I have been following Oleg’s PLM Blog about advanced visualization, and wondering what robust, existing tools are out there to display data. I came across a few nice ones, but they all seem to be young and limited products. As I started thinking about what I would like to see, I realized that SolidWorks can do that.

Almost any parameter in SolidWorks can be driven by Excel, and then the only question is what do you want to vary for that particular data set? Revenue, time, and organization, translates into Height, Volume, Appearance, and Distance. 

 

3d representation gives an all new meaning to “Slicing the data”. 

Using a full-fledged 3D CAD system to display statistical data is a bit like riding your Ducati to pick up the mail. It’s not worth investing in one for precisely that purpose, but if you have one at your disposal it’s still worth the trip. Many companies that have PLM tools also have CAD tools at their disposal. It would be interesting to see things like lead time vs. inventory and projected sales displayed in some new formats.