The Converge Brief
From the Team
The engineering tools are getting genuinely good. SOLIDWORKS 2026 SP3 is the release we're comfortable putting in front of customers, and the new Aura and Leo virtual companions inside 3DEXPERIENCE are the first AI features that feel built for how engineers actually work — not bolted on.
But the through-line hasn't changed: the payoff still lives in the data underneath. A virtual companion is only as sharp as the CAD and PDM data it can reach, and an AI strategy is only as real as the governance behind it. That's why this issue pairs the shiny stuff — Aura & Leo, generative workflows — with the unglamorous work that makes it pay off: hosted, governed, organized data.
Inside: our live Aura & Leo deep dive on the 19th, an honest look at whether PDM still earns its keep in 2026, the AI-and-jobs debate handled without the hype, and the H2 EpiGrid offer now live. Dig in — and as always, hit reply if any of it sparks a conversation.
— Chad Garrish, Converge
This Month's Promotion
Completely hosted, completely managed PDM Standard or Professional. Take 50% off the implementation of that vault. Clean, governed data that's also a head start on AI readiness.
Want to take advantage of Aura and Leo, the AI virtual companions in SOLIDWORKS? You need a license with Cloud Services. Upgrade your license today for only $324.
On SOLIDWORKS subscription? Renew 2–3 years for 5–8% off, or move desktop seats to the cloud.
Webinars & Events
Meet Aura & Leo: A Deep Dive into the Virtual Companions Inside 3DEXPERIENCE
Aura and Leo are the AI virtual companions built into the 3DEXPERIENCE platform — and they're the first engineering AI that actually understands your design context. In this session we go deep on what each one does, how they work under the hood, and how engineering teams can put them to work for smarter, faster design workflows. Live demo with Q&A.
July 15 — AI Is a Jigsaw Puzzle: A Live Introduction to Converge AI Leadership
Our public introduction to Converge's AI Leadership practice: why AI is a jigsaw puzzle you solve from the edges, the Organize → Distill → Integrate framework, and how it applies well beyond CAD — from manufacturing to financial services to construction.
Watch the replayOn the Blog
This month — August lineup
AI Is a Jigsaw Puzzle: A New Way to Think About AI for Your Business
Revisit July 15 Webinar: AI Is a Jigsaw Puzzle – A Live Introduction to Converge AI Leadership
The Great AI Debate: Will AI Take More Jobs Than It Creates?
Aura, Leo, and What AI Actually Does Inside 3DEXPERIENCE
Solve the AI jigsaw — start with the edges.
AI is exciting, and messy. New models, tools, and platforms — Aura and Leo included — arrive faster than teams can absorb them. We treat AI like a jigsaw puzzle: begin with the edges. If you control your business information — your systems, your data, your processes — the center falls into place. We build systems, not gimmicks.
A single, governed view of the information that matters — systems, CAD/PDM data, and the people who own them.
Turn raw documents, models, and history into a searchable, context-aware knowledge engine.
Connect that knowledge into the tools engineers already use — automating handoffs and unlocking measurable time savings.
"Let us help you find the edges of the AI puzzle — and find you ROI immediately with these new and scary tools."
Book a Free 30-Minute AI WorkshopWelcome Aboard
Welcome, Stonelabs, LLC
We're thrilled to welcome Stonelabs, LLC to the Converge family. As a new startup, acquiring the right CAD tools can seem daunting, but we were able to find the right solution for their specific application. It's exactly the kind of problem we love to solve: speed to value, without waiting on IT.
Quote of the Month
SOLIDWORKS is still the backbone of what most of our customers build. AI is the layer that makes everything they've already built work smarter.
Employee Spotlight
Phillip Lewis
Phillip is one of the voices you hear on Converge's live sessions — he co-hosted this year's MCAS webinar and spends his days on the exact problem this issue keeps circling back to: getting engineering data clean, hosted, and governed before anyone tries to point AI at it. If you've talked to us about PDM, managed CAD administration, or what "AI-ready" really requires, you've been on the receiving end of his thinking.
"If your data is a mess, your AI is going to be a confident mess. That's worse."
