner General of the French Pavilion, said “We are excited about being the first Expo participant to launch the interactive 3D virtual pavilion for the world’s first Expo Online. This once again represents France’s strong support for China’s path of innovation. Thanks to 3DVIA Virtools’ technology, the virtual pavilion provides a great platform for us to communicate with hundreds of millions of people about France’s creative innovation, as well as the spirit of World Expo Shanghai.”

“3D is becoming a universal language for people around the world to learn, discover and innovate,” said Christian Nardin, president, Asia, Dassault Systèmes. “The virtual 3D French Pavilion is a further example of using 3D as a powerful medium to communicate, innovate, and share knowledge, all in a fun way. Dassault Systèmes has been dedicated to delivering true 3D lifelike experience that frees the imagination and allows for rich interactivity. Our ultimate goal is to enable sustainable innovation by leveraging 3D lifelike experience to make our world a better one.”

Dassault Systèmes’ 3DVIA Virtools offers interactive, multi-channel 3D experiences for a host of sectors, such as marketing, gaming, city planning, online shopping, etc. Recently, through a strategic partnership with Luc Besson’s company, EuropaCorp, Dassault Systèmes has leveraged its interactive 3D technologies to enhance the customer experience of Nestlé Chocapic and Nesquik cereals by turning the packaged boxes into a full-fledged 3D video game console. In addition, the two companies have developed several creative marketing tools for the December launch of EuropaCorp’s film ‘Arthur and the Revenge of Maltazard,’ allowing everyone to sing and dance in 3D within the “Minimoys’” universe as if they were in the movie.

In China, in addition to supporting the first ever World Expo Online, 3DVIA Virtools was also the application used for the virtual design and rehearsal of the parade in celebration of the country’s 60th anniversary this year.

11 & 12th grade students at Taiwan OCU University to use 3DVIA Composer

Taipei, Taiwan — Dassault Systèmes today announced that Overseas Chinese University (OCU), a privately funded university in central Taiwan, has chosen 3DVIA Composer, a desktop application for the creation of product deliverables, to provide real-life experience in the field of engineering for students in grades 11 and 12. The OCU’s Department of Industrial Engineering & Management (IEM), along with the support of the Department of Technology and Vocational Education and the Ministry of Education, selected 3DVIA Composer because of its ease of use and ability to convey to students the importance of state-of-the-art communication.

The program will start in January and will be divided into three courses, addressing the following topics: Precision Mechanical Design, System Engineering and Innovation, Automation and Electromechanics. Led by Professor Wang Tsung-Jung, the department’s hand-selected students will use 3DVIA Composer to present their system integration ideas and plans professionally and with the ability to be exported into various widely accepted formats.

“With this new product documentation tool, our students are able to go beyond CAD capabilities and deliver quicker and more advanced projects,” said Professor Wang. “With 3DVIA Composer, students will understand how having an advanced technology can improve the product and process design while decreasing time-to-market. The department is very practice-driven and foresees that 3DVIA Composer will help students gain important hands-on experiences, thus increasing their job opportunities.”

“We are enthusiastic to support such a progressive school in its new course initiative. OCU sees the importance of empowering its students with real-world presentation and communication skills before they enter the workforce in today’s competitive environment,” said Garth Coleman, 3DVIA director of product marketing, Dassault Systèmes. “We hope OCU’s dedication to excellence in teaching, research and community services will become the standard in schools world-wide.”

Ars Electronica Center Chooses Dassault Systemes 3DVIA to Develop Virtual Reality Applications

PARIS: Dassault Systèmes today announced that its 3DVIA Virtools 3D application development platform is being utilized by the Ars Electronica Center in Linz, Austria, to allow visitors to make a virtual journey through time and space. Treasured masterpieces or world cultural heritage sites can now be seen without posing a threat to their conservation. Thanks to 3DVIA technology, visitors learn in a new, intuitive way as they directly interact with the 3D scenarios of the proposed experiences.

