xDesign: In-Use Example

With the Dassault Systemes 3DEXPERIENCE platform becoming more prominent, companies are starting to ask what exactly it has to offer. The 3DEXPERIENCE platform is an enormous move by Dassault Systemes to bring all aspects of manufacturing, design, simulation, and more onto one platform. xDesign is a cloud CAD system that is available with the 3D Creator role on the 3DEXPERIENCE platform. This blog will be taking a deeper dive into the cloud CAD system and giving a look into some examples of what xDesign has to offer.

Layout

When learning a new CAD system, the layout can be one of the most confusing parts. xDesign has done a great job taking a simple approach and not overloading the screen with features and options. At the bottom of the screen, you see one toolbar that holds all your controls. From the toolbar, you can navigate through sketch tools, creating new parts, help options, the marketplace, and much more. Having all these options in one toolbar really helps simplify the learning curve of a new CAD system and keeps designing fun and exciting!

Designing

If you are a SolidWorks user, you will have noticed how familiar the feature tools look. Since xDesign is still in its early stages, it does not currently offer as many feature/sketch tools as other CAD systems, but xDesign is consistently being updated with new tools and features! With xDesign, sketching has been made quick and easy. You have a choice of your standard sketch tools or the gesture option. The gesture tool allows you to draw rough shapes that then snap to the closest known geometry to the drawn shape. Extrudes are automatically accessible from a closed sketch contour once it has been completed. Feature managers have been compressed to offer quick and easy feature control while maintaining complexity in variations available to the extrude feature.

Assemblies

When creating assemblies, it is crucial for your workflow to be as quick and smooth as possible. xDesign has done a great job at making their assembly process quick and easy. Mating two parts together is as simple as selecting two surfaces and choosing a mate type. New parts can be created and edited within an assembly allowing total design control. And with xDesign’s cloud capabilities you are now able to create and edit any assembly from any device with an internet connection.

Free Flowing Design

By pressing the X key while designing a part, xDesign adds a tab called “subdivision” to your toolbar. This subdivision is known as xShape, which is available with the 3D Sculptor role. The xShape subdivision allows you to create rough shapes with a specified number of grid lines outlining the geometry. These lines and points can be selected and manipulated individually to help the designer create a more organic design. I think that this tool is a great addition to a CAD program as it will allow designers to create new and evolving designs.

Conclusion

Overall, xDesign has huge potential when it comes to new CAD programs. Cloud CAD is slowly becoming more and more of a reality and xDesign is leading the charge. With the ability to design and create from any device, anywhere, anytime, xDesign provides a sleek and easy new CAD modeling experience.

So how does xDesign fit in with your current CAD tools? The new 3DEXPERIENCE SOLIDWORKS Offers include xDesign and allow you to share the files between all the apps each user has access to. We love the flexibility it gives us when working from locations where we don’t have our CAD workstations.

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