Autodesk’s REAL explores capture/compute/create
Autodesk’s REAL conference last week was a mashup of technology, both market-ready and in the creation stage, and scientific, artistic and business endeavors that show how why this tech matters. Like last year, it was fascinating; unlike last year, we’re seeing...
Exa’s Q4 beats, highlights cloud success
Exa Corp. last night announced results that definitely bucked the trend -- recall that ANSYS and DS both reported simulation results that were good but not expectation-beating. Exa's Q4 revenue was $18.3 million, up 8% year/year as reported and up 13% in constant...
ANSYS’ Q4 shows it’s not immune from subs’ effects
By now you've heard that ANSYS had an OK Q4 but still only reported revenue 2015 that was about on par with revenue in 2014. And the forecast for 2016 is, at best, lukewarm. Why? Yes, some of this is macro-economic and currency-related, but ANSYS is also seeing longer...
Yay! Stratasys sees slow return to growth in 2016
There's hope in the world of 3D printers! Stratasys announced earnings just now and provided guidance for 2016 that looks pretty good. Not awesome, mind you, but: Total revenue for Q4 was $173 million, down 20% from a year ago Citing weak demand from industrial...
Autodesk’s Q4 sets the stage for a bumpy FY17
As you know, Autodesk is in the midst of a transition from hefty upfront fees to a steadier stream of subscription revenue. The company's recently announced Q4 results highlight both the positives and negatives of the change -- but there was also a lot of good,...
Autodesk Q4 revenue better than expected, reports a net loss
Autodesk just announced Q4 results and, as with ANSYS, we're going to do a quick preview while we await the conference call. Total revenue for the quarter was $648 million, down 2% as reported but up a nice 3% in constant currencies over last year's Q4 -- and above...
ANSYS Q4 revenue up 4%, at low end of guidance
ANSYS just reported that Q4 revenue was $252 million, up 4% year/year, for a total of $943 million in 2015, up 8%. CEO Jim Cashman said in prepared remarks that the "fourth quarter presented us with a combination of both challenges and opportunities ... Q4 revenue...
ASSESSing the future of CAE
I've been thinking a lot about simulation: who should be doing it, where it fits in a design process, how can we involve more people in using and creating these tools ... And there are no easy answers. Quick, throw-away reactions are that everyone should be...
Q&A Tuesday: Treehouses, WiFi, CAE & PLM – oh my
People find the Schnitger Corp. website in all sorts of ways, looking for a lot of different information. [Did you know we now have over 1,000 blog posts with maybe a million words -- yikes.] Here are a couple of search terms that led people to this website and I need...
Is your PLM a uni-tasker? Hope not …
When you buy something, what are your criteria? I look at whether it does what I need it to do, if it’s a good value for the money, and if it leaves me room to grow or adapt as my needs evolve. Like Alton Brown of Good Eats fame (http://altonbrown.com/ - worth a look,...
Very quick: Yokogawa outbids AspenTech for KBC
You don't see this every day: AspenTech says that Yokogawa has outbid it to win KBC, which it just last month said would acquire. AspenTech says it "does not intend to revise its offer of 185 pence for each share of KBC Advanced Technologies plc (KBC) which was...
SolidWorks World 2016: makers, cloud and subs
Kishore Boyalakuntla, SolidWorks Brand User Experience Leader, joked that SolidWorks World is a bit like Disney for engineers — and, you know, it is! This year’s event had a slightly different vibe: it was less serious, more maker and decidedly not DS-centric. Yes,...
Quickies: MuM & GRAITEC earnings surprising
A lot of PLMish companies release earnings news and (as you no doubt know) I fall behind in writing longer posts about each. So, a compromise where I do quick summaries of a few companies while working on longer-form versions for others. This week, Mensch und Maschine...
3D Systems prelim results – surprise: ahead of expectations!
3D Systems has been battered lately, as the consumer market for 3D printing hasn't developed the way the company envisioned. A management shakeup, exiting the Cube businesses -- it's been a tough six months. Then, this morning, the news that Q4 revenue will be around ...
DS’ Q4 blows past expectations; CEO doesn’t see AVEVA & CD-adapco as credible acquisitions
When Dassault Systèmes (DS) reports results, there’s a blizzard of information to wade through, all carefully orchestrated to lead the reader to the desired conclusion: that DS is a healthy, growing business with activities on many fronts contributing to long-term...
ESI buys Mineset big data analytics from SGI
ESI today announced that it is acquiring Mineset Inc., a big data visual analytics and machine-learning specialist, from SGI. [Recall that ESI acquired OpenCFD Ltd, owner of the OpenFOAM Trademark, from SGI in 2012. -- Ed.] Mineset bills itself as "beautiful, simple,...
Trimble acquires Sefaira’s cloud analytics for building design
Trimble continues to build out its design capabilities, announcing today that it is acquiring Sefaira Ltd., which develops cloud-based analytical tools for the architectural market. Sefaira's Architecture, Strategy and Systems modules enable designers using Autodesk's...
No surprise: Autodesk announces restructuring
You probably saw this coming: a company used to operating on a perpetual license model isn't, financially, the same as one that relies on subscriptions. Different cash flows, and cash flows are what pay people, rent and utilities. So, today, Autodesk announced a...
Earnings quickie: Nemetschek beats even revised targets
I'm at SolidWorks World, so this has to be quick: Nemetschek today announced preliminary results for Q4 and 2015 that showed its momentum continued into the fourth quarter. Total revenue for the year was €285 million, exceeding both original and revised (upwards)...
PTC takes a look, clarifies IoT+CAD+PLM+VR+SLM vision
PTC last week rolled out its vision for the augmented reality-enabled enterprise: access to all sorts of data related to an object, served out on tablets, watches, phones and other devices, with the specifics of the data tailored to the needs of the user. This vision...