The Ars Electronica Center is considered a prototype of the “museum of the future” for digital media and culture and new technologies. When it opened in 1996, the center was the first of its kind to house an immersive virtual reality room tailored to the public. When the City of Linz was declared “Cultural Capital of Europe 2009” major renovation work preceded the re-opening of the New Ars Electronica Center. Today, visitors can enjoy an even more exciting hands-on experience of immersion and interactivity. “3DVIA Virtools emerged as the only 3D application development platform capable of meeting this challenge. The center’s modernization program was behind schedule, which left very little time to create new 3D content and ready the new virtual reality space, called “Deep Space”, based on learning through fun and play. Because 3DVIA Virtools is technologically very mature, it was remarkably easy to use, fast and reliable, allowing us to finalize the first immersive experiences for the new facility on time for the opening of the Ars Electronic Center,” said Horst Hörtner, Director of Ars Electronica Futurelab, the Ars Electronica Development Department.

Immersive Virtuality

Deep Space allows complete immersion in a world of virtual reality by means of two jumbo-format 16-9-meter 3D images projected on a wall and on the floor. Wearing special glasses, visitors move around within the exhibit and the 3D image and can even interact with the content! Learning takes on a whole new dimension in this unique educational space. The possibilities are vast, with featured projects ranging from extreme-resolution images to HD video, interactive narratives and new artistic works.

Visitors can explore the world’s foremost historical, architectural and archeological treasures some long lost, others still standing today, to discover hidden details, such as the ruins of Pompeii, the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel or the dizzying heights of Beauvais Cathedral, all this without posing a threat to their conservation or the environment. “The breathtaking capabilities of 3DVIA Virtools can be seen in the narrative interactivity application, where visitors are immersed in an interactive visual and musical experience with animated 3D characters. Behind the scenes, arts mediators gather visitors’ reactions and preferences using remote control devices and interactive screens to change the scenario in real time,” explained David Nahon, director immersive virtuality technologies, Dassault Systèmes. “From an educational standpoint, the greater the immersion, the deeper and more lasting the learning experience. Interactivity also makes the learning process more effective.” Nahon continues: “This experience can be compared to the one hundreds of visitors of the Paris Géode live every day, discovering the virtual model of the Kufu Pyramid, realized with Dassault Systèmes technologies.”

3DVIA Introduces 3D App for the iPhone

Paris - Dassault Systèmes today announced the launch of 3DVIA Mobile, an iPhone and iPod touch application that allows users to search, share and interact with the growing library of high quality 3D models on it's website.

The addition of 3DVIA Mobile brings 3DVIA, a powerful platform for delivering unique, online 3D experiences, directly into the hands of a fast growing community of mobile users. iPhone users who register at 3DVIA.com may quickly search thousands of high quality models posted by the 120,000 members of the 3DVIA.com community and 3DVIA’s premium content partners. With just the touch of a finger, 3DVIA Mobile users may select, spin, pan, zoom and inspect 3D models in real time.

3DVIA Mobile further enables iPhone users to enhance, or “augment,” photographs with highly realistic 3D models from 3DVIA.com. In a simple use case, imagine a home decorator or student wishing to refurnish her room. With 3DVIA Mobile, this user can use her iPhone to take a snapshot of her room, search 3DVIA.com for furniture ideas and overlay 3D models on her photograph to get an idea of what her room could look like. She could then e-mail the saved image to friends and colleagues.

“At 3DVIA, our goal is to make it easy for people to tap into the power of 3D as a communication medium,” said Lynne Wilson, CEO, 3DVIA, Dassault Systèmes. “With 3DVIA Mobile, users can find cool, realistic 3D content from our library and immediately enrich their photos, right on the iPhone. They download and position the model on a picture for an instant 3D mash-up that blends 3D digital data with the physical world. It’s both fun and viral because people like and want to share their creations.”

As 3DVIA’s content library continues to expand, and its current 120,000 registered user community grows, 3DVIA Mobile will further evolve as a professional collaboration platform.

