The 2026 edition of 3DEXPERIENCE World in Houston brought together the global Solidworks community for a mix of product announcements, technical sessions, and discussions about the future of engineering software. While the event is organized by Dassault Systèmes, the strong presence of Solidworks users remained a defining feature, reinforcing the ecosystem’s reputation as one of the most active communities in CAD, tells Develop 3D.
A central theme of the conference was the growing role of artificial intelligence within the company’s 3DEXPERIENCE platform. Dassault Systèmes introduced new “Virtual Companion” AI agents designed to assist engineers and designers during product development. Aura, first introduced in 2025, received updates to strengthen its role as a knowledge-focused assistant that helps generate ideas and connect information across projects. Two additional companions were unveiled: Marie, focused on materials science, chemistry, and related disciplines, and Leo, designed to support engineering tasks such as mechanics, simulation, and preparation for manufacturing.
These agents represent Dassault’s broader vision of “industrial AI,” where specialized AI tools collaborate much like different experts within an engineering team. When presented with the same problem, each assistant can respond from its own domain perspective, mirroring the roles of engineers, designers, and materials scientists. The tools are built on the Mistral AI model and run on Dassault Systèmes’ Outscale cloud infrastructure, which emphasizes security and confidentiality for industrial data.
The event also featured a high-profile appearance from Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang, who discussed the partnership between Nvidia and Dassault Systèmes around AI, simulation, and virtual twin technology. The collaboration aims to combine Nvidia’s AI computing capabilities with Dassault’s engineering platforms to support large-scale industrial modeling and simulation.
Despite the strong AI focus in keynote presentations, the conference agenda reflected a broader range of interests. Of the 355 breakout sessions, only about 5% centered on AI topics, suggesting that many users remain focused on practical design workflows and engineering tools.
Overall, 3DEXPERIENCE World 2026 illustrated Dassault Systèmes’ effort to integrate AI directly into engineering platforms while maintaining the collaborative culture that has long defined the Solidworks community.