Direct, parametric — better together?
Debating the merits of direct and parametric modeling is all the rage. Is one better than the other? Which one should you use? Are you doing something wrong if you're not using [direct|parametric], if you're using [parametric|direct] now? No, depends, definitely not....
Autodesk Accelerate: Customers talk PLM 360
Heard over and over in Boston's District Hall last week: "I got a trial license of PLM 360, played with it for 6* months (although I was still doing my real job most of the time) and then started rolling out workspaces. As we got further into it, we realized what...
Stratasys to acquire GrabCAD
I'm at the Autodesk #AcceleratePLM14 conference about PLM 360, so can really only reblab the press release -- deeper analysis to come. But you knew something like this was the endgame, right? The juicy parts of the press release: "Stratasys ... today announced that it...
ESI’s Q2 down due to currency, realignment, deals pushed to Q4
The second report in a few days shows that it's getting tougher out there. On Friday, AVEVA reported that currency was taking its toll and that its sales force realignment was taking time to prove positive benefit. Yesterday, ESI Group reported that FQ2 2014 revenue...
AVEVA’s H1 update = uh oh
AVEVA issues periodic trading updates in between the more formal and detailed announcements every six months. These interim press releases typically don't say much -- but every so often something interesting slips through. This time, the nuggets aren't joyous. In the...
AVEVA kicks off earnings amid takeover rumbles
PLMish results start in earnest this week, as both PTC and Dassault Systèmes talk about their June quarter results. But AVEVA kicked things off in their uniquely British way last week, updating us on how things are going so far in fiscal 2015 -- and all seems to be to...
Siemens PLM grows into the AG — a good thing
Altair today announced that it is acquiring Visual Solutions, makers of the VisSim graphical block diagram language for modeling and simulating complex dynamic systems, including embedded systems. Visual Solutions says it has over 250,000 users worldwide, scientists...
Unlocking the value of legacy data
Over at the PTC Creo blog this week, I'm musing on how to recapture the value of legacy data -- all those CAD models you created in the past, now stored on drives all over the place (or archived in a PDM/PLM if you're so inclined), gathering the equivalent of digital...
Trimble acquisition boosts public safety offering
The AEC world continues to expand and contract at the same time, as the big providers branch out into new areas by acquiring smaller companies. Trimble is a perfect example, making more than 100 acquisitions since 2000 (spending over $3.2 billion in the process)....
DS adds SIMPACK’s multi-body sim to its offering
Dassault Systèmes today announced that it has acquired SIMPACK (formerly INTEC), developer of the SIMPACK general purpose multi-body simulation software that's been used for decades to analyze the motion, coupling forces and stresses on mechanical and mechatronic...
Nemetschek ups its BIM game
Nemetschek just announced that is has invested in a startup and acquired a majority stake in another company to level up its 3D Building Information Management (BIM) portfolio to include time (4D) and cost (5D) in project planning*. As I've written before, 4D/5D is...
Get ready! Earnings are starting …
No, we're not changing our focus to industrials! Yesterday did, however, mark the start of earnings season with Alcoa announcing that Q2 was far better than expected, which raises the bar for all other earnings releases to come. Alcoa said that revenue for the...
Happy 4th!
Here's hoping you have a safe and happy 4th of July holiday! Catch some sun, take in a concert, enjoy family and friends, appreciate all that it is good. We'll catch up next week.
Quickies: PTC/Atego done, Aras adds Dr. Eigner
A quick update on happenings in our little PLMish world: PTC said yesterday that it finalized its purchase of Atego, first announced at PTC Live Global a few weeks ago. You may recall that Atego develops model-based systems and software engineering applications. PTC...
Thinking about simulation?
Considering how long codes like Nastran have been in use, it always gives me pause when someone asks me where and how to start with simulation. That's when I realize that the vast majority of people aren't simulating anything. Yet. The aerospace and...
Morning coffee: SofTech partners, Bentley sells, World Cup & more
I still need to bring you up to speed on what I learned at HxGN Live, Hexagon's user conference; at a session on hand-held laser scanners hosted by DotProduct and in the briefings squeezed into rare days in the office between trips. And I will. But, right now, it's...
Quickie: Autodesk buys entertainment project management supplier
Autodesk just announced that it's acquiring Shotgun Software, a developer of cloud-based production tracking, review, and asset management software for the media and gaming world. Terms of the acquisition were not disclosed. Autodesk says Shotgun has 500 customers,...
Quickie: Altair closes FEKO acquisition
Altair said today that it finally closed the acquisition of EM Software & Systems (EMSS), first announced back in December 2013. I am trying to get details, but suspect roping in the South African company's distributor offices in the United States, Germany, and...
PTC Live: CAD, PLM, Services, IoT – lots of IoT
PTC had a tough balancing act last week at its Live Global event: act like a CAD and PLM company for the majority of the attendees, help a smaller but vibrant community of manufacturers develop their services delivery capabilities while also pulling us towards the...
GrabCAD’s PDM Workbench: design collaboration in minutes
I know you're all looking for posts on this week's PTC Live Global and PTC Live Service Exchange, and I'll get to those, but I need to fill you in on a little shindig GrabCAD threw on Tuesday. You know about GrabCAD, right? It's a library of nearly 500,000 CAD parts,...
