Dassault Systèmes’ 3DEXPERIENCE World 2025: The Groundwork Is Laid, but the House Needs to Be Built

Dassault Systèmes’ annual event, 3DEXPERIENCE World, was held in Houston this year, announcing upcoming innovation, partnerships, and strategic priorities for the French multinational software provider. The 3-day event played host to 3,000+ attendees who were primarily engineers, students, exhibitors, media, and press. The event announced numerous new SOLIDWORKS features and 3DEXPERIENCE integrations; however, it did not provide tangible displays of Dassault Systèmes’ strategy for the next decade; it was more a celebration of the 30-year anniversary of SOLIDWORKS.

While 3DEXPERIENCE World 2025 provided valuable updates on new SOLIDWORKS features and capabilities of the 3DEXPERIENCE platform. The largest announcements were the investments in virtual companions and virtual twins. Dassault Systèmes announced the addition of AURA virtual companion to SOLIDWORKS (July 2025 release date), a copilot chatbot powered by Mistral AI that will aid SOLIDWORKS users in utilizing the Computer-Aided Design (CAD) software for the first time, along with automating monotonous tasks for experienced users. Dassault Systèmes is also putting eggs into the basket of virtual twins with initiatives on the 3DEPXPERIENCE platform that will utilize SOLIDWORKS, SIMULIA, and ENOVIA to produce virtual representations of physical assets that have accurate product details and can be altered within Augmented Reality (AR)/Virtual Reality (VR) environments. By offering virtual twins in AR/VR, engineers will be able to collaboratively work in immersive environments, while having the product data, change history, and simulation capacity to remedy product concerns before production occurs.

The innovation surrounding virtual companions and virtual twins is the first step in Dassault Systèmes’ next generation, which it calls Gen 7 or 3D UNIV+RSES. 3D UNIV+RSES is an ethereal concept that looks to combine virtual companions and virtual twins to create an encompassing virtual world that simulates real-life conditions for manufacturers. 3D UNIV+RSES is a long-term initiative that aims to capitalize on the market buzz surrounding Generative Artificial Intelligence (Gen AI), AR/VR, and digital twins. While not completely fleshed out in its current form, 3D UNIV+RSES, which runs on the 3DEXPERIENCE platform, aims to be the singular convergence point for multiple manufacturing software data streams, along with integrated Gen AI, in order to visualize all facets of manufacturing in a collaborative Three-Dimensional (3D) or AR/VR working space.

After attending Dassault Systèmes’ Analyst event in Vélizy-Villacoublay in June 2024, the takeaway from the event was uncertainty around how the company will operationally support longstanding initiatives such as the generative and circular economy (read more here). Unfortunately, after attending 3DEXPERIENCE World 2025, the same feeling remains.

The concept of 3D UNIV+RSES is viable in theory and can create value for manufacturers by streamlining the decision-making processes through integrating disparate data sources and enabling Artificial Intelligence (AI) agents to perform mundane tasks. However, the functionality and practicality of 3D UNIV+RSES may be hard to achieve in the near future as the three core technologies of Gen AI, digital twins, and AR/VR require further advancements and Return on Investment (ROI) validation in the manufacturing space. The most telling sign that 3D UNIV+RSES is facing an uphill battle from an operational standpoint was the distinct lack of product demos or beta tests. Executives such as Gian Paolo Bassi (Senior Vice President (SVP) of 3DEXPERIENCE) and Manish Kumar (Chief Executive Officer (CEO) SOLIDWORKS) articulated the concept of 3D UNIV+RSES profusely throughout the event; however, it was clear the audience could not back the initiative based on words alone. 3D UNIV+RSES is a novel idea that will need time to breathe; however, not backing up the solution with any tangible or conceptual deployments left too much doubt in viewers’ heads. A better launch would have included a large-scale manufacturer spearheading the solution in beta test, with a sneak peek into what the functional and real-world application of 3D UNIV+RSES could look like.

Although 3DEPXERIENCE World 2025 resembled the Dassault Systèmes Analyst event 9 months ago, one silver lining was a tangible path forward for Dassault Systèmes in regard to turning words into reality. With the announcement of AURA virtual companion and a partnership with Apple Vision Pro for the 3DLive visionOS app, it is clear that independent investment in separate technologies such as Gen AI, virtual twins, and AR/VR could yield potential as a combined solution on the 3DEXPERIENCE platform.

While it is beneficial to the manufacturing community to hear what the strategic priorities for Dassault Systèmes are in the long run with 3D UNIV+RSES, making this concept the centerpiece of a 3-day conference may have been an overstep. Sticking to notable software updates, real deployments of 3DEXPERIENCE use cases, and new technology integration should have headlined the event with long-term initiatives taking a backseat until they are fully fleshed out.