Dassault Systèmes Launches Online DraftSight Community

DraftSight Delivers Collaborative Services and Unprecedented Ability to Create, Edit, Share, and Manage DWG Files

DASSAULT SYSTÈMES SWYM CONFERENCE – Vélizy-Villacoublay, France, June 22, 2010 – Dassault Systèmes (DS) (Euronext Paris: #13065, DSY.PA), a world leader in 3D and Product Lifecycle Management (PLM) solutions, today announced the availability of an open, online community accessible through DraftSight.com, aimed at providing all computer-aided design (CAD) users access to new services and products to unlock valuable data stored in billions of DWG files.  Building on Dassault Systèmes’ vision of enabling social innovation, the launch of this community comes as a direct result of customer demand and marks the next step in bringing DWG file management and storage into an easy-to-use, online, service-oriented environment.

In conjunction with the debut of the DraftSight community, Dassault Systèmes is also launching the DraftSight solution, a free, professional-grade 2D CAD product delivered using an open business model.  Currently in public beta and available for download at 3ds.com, DraftSight provides users with a better way to read, write and share DWG files.  Based on an advanced architecture, DraftSight is easy to use, generally takes only a few minutes to download and runs on multiple operating systems including Windows XP, Windows Vista and Windows 7 (Mac OS and Linux support will be available later this year). DraftSight is available for all users, including CAD professionals, students and educators.

“PLM 2.0 is about using the power of community for collaborative innovation,” commented Pascal Daloz, executive vice president, Market Development & Strategy, Dassault Systèmes. “Together, DraftSight and DraftSight.com will unlock the valuable data stored in DWG files and help reinvent the CAD market by simultaneously integrating data, people and technology.  An interactive, user-driven environment such as DraftSight.com enables the collaborative innovation at the heart of product design and in spurring industry growth.”

With the DraftSight community, Dassault Systèmes showcases its strength in delivering not just industry-leading products, but also timely collaborative services to CAD users worldwide.  Within the online community, users can learn by interacting with members and letting their opinions be heard about specific topics, challenges or anything they’re passionate about when it comes to CAD and DraftSight.  In addition, community members will have the opportunity to share ideas and participate in DraftSight’s transparent, open product development process.  Through the global community experience, DraftSight users can choose from a variety of support options, including Community Support and fee-based, Value-Added Support packages that offer telephone, email and remote desktop support. 

According to Aaron Kelly, senior director, DraftSight, Dassault Systèmes, “DraftSight was developed in response to comprehensive customer interviews that showed an overwhelming need for the ability to share DWG files.  When our customers express the challenges they’re facing, we listen and do our best to deliver.  The community created through DraftSight.com and the immediate availability of the DraftSight product, represent a natural next step in our efforts to drive user-based knowledge sharing and high-quality service that will provide real value to our customers and all CAD users around the globe.”

“C.G Bretting Manufacturing is on a quest to eliminate waste and improve productivity”, said Dave Vedder, director of Engineering at C.G. Bretting Manufacturing Company. “As a SolidWorks customer, several months ago we approached them with a concern that their 2D editor product was slow and not customizable.  In turn, the company invited us to participate in Dassault Systèmes’ DraftSight alpha program where we provided input to the user interface, core features and participated in early testing.  With DraftSight, C.G. Bretting Manufacturing has improved productivity and eliminated waste associated with legacy DWG files.  Our experience with DraftSight is a solid example of Dassault Systèmes’ continued commitment to their customers.  DraftSight will provide an excellent solution for companies that have 2D needs.”

“To continue our productivity enhancement program with success, we’re always looking to improve our tools and processes,” said Marcel Gerber, head of VPLM Competence Center at Bobst Group. “We were happy to join the DraftSight beta testing program and were very pleased with the results.  DraftSight went above and beyond our expectations, providing an easy to use solution with excellent support for our day-to-day needs. This launch will help us phase out several legacy systems and accelerate the standardization of one single 2D CAD solution worldwide, beside our main development process based on CATIA.  DraftSight will improve our capacity to maintain machine documentation from our large installed-based product and allow us to easily communicate with our partners.”