I’m heading to 3DEXPERIENCE World 2025 in Houston, TX, one of my favorite events. Formerly known as SolidWorks World, this gathering brings together one of the greatest communities of SolidWorks users, partners, and Dassault Systèmes experts. This year is especially significant as it marks the 30th anniversary of SolidWorks.
While on the plane to Houston, I started reflecting on what makes a product truly successful.
How to Build a Successful Product?
Pablo Picasso is often quoted as saying, “Bad artists copy, great artists steal.” The essence of this statement is that simply copying results in imitation, while stealing in a creative sense means understanding, transforming, and making something uniquely your own.
Consider Leonardo da Vinci’s Mona Lisa. If you aspire to be a great painter, you can go to art school and learn from the masters. However, Mona Lisa isn’t the most famous painting solely due to its artistic merit. Countless other paintings are just as technically impressive, if not more so.
The Mona Lisa became the world’s most recognized painting due to a mix of artistic brilliance, historical intrigue, and cultural impact. Despite its artistic significance and the fact it was originally purchased by King Francis I of France in the early 16th century, it wasn’t always an icon. A major turning point came in 1911 when the painting was stolen from the Louvre, sparking a global media frenzy. Its subsequent recovery in 1913 and further cultural references in the 20th century solidified its status as the most famous artwork in history.
SolidWorks – The Mona Lisa Effect
I think, the same principle applies to software and product development. It’s not just about the technology itself; it’s a combination of factors, events, and timing that create a successful product.
SolidWorks became the de-facto standard in professional MCAD. But how it happened. Thirty years ago, it was a combination of factors that created a critical moment in 3D CAD technology evolution. The concept of parametric feature-based solid modeling wasn’t new—Sam Geisberg and Pro/ENGINEER pioneered it before SolidWorks. However, Jon Hirschtick and his team took the core idea and combined it with the rising popularity of Windows and the affordability of PCs, multiplied by a great sales execution and building a VAR channel. Combined with early acquisition of DS, investment and the leadership of the management team, it created what we know today as SolidWorks – a billion-dollar brand and one of the most popular MCAD system in the world.
Reinventing SolidWorks with 3DEXPERIENCE
Can we reverse engineer Solidworks and re-invent it with 3DEXPERIENCE? Over the past few months, I’ve had many discussions online and offline with people in the Dassault Systèmes and SolidWorks communities about the future of SolidWorks and the development of 3DEXPERIENCE platform. I’ve heard many opinion, comments and stories about mixing existing product with 3DEXPERIENCE, building new products such as xDesign and the combination of the best aspects of SolidWorks and CATIA into a modernized, cloud-based platform. The jury is still out, in my view.
The 3DEXPERIENCE platform is the outcome of 15-20 years of evolution at Dassault Systèmes family of products. I remember, it began as a visualization product for 3D (3D Live), but it has since transformed into a comprehensive ecosystem that integrates all applications, workflows, and tools under one 3DEXPERIENCE Platform interface (and accessible via Roles).
Many articles have compared SolidWorks to 3DEXPERIENCE, and change is never easy. I wrote an article a few weeks ago – How to Make SolidWorks Users Happy Again. Check this out as I put possible options about the future trajectories of SolidWorks community and products.
What is conclusion?
As I arrive in Houston, I look forward to engaging in conversations with colleagues, partners, customers, and friends. If you’re attending 3DEXPERIENCE World 2025, reach out—I’d love to meet and discuss the future of SolidWorks and the evolving role of 3DEXPERIENCE.
Achieving meaningful progress often requires taking a step back to listen to customers, understand user needs, assessment of technology, and explore various options for improvement.
Just my thoughts…
Best, Oleg
Disclaimer: I’m the co-founder and CEO of OpenBOM, a digital-thread platform providing cloud-native collaborative services including PDM, PLM, and ERP capabilities. With extensive experience in federated CAD-PDM and PLM architecture, I’m advocates for agile, open product models and cloud technologies in manufacturing. My opinion can be unintentionally biased
