University of Warwick Simplifies Product Design for Engineering Students with SolidWorks Education Edition.

CONCORD, Mass. -- Students cut 20 percent out of initial project development time with SolidWorks 3D modeling and COSMOS design analysis software

The University of Warwick, one of the U.K.'s top five academic institutions, has purchased 100 licenses of the SolidWorks(R) Education Edition software to teach students the fundamentals of computer-aided design (CAD). SolidWorks 3D mechanical design and COSMOS(R) design analysis software are easy to learn and use, de-mystifying product development processes while allowing students to complete projects 20 percent faster than their previous software, according to faculty.

Founded in 1965 and located outside the city of Coventry, the University of Warwick has approximately 20,000 students, 40 percent of whom are doing postgraduate work. The university was one of the early breeding grounds for CAD research in the U.K. in the 1970s, and is the home of the Warwick Manufacturing Group, a world-renowned division of the University of Warwick's School of Engineering which has attracted significant funding from both private and public sector collaborators and partners. The group serves as a research center whose mission is to discover more efficient and innovative approaches to manufacturing. The university's engineering graduates hold jobs at leading companies around the world.

To enhance students' engineering education, faculty wanted to streamline course instruction and adopt new design software that would allow students to spend more time learning about product development, and less learning how to operate CAD software. The university therefore chose to upgrade its current student CAD software to SolidWorks.

"It's counterproductive to overload first-year students with overly complex software," said Peter Kimber, an engineering lecturer at the University of Warwick. "We have a very limited amount of time to get across CAD and solid modeling principles. SolidWorks is intuitive enough that we can give new students six hours of training, and then turn them loose to start teaching themselves more advanced skills."

The tight integration between SolidWorks and COSMOSWorks(R), COSMOSMotion(TM), and COSMOSFloWorks(TM) provides students one seamless platform for learning the relationship between design and analysis. "The SolidWorks Education Edition lets students discover the most efficient methods for design, analysis, and production," said Kimber. "It lets them stretch their spatial reasoning skills because it doesn't confound them with complexity."

Aside from faster learning and project completion, students have been generating better designs. The on-campus machine shop technicians who manufacture the parts students make have noticed a steady improvement in students' design quality since they began using SolidWorks, according to Kimber.

Warwick will fully standardize all CAD instruction with the SolidWorks Education Edition in September 2005. At that time, as many as 1,000 students will learn and use SolidWorks for a variety of projects, including the Formula Student race car design challenge in which student teams from around the world compete against each other for design excellence.

"While challenging students is inherently part of the education process, overwhelming them with difficult software makes them lose interest," said Rosanne Kramer, director of worldwide education markets for SolidWorks Corporation. "Warwick consistently ranks among the top research facilities in the country because it employs the best faculty and uses the best tools to support its curriculum. We are thrilled to be working with Warwick's educators and students, and look forward to a long and vital collaboration."

The University of Warwick relies on SolidWorks reseller Solid Solutions Management for ongoing software training, implementation, and support.

About the University of Warwick

Established in 1961, the University of Warwick has more than 20,000 graduate and post-graduate students focusing on arts, medicine, science, and social studies degrees. The university straddles the boundary between the city of Coventry and the county of Warwickshire. For more information, visit the Web site at www.warwick.ac.uk.

About Solid Solutions Management

Founded in 1998, Solid Solutions Management focuses on providing industry-leading software and services. This philosophy has helped Solid Solutions Management gain respect, recognition, and awards as the proven supplier of SolidWorks software. Based in Warwick, U.K., Solid Solutions maintains hundreds of customers encompassing all industry sectors and ranging in size from single-person operations to large multinational organizations. Solid Solutions Management also provides regional support and training courses across the U.K. For more information, visit the company's Web site at www.solidsolutions.co.uk.

About SolidWorks Corporation

SolidWorks Corporation, a Dassault Systemes S.A. (Nasdaq: DASTY, Euronext Paris: #13065, DSY.PA) company, develops and markets software for mechanical design, analysis, and product data management. It is the #1 supplier of 3D mechanical design software for the mainstream market. SolidWorks leads the market in number of users in production, customer satisfaction, and revenue. For the latest news, information, or a live online demonstration, visit the company's Web site (www.solidworks.com) or call 1-800-693-9000 (outside of North America, call [phone]).

SolidWorks is a registered trademark of SolidWorks Corporation. COSMOS and COSMOSWorks are registered trademarks and COSMOSMotion and COSMOSFloWorks are trademarks of Structural Research and Analysis Corporation. Other brand and product names are trademarks of their respective owners. Copyright (c) 2005 SolidWorks Corporation.