Experience Our Playground
The 3DEXPERIENCE Playground is the heart of the event where you can interact and learn how to extend your investment with Dassault Systèmes and our partners. You’ll be able to interact with student design teams, and be inspired by makers, startups, entrepreneurs, and manufacturing facilities’ stories to help empower your freedom to imagine and create.

Dassault Systémes Booth

Connect. EXPERIENCE. Learn.
Don’t miss the opportunity to explore the technologies shaping the future of product development with SOLIDWORKS and its sister brands at the Dassault Systèmes booth. Solution experts from across Brand, R&D and Industry teams will be there to demonstrate how the power of the 3DEXPERIENCE platform drives innovation from concept to delivery. Stop by to meet the engineers behind the products and hear directly from the people who develop the tools that bring ideas to life.
A highlight of the booth will be an advanced humanoid robot from Westwood Robotics, designed and built using SOLIDWORKS. Meet Themis in person and see it in action — a true example of how Dassault Systèmes helps teams turn imagination into reality.
Experience the Dassault Systèmes booth, where you can CONNECT, EXPERIENCE, and LEARN. Engage with product experts who share your interests. EXPERIENCE the power and performance of the platform. Learn from real-world demonstrations and see how the latest tools can simplify and solve your product development challenges. We look forward to welcoming you to the Dassault Systèmes booth in Houston.

Playground Areas

3D
EXPERIENCE Lab

3DEXPERIENCE Lab is Dassault Systèmes' startup accelerator and laboratory for disruptive innovation with a positive impact on the world. Come, visit the Virtual 3DEXPERIENCE Lab, a collaborative innovation space where visionary startups, entrepreneurs, and makers come together to shape a better future for the planet and transform the society. Our virtual lab is an assemblage of innovative startups and maker projects that have leveraged 3DEXPERIENCE platform and Lab mentoring during the course of their evolution.

3DEXPERIENCE Theater
Discover how providers of innovative technologies and services, SOLIDWORKS certified software solutions partners, and SOLIDWORKS customers maximize productivity and success. Presentations are open to all attendees of 3DEXPERIENCE World. New in 2026 - Join us in the 3DEXPERIENCE Theater for inspirational conversations with SOLIDWORKS customers. These 20-minute sessions will provide a glimpse into how actual customers are using SOLIDWORKS and the expanded portfolio to solve real-world problems. The smaller, more intimate format will also allow the audience to interact with the presenters and ask questions.
DraftSight Puppy Parklet

Do you love puppies… of course you do! Celebrate the 15th anniversary of DraftSight 2D CAD with a visit to the DraftSight Puppy Parklet. Take a break, cuddle a pup, and snap a photo with your new best friend at our “kissing booth.” DraftSight delivers everything you expect from 2D CAD - at a fraction of the price.

NOTE: Please take a few minutes to read the attached waiver. You will be asked to check off and acknowledge that you have read, and accept the terms of this waiver at badge pickup.
EDU Zone
Visitors can stop by the EDU booth to meet the EDU team, get career guidance, and connect with members of the SOLIDWORKS community. They’ll also be able to explore student projects and competition vehicles designed in SOLIDWORKS, along with interactive demos and hands-on experiences. Plus, attendees can get a professional LinkedIn headshot taken during their visit. New in 2026 - AAKRUTI is Dassault Systèmes’ global student design competition, where students use SOLIDWORKS and the 3DEXPERIENCE platform to create sustainable solutions for real challenges in healthcare, mobility, and green energy. Since 2011, it has engaged more than 45,000 participants across 12 countries. Come join us, the AAKRUTI Global Finals will take place at 3DEXPERIENCE World on Wednesday, February 4 from 9am to 11am, where the top 10 teams will present their projects.
Maker Zone
Step into the Maker Zone, a high-energy showcase celebrating the creativity and innovation of makers in our community. Explore dazzling projects, hands-on exhibits, and a mini makerspace buzzing with 3D printers, vinyl cutters, and laser cutters in action. Then roll up your sleeves in the interactive area, where you can craft your own custom DIY bag label to personalize your conference-gifted backpack.
Materials Distribution

Stop by materials distribution to pick up all of your FREE conference swag! Make sure you’ve already stopped by registration—you must be registered in order to receive your conference swag pack. Exclusive 2026 materials include; 3DEXPERIENCE World-branded backpack, 3DEXPERIENCE World-branded water bottle and the 3DEXPERIENCE World conference t-shirt.

Model Mania

Model Mania is a well-known modeling challenge, and this is the 26th Anniversary, the first Model Mania took place in 2000. Contestants will model the same part, and there are six private cubicles where contestants will model the part, and then they need to make an edit. The models are judged on accuracy first, then on speed. The winners will be announced on Wednesday, February 4th at 12:30 PM CST in the 3DEXPERIENCE Theater and will be broadcast live on SOLIDWORKS Live.

Model Mania Xtreme
Model Mania Xtreme brings live, fast-paced CAD action to the Playground with epic, head-to-head 3D modeling challenges inside a full boxing-ring arena. Attendees can jump into the ring to take on a modeling challenge themselves, or simply enjoy watching experts tackle complex parts under pressure while picking up tips and workflows along the way. Featured battles showcase SOLIDWORKS design tools and special guests throughout the event.
Product Showcases

The product showcase is a gallery of real customer innovations where robots, consumer devices, and intricate electronic assemblies reveal what’s possible with SOLIDWORKS. Each product tells the story of teams who imagined, designed, and refined their ideas using the tools that drive modern engineering. Products include humanoid robots, Influencer inventions, and other innovations.

Shop Floor

Step into the 3DEXPERIENCE World Shop Floor and get hands-on with a fully connected manufacturing line. Every station invites you to explore, discover and ask questions. Experience live machining, robotics, labeling and scanning systems in action, then follow the digital thread yourself—from virtual design and simulation through MES/ERP to finished parts. With guided demos, expert-led walk-throughs and opportunities to dive into real workflows, your visit to the Shop Floor is an interactive visit to the future of manufacturing.

SOLIDWORKS Retro
Experience the evolution of SOLIDWORKS Design and try out three major releases! Try making parts in SOLIDWORKS 95, SOLIDWORKS 2001 Plus, and SOLIDWORKS 2008 to discover the many UI and UX enhancements that helped transform the industry leader in 3D mechanical CAD.
Startups

SOLIDWORKS for Startups program has been helping shape hardware startups success since 2015 by enabling founders turn their napkin sketches into physical products. We provide startups free access to SOLIDWORKS® Design and other world-class product development solutions from Dassault Systèmes. You will meet three stellar companies that are bringing groundbreaking innovations to life using SOLIDWORKS Design tools.

The Hive

The Hive is a space where you can network with other SOLIDWORKS Community members and engage in meaningful conversations. It features comfortable furniture, a casual and inviting atmosphere, and plenty of positive energy. Don’t miss any of the action while you catch up with friends or meet new people. In the Hive, you can expect to see some amazing products designed with SOLIDWORKS and have the opportunity to meet the talented designers behind them.