CONCORD, Mass.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--July 28, 2003-- SolidWorks Corporation today unveiled a new program to accelerate customers' design-to-manufacture process by promoting tight interoperability between SolidWorks® 3D mechanical design software and industry-leading computer aided manufacturing (CAM) products. The SolidWorks Certified CAM Product Program provides customers with a seamless line of communication between their product design software and the applications that drive manufacturing, so companies can bring products to market quickly.

The new program solves the industry-wide problem of incompatibility between a company's computer-aided design (CAD) and CAM software, which often forces engineers to manually recreate part or all of a product design in their CAM application. This slows production and delays product delivery. The SolidWorks Certified CAM Product Program ensures that customers can move their native 3D solid models from SolidWorks directly to their CAM applications to reduce the transition time between design and manufacturing.

SolidWorks has partnered with the industry's top CAM providers, who are part of the global SolidWorks Partner Program, which boasts more partners - over 500 - than any other such program in the CAD industry. The program provides additional benefits to Certified CAM Products customers, who are now eligible to join the SolidWorks Manufacturing Network, an online directory that allows companies to find SolidWorks users that provide contract design and manufacturing services. This growing network will give hundreds of thousands of SolidWorks users better access to manufacturing services around the world.

The newly announced Certified CAM Products include:

• CAMWorks(TM) from TekSoft, Inc.;
• GibbsCAM® from Gibbs and Associates;
• EdgeCAM® from Pathtrace Plc.®;
• ESPRIT from DP Technology;
• Mastercam from CNC Software, Inc.; and
• SolidCAM from SolidCAM, Ltd.

"Today's top CAM software companies are not just focusing on developing their own software, but are also investing in strong relationships with CAD companies to help customers meet tougher deadlines and manufacturing demands," said Mark Summers, CNC Software's co-founder and president. "The direct link between Mastercam and SolidWorks makes the transfer from product design to manufacturing fast and reliable so that our customers can meet these manufacturing challenges."

Certified CAM Products must meet specific criteria for compatibility and functionality in conjunction with SolidWorks software. For example, all Certified CAM Products must be able to read native SolidWorks geometry. They must also be associative with SolidWorks so that when an engineer modifies a SolidWorks-generated 3D design, the change is recognized by the CAM application. Increased associativity reduces the risk of costly and time-consuming production errors. SolidWorks will work with its partners to continually test interoperability to ensure these products deliver seamless design and manufacturing capabilities.

"Our mission is to simplify every phase of computer-aided manufacturing for our customers," said Bill Gibbs, founder and president of Gibbs and Associates. "That includes the handoff between CAD and CAM. Partnering with industry-leading 3D mechanical design vendors like SolidWorks ensures that we provide a smooth and fast path between engineering departments and the shop floor."

The SolidWorks Certified CAM Product Program will benefit companies ranging from small job shops that custom-build parts to Fortune 1000 corporations that want to streamline their entire product development system. "Accelerated product development hinges on how easy it is to translate a design into the finished product," said Brian Houle, manager of the Solution Partner Program at SolidWorks. "By partnering with the CAM industry's leading vendors, we're giving manufacturers a head start by offering an integrated environment that eliminates the interoperability issues they've wrestled with in the past. Now, by communicating with native SolidWorks data, they can transform their designs into physical products faster, and with fewer errors, than before."

About SolidWorks Corporation

SolidWorks Corporation, a Dassault Systemes S.A. (Nasdaq: DASTY, Euronext Paris: #13065, DSY.PA) company, develops and markets software for mechanical design, analysis, and product data management. Founded in 1993, SolidWorks' mission is to unleash the power of 3D for everyone in product development and foster a collaborative user community. In seven years of delivering product, SolidWorks has shipped more than 268,000 total seats of software worldwide. SolidWorks has offices around the globe and sells, distributes, and supports its products through a worldwide reseller network. For the latest news, information, or a live online demonstration, visit the company's Web site (www.solidworks.com) or call 1-800-693-9000 (outside of North America, call +1-978-371-5000).

SolidWorks is a registered trademark of SolidWorks Corporation. Other brand and product names are trademarks of their respective owners. Copyright (c) 2003 SolidWorks Corporation.

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