Dassault Systèmes

Paris, France, March 15, 2006 — Dassault Systèmes (DS) (Nasdaq: DASTY; Euronext Paris: #13065, DSY.PA), a world leader in 3D and Product Lifecycle Management (PLM) solutions, today announced the 3D XML format adoption in its '3D for All' flagship solutions, Virtools Dev 3.5 platform.

“With 3D XML, PLM information traverses across the product lifecycle in extended enterprises, from design and engineering, through all scenarios, right up to a life-like product experience. This development allows true end to end 3D democratization,” explains Dominique Florack, Executive Vice-President, Research and Development.

Dassault Systèmes' 3D For All strategy aims to make 3D technology available to users. This means that anybody from content creators right up to the product end user will have a set of solutions which allow them to imagine, share and experience in 3D. The adoption of 3D XML technology via a dedicated extension to Virtools’ solutions is the first step towards providing a complete solution for recreating the end user experience on virtual products, with real-time interactive scenarios.

With this technology, PLM customers dramatically extend the benefits of using 3D technologies. The breadth of possible applications is huge. These include: simulation of product usage, ergonomic testing, creating the shopping experience, training scenarios, right through to branding, advertising and web marketing applications. Users of this technology can, for example, fully create scenarios to visualise a car driving through a city. These applications can be experienced online: browser-based, up to and including large scale virtual reality environments.

3D XML is a universal, lightweight XML-based format that enables users to share live, accurate 3D content quickly and easily. 3D XML is suited for fast and efficient communication, and provides unique features, such as multi-representational 3D content, and unmatched compression for complex, accurate geometry, enabling rapid communication and shorter load times. Dassault Systèmes already uses the 3D XML format in its entire product line: CATIA, DELMIA, ENOVIA, SMARTEAM and SolidWorks.

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As world leader in 3D and PLM (Product Lifecycle Management) solutions, the Dassault Systèmes group brings value to more than 80,000 customers in 80 countries.  A pioneer in the 3D software market since 1981, Dassault Systèmes develops and markets PLM application software and services that support industrial processes and provide a 3D vision of the entire life cycle of products from conception to maintenance.  Its offering includes integrated PLM solutions for product development (CATIA®, DELMIA®, ENOVIA®, SMARTEAM®), mainstream 3D design tools (SolidWorks®), and 3D components (Spatial/ACIS®).  Dassault Systèmes is listed on the Nasdaq (DASTY) and Euronext Paris (#13065, DSY.PA) stock exchanges.

 For more information, visit http://www.3ds.com

Acquired by Dassault Systèmes in mid-2005, Virtools is the leading provider of comprehensive software solutions for building highly interactive 3D life-like applications.

Virtools 3D real-time technologies and solutions have been used in a wide variety of applications such as simulation of product usage, ergonomic testing, creating the shopping experience, training scenarios, right through to branding, advertising and web marketing applications. Customers include industry leaders such as France Telecom, L’Oréal, Matsushita, Procter & Gamble, PSA, Renault, Sony Computer Entertainment, Ubisoft, and Warner Bros Online.

For more information, visit http://www.virtools.com/