At its core, the 3DEXPERIENCE platform is a collection of cloud-based software applications for 3D design, analysis, simulation and communication. It allows team members to be in the same environment looking at the same data and the same files in order to make changes and comments in real time. Just like with a smartphone, there are different applications available for the platform to customize the experience for your specific project needs. And since the platform is cloud-based, all of what we are about to talk about is accessible through a web browser, not a dedicated computer.

Within the platform, you can access all available apps at any time by clicking on the different quadrants of the compass icon in the upper-left corner of the platform. You can even customize a dashboard-space where you can layout tabs and widgets that showcase the information that is most important to your team and the project.

3DMessaging 

An embedded instant-messaging tool that allows users to chat and collaborate in the same platform, so all conversations are located in the same location as the other elements of the project for easy reference. You actually don’t need to look for this app in the Compass, as it comes pre-installed and is available across all the apps

3DSwym (Social and Collaborative)

A social and collaborative app that can be accessed by internal users, external users or both. With this app, you can create blog posts and wiki pages, exchange images and videos, post comments, notes and even “like” content posted by other members of the project. Think of it like a mini social media platform, that replaces the need for creating and archiving emails.

3DDrive (Social and Collaborative)

An easy-to-use application for storing, syncing, sharing and previewing CAD files and office documents all in one place online. It also allows light design review within the platform without having to have CAD software installed and contains different amounts of online data storage depending on your license. You can also control who has permission to view and/or edit the files.

SOLIDWORKS Connection (3D Modeling)

This is actually an app that you download from the 3DEXPERIENCE platform into your desktop version of SOLIDWORKS. Once installed, this app within SOLIDWORKS will give you in-program access to all the files you and your team have in the cloud. You can search, download and work on the files on your computer, and then save new versions back to the cloud. You can lock files to ensure that nobody else modifies the same files while you are working on them and track the file status so you know if the latest version resides on your computer or in the cloud. A similar version of this app is available for Draftsight and eDrawings too.

3DSpace (Social and Collaborative)

Now that you have a collaborative project, or multiple projects in 3DEXPERIENCE, this data storage app enables you to structure all your different projects via “Collaborative Spaces” like a file manager. Think of this app as your main Engineering Folder, and the collaborative spaces within the app as different Project Folders. You can drill-down into all the corresponding project data and notes through this app.

There are a lot of other apps available as well to make your online dashboard more customized and useful to you and your team. Everything from an onscreen calculator to a task creation/management app.

See more of what apps are available in our video about setting up a basic 3DEXPERIENCE dashboard.