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The Rise of 3D Software in CAD/CAM Revealed
17/3/01



3D solutions software is on the up. New research from the Business Advantage Group shows that almost half (47%) of present day CAD/CAM users are using 3D software. At the same time, 17% plan to invest in 3D solutions over the next 12 months.

This latest research has also found that:



  • Just over half (53%) of CAD/CAM users use only 2D software, 7% use only 3D software and two fifths use both 2D and 3D software.

  • Over half of the 3D users felt that the cost of moving to 3D had been the same as they had expected, a quarter felt that it had been higher than expected and only
    7% had felt that the cost had been lower than expected. The rest were unsure.

  • A third of 3D users perceived the productivity benefits of adopting 3D design methods to have been greater than anticipated. Almost half indicated the impact on productivity had met their expectations, while only 8% felt the impact had been less than expected. However, 84% of companies indicated they are not formerly measuring changes in productivity arising from the use of 3D CAD.


Chris Turner, Managing Director of The Business Advantage Group, observed, "The research reveals a positive situation for 3D suppliers. For those companies that have moved to 3D, the views on bottom-line benefits to their businesses are overwhelmingly favourable. Eight out of ten of these companies had their expectations either met or exceeded. CAD vendors now face the more difficult task of persuading the more reluctant adopters of new technologies that these benefits can apply to them too."

The research findings were obtained from telephone interviews conducted in January 2001 among 301 UK CAD/CAM user sites. The sample was taken from Business Advantage’s own database of UK CAD/CAM users.