3DVIA Mobile will be demonstrated at the Dassault Systèmes Customer Conference, October 6-7, in Orlando, Florida.

3DVIA Mobile can be downloaded from the App Store for $1.99 USD, but is being offered free of charge for a limited time starting today.

Komatsu Forest chooses Dassault Systèmes' 3DVIA Composer to facilitate its production process

Komatsu Forest uses 3DVIA Composer to easily create instruction movies in 3D, thus significantly improve the quality for the assembly of its machines, as well as saving money as fewer products will be recalled.

Komatsu Forest manufactures machinery under the mechanical forestry brand Valmet. In the factory in Umeå, production staff has so far only worked with two-dimensional images as the basis for the assembly work. Instead, the assembly line can use the instruction movies created in the visualization program 3DVIA Composer during the production process.

“It can be quite complicated to set up our machines. With moving images instead of the previous sketches on paper, the production process becomes much easier and leading to much better results”, says Maria Larsson, CAD manager at Komatsu Forest.

Komatsu Forest uses 3DVIA Composer for assembly instructions, movies for the maintenance of machines and spare parts documentation. It is mainly to avoid assembly errors of the machines. Production work is complex and the company previously experienced challenges in getting a steady and high quality of assembly work. The investment in 3DVIA Composer pays off quickly by reducing the number of product returns.

Komatsu Forest already uses the Dassault Systèmes CAD program CATIA. They can re-use what is in CATIA directly in 3DVIA.

“We saw the direct benefits we may have of the program. 3DVIA Composer is fully integrated with CATIA. Prototype work, where you still make several changes during their work, is much easier. Everyone who is involved has always access to the latest information,” says Maria Larsson.

In the long term, Komatsu Forest see possibilities of using 3D movies to marketing materials, and also for the training of dealers and users. The next step is to also integrate this with the PLM system ENOVIA Smarteam.

The supplier of the solution is SYSteam, who also trained the users of Komatsu Forest.

3DVIA Debuts Support for COLLADA’s .dae Format

3DVIA.com Enhancement Expands Use of High-End CAD, Gaming and Visualization Models for Graphic Pros and 3D Enthusiasts.

PARIS — Dassault Systèmes (DS) (Euronext Paris: #13065, DSY.PA) has announced that 3D models hosted on the 3DVIA.com library, including those created using the company’s free 3DVIA Shape modeling application, will now be automatically converted to both Dassault Systèmes’ 3DXML format and the COLLADA open 3D format (.dae format) created by the Khronos Group. The addition of COLLADA support further connects the 3DVIA product lineup to the wide range of digital content creation (DCC) software and applications that also support the .dae format.

3DVIA.com is an online community where over 110,000 registered 3D artists, application developers and enthusiasts from around the world interact with one another, learn from 3D experts and exchange their own 3D creations online through the 3DVIA interactive viewer. 3DVIA already supports the uploading and sharing of 3D models in many popular file formats, including: .3dxml, .3ds, .obj, .kmz, .iges and .step. To support the COLLADA announcement, the site has converted all existing 15,000 public models over to the .dae format and will automatically convert and store any new models published to the public warehouse in both formats.

"Khronos warmly welcomes Dassault Systèmes' adoption of COLLADA to foster the widely accessible exchange of 3D models on 3DVIA.com. Use of COLLADA will not only enable a vibrant modeling community across diverse markets, it will protect designers' investment in assets as their design flow evolves over the years," said Neil Trevett, president of the Khronos Group and vice president of NVIDIA.

“Our goal is to make it extremely easy for a broad community to leverage 3D as a communication medium—empowering all kinds of people to create and share professional quality, 3D experiences,” said Lynne Wilson, CEO of Dassault Systèmes’ 3DVIA brand. “Having both 3DXML and COLLADA uniquely positions 3DVIA.com to collect, showcase and share the wide array of 3D content created by the both the CAD and DCC communities.”

