If you are trying to complete a major project, the most important step is usually the first. To properly plan for a project, getting the details right in the project design phase is paramount. In the 1950s, planning and precision started at the drafting table with blueprints. Armed with drawing pens, project designers used scale rules, French curves, and templates to get the highest level of precision for a project. These drafting tables could be as small as 2 feet by 3 feet or as large as 3 feet in depth by 6 feet in length, depending on the project’s requirements. However, as technology advanced, so too did project design.
From Drafting Tables to Digital Design
In 1982, Calma released the Dimension III Systems, a massive hardware unit that hosted a Unix system to complete project design. This hardware model was equipped with its own operating system (OS), called CDOS. Alongside the device, the companion PADL-2 was released as the first Computer Aided Design (CAD) software. However, the price of innovation was quite hefty. In this case, the physical model cost over $100,000, and each user for the PADL-2 software cost $50,000. Despite the cost, the innovation was so impactful that all future design projects would base their models on the Dimension III Systems and improve upon it.
The Next Generation of CAD Innovation
Around a decade and a half after the release of the Dimension III Systems, Silicon Graphics Inc. released the next innovative spin on CAD software. Their physical computer model, the Indigo2 IMPACT R10000, hosted PTC Pro/ENGINEER. It also came with its own OS, called Irix 6.2. This software included many more quality-of-life improvements and streamlined features than the original.
Many of the improvements stemmed from the fact that PTC Pro/ENGINEER operated on rule-based constraints and parameters. However, this model succeeded for another reason as well. The cost per seat for the PTC Pro/ENGINEER software only cost between $14,000 and $20,000. So, despite the physical computer model cost being $138,000, this system hosted improved software and had a lower total cost in the long run.
A Game-Changer: SOLIDWORKS Breaks Through
However, around the time of the Indigo2 IMPACT R10000, Acer released its competitor, the Aspire (575LB). Along with the general benefits the Indigo2 had, the Aspire (575LB) offered quite a few more improvements. Most importantly, the companion CAD software ‘SOLIDWORKS 95’ did not need a proprietary OS to function, unlike its predecessors. This meant that new users wouldn’t have to learn an entirely new OS and CAD program when they wanted to model a project, drastically reducing the time required to train new users.
Why SOLIDWORKS Dominated the Market
Furthermore, SOLIDWORKS 95 ran on Windows 95 and Linux, which were the operating systems that most computers ran on at the time. This meant users didn’t necessarily need specialized hardware to run the CAD software and could run it from their personal computers. It also meant that Acer was free to reinvest the savings from not developing new software into lowering the cost per seat. This helped bring the overall cost per seat down from $14,000 with the PTC Pro/ENGINEER to just $4,000 with SOLIDWORKS.
Because it was easily implementable, lacked a hardware cost, and the software itself had a low total cost, SOLIDWORKS 95 exploded in popularity. And, 30 years later, SOLIDWORKS software still has a loyal user base of over 8 million members and holds annual conferences. People like industrial designers and mechanical engineers use it for large, high-stakes projects, such as designing airplanes and submarines. However, its notoriety has led its applications far beyond that.
Entrepreneurs like the founders of Boston Dynamics and Ring have used it for robotics and the popular doorbell cameras, respectively. DIY hobbyists, academic scholars, and even children have found their own uses for this software and adapted the software into different versions and apps to fit their needs.
The Future of Design: SOLIDWORKS + Aura AI
Fortunately, with new technology, the SOLIDWORKS that people already love is going to get even better. SOLIDWORKS has implemented Aura AI, a large language model, generative AI. Aura can learn from observing user behavior and tailor its responses to how a person typically uses SOLIDWORKS. Aside from responding to user inquiries, it can also take a much more active role in project design.
AI-Powered Assistance for Faster, Smarter Projects
After providing Aura with a digital image, it can generate a sketch within a CAD workspace. Similarly, it can render a 2D drawing from any 3D model within SOLIDWORKS. It can even account for the workflow a user is in and offer predictive assistance to speed up the overall project design process. Ultimately, whether you are someone who is unfamiliar with AI or someone who uses it on a daily basis, Aura AI is an invaluable tool in the SOLIDWORKS ecosystem. If you want to get a step ahead in designing your project, Aura is the easiest and most effective way to do it.
Brian Wallace is the Founder and President of NowSourcing, an industry-leading content marketing agency that makes complexity simple, visual, and influential. Brian has been named a Google Small Business Advisor from 2016 to the present, joined the SXSW Advisory Board from 2019 to present, and became an SMB Advisor for Lexmark in 2023. He is the Founder of The Innovate Summit, which successfully launched in May 2024.
Photo courtesy Getty Images for Unsplash+
