CAD software What artificial intelligence achieves in product development

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The possibilities and techniques in product development have changed significantly in recent years. Integrated systems as well as the use of artificial intelligence open up new possibilities. Dassault Systèmes presented solutions and concepts at its user conference.

Nashville in Tennessee is the capital of country music. Here, things are still somewhat analog: drums, guitars, and basses are still being built for analog operation – even though digital variants exist. When it comes to product development, digital products and strategies have been dominating for decades. Dassault Systèmes provided an overview at its 3D Experience World conference in Nashville in the spring of what options open up for designers with the new tools.

Everything on one platform

Dassault Systèmes has made considerable efforts in recent years to implement its platform strategy. Products like Catia, Enovia, or Simulia have long been unified on the 3D Experience platform.

And meanwhile, the Solidworks portfolio has been categorized into "3D-Experience Works." This is a portfolio of industry-related applications on the company's own 3D Experience platform. It is tailored to the needs of Solidworks customers or small and medium-sized enterprises. The portfolio combines cross-team collaboration (PDM/PLM) with ERP functions for design, simulation, and manufacturing in a common digital environment. This is intended to enable growth-oriented companies to act more innovatively, efficiently, and responsively.

Into the cloud with Solidworks

Until now, Solidworks users did not have the option to use the cloud services of Dassault Systèmes – this changes in July 2023. All new desktop CAD licenses now include cloud solutions as part of the subscription. For all existing licenses, there is the option to upgrade to a subscription with cloud solutions for a small fee. Users can now store their data in the cloud instead of on a hard drive. CAD applications can be operated locally and PDM/PLM software in the cloud. This benefits users who primarily want to focus on design.

In practice, this means that the software is expanded via the Collaborative Designer for Solidworks and the user now saves their work in the cloud instead of on a hard drive. This means: work locally, store, and collaborate in the cloud. This also has the advantage that the data is located in a professional IT environment; data centers with modern servers, backups, etc., are standard here. This is often not the case in small and medium-sized enterprises.

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Solidworks becomes a family

Customers who opt for the cloud variant receive a self-contained and thus compatible solution. The 3D CAD software Solidworks is fundamentally available in three versions:

• As a cloud solution that requires no local installation at all,

• as a hybrid version, in which the application is installed locally but the data is stored in the cloud, and

• as a desktop version.

Since 2020, three new bundles have been available under the name 3D Experience Works (Standard, Professional, and Premium). In addition to a Solidworks license of the respective "package size," they also include various sections of the platform offering.

Those who opt for the cloud version of the CAD solution receive a design tool based on the current technical standard and the CGM kernel from Dassault Systèmes. The desktop version continues to run on the Parasolid kernel, so on a different technical basis than the Dassault solutions. Real compatibility between the product families was never possible. These limitations now disappear with the decision for a cloud solution.

Designing with artificial intelligence

A widely discussed topic currently is the use of artificial intelligence (AI) in product development. There are now various approaches ranging from support with routine tasks to genuine independent developments based on AI.

At the conference, there was repeated mention of facilitations for the designer with routine tasks. An example of this are holes in parts or components that the designer has to consider anew each time, even though they differ only slightly. Here, AI can support very effectively by analyzing previous designs, drawing its conclusions, and autonomously placing the holes in new – similar – designs.

"Generative Design" is significantly more demanding. It is based on AI and uses design parameters such as weight, material strength, and specified manufacturing methods to generate multiple solution approaches for the engineer. The designer is not only relieved of routine tasks, but the computer also suggests design and manufacturing variants that he can modify if necessary.

Generative design allows the user to select the preferred manufacturing processes – both subtractive and additive methods – right from the start. It takes into account all the specifications defined in the design process, such as material or weight. The aim is to reduce or eliminate the need for complex design drafts and time-consuming simulation studies. Designers and engineers should thus receive solid and detailed solutions. At the same time, it ensures that the chosen version can be manufactured with the available machines.

AI and ML: many possibilities

Solidworks CEO Manish Kumar provided a comprehensive overview in an interview on how to deal with the topic of AI and ML and the hype around Chat GPT. In the area of Machine Learning, Dassault Systèmes relies on the software Netvibes. It stands for "Information Intelligence" and allows companies to collect, match, and enrich large volumes of data – whether internal or external, structured or unstructured, simple or complex, in real-time or archived – and to make this information available to users in high-quality applications. This makes it possible, for example, to use virtual construction models and simulations for iterative design already in the conception phase of product development.

With these technologies, "millions of design options can be played through in an instant, with automatic recommendations for optimal solutions being generated based on multiple criteria such as cost, sustainability, timing, or legal requirements," it is stated. AI and ML are also useful in the earliest phases of idea generation. They are used in cognitive search systems to help designers explore existing design concepts through text and image searches. And they can assist designers in understanding customer demand by analyzing sources like social media or internal customer feedback systems.