Online 3D Community to Offer "Ready-to-Use" 3D Models From Premium Partners

3DVIA.com Makes New High-End 3D Content Available.

PARIS - Dassault Systèmes (DS) (Paris:DSY) (NASDAQ:DASTY) announced today plans for a high-end stock 3D content marketplace on its popular 3D model community www.3DVIA.com. 3DVIA users, now numbering over 100,000, will be able to interactively preview premium 3D content from providers such as mydeco, DOSCH DESIGN and WireCASE, as well as purchase these ready-to-use models at affordable prices. This content, coupled with the thousands of free, community-generated models already on the site, will continue to make 3DVIA.com a valuable resource for anyone looking to create 3D games, apps or immersive experiences.

Over the next few weeks, the ‘3DVIA Store’ will launch in limited beta and include over 3,000 premium models focused in the category of interior design. Then, in the first week of August, the 3DVIA Store will open in public beta. As of the beginning, all basic 3D models will be made available in several industry standard formats, including: .3dxml, dae, .obj and .3ds. 3DVIA.com will selectively add premium content partners as well as top artists from the 3DVIA community later this year. Details on how to submit work for inclusion to the 3DVIA Store will be posted on 3DVIA.com when the option is made available.

“Partnering with Dassault Systèmes will bring new user experiences to the mydeco community, allowing them to interact with virtual information and enhance their costumer journey,” said Brent Hoberman, executive chairman of mydeco. “Being a preferred 3DVIA marketplace content partner will enable the design and Web experience community to leverage and reuse our very rich catalogue of virtual goods.”

The 3DVIA Store will be showcased for attendees at the Dassault Systèmes' DEVCON 2009 conference in Vélizy, France June 23-24 along with other key 3DVIA technologies. Lynne Wilson, CEO of Dassault Systeme’s 3DVIA brand and Brent Hoberman, CEO of mydeco, are scheduled to speak at this event.

“The launch of the 3DVIA Store brings us closer to our vision of making 3D application creation accessible to people no matter what their 3D experience level may be,” said Lynne Wilson, CEO of Dassault Systèmes’ 3DVIA brand. “Providing our community with top quality, but more importantly, ready-to-use 3D models is a vital step in the right direction.”

To apply for a beta invitation to the marketplace or learn more about 3DVIA.com, please visit www.3DVIA.com/marketplace.

3DVIA.com Surpasses 100,000 Registered 3D Artists

Fast Growing Social Networking Community Targets 3D Artists and Creative Professionals.

CONCORD, MASS – Dassault Systèmes (DS) (Euronext Paris: #13065, DSY.PA), a world leader in 3D and Product Lifecycle Management (PLM) solutions, announced today that 3DVIA.com, its online community designed specifically for 3D artists and enthusiasts, has passed the 100,000-member mark. Today’s announcement comes a little over a year after 3DVIA.com was updated in March 2008.

3DVIA.com is a social networking site where 3D artists and enthusiasts from around the world interact with one another, learn from 3D experts and upload and share their own 3D creations in 3DVIA’s interactive viewer, the 3DVIA Player.

“We are very proud to have reached this important milestone,” said Lynne Wilson, CEO of Dassault Systèmes’ 3DVIA brand. “The growth in our community demonstrates that more and more people understand the value of 3D content. They want to learn more and keep coming back. Today we have modelers, but we also believe 3D will power the next generation of highly engaging online communication—a new set of applications that will enable us all to see and experience many new things in lifelike settings, online, shared with our friends and colleagues.”

Examples include homes which may be redecorated and showcased virtually in 3D, exploring commercial spaces in 3D prior to renting, workforce training using 3D simulations to better maintain shop floor equipment and urban planning scenarios projected in 3D. “3DVIA.com is attracting the creative community that will help drive this transformation,” added Wilson.

The site’s rich library of 3D groups, blogs and tutorials, as well as free online 3D modeling software resources, serves the needs of 3D novices and experts.

