CONCORD, Mass. & PASADENA, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Sept. 22, 2003--

SolidWorks 2004 and Bluebeam combine to allow users to send drawing files using PDF, complementing SolidWorks 3D-enabled eDrawings collaboration tool

SolidWorks® software users will now be able to communicate 2D and 3D product designs using the most widely accepted industry standards thanks to a partnership between SolidWorks Corporation and Bluebeam Software. With Bluebeam's technology, SolidWorks users can send high-quality 2D design files via the Adobe portable document format (PDF) standard - the most popular online document distribution format - or they can use the SolidWorks eDrawings e-mail-enabled collaboration tool to send 3D design files.

SolidWorks has licensed Bluebeam's engineering productivity tools to enable designers to save and send 2D drawings via PDF directly from SolidWorks 2004. Using Bluebeam's technology, SolidWorks 2004 users will be able to send high-resolution 2D designs in PDF format to team members locally or globally without downloading any additional software.

As the global standard for document communication, PDF will allow SolidWorks users such as Doug Robinson of Optical Products Development (OPD) Corp. to share designs with a broader community because of the standard's widespread adoption. Robinson, the company's vice president of engineering and research and development, designs video monitors that project holographic images used in a wide variety of applications, including advertising, business communication, and gaming.

"I have to share designs with clients around the world all the time because we're dealing with very customized products," he said. "Using Bluebeam Pushbutton PDF for SolidWorks allows me to send precise and accurate 2D drawings directly from SolidWorks via the globally adopted standard. That eliminates time delays in product review and approval and helps us deliver the products our customers want, when they want them."

PDF's widespread use also gives product team members a full range of options for communicating design information. Product managers can e-mail images, Word files, and presentations to executives to update them on design and development. They can also share designs with sales people scattered geographically to teach them about products' specifications. Sales people can share them with prospective customers to give them an idea of what the engineers can do. This kind of communication will help product development teams work more efficiently. PDF also enables engineers to obtain feedback and approval from team members while ensuring that no one alters the design.

"Uncompromising PDF quality is essential to product design collaboration," said Richard Lee, president and CEO of Bluebeam. "SolidWorks and Bluebeam have joined together to give engineers the highest quality PDF technology so that engineers can not only create flawless PDF drawings, but can effortlessly share these drawings from their design environment. The savings to SolidWorks customers in time and money will be immense."

Beyond the basic PDF functionality that SolidWorks has incorporated into its latest release, Bluebeam Pushbutton PDF Upgrade for SolidWorks allows users to:

• produce printer-ready drawings with one mouse click;
• apply text stamps to the design that read "approved" or "needs work" to mark the stages of approval;
• embed files so that team members can reference documents associated with their drawings;
• transfer hyperlinks so team members can reference Web sites and online documents associated with their PDF drawings;
• transfer file properties as metatags so team members can run key word searches on their PDF drawings;
• apply digital signature fields to SolidWorks drawings so that team members can see who has approved the design;
• print PDF documents across all Windows® applications through the free Bluebeam PDF printer.

"Engineers need to focus on designing the best products, not on how to communicate design information," said Ilya Mirman, SolidWorks vice president of marketing. "By integrating Bluebeam's PDF technology, we're now giving engineers the option of sharing designs with the most popular standards governing 2D and 3D file sharing. Using industry standards means the process is easy, and the designs are readily accessible."

Pricing and availability

The ability to save and send PDF files using Bluebeam technology is included as part of SolidWorks 2004 core functionality. The Bluebeam Pushbutton PDF Upgrade for SolidWorks is immediately available for $99.

About Bluebeam Software

Bluebeam Software invents, develops, and commercializes software that addresses the unique needs of engineers and architects. As the trusted standard in PDF technology for architects and engineers, Bluebeam produces the highest quality and easiest to use products in the marketplace, allowing project teams to immediately improve communication and collaboration with virtually no learning curve. For more information about the company, latest news, and purchasing information, visit Bluebeam Software on the Web at www.bluebeam.com or call 626-296-2140.

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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