SPECIAL FOCUS CAD/SOFTWARE
Will cloud technology power the future of design?
While there are many benefits to using
the cloud, many potential users remain cautious. CAD providers such as New Technology CADCAM are
therefore catering to customer needs both now and in the future S
OLIDWORKS 3D CAD was launched at a technology change point when
engineers and designers moved from servers to desktop PCs, comments New Technology CADCAM’s chief executive, Peter Teague. However, New Technology CADCAM, which introduced SOLIDWORKS to the UK 20 years ago, believes the industry is on the cusp of another technology change with the onset of CAD in the Cloud. While many of the big CAD operators –
including SOLIDWORKS, Autodesk and Onshape – have pre-empted the trend for cloud solutions, the current change to Cloud CAD offerings is still in its infancy. Onshape has 10,000 users but has yet to match the functionality of the more mature desktop products; Fusion 360 from Autodesk is emerging with new functionality all the time; while SOLIDWORKS’ highly anticipated full browser-based CAD product, SOLIDWORKS XDesign, is currently in beta, with the launch scheduled for 2017. It’s a given that cloud technology will
power the future. In fact information technology consultant CGI estimates that 70-80% of businesses will have the majority of their operations in the cloud within the next three years. Demand, however, won’t happen overnight. “People are over-estimating the speed
at which things will change,” adds Teague. “At New Technology CADCAM we aren’t yet seeing a lot of customer pull for cloud versions. What we do have is more willingness from customers wanting web demonstrations rather than face-to-face meetings. This is a result of millennials now getting into a position of authority. They are the cloud engineers of the future and are plugged into CAD in a different way from previous generations. They embrace collaboration and see
42 SEPTEMBER 2016 | DESIGN SOLUTIONS
access to Wi-Fi as a basic human right. How quickly we embrace CAD in the
Cloud will depend on the speed at which these millennials become the decision- makers in our companies.”
CLOUD BENEFITS There are many benefits to using the cloud, including being able to access, innovate, collaborate and even manufacture your 3D designs from anywhere in the world. According to David Land from design and engineering analysts Cambashi Marketing, team collaboration within the design space is one of the main uses being touted for cloud solutions. Furthermore, with an application that does all your processing in the cloud, you won’t need a £1,200 workstation to get into your CAD files. The primary concern for companies,
however, is security over the data and also the right to use the solution compared to the perpetual right with offline products. Despite this, 99% of UK companies say they have never experienced a security breach when using a cloud service. Other reasons for the cautious take up may include connectivity issues, too much collaboration and issues of file integration.
MEETING CUSTOMER NEEDS By 2020, 95% of the UK will have 4G access, which is plenty for CAD products like SOLIDWORKS XDesign. But, as Teague explains: “If you are spending a lot of time on aeroplanes or meeting suppliers in China and India, then you can’t always guarantee a sensible internet connection. In this situation, a lot of CAD users will still value a desktop product that is portable and can be used any time without an online connection.” At a recent customer focus group, New Technology CADCAM asked users
how much emphasis they placed on collaborating. The answer was that while they were collaborating all the time, it can be too much of a good thing and can even slow down the design process. Then there is the issue of ease of
transition. If you upload your 3D file from the office to the web application, will it still look the same and let you continue with your creative design and testing on the fly? Dassault Systèmes, which owns SOLIDWORKS, recognises these two distinct markets and is delivering flexibility to both. Moving from internal beta test to a
restricted public beta in the near future, SOLIDWORKS XDesign will offer a new design product that will run both storage and processing elements fully in the cloud accessed via a browser, with only the UI remaining on the device. Meanwhile SOLIDWORKS’ desktop CAD products will continue to develop with another feature rich release and new term licensing options, in addition to the existing perpetual licenses, in the autumn. “SOLIDWORKS knows that the cloud
isn’t for everybody – certainly not in the short to medium term – so it’s responding to customer needs both for now and in the future,” adds Teague. “Right now everything is on the table. SOLIDWORKS XDesign is a completely separate product and won’t be included in your subscription. It is yet to be seen if you can use it seamlessly in tandem with your SOLIDWORKS desktop products. My advice for anyone interested would be to sign up for the beta now. As we move closer to a cloud offering, your feedback could drive not just functionality but also any future delivery and pricing decisions.”
New Technology CADCAM
www.thenewtechnologygroup.com
There are many benefits to using the cloud, including being able to access, innovate, collaborate and even manufacture your 3D designs from anywhere in the world
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