“There are all levels of modelers that upload to 3DVIA,” said Bruce Lehmann, a 3DVIA community member known as Omind on the site. “3DVIA’s atmosphere is great for those mid-level amateurs like me and experienced creators too. The feedback I’ve received from those more experienced than I has been friendly and helpful.”

The 3DVIA community, along with its networking, sharing, learning and modeling tools will be showcased at DEVCON 2009 in Vélizy, France June 23-24 along with other key 3DVIA technologies.

Dassault Systèmes Helps Bring First Ever World Expo Online to Life

3DVIA’s lifelike experience, online interaction and global collaborative platform ensure Shanghai World Expo is a stage where curtains never fall.

SHANGHAI - Dassault Systèmes (DS) (Paris:DSY) (NASDAQ:DASTY) (Euronext Paris: #13065, DSY.PA), a world leader in 3D and Product Lifecycle Management (PLM) solutions, today announced that Bureau of Shanghai World Expo Coordination has chosen the company’s 3DVIA, to create the first ever World Expo Online in the Expo’s 158-year history. With the help of 3DVIA 3D virtual technology, World Expo Shanghai Online will be accessible to anyone anytime, providing virtual visitors with 3D lifelike experiences, real-time interaction and a global platform to allow everyone’s online presence at the Expo.

Using Dassault Systèmes’ 3DVIA, in conjunction with Web3D and multimedia technologies, Expo Online will build a virtual park of the 5.28-square kilometer 2010 Expo site and hundreds of virtual pavilions in 3D, allowing visitors to vividly experience the entire Expo site and travel freely from one pavilion to another with just the click and drag of a mouse. Virtual visitors can participate in all kinds of 3D interactive activities and watch online broadcast of events of the physical Expo anytime. Expo Online will also create the “City of Future”, leveraging the concept and format of online gaming to collaborate creatively among visitors from around the world and jointly build a harmonious city of the future.

Expo Shanghai Online is expecting more than 100 million viewers, making the 2010 Expo the most important World Expo ever with participants from around the world. Expo Shanghai Online will be permanently preserved after the physical Expo ends, creating an everlasting virtual exhibition for future generations.

“World Expo Shanghai Online is a revolutionary creation. It is not a simple copy of the physical Expo, but an introductory channel, extension and supplement to the Expo. Through the 3D lifelike experience technology, we are able to comprehensively present World Expo,” said Wang Liping, Chief Operation Officer of Expo Website Management Office and Deputy Director of Expo Communication & Promotion Dept. “As the host of 2010 World Expo, our responsibility is to carry its innovative spirit and extend it to every corner of the world. Thanks to the diversity, interactivity and broad coverage brought by the Internet in the era of Web 2.0, in conjunction with Dassault Systèmes’ 3D lifelike experience technology, Expo Online will bring more people to participate in and benefit from this special event of human civilization. The valuable cultural legacy from Shanghai World Expo will also be preserved forever in the virtual world.”

Bernard Charlès, President and CEO of Dassault Systèmes, said: “It is an honor for us to help realize the world’s first ever World Expo Online. For more than a century, the World Expo has provided a platform for dreamers and innovators to present great creations and ideas, opening new doors to human civilization. Dassault Systèmes, as a global citizen, is committed to creating an unprecedented platform allowing free imagination from everyone. With the advanced 3D lifelike technology and collective intelligence from online communities, we can bring dreams from the virtual world to real life and make our world a better one.”

The 3DVIA Virtools technology that enables people to virtually explore and participate in Expo Online is extensively used in many scenarios, including product experience, city planning, retail shopping experience, simulation-based training, advertising or even Internet marketing. In fact, 3D lifelike experience technology is already widely used by a broad range of industries including aerospace, automobile, construction, consumer packaged goods and apparel. Through precise design, simulation and manufacturing of a product in the virtual world prior to its actual production, material waste and energy consumption can be significantly reduced, leading to lower cost and shorter product development time. Bird’s Nest, the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games Stadium and Shanghai World Financial Center, the world’s tallest building, are both built using Dassault Systèmes’ 3D-based technologies and simulation solutions.

