The 3DExperience platform makes sense on paper, as SOLIDWORKS has traditionally been a CAD software vendor and is trying to capture a bigger market by bringing it to the cloud and incorporating PLM features. However, it has been poorly marketed and launched in an incomplete state. They’ve split different offerings into “roles” which are inconsistently defined and even resellers have trouble understanding what they consist of. Recently they’ve tried explaining them as super heroes… I’ll let you judge that marketing effort.
The current SOLIDWORKS Cloud offer specifically, includes several “roles” that allow you to create 3D geometry and manage associated data. They consist of several web applications (SOLIDWORKS Desktop is not included) including xDesign, xShape, and various other apps for more specific modelling applications (eg. 3D SheetMetal Creator). This collection of web apps is supposed to function together as the web version of Solidworks. I have not had a chance to test it (Solidworks does not offer trials), but I’m told it’s not a great experience. Functionality is limited compared to SOLIDWORKS Desktop and the backend is inefficient and buggy, leading to a bad user experience. Pricing also seems high (around 2400 USD/year per user), when compared to similar offerings from Autodesk, which also offers a free trial.
Some “roles” include something called SOLIDWORKS Connected, which is just desktop SOLIDWORKS Professional, with some minor changes. This makes more sense to me, as you can still design with full desktop functionality, but it integrates with 3DExperience, so file opening/saving is different. This is likely what larger customers will insist on, so I would expect to hear more about it in the future. They have also tried to create a fully functional version of SOLIDWORKS in the browser, but I don’t believe they were able to get it to perform well enough to sell. I tested this a little over a year ago, and it was completely unusable. From a PLM perspective, I have heard mixed messages, but I am not aware of any large companies using the platform. Dassault (owner of SOLIDWORKS) owns several PLM systems, but the one they market as part of 3DExperience is Enovia. They take a confusing subset of functionality in Enovia and make it available in different 3DExperience “roles”. It probably works well if you understand it, but I hear the user experience is poor. Dassault also owns Centric PLM and Solidworks offers PDM and Manage, which together function as a basic PLM. They have failed to distinguish between these offerings in a meaningful way, so the VAR network is left to pick up the pieces, which has been spotty, as they often offer competing PLM systems as well.
Perhaps the best example of a web-based CAD system is OnShape, and it still can’t compare to a desktop CAD package. Interestingly, OnShape was founded by two former SOLIDWORKS CEO’s in 2012. PTC has since purchased the company, and its future looks bright. It already includes basic PDM functionality and is model based, rather then file based. There are rumors of an upcoming official PLM integration – my guess is Arena PLM since PTC owns them as well.
The typical SW user would prefer to have as much as reasonably possible in Solidworks, and then interact with PDM/PLM when necessary. I haven’t heard anyone asking to go cloud – it’s been the either way around, where Dassault is pushing its customers to try it. The cloud has its benefits obviously, but I (and many others) don’t believe it can ever be as good as desktop CAD with current technology. I believe we’ll end up with a hybrid where desktop CAD still has a large market share, especially in larger companies designing complex products. One of the big incentives to go to the cloud is outsourcing IT infrastructure, and I have seen several companies trying to use Amazon/Azure/etc to host engineering workstations. Those are typically virtual machines running Windows on expensive powerful hardware though, so its not web based.
Its also worth noting that engineers and their processes are typically very resistant to change. This means that even if a company decides to embrace 3DExperience, it can take many years to move people over, so that functions as a deterrent. Solidworks has also failed to provide migration support for existing desktop/on premise installations of other popular offerings. Cloud offerings such as 3DExperience, and especially OnShape, are currently being used by smaller companies and startups.
To summarize, the 3DExperience platform has potential, but its not there yet. They will need a better backend, clear marketing, and a product offering that customers will buy. They’ve been relying on the well established SOLIDWORKS brand to carry it this far, in my opinion. Today, I believe many companies still use desktop Solidworks with PDM or a third-party PLM.