ABAQUS Announces the Release of ABAQUS for CATIA V5; Proven technology for nonlinear finite element analysis now available from within Dassault Systemes CATIA V5 PLM

Business Wire, April 26, 2004

Business Editors/High-Tech Writers

PAWTUCKET, R.I.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--April 26, 2004

ABAQUS, Inc., the leading provider of advanced software for finite element analysis (FEA), today announced the release of ABAQUS for CATIA V5, Version 1.1. Completely integrated with Dassault Systemes CATIA V5 PLM, the new ABAQUS software puts nonlinear FEA simulation technology at the center of product design. The software extends the CATIA V5 finite element modeling environment and enables the use of proven ABAQUS technology in Dassault Systemes' (Nasdaq: DASTY, Euronext Paris: #13065, DSY.PA) powerful Product Lifecycle Management (PLM) solution. ABAQUS for CATIA V5 addresses customer-identified workflows for real world simulation, delivering results which users can rely on for making decisions during the design process.

Integrating simulation with product design is a major initiative among engineering organizations because it helps reduce the number of physical prototypes to build and test. ABAQUS for CATIA V5 allows engineers to perform nonlinear simulation from within the CATIA V5 analysis environment, utilizing the fully associative digital geometry of the CATIA V5 product model.

ABAQUS for CATIA V5 makes nonlinear FEA simulation easier and more productive for engineers working at every stage of product development. With ABAQUS for CATIA V5, engineers will be able to minimize time-consuming model re-definition and respond quickly to changes as a design evolves.

"We are very pleased with the initial progress of integrating ABAQUS capability into CATIA V5, the Boeing standard engineering design system," said Rod Dreisbach, Senior Technical Fellow and Vice Chairman of the Boeing Technical Fellowship at The Boeing Company. "This initial product introduces nonlinear simulations that are fully associated with the CATIA V5 digital geometry of a product. Preliminary application of this capability during early stages of structural design has allowed more realistic simulations to be performed more rapidly and more cost effectively, and has resulted in more robust structural component designs."

"ABAQUS for CATIA V5 is a great example of technical collaboration--between ABAQUS, our PLM customers and us--to produce a practical and innovative solution to an essential step in many organizations' processes," said Severin Lanfranchi, Director of Research and Development, Dassault Systemes. "This new V5 PLM solution is highly integrated, easy to use, and will widen implementation of CAE across all manufacturing organizations."

"We developed ABAQUS for CATIA V5 in close cooperation with several key customers in the automotive and aerospace industries," said Ken Short, vice president of marketing for ABAQUS. "We knew they wanted to get more from their investment in simulation technology. This new software offers tremendous efficiencies to ABAQUS users, and it offers product engineers working in the CATIA V5 user environment an unprecedented capability to understand and design for real-world nonlinear behavior."

ABAQUS for CATIA V5 is organized into two CATIA V5 workbenches. Using the Thermal Analysis Workbench, engineers define thermal attributes such as temperature-dependent film coefficients and gap heat conductance, along with heat transfer simulation steps. Using the Structural Analysis Workbench, engineers define mechanical attributes such as bolt-tightening connections and pressure loads, along with structural simulation steps. Simulation steps from both workbenches can be combined in a single CATIA V5 model to perform a coupled thermal-structural simulation.

Leveraging proven ABAQUS nonlinear technology, CATIA V5 simulations can now include nonlinear geometric effects such as arbitrarily large rotations, stress stiffening, intermittent contact, plasticity, and temperature-dependent thermal film conditions. Contact capabilities in ABAQUS for CATIA V5 can model complex surface interactions in product assemblies.

About ABAQUS

Founded in 1978, ABAQUS, Inc., is the world's leading provider of software and services for advanced finite element analysis. The ABAQUS(R) software suite has an unsurpassed reputation for technology, quality and reliability. It has been adopted by major corporations across all engineering disciplines as an integral part of their design process. ABAQUS offers a powerful and complete solution for simple to complex linear and nonlinear engineering problems, using the finite element method. A wide range of structural, thermal, and coupled analyses is supported. The software delivers a unified finite element analysis environment without equal, presenting a compelling alternative to implementations involving multiple products and vendors. ABAQUS employs over 400 people worldwide, with 25 direct offices for technical support, sales and services, plus a network of technically advanced distributors in emerging markets. Customers include automotive and off-highway manufacturers and suppliers; aerospace and defense firms; makers of consumer, electronics, and medical products; raw material providers; and companies in the oil and civil engineering industries. ABAQUS is privately held and is headquartered in Pawtucket, Rhode Island. (www.abaqus.com)