The domain name of World Expo Online is http://www.expo.cn/. The beta version will go live in 2009, and the official launch date of World Expo will be May 1, 2010. More than 200 official participants from around the world and 31 participants from China’s domestic provinces and enterprises will take part in Expo Shanghai Online.

3DVIA Empowers Students to Design and Share 3D Models as Part of the Mobi3 Competition Program

Leveraging Dassault Systèmes’ 3D Modeling Software Paris Middle School Students Get to Play 3D Design Engineers.

Dassault Systèmes (DS) (Paris:DSY) (NASDAQ:DASTY), a world leader in 3D and Product Lifecycle Management (PLM) solutions, today announced that 3DVIA Shape and 3DVIA.com are serving as the 3D modeling tools for the Mobi3 program during its second year. Mobi3 launched the second edition of its year-long program in 2008 by continuing the partnership between five multi-national companies, Dassault Systemes, DLA Piper, IBM, Nokia and SFR; two nonprofits IMS - Entreprendre pour la Cité and the European Engage Network; and the French Ministry of Education. This year’s goal is to help 120 middle school students from economically disadvantaged neighborhoods in Paris. Through the program, the students will participate in a hands-on team project to discover the product design and development process of a mobile phone.

The Mobi3 program highlights the complementary role that each partner company plays in the mobile phone’s lifecycle, from design to sales and recycling. DS provides insight into 3D design, Product Lifecycle Management (PLM) and how industrial processes are simulated. Students will also get a feel for what it is like to work as a 3D design engineer.

“Dassault Systèmes being a world leader in PLM, provides a crucial perspective to this project. Its 3DVIA brand offers our students easy-to-use, collaborative tools that allow them to jump right into the product development process,” explained Stéphane Guérault, teacher at the Ariane middle school in the Paris region. “We’ve already seen how the 3D tools are empowering the students and anticipate a very exciting finish to this year-long competition.”

Student teams have started to create mobile phone designs and digital prototypes using DS’ 3DVIA Shape and 3DVIA.com. 3DVIA Shape, professional grade 3D publishing software in a consumer friendly package, provides a free and easy way for the students to create their ideas in 3D and share them online. 3DVIA.com, a community and resource for 3D artists and enthusiasts, provides a place for the students to search, upload and share ideas. The students, as well as the teachers, are able to create and share 3D models of mobile phones and of their schools on a Mobi3 3DVIA.com group specially created for the project. Along with the designing process, students are also able to make proposals on how they would manage each phase of the phone’s lifecycle.

At the end of the year-long program in May, the finalist team from each school will present their project to a jury of professionals from participating companies, who will then select the winning team. The winning team will visit the Nokia Design Lab in London.

“By providing students with an introduction to the world of 3D content creation and experience, we are able to prepare them for their future, regardless of their career path, as 3D continues to grow in importance for both businesses and consumers,” said Lynne Wilson, senior vice president and general manager, 3DVIA, Dassault Systèmes. “We look forward to working closely with the students as they learn about and experience the power of 3D.”

Mobi3 is coordinated by the Europe-wide ENGAGE program formed by the Business in the Community (BITC) in London. This program is aimed at bringing together businesses and community organizations around the globe to increase the quality and amount of employee community engagement within their local communities. The success with Mobi3 in France was such, that the plan is to expand the program to Italy during the 2009-2010 school year. 3DVIA Shape and 3dvia.com will, then again, participate in the program as the 3D design tool for students and teachers.

Dassault Systemes Showcases 3DVIA Virtools 5 VR Solutions at Laval Virtual 2009

PARIS - Dassault Systemes (DS) (Euronext Paris: #13065, DSY.PA), a world leader in 3D and PLM (Product Lifecycle Management) solutions, today announced that it will showcase the newest release of 3DVIA Virtools 5, as well as many virtual reality partners’ projects, at the Laval Virtual Reality International Conference in France, April 22nd-24th.

