If you’re a regular follower or contributor to 3D Perspectives, you may be familiar with one of Kate’s posts from last year’s ECF  in which she talked about organic architecture and the possibility of leveraging the ENOVIA V6 platform online. In closing the entry she referenced a quote, “The brain is like a parachute. It works best when opened.” The more I thought about this analogy the more I realized how perfectly it described our current situation.

Like all of the other Dassault Systèmes brands in the coming months we’re going to be launching an external community – in our case it will be focused on ENOVIA users. Our goal is to create an open exchange where people can share ideas, make connections and ultimately feel like their thoughts and ideas are being heard.

So while the brain analogy makes sense, what happens if you apply it to online communities instead? In many respects it works even better!! Traditionally we’ve been the gate keepers for our users’ interaction with the DS universe – active in a linear, often closed dialogue with individuals or groups of users. Now we have the opportunity to truly “open the parachute” by leveraging the growing acceptance and adoption of cloud computing to engage in a completely different conversation; one where the interaction is organic, non-linear and ultimately driven by the user.

So here we stand – both feet at the edge of the doorway, with the wind whistling by our ears and eyes focused, waiting for the light to turn green. Will the parachute open? No one knows for sure, but what we do know is that we have the technology, the skills and the faith that once we take that step we’ll land safely.

Care to join the journey? We’re very keen to hear from other people who have either made that leap, waiting for the next plane to arrive or simply on the ground admiring the spectacle.

Best,

David