n!Fuze announcement at SolidWorks World 2011
n!Fuze is the latest SolidWorks incarnation in a series of online collaboration tools targeted to customers who do not want a full PDM or PLM application but still need to control and share files. It is based on ENOVIA V6 technology, yet it seems to have a simple user interface that is well embedded within SolidWorks.
According to Richard Allen, PDM Solutions Product Manager at SolidWorks Corp, 70% of the SolidWorks user base is not using a PDM. He further states that surveys have revealed several barriers that prevent customers from implementing data management. One barrier is that many customers do not have an IT department. 40% of SolidWorks customers have 3 or fewer seats of SolidWorks. Another barrier is the cost for both the PDM software and necessary hardware.
n!Fuze provides a data management path for many customers without upfront costs and staff commitment. There are no maintenance or upgrades to worry about. For $70/month for each user, a customer will have n!Fuze for data management. However, customers will have to commit on a yearly basis.
n!Fuze offers basic version control. It will not have more sophisticated revision control nor approval processes. It will be accessable through http://solidworks.com, http://3ds.com, and http://swym.3ds.com.
When asked why there is a punctuation mark in the middle of the name n!Fuze, Allen did not have a definitive answer. However, he stated that there was no intention to make this product available on its own website (nfuze.com is a dating site). Presumably, there was no intention to allow this name to be easily searchable online either. My prediction is that there may be a name change in the future of this product offering.
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Comments
n!Fuze le nouvel outil de travail collaboratif de #SolidWorks "In the Cloud" http://bit.ly/gNUhOo
I know they explained some of the features of the tool as well as the pricing model. There are more payment options and a trial from what I gathered. Nothing has been official but I would imagine that during their public beta they will be polling the testers to see what the proper price point will be.
The other aspect that was explained was that an account holder would be able to invite others that do not pay (5 or so) to interact on n!Fuze as well. More details will probably be solidified once the public beta is in full swing, I hope…
~Lou
#n!Fuze announcement at #SolidWorks World 2011 #nfuze http://bit.ly/gNUhOo (#sww11 )