Beyond the Basics: How to Get More Out of 3DEXPERIENCE

June 17, 2026 3DEXPERIENCE Like: 0

ByxLM Solutions

Every engineering team has unique processes, and the most successful 3DEXPERIENCE implementations are the ones that balance out-of-the-box capabilities with targeted enhancements. Targeting any specific or custom customer processes. In this blog, xLM Solutions’ Marc Young explores how customization, automation, integrations, and AI can help organizations unlock even greater value from their 3DEXPERIENCE investment.

Most organizations implement 3DEXPERIENCE with a clear goal: establish a solid foundation for product lifecycle management using proven, out-of-the-box capabilities. And for many companies, that foundation delivers tremendous value. But after the initial implementation, a common question emerges: How do we get even more out of the platform? As we discussed during a recent webinar, the reality is that no two engineering organizations operate exactly the same way. Every company has unique processes, approval workflows, data requirements, integrations, and reporting needs. While 3DEXPERIENCE provides extensive configuration options out of the box, there are often opportunities to further streamline operations, eliminate manual work, and improve productivity through targeted customization and automation.

Start with the Platform’s Native Capabilities

Before discussing customization, it’s important to recognize just how much functionality already exists within 3DEXPERIENCE. The platform provides robust capabilities for document management, BOM management, change management, quality processes, security, classification, derived outputs, search, routing, and more. Many business requirements can be addressed through thoughtful configuration without writing a single line of code. The best implementations always begin by leveraging those native capabilities first. However, when unique business requirements arise, modern customization tools allow organizations to extend the platform without compromising supportability or future upgrades. Thanks to Dassault Systèmes’ RESTful web services architecture, most modern extensions remain compatible across platform updates, making customization far less risky than many organizations assume.

Small Automations Can Deliver Big Productivity Gains

One of the biggest misconceptions about PLM customization is that it requires massive projects with six-figure budgets. In reality, some of the highest-value enhancements are relatively small. During our recent webinar, we demonstrated examples such as:

Intelligent part number generation based on user-defined business rules
Automated PDF creation and watermarking for released documents
Dynamic attribute synchronization across parts, drawings, and materials
Automated title block population and revision management
Custom dashboards and reporting widgets
Event-driven integrations to enterprise systems like ERP or Microsoft SharePoint
Advanced workflow automation using Business Process Management (BPM) tools

Individually, none of these capabilities may seem transformative. But when engineering teams perform the same tasks hundreds or thousands of times per year, the time savings add up quickly.

Modern Integration Changes What’s Possible

Another area seeing rapid growth is system integration. Organizations increasingly need PLM to connect with ERP, SharePoint, quality systems, manufacturing applications, and other enterprise platforms. Using technologies such as the Enterprise Integration Framework (EIF), companies can automatically publish, synchronize, import, and export information based on business events occurring inside 3DEXPERIENCE. For example, a released design can automatically trigger document publication, ERP updates, classification assignments, or downstream workflows without requiring manual intervention. The result is less administrative work and greater consistency across systems.

AI Is Opening a New Frontier

Perhaps the most exciting area today is the intersection of AI and PLM. The technology itself is becoming increasingly accessible. The bigger question is no longer whether AI can connect to PLM systems, but rather what problems organizations want AI to solve. In our demonstration, we showed how an AI assistant could retrieve information from both 3DEXPERIENCE and SOLIDWORKS PDM, then automatically generate summaries, analytics, reports, and insights from that data. While still early, these types of capabilities point toward a future where engineers spend less time searching for information and more time acting on it. The opportunities extend far beyond simple search. AI can help organizations unlock value from the vast amount of engineering data already stored within their PLM environments.

Focus on ROI, Not Complexity

When evaluating customization opportunities, I always encourage organizations to focus on business outcomes. If a relatively modest enhancement saves engineers just a few minutes each day, the return can be significant when multiplied across an entire team over the course of a year. Even small productivity gains often generate substantial ROI while improving user satisfaction and adoption. The key is finding the right balance between leveraging out-of-the-box functionality and implementing targeted enhancements that address your organization’s unique requirements. Today’s 3DEXPERIENCE platform is remarkably flexible. With the right approach, companies can extend, automate, and integrate their PLM environment without sacrificing maintainability or upgradeability.

Watch the Recording

If you’d like to see these examples in action, including custom widgets, workflow automation, integrations, data migration tools, PDF watermarking, and AI-powered PLM use cases, I encourage you to watch the full webinar recording. The demonstration provides a practical look at what’s possible when organizations move beyond the basics and fully leverage the flexibility of the 3DEXPERIENCE platform. Interested in extending your 3DEXPERIENCE environment beyond the basics? Our team is here to help. Get in touch today.