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Why SolidWorks software is released in all languages simultaneously

SolidWorks, COSMOSWorks, and PDMWorks software are simultaneously released in 12 languages.

In the world of product design, people speak different languages and so should their CAD programs. In 1995, soon after its founding, SolidWorks set a goal to synchronize the shipment of the different language versions of its software. Today, it is the one CAD company to release all of its software, SolidWorks®, PDMWorks®, and COSMOSWorks®, and their related documentation simultaneously in these 12 languages:

• Chinese (Traditional)
• Chinese (Simplified)
• Czech

• English
• French
• German
• Italian
• Japanese

• Korean

• Polish

• Russian

• Spanish

File compatibility: the root of all things
The biggest advantage to simultaneous release is file compatibility. Because of the complexity of file geometry, CAD programs rarely are backwards compatible. You can’t open a file created in an older version. And no matter how good translation tools are, they generally slow things down. For these reasons, SolidWorks makes sure all its customers, whether they are in Korea, China, Poland or Japan, should have access to the latest versions of SolidWorks software.

Working in native programs ensures the highest degree of accuracy in finite element analysis.

The philosophy makes good sense to companies who work with suppliers around the globe. Nexo (www.nexo.fr) is one example. The Paris, France-based audio equipment maker exports 85 percent of its production to suppliers in Germany, Italy, the United States, and Denmark. “Internally, we use the English, French, and Italian versions of SolidWorks,” says Nexo president Eric Vincent.

“One of the greatest benefits of using SolidWorks is that it is inter-language compatible,” he adds, meaning that the different language versions can speak to one another. Nexo hadissues with a previous CAD program when the French version was incompatible with the English version. As a result, everyone in the company had to stick to the English version.

And SolidWorks gives Nexo an added flexibility. “Even when working in another language, we can always access the English version through the tools options menu,” says Vincent.

PDM and analysis, too
It is equally as important that companies be able to synchronize on different language versions of their product data management (PDM) and analysis software, too. With the enormous amount of data that CAD programs generate, PDM is becoming an important way to track and manage product information. But if you happen to be working in an older version of the CAD program, you may have trouble accessing the PDM vault. And likewise, if you want to get the full benefit of a finite element analysis package, you want to be able to work with native files. That’s why SolidWorks synchronizes the release of the different language version of its PDMWorks and COSMOSWorks software as well.

The Thunder Tiger in Taiwan relies on three different language versions of SolidWorks to design its toy models.

We chose SolidWorks for its great analysis tools,” says Cooper Chang, R&D manager for Thunder Tiger, (www.tiger.com.tw) a company in Taiwan that makes model airplanes, cars, boats, and helicopters. Thunder Tiger relies on COSMOSWorks to check that its products meet strict quality assurance standards. The coompany uses SolidWorks in Simplified Chinese, Traditional Chinese, and Japanese to communicate with its suppliers and internal divisions.

Full return on investment
Another reason companies might want access to the latest versions of CAD technology is because they pay for it. Organizations often make huge investments standardizing on the same CAD package. Maintenance contracts that include software upgrades can run 20–30 percent of the cost of the product. If a company in Singapore gets the latest version of its CAD program six months after the English version is released, it is not receiving a full return on its investment.

With its simultaneous release program, SolidWorks enables greater collaboration between product development companies across the globe. And in a world where product design continues around the clock between companies in different hemispheres, the program ensures that everyone has access to the latest CAD technology.