SolidWorks CAD and Simulation are Key Links in Goal to Cut Up to 90 percent from Design and Construction Time

PARIS — (BUSINESS WIRE) — September 20, 2010 — A top innovator in eco-friendly construction has chosen SolidWorks^® CAD and simulation software as the foundation of an online system that will enable home buyers to create and test their own energy-saving house designs.

Quimper, France-based Domespace plans to deploy online applications that consumers can use to help design and build an eco-friendly, rotating dome house. SolidWorks Premium and SolidWorks Simulation will be the key links in a system that will enable Domespace to implement a 100-percent digital chain from the customer’s order, to manufacturing, to construction on site. Domespace selected SolidWorks software as an essential 3D tool not only for the optimization and standardization of its products, but as a collaborative solution to drive the entire digital process.

“We are betting on the future,” said Benjamin Thoby, Domespace’s computational and R&D head. “Our customers will imagine and design their house at their own pace through SolidWorks CAD. SolidWorks Simulation will support the validation and production processes. It’s a wonderful challenge and quite feasible with tools as effective and open as SolidWorks, and with partners such as Cadware that, from the beginning, have listened to our expectations and are helping us to realize them.”

Domespace homes are designed for energy efficiency and low environmental footprints. The dome-shaped structures rotate to catch solar energy, and they are heavily insulated to reduce heating and cooling needs. They are built from chemically free and sustainable wood species. Domespace has designed and built 200 houses in the world and has experienced, in the last five years, a growth rate of 60 percent per year.

Thoby was on the team that chose SolidWorks software after an in-depth study that concluded SolidWorks could meet all of Domespace’s needs in architectural design, thermal and strength calculations, and part design. The company used SolidWorks CAD and Simulation software to optimize its designs and standardize parts. It developed a single model with several customizable variants.

“We are defining two ranges in 20 different models. All the adjustments are inventoried from one range to the other. Using SolidWorks to handle our assemblies, we simplify them to the maximum,” Thoby said. “We are using SolidWorks Flow Simulation to prepare different scenarios that we can test, improve, and modify quickly, so we can only keep the designs that perfectly correspond to our requirements.”

Domespace works with SolidWorks authorized reseller Cadware for ongoing training and technical support.

About Dassault Systèmes SolidWorks Corp.

Dassault Systèmes SolidWorks Corp., a Dassault Systèmes S.A. subsidiary, is a world leader in 3D solutions that help millions of engineers and designers succeed through innovation. Our products deliver an intuitive experience in product design, simulation, publishing, data management, and environmental impact assessment. For the latest news, information, or an online demonstration, visit our Website ( www.solidworks.com) or call 1-800-693-9000 (outside of North America, call +1-978-371-5000).

SolidWorks is a registered trademarks of Dassault Systèmes SolidWorks Corp. Other brand and product names are trademarks of their respective owners. © 2010 Dassault Systèmes SolidWorks Corp.

Dassault Systèmes SolidWorks Corp. Press Contact:
DS SolidWorks Corp.
Antony Hervo, + 01-61-62-73-51
Email Contact
or
Beaupre Public Relations Co.
Carrie O’Neil, 603-559-5813
Email Contact