A hybrid physical-virtual meeting format may be the most likely result.
It wasn’t long after designers, engineers and architects started using CAD that they began getting together to share their newfound skills and wisdom. User groups formed, and over pizza during meetings and beer after, many lessons, tips and tricks were learned. With only a select few users lucky enough to attend formal classroom training, the majority of users had only these local user group meetings to quickly gain CAD efficiency and proficiency.
A lot has changed since the late ’90s, which may be considered the golden age of user groups. Both the role and format of user groups have changed. User groups today primarily meet virtually instead of in person. While the changes are largely due to the COVID-19 pandemic, other factors may also be at work, such as changing demographics and additional ways to obtain new information.
Regardless of the driving forces, some changes to user groups may be permanent, though industry experts predict a rebound in personal interaction at some point. When the pandemic dust settles, some combination of virtual and in-person gatherings appears most likely.
“Most user groups went virtual [due to the pandemic], though some are meeting in person,” said Richard Doyle, user group coordinator for Onshape, the cloud-based CAD program that is now part of Boston-based PTC. “I don’t think that means user groups are dead. One of the main draws is to connect with people and user groups help achieve that.”
Doyle has overseen the creation of approximately 30 user groups for Onshape after making a career of managing SOLIDWORKS user groups. Onshape was acquired by PTC in 2019. Onshape user groups initially went virtual in April 2020, leading to a new format and, according to Doyle, more advantages for himself and users. “We soon realized that we could more easily schedule multiple meetings, attendees could join the meetings from almost anywhere, and meetings could be recorded for future use. To date, we’ve held more than 80 online meetings and we expect to schedule at least 50 in 2022,” said Doyle.
While Doyle sees advantages to virtual meetings, he also thinks live meetings will always have a place. “People join user groups mainly for two reasons. The number one reason is to learn, and the number two reason is to network,” he said. Because of the networking aspect “live events are still desirable. You miss out on some of the camaraderie [with virtual meetings only].”
Other PTC user groups are administered by PTC/USER, an independent consortium of PTC software users. The groups offer support, education and online discussion forums for products such as Windchill and Creo, the successor to Pro/ENGINEER. PTC/USER includes over 50 regional user groups located throughout the United States, Canada, Europe and Asia.
Changing Demographics
In addition to the pandemic-driven, virtual meeting approach, changing demographics in the CAD workforce may also be contributing to a shift in meeting formats. KaDe King, president of the AUGI board of directors, says that she noticed a shift in user group meetings even before the pandemic began.
“AUGI has noticed trends in how people interact,” said King, who is also a senior technical specialist and trainer for U.S. CAD, an Autodesk reseller, in Ogden, Utah. “The way people are moving into our industry and getting information is different. People under 40 go to the Internet first.”
The proliferation of specialty CAD products and virtual meeting platforms has also contributed, noted King. “Originally it was just AutoCAD” that AUGI groups discussed, but vertical products such as Civil 3D, Revit and others have expanded the horizon of topics for user groups in the last two decades. Users have also found information on YouTube and other online sources to answer product-specific questions.
Other factors such as time savings have also contributed to the growth of virtual meetings, added King. Online meeting platforms such as Meetup allowed users in metropolitan areas to avoid traffic by meeting online, she said.
King agrees with Doyle that virtual meetings do not provide the camaraderie of in-person meetings. “Some things you miss out on are different companies hosting meetings, food and refreshments and interaction with speakers.” She opines that some younger professionals “don’t know what they’re missing” by not attending in-person meetings.
Nonetheless, AUGI is adapting to the changing landscape. “We’re working to adjust how we do things. We’re planning to add a Meetup-type of meeting on a quarterly basis. It will provide a format to listen and participate in sessions,” said King. Meetup is a relatively new platform specifically designed to help users find and build local communities.
With over 70 physical user groups and 140 online groups across the world, AUGI has a storied history. It started in 1990 as the North American AutoCAD User Group, was renamed in 1996 as Autodesk User Group International, and was reincorporated in 2019 as just “AUGI.” The organization was part of Autodesk prior to the reincorporation, but that is no longer the case.
Even though AUGI is not directly affiliated with Autodesk, the organization is still loosely connected to the company and its annual conference, Autodesk University (AU). Because AU has met virtually over the last two years, that has hindered some of AUGI’s normal networking. “We miss that human connection,” said King. Also, AUGI’s board of directors used to get together two to three times per year in person. “Now we’re limited to Zoom calls,” King noted.
Other CAD user groups are encountering similar challenges. In-person meetings may be hard to find, but online meetings are prevalent. Bentley, for example, has about 30 user groups around the world, approximately half of those in the U.S. According to Bentley’s user group website, “members are dedicated to sharing ideas, best practices and learning more about Bentley applications. Membership is open to all Bentley users and is not restricted by industry, job title, or location.”
Dassault Systèmes has a variety of user communities for its different products, where users are invited to share experiences and give feedback, and where they can also find technical content. SOLIDWORKS user groups, for example, which originated in 1997, are active in various locations around the world. According to the SOLIDWORKS User Group Network (SWUGN) website, the SWUGN “is run for our users, by our users,” with a mission to “empower real people who use SOLIDWORKS products to collaborate with, learn from and teach others.” In addition to SOLIDWORKS, Dassault user groups are available for other products, such as 3DEXCITE, CATIA, SIMULIA, among others.
In addition to groups recognized by software vendor websites, additional user groups can be found on social media sites, such as Facebook, LinkedIn, Meetup and WhatsApp. On these sites, if you type in “CAD user groups” or “BIM user groups,” you’ll likely find a handful of potentially applicable pages.
User groups have also been formed around work specialties, rather than specific products. The Additive Manufacturing Users Group (AMUG) educates and supports users of various additive manufacturing technologies. Members include operators and owners of rapid manufacturing and prototyping technology—stereolithography, selective laser sintering, 3D printing and others. AMUG 2021 may have been the first industry conference and tradeshow to emerge during the pandemic. The next in-person AMUG conference is scheduled for April 2022 in Chicago. Time will tell if pandemic conditions allow it to proceed.
In the near term, most user groups will likely continue with some sort of hybrid model. “We plan to continue online,” said Onshape’s Doyle. “But there’s still an argument to be made for live events,” he said, noting that the company plans to hold some day-long “targeted events” to transition back to live gatherings.
CAD professionals will want to watch the user group landscape closely over the next few months, as networking opportunities morph and develop. Virtual user group meetings are likely to continue, but the new hybrid models may offer the best of both worlds.