Well aware of the growing demand for lifelike experience, Dassault Systemes is, only a few weeks after launching 3DVIA Virtools 5, demonstrating its virtual reality capabilities and the relevance of VR outside “traditional” VR audiences. Already a well-known interactive game development platform, 3DVIA Virtools 5 highlights the broad appeal of 3D interactive and virtual reality experiences to the general consumer, as well as a wide range of industrial-specific application needs, like design reviews, virtual shopping experiences, simulation-based training, advergaming, sales configurators and more.

“Virtual reality is an important part of 3DVIA Virtools and the larger Dassault Systemes vision. The aim is to make VR and interactive immersive 3D accessible to a broader public, combining consumer VR applications and high ended professional needs,” said David Nahon, Dassault Systemes Immersive Virtuality Domain Leader. “To demonstrate this, we invite Laval Virtual visitors to discover several stunning applications made with 3DVIA Virtools by our users that explore the possibilities of VR, and immersive 3D.”

3DVIA Virtools is a complete development and deployment platform for virtual environments, game and interactive 3D applications. 3DVIA Virtools 5 significantly eases the development process and makes delivering high-quality 3D projects faster. It supplements the Virtools Scripting Language (VSL) with Lua support, making the product even more accessible to a larger group of developers. Other 3DVIA Virtools 5 enhancements include blendshape support, new ergonomics, as well as improved usability, easy object manipulation and new libraries of professional quality 3D assets.

This version also brings new VR capabilities going towards consumer VR, by supporting Samsung and Mitsubishi DLP TVs, Philips WoW auto-stereoscopic screens and anaglyph stereoscopy.

3DVIA Virtools 5 will be showcased at Laval Virtual 2009, April 22-24, at booth A3-A6. Visitors will also be able to experience more than 20 applications “powered by 3DVIA Virtools” on partners’ booths.

3DVIA Speeds Up 3D Application and Game Development with the Release of 3DVIA Virtools 5

New Version of Powerful Middleware Platform to Debut at the 2009 Game Developers Conference (GDC)

CONCORD, Mass. & PARIS - Dassault Systemes (DS) (Paris:DSY) (NASDAQ:DASTY), a world leader in 3D, today announced the latest release of 3DVIA Virtools 5, its 3D engine for rapid game prototyping and 3D application development. The new 3DVIA Virtools 5 features updates that significantly ease the development process and will make delivering high-quality 3D projects faster than ever.

While the new 3DVIA Virtools 5 will speed up the development process in several ways, perhaps the most important enhancement is the quick and easy transition from DCC software to 3D engine development. Character animations created in modeling and animation applications typically require hours of developers’ time to recreate in development platforms. This hassle and expense is all but eliminated with the addition of advanced blend shape support in 3DVIA Virtools 5. Now developers can easily import character animations directly into their projects without the previously required rework often associated with game and application development.

“We are excited to deliver such a significant update to the 3DVIA Virtools product line”, said Virgile Delporte, vice president of electronic entertainment, 3DVIA, Dassault Systemes. “With the addition of features like Lua integration and blend shape support, game and other 3D application developers can create lifelike, real-time 3D applications quickly, without sacrificing quality.”

3DVIA Virtools 5 supplements the Virtools Scripting Language (VSL) with Lua support, making the product even more accessible to a larger group of developers. In addition, users now have access within Virtools 5 to the vast Lua behavioral libraries available online. Other 3DVIA Virtools 5 enhancements include improved usability, easy object manipulation and new libraries of professional quality 3D assets.

“The new 3DVIA Virtools features have helped us cut months off of our production cycle,” said Michiel Sala, CEO of Little Chicken Game Company. “In just 60 days we were able to create a game that would normally have taken 120 days or more.”

