The computer industry may seem to change at the speed of light but that’s not true of the CAD industry. After back to back meetings with Autodesk and Dassault I am struck once again by the slow pace of change. I’ve decided to see this in a positive light. After all, it’s really just hard on those of us who are making predictions and getting it wrong. In many cases, say designing bridges or artificial hearts, it’s better to take predictable paths and get it right.
Here’s another positive view. The democratization of CAD might be slow in coming and the delay has granted breathing room to companies selling more expensive products like Dassault, UGS, and PTC.
Still, democratization is going to come and those companies who are not creating the groundwork for it will live to see newer, younger companies come along and take the prize. After all it was Solid Works and Solid Edge, hot new programs that challenged the incumbents with features and attractive pricing.
