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Economic Incentive Will Drive CAD Market

Published
by
Josh
on May 16, 2007
in Business
.

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economics ate my 3dI read Matt Lombard’s interview over at NOVEdge and agree with just about everything he said, but I do think there’s more than economics being a reason for the slow transition to 3D. Maybe it’s the industry I’m in, but the main issue in all the companies I’ve seen is the insistency to make SolidWorks work like they’re use to doing things. Come to think of it though, it’s not just my industry I’ve seen this in.

Economics is easy to point at
And it’s a valid argument, but it doesn’t necessarily mean that is what is going to drive a decision to choose 2D over 3D. If you’re hungry you’re gonna find a way to eat. So, what I’m getting at is when it comes down to giving someone something they want, you do what is necessary to provide that. Which if you did apply it to economics, would be more like economic incentive… I wanna get paid…a lot. It’s based more on making money than saving money.

do it or elseMake those drawings look like Autocad or do it in Autocad
Proving cost savings doesn’t seem to make difference when the product (paper) doesn’t work. Think of a time you’ve used a fancy new program, but it didn’t work like you were use to and it took you longer to try doing stuff because you didn’t know how to use it. It was easier to go back to the old way of doing it, than learn it. We all think that way from time to time. For example, I’d rather use SolidWorks over Catia to develop a new car design, even though some of the surfacing components in Catia may be beneficial for me.

Out with the old?
I do think management will start forcing a change though. Why? Well, to answer the question of why it’s taking so long for 3D to replace 2D, I could say, it’s taking a long time for old management to die off, but in actuality, I believe there is going to be such a shift in technology that competition will force the adaptation to 3D technology.

Think of the cartoon industryanime
Yeah, tv cartoons are still using the traditional cel animation process, the Japanese animation market is phenomenal at pushing the envelope in this area, but what is bringing in the bucks at the box office is the demand for 3D animation. Pixar rolled into town and forced giants like Disney and Sony to adapt to the new technology.

Conclusion
To hit this home, I’ll ask a question and hopefully get some response. What if the customer, and I’m talking about the guy buying the exercise machine or the drill or the cubicle wall, got the electronic 3D Illustration or Assembly instructions along with the product. Like an eDrawing or 3D PDF? What affect would this now have on how more companies move to 3D?

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Viewing 3 Comments

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    Josh,

    In my view, it's kind of a sentimental feeling to say that end users are either driving or constraining the transition to 3D. In smaller companies where end users may actually also be management or are at least closer to management, they can have more effect, but small companies are often driven to a CAD technology decision by a large customer.

    Unless management is inept, they know where their process bottlenecks are.

    There is very little that happens in business that doesn't have an economic cause. Examples of non-economic causes might be HR issues, social or political problems, and so on. Any company that allows sentimentality to drive parts of the business that can cost it its position in the market will not be around for long.

    On the other hand, if engineering is not the process bottleneck, then it really doesn't make much sense to drive them to upgrade. Important money- and productivity-effecting decisions are made at the top of the company, not at the bottom.
    • ^
    • v
    Hey Matt, I do largely agree for the most part. Especially that management should be aware and looking at the business processes to identify the bottlenecks.

    What I wanted to reinforce was the idea that the demand for 3D CAD technology could grow because it's becomes more and more expected by the customer, which could be Dave and Linda down on the corner or the guys in the shop.

    I've seen this happen in small and large companies. The shop hollers for something to be a certain way. Management says ok, without even looking at the bottom line. Kind of a get it done mentality. Not to say this is right, but it is happening.

    When I was with a reseller, we always got the best results starting with the guys doing the work. I just wonder what would happen if marketing targeted the shop guys.
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    • v
    Hi Josh-

    Great Blog.

    I've been very fortunate to work for a Fortune 500 company that works strictly in 3D. They have to remain nameless. They don't advertise their design advantage, but they certainly understand the benefits. No formal 2D drawings are used, it's great!

    Devon T. Sowell
    http://www.3-ddesignsolutions.com
 

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