3DVIA Virtools 5 will be showcased at the Game Developers Conference in San Francisco March 25-27, at booth number 5738 in the North Hall. 3DVIA will also be demonstrating 3DVIA MP, its next generation visualization engine for AAA game development and 3DVIA.com, its online community of 3D artists and enthusiasts and a resource to share game concepts and models.

For more details on 3DVIA technology, visit www.3dvia.com/fast3d.

Felder Accelerates Design of Woodworking Machines with SolidWorks Software and 3DVIA Composer

Austrian manufacturer also optimizes creation of assembly documentation and related bills of material

CONCORD, Mass - Austrian Felder KG, a manufacturer of woodworking machines and tools, has chosen 3DVIA Composer as its documentation solution, Dassault Systèmes SolidWorks Corp. (DS SolidWorks) announced today. Felder, which has used SolidWorks® 3D CAD software for seven years, is now deploying 3DVIA Composer to create and edit assembly documentation, generate exploded drawings of SolidWorks assemblies, and develop bills of material for assembly purposes. Thanks to SolidWorks and 3DVIA Composer, Felder remains competitive in a woodworking machine market facing intense price pressure. Since Felder switched from 2D to 3D CAD software in 2001, it has shortened design processes by up to 30 percent. In addition, SolidWorks and 3DVIA Composer save the company material and components, delivering designs that are optimized for assembly.

Headquartered in Hall, Tyrol, the family-owned business manufactures woodworking machines and tools for a wide range of do-it-yourself enthusiasts, small woodworking companies, large carpentries, and industrial enterprises. Its globally marketed brands include FELDER, FORMAT-4, and HAMMER.

“Aesthetics, short design processes, and high-quality products are very important to us,” said Engineer Robert Tratter, development manager at Felder KG. “SolidWorks is a reliable partner in all these areas. When the SolidWorks partner planetsoftware drew our attention to 3DVIA Composer, our previously installed documentation solution didn’t have a chance, because it was an isolated application. 3DVIA Composer allows us to create and edit assembly documentation directly within SolidWorks. The tight compatibility is a huge benefit that gives us both direct and precise data transfers and accelerated design workflows.”

SolidWorks and 3DVIA Composer software have enabled Felder to establish a seamless design process and create a wide range of valuable drawing/model derivatives, including bills of material, spare parts lists, design review documents, and the 3D data for CAM systems and 3D measuring machines.

The improved visualization and the option to create virtual prototypes has considerably reduced the error rate in the design process, according to Tratter. Another advantage is the design of configurations. “Each component needs just one data file that can be used in many different assemblies,” Tratter said. “This eases the modification and maintenance of the entire range of products.”

Felder’s customers benefit from clearly and intuitively arranged repair and service instructions as well as from photorealistic renderings and animations that explain the use of machines and tools.

“Felder fully benefits from the interaction between SolidWorks and 3DVIA Composer,” said Axel Spitzer, regional sales manager, central European countries, at DS SolidWorks. “Its customers are looking for high-precision machines and tools at competitive prices, which require design and documentation tools that shorten design cycles and optimize manufacturing processes. SolidWorks and 3DVIA Composer meet these requirements — today and tomorrow.”

Today, the family-owned company Felder KG offers the brands FELDER, FORMAT-4, and HAMMER as Felder Group to the global market. With the logo “All from one hand,” the Format-4 product range is extended with CNC machining centres, which make Felder a full-range provider. Since its foundation, Felder has succeeded in being at the top of the market with many patents and innovative solutions. Besides its success in the global markets, awards – including the Bavarian state prize 1983 and 1991, the IF Design Award, and the Adolf Loos award – attest to this market position. For more information, visit www.felder.at.

Since 1996 planetsoftware has been a leading Austrian provider of SolidWorks solutions. planetsoftware has always concentrated on SolidWorks and offers its customers consulting, training, and implementation support. Located at four major sites in Austria, planetsoftware ensures close customer contact and area-wide support. For more information, visit www.cad.at.