Twas the night before Christmas and all through Dassault,
The employees were ready and were all on the go.
The products have been planned and developed with care,
With hopes that customers soon would be there.

The engineers were nestled all snug in their beds,
With visions of improvements dancing in their heads.
And my manager from her home, and I on my computer,
Had just settled in, thanks to tele commuter.

When out in the field there arose a great clatter,
I sprang from my desk to see what was the matter.
Away to the DraftSight Community I flew like a flash
To meet community members who had also made the mad dash.

The blog, loaded with materials that members needed,
Gave the advice that they surely heeded.
When what to my wondering eyes should appear,
An iQuestion post that I could almost hear.

DraftSight available, so lively and free,
I knew in a moment it had to be for me.
More easily available than others the product came,
We whistled and shouted and called it by name

Now Facebook! Now, Likedin Now, YouTube and Twitter. On Mac! On Windows XP, Vista and even 7!
Cross platform availability, now that’s heaven.
To the top of Google, beyond the firewall,
Now Download, Download, Download all!

DraftSight allows you to read write and share,
So easy that managers shouldn’t even care.
Edit your drawings in dxf or dwg.
How in the world can this product be free?

With DraftSight available for free in Beta,
Away they flew to make changes to their data.
Then I heard them shout, as they worked through the night,
Free CAD for all and for all DraftSight!

This 3 minute video explains what lifelike experience means. Note it’s not science fiction; this is happening already!

What do you think?

Best,

Kate

P.S. You can read and watch examples of how companies are using this technology in our interactive online Contact Mag “Lifelike Experience” edition.

If like me you see change to be an opportunity, then you’ll understand where I’m coming from when I share with you several instances of change I’ve observed, am currently driving, or simply dealing with.

• Observed change – Along with hundreds of other attendees at last week’s DSCC event in Orlando, FL and again this week at ECF outside of Paris, we had a good chuckle when Bernard Charles cheerfully discussed DraftSight, “the first free software from Dassault Systemes!”  What a change for Dassault Systems (3DS).  When I joined the company back in 2004, I would have never imagined that DS would one day be giving something away.  Never say never.

• Driving change on both a personal and professional level – must be that 40’s something phase.  I have been fortunate enough to define a new career path for myself.  Excited!  What else could I be learning about many things: online communities, social innovation, new ways to communicate and connect.  All this in what is a relatively new industry context for both 3DS and myself – Architecture, Engineering & Construction (AEC). 

My goal is to meet with those within the industry seeking to spur innovation, achieve greater productivity, efficiency, and sustainability.  This translates to an amazing and diverse group of people from: owners, contractors, architects, and engineers to a wide range of subcontractors and buildings product manufacturers, through to operators and the end user.  Connecting, facilitating, helping – all things I enjoy doing.

• Dealing with change – Change that is forced upon us and must be dealt with.  For example, the turbo on my 8-year-old car is ready to die.  I must either have it replaced (a hefty fee for an older vehicle) or purchase a new family car.  Something is definitely going to change. 

Being from California and an optimist, I figure that if things are going to change as they always do, then I might as well make the most of it.

What type of inspiring change have you observed, are driving or dealing with? 
Share a comment.

Cheers!

Dominique