The company’s bet on the “experience economy” seems to be paying off.

Dassault Systèmes, a leading 3D software company, has posted solid financial results for 2021—and its SOLIDWORKS and CATIA software platforms have been key contributors to that success.
SOLIDWORKS is a modeling software for 3D computer-aided design (CAD), analysis and product data management. The platform enables businesses to connect their people, applications and real-time data.
CATIA is Dassault’s multi-platform product for 3D CAD, manufacturing, architecture and product lifecycle management.
While both software products may be 3D CAD programs, their range of solutions and tools—and the market they’re aimed at—have noticeable differences.
SOLIDWORKS’ strength lies in its 3D modeling capability. It is a parametric modeling software, which means that it works with the dimensions a user provides. The software is particularly useful for product design and machinery-related projects. SOLIDWORKS is considered a midrange 3D CAD product that is easier to learn and suitable for small and medium-sized businesses.
CATIA, in contrast, is a more sophisticated product with a wider range of tools for drawing and modeling. It also includes product development tools such as product data management and product lifestyle management. CATIA offers almost everything SOLIDWORKS does, and much more—and is considered high-end design software.
Dassault’s mainstream innovation software product line, which includes SOLIDWORKS, grew by 14 percent in 2021 and represented a quarter of the company’s total software revenue. SOLIDWORKS was competitive against “a strong baseline comparison,” according to Dassault’s news release, thanks to broad-based demand.
Dassault’s industrial innovation software product line, which CATIA falls under, saw an increase in total revenue of 7 percent in 2021. Licensing and other revenue rose 21 percent, with CATIA in particular achieving double-digit growth in this category.
Between the two products, Dassault Systèmes has something to offer beginners and small businesses as well as to experienced users and large enterprises. According to the company, the performance of these products demonstrates that Dassault is on the right track in its recovery from the pandemic and its positioning for future growth in the “experience economy.”
“Our technology are changing the game for clients across our three major sectors of the economy,” said Bernard Charles, vice chairman and CEO of Dassault Systèmes, during the financial results call. We are expanding our footprint, deepening existing partnerships and adding new clients.” The three sectors Charles references are manufacturing industries, life sciences and health care, and infrastructure and cities, which Dassault has prioritized in its business.
Dassault’s CEO believes the company has returned to pre-pandemic levels.
SOLIDWORKS and CATIA are key components of the company’s commitment to the “experience economy,” an approach that focuses on the experiential aspect of design as a way to promote economic activity. For example, mobility is no longer just about the vehicle someone drives, it’s about a desirable and sustainable mobility experience. This approach responds to the economic shift from goods to services, a transition accelerated by the pandemic.
“Our clients and partners have embraced the experience economy,” said Charles. “Our ambition, therefore, to help our client imagine, create, produce experiences for their own clients… we use 3D virtual world experiences to improve the real world, only then the possibility of harmonizing product, nature and life will emerge.”
Design software products such as SOLIDWORKS and CATIA are evidently meant to support the company’s aspirations for that harmonization. They certainly have helped Dassault achieve its strong results during a pandemic economy.