published by Design News - 06 June 2007

Web-based application lets non-technical users search, navigate and collaborate on designs without having CAD or PLM tools

Dassault Systèmes is joining the ranks of PLM vendors providing lightweight 3D collaboration tools with its introduction of 3D Live, which it says brings enterprise 3D CAD and PLM data to non-engineers.

3D Live, downloadable from the Web, provides a unique “lazy-susan” style interface that allows non-technical people to search, navigate and collaborate on designs without having to be versed in CAD and PLM technology and without having to own CAD or PLM software. “There are a lot of business processes, in sourcing or regulatory approval, for example, where people need to have access to and reuse of the technical information in 3D or PLM systems,” says John Squire, Dassault's vice president of worldwide marketing. “We’re targeting those collaborators who need access to the technical and engineering details and data, but who don’t have technical and engineering tools.”

3D Live is different than other lightweight 3D data collaboration tools, Squire explains, because it presents information from the PLM system in a live format, not a static collection of data about discrete parts, which is how others products such as SolidWorks' eDrawings free viewer and Adobe Acrobat 3D operate. In addition, the turntable, “lazy susan” interface lets users easily navigate a 3D model in an intuitive fashion, without having to know anything about filling in property sheets or performing Boolean searches, which is common practice in most PDM systems.

Perhaps the most interesting feature of 3D Live is its contextual 3D search capabilities, according to Ed Miller, president of CIMdata Inc., a market research firm specializing in CAD and PLM. Much like a search in Google, 3D Live indexes the PLM databases, allowing users to search product information across heterogenous PLM systems and check for dependencies and status in minutes instead of hours. A 3D Contextual Buddy List feature then lets them identify the proper stakeholders that should be involved in that discussion or design review, allowing everyone to collaborate in the context of what they’re working on.

“3D Live provides a lot of visual cues to help you analyze information based on a set of characteristics,” Miller says. “It lets you track through and easily find problem areas and use the system to launch chat sessions, all based on context.”

3D Live fills a critical hole in Dassault’s product line, Miller says, and it’s critical for them to deliver ,as promised, versions that work with third-party PLM systems. “They absolutely needed this, but it’s important for them to release subsequent versions for other systems,” Miller says. “Otherwise, you’re just looking at a Dassault front end, and that’s not good enough in today’s world, which is one of heterogeneous stuff.”