This is Engineering Paper, and here’s the latest design and simulation software news.

First, some final updates from 3DExperience World 2026, the Dassault Systèmes user conference that took place earlier this month in Houston, Texas.

We heard (and saw) a lot about AI at the show. You can now read more about the AI features slated for Solidworks in 10 AI tools coming to Solidworks in 2026. There are four bonus AI features in there, too (two may not be ready this year and two are for xDesign).

Here’s one more bonus AI feature, this time for Simulia: Users will be able to set up and run simulations with natural language. Manish Kumar, Solidworks CEO, showed a demo on stage where Leo (one of Dassault’s three virtual companions) was prompted to perform a drop test on a medical device. I’ve been told that capability is targeted for general availability in 2027.

Using Leo to set up a drop test in Simulia. (Image: Dassault Systèmes.)And now let’s say hello to a new engineering software startup, with a very special gimmick: it has nothing to do with AI (yet).

Hello HelloTriangle“Hello World” is the quintessential output for those learning a programming language. HelloTriangle riffs on that cliché for its Python-based 3D modeling and meshing platform.

“You run easy Python code in your browser, and that combines both the parametric geometry immediately with the mesh generation that you need for physics-based simulations,” Peter Mortier, founder and CEO of HelloTriangle, told me.

Mortier previously co-founded a med tech simulation company called FEops, and he was frustrated with what he saw as two bottlenecks in simulation: the repetitive and tedious nature of preparing and processing data, and the inability to share results effectively.

HelloTriange aims to address both. Unlike a typical 3D modeling program with a graphical user interface, HelloTriangle generates mesh geometry purely with Python code. For example, this is the code that generates a triangle:

points = [[0.0, 0.0, 0.0],

[1.0, 0.0, 0.0],

[0.0, 1.0, 0.0]]

elements = [[0, 1, 2]]

triangle_mesh = Mesh(points, elements)

draw(triangle_mesh, name=‘triangle’)

(Image: HelloTriangle.)Naturally, HelloTriangle can also generate more interesting objects, like this example of a hexahedral mesh for a laser cut stent (Mortier’s med tech background pokes through in many of his examples). The Python code for the stent (see link) is readily adjustable, making it easy to change parameters for both the geometry and mesh density.

(Image: HelloTriangle.)“What we do here is we combine geometry creation with meshing in one go,” Mortier said. “So you don’t create your geometry in Solidworks and then go to another meshing tool.”

HelloTriangle doesn’t offer its own simulation solvers, but aims to be solver agnostic, according to Mortier.

“We want to work together with the big solvers, the commonly used ones, LS-Dyna, Ansys, Dassault Systèmes Abaqus, and then when the results are ready, we want to bring them back,” Mortier said. “We are initially focused more on Abaqus, but soon we’ll expand to others.”

Once simulation results come back, HelloTriangle users can easily share them. It’s as simple as sending a link. Recipients can view the interactive 3D geometry and simulation results directly in their browser, no login or subscription required. The Python code is hidden. In the future, HelloTriangle plans to add additional collaboration features like comments, annotations and shared scripts.

“You can now just render in the browser and then share with anyone,” Mortier said. No more screenshots and slide decks.

Using HelloTriangle to define cutting planes. (Image: HelloTriangle.)And now to the AI of it all. You may have already put two and two together on this one—HelloTriangle is a geometry programming language and AI is adept at generating code. Guess what comes next.

“We will soon add an AI copilot on top of it, so you can just write with a human language prompt what you want to do,” Mortier said. “That doesn’t generate the 3D model, it generates the piece of Python code that you still have full control [of] as an engineer.”

Though it’s early days for the startup, Mortier says HelloTriangle already has a handful of customers and has received positive feedback so far. It’s currently priced at €468/year (~US$554/year). If you’re interested in checking it out, there’s a 14-day free trial.

Quick hits* A couple weeks ago I mentioned a survey from Revolution in Simulation (aka Rev-Sim) on AI-based generative design. Rev-Sim since reached out to tell me they had inadvertently gated the survey, but now it’s wide open. You can participate here. * CoreTechnologie has released the latest version of its CAD data converter, 3D_Evolution 4.9. The release adds the ability to convert and compare product manufacturing information across CAD formats. * Never a dull day at Autodesk. The developer is suing Google over the name Flow, which Autodesk uses for its media and entertainment industry cloud and Google uses for its AI video generator.

One last linkFrom Engineering.com senior editor Ian Wright: Is additive good for defense or is it the other way around?

Got news, tips, comments, or complaints? Send them my way: malba@wtwhmedia.com.

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