I think it’s clear that there will be a plurality of tools in engineering and a consolidation of tools in detailed design. Our opportunity on the concept end is greenfield: there aren’t other satisfactory tools that can help engineers tease out and iterate ideas before moving to the detailed rigor of a traditional CAD system.

That’s why we tend to think of ourselves as more of an engineering company than a CAD company. We partner with our customers to help them improve how they practice engineering. “CAD” implies detailed design and documentation, a critical part of the process, but a market well served by history-based tools.

As our roots deepen, it’s exciting to see how engineering organizations transform themselves by bringing solid modeling to the front of the engineering process. Suddenly, interdisciplinary teams can communicate, and SpaceClaim becomes an aggregation point for disparate homegrown tools and codes. When it’s time for detailed design, the CAD team starts with a thoroughly-vetted solid model rather than assorted scraps and notes. The result: tighter iteration loops and expedited time-to-manufacturing. It’s pretty exciting to watch.

-Blake (a founder of SpaceClaim)