SolidWorks

SolidWorks and Renewable Energy

Dassault Systèmes

is talking to us about providing software to help us improve our 3D CAD and Fluid Modeling capabilities.

We hope to be using SolidWorks for the next version of the Ocean Energy Turbine.

SolidWorks is a 3D mechanical CAD

(computer-aided design) program that runs on Microsoft Windows and is being developed by Dassault Systèmes SolidWorks Corp., a subsidiary of Dassault Systèmes, S. A. (Vélizy, France). SolidWorks is currently used by over 2 million engineers and designers at more than 165,000 companies worldwide. FY2011 revenue for SolidWorks was 483 million dollars.

SolidWorks Corporation was founded in December 1993 by Massachusetts Institute of Technology graduate Jon Hirschtick; Hirschtick used $1 million he had made while a member of the MIT Blackjack Team to set up the company. Initially based in Waltham, Massachusetts, USA, Hirschtick recruited a team of engineers with the goal of building 3D CAD software that was easy-to-use, affordable, and available on the Windows desktop. Operating later from Concord, Massachusetts, SolidWorks released its first product SolidWorks 95, in 1995. In 1997 Dassault, best known for its CATIA CAD software, acquired SolidWorks for $310 million in stock.

SolidWorks currently markets several versions of the SolidWorks CAD software in addition to eDrawings, a collaboration tool, and DraftSight, a 2D CAD product.

SolidWorks was headed by John McEleney from 2001 to July 2007 and Jeff Ray from 2007 to January 2011. The current CEO is Bertrand Sicot.