A streamed trial of Solid Edge Premium is now available
Solid Edge is experimenting with the cloud by offering a cloud-based streaming 45 day trial version of Solid Edge.
Starting today, on the US Solid Edge trial site and Monday on the equivalent UK Solid Edge site, there will be an alternative 45 day trial option added, which offers the possibility of a ‘streamed’ trial of Solid Edge Premium in addition to the traditional full local download.
The streamed version has access to all the online learning and embedded training and is not feature limited over the download alternative.
The new option allows Solid Edge to be accessed without any install, with access streamed over the web to any HTML5 capable browser, is powered by Frame’s (formerly Mainframe2) Nvidia GRID GPU-based technology.
This speeds up the ability for new users to get going and takes some of the pressure off the hardware requirement at the customer’s end.
The limitation of this applying to US and UK trails is obviously down to proximity of servers and delivering positive performance levels.
After the 45 days of free usage, a Solid Edge purchase will be for the ‘full’ local download version either on a perpetual license or on a monthly subscription basis.
For now there is no further access to Cloud-streamed Solid Edge other than for trial users. We assume that this is Siemens PLM experimenting with the appetite for this type of cutting edge web technology and may well be looking to provide a cloud access alternative delivery for its mainstream modeling solution.
Autodesk did something similar with a ‘preview’ of a release of its AEC solution Revit last year, but was using alternative streaming technology from OTOY for the trial.
From talking with Dan Staples, vice president of mainstream engineering R&D at Siemens PLM, it is clear that Siemens PLM views cloud streaming as interesting from a technology perspective and perhaps of some use in certain circumstances, but it should not provide a retrograde experience.
Staples reiterated a view and a growing opinion in the industry that customers aren’t yet asking for this yet, and said: “It should always be the vendors giving the customers what they want, not dictating what they should have.”
‘CAD on the Cloud’ is most certainly the message of the moment, with Onshape and Autodesk currently duking it out over an emerging ‘freemium’ companion seat market.
Dan Staples will be speaking for Siemens PLM on the main stage at DEVELOP3D LIVE on 26 March, at Warwick Arts Centre. To book free tickets for this event, visit here.
Review: Solid Edge ST7
“A solid, reliable tool to assist with not only building and documenting design and engineering work, but also one that has links to other workflows and requirements that are part of the process, whether that’s simulation, visualisation or manufacturing specific readiness.”
To read our full review of Solid Edge ST7, then click here
