xLM Solutions recently had the pleasure of completing a 3DEXPERIENCE Widget Development Fundamentals training class for a longtime customer and the experience was a great success, so much so that I want to share it with other businesses who may be interested in improving their user experience within the 3DEXPERIENCE platform.

Widgets are a critical yet often overlooked component of the 3DEXPERIENCE platform, but more and more business leaders are beginning to realize how important it is to be able to develop and configure widgets in-house. 

Widgets provide quick access to information such as platform apps, community content and web content and can be inserted into dashboards that literally put all the tools you need to use the solution effectively at your fingertips. Custom widgets enable companies to bring process-specific functionality to the platform, which results in greater value and return on investment. 

Dassault Systèmes developed widgets with configurability in mind, but our experts at xLM Solutions have found these tools are often underutilized. We hear from a lot of companies who are interested in simplifying their 3DEXPERIENCE user experience and one of the best ways to do that is through widget development and configuration. 

Our experts specialize in 3DEXPERIENCE implementation, integration, data migration and customization, but we also develop innovative tools, processes and training classes that give you greater control over the solution. Our Widget Development Fundamentals training class, also discussed in another recent blog post, is a great example of how we do that.

The 3DEXPERIENCE UI is Changing and Businesses Need to Keep Up

The customer has a long and excellent relationship with xLM Solutions. Our experts helped the customer ensure a successful 3DEXPERIENCE implementation and they inquired about our custom training classes to help fill a gap in technical knowledge within their organization.

The company, like many others, realized that Dassault Systèmes is moving toward a dashboard user interface (UI) that supports widgets and recognized their developers didn’t have the skills needed to enable customization. The customer wanted to be able to customize and adjust widgets and sustain the changes internally as their business needs grew and changed.

Management also wanted to evaluate the skills required and gain a better understanding of widget development in the 3DEXPERIENCE platform. xLM Solutions developed a couple of custom widgets for the customer previously and they wanted to be able to handle future maintenance requirements, as needed.

xLM Solutions specializes in custom widget development, such as our SOLIDWORKS PDM Data Extraction Widget, 3DEXPERIENCE Part List/BOM Report Widget, Update Revision Widget for 3DEXPERIENCE On-Premise and Custom Engineering to Manufacturing Widget.  

Companies in industries such as aerospace and defense, automotive and industrial equipment come to us because they have a problem and know our experts can help solve it. That’s just what we did for this customer with our tailored training class.

xLM Solutions Helps Global Company Gain Widget Development Skills

We hosted a three-day virtual 3DEXPERIENCE Widget Development Fundamentals training class involving four members of the customer’s team. The size of the class was perfect because it enabled an intimate learning experience where we could answer questions and address concerns in-depth, but this class is also available to smaller and larger audiences. 

The first day of class started with an overview of 3DEXPERIENCE widgets and dashboards, as well as widget architecture, development basics and a deep dive into the Legacy Drawing Revision Widget. 

Once the team was comfortable with what widgets are and how they function within the 3DEXPERIENCE platform and 3DDashboard, we introduced Web-Services. On the second day of training, we discussed different types of Web-Services with a focus on HTTP methods and building Java for the 3DEXPERIENCE platform. 

On the third and final day, we explored JavaScript standards, Jquery and other development components, including Vuejs, Vuetify and Angular framework. Every day of training involved an extensive Q&A period and our experts worked closely with participants to ensure they had a complete understanding of every topic covered. 

I’m very proud of our team and the customer for taking a proactive approach to technical constraints in their application of the 3DEXPERIENCE platform. After the class, the team let us know that the material was very informative and important because widget development is a big paradigm shift from traditional ENOVIA (3DX development) and requires a learning curve that xLM Solutions was able to address. 

Takeaways from xLM’s Widget Development Fundamentals Training Class

I agree with the customer that Dassault Systèmes’ approach to software development is evolving and there can definitely be a learning curve. Nobody knows the 3DEXPERIENCE platform better than our experts. We’ve helped hundreds of customers navigate the solution and our services don’t end after a training class or implementation project is complete. 

We’ll continue to support the customer in their use of the 3DEXPERIENCE platform and our experts are available any time to answer questions or assist with other aspects of widget development and customization. 

I’m also pleased to report that we’ve seen a very strong interest in our PLM training services. We also offer an EKL Training class and custom classes based on your unique needs. 3DEXPERIENCE is just one of many solutions we work with and we welcome the opportunity to develop a custom class to fulfill any PLM training requirement. I also recommend viewing our recent 3DEXPERIENCE Widget Development webinar to learn more.

If you’re interested in learning more about this specific training class or how we can put our expertise to work for your business, please get in touch. Our experts are always here to help.