Would Iron Man use SOLIDWORKS PDM?

It's been rainy all week and with things slowly reopening, I've been working more and spending less time in front of the TV. This weekend, I reverted to top-tier quarantine entertainment, Disney+. I am a total Marvel junkie, I love the movies. They're one of the only series I can rewatch over and over. I watched more of the MCU in two days than I care to admit, but it got me thinking. Would Iron Man use SOLIDWORKS PDM?

Think about it. He had at least 50 suits, all of which he designed himself. We know he wouldn't use paper blueprints, that more his father's style. It only makes sense that he would need a highly functional and user friendly PDM system to keep everything organized. 

Stark designed and built his own suits, with the help of J.A.R.V.I.S. (Just A Rather Very Intelligent System). This means he needed to keep things separate when it came to suits that weren't quite ready to be built yet, which the workflow feature is perfect for.

He was obviously pretty good at programming, he designed two artificial intelligence systems (J.A.R.V.I.S. and F.R.I.D.A.Y.), so it can be assumed he would've been working on several projects at once. Again, SOLIDWORKS PDM makes sense. With organized folders, keeping everything separate and not having files named "Mark-35-Final-Updated-Version-Without-Air-Conditioning," Stark would've been able to continue to design seamlessly, and easily communicate with his AI to open files. 

Having files stored with multiple iterations of each design means he could've easily gone back to a previous component that worked better, or remove and adjust extras. For example, Rhody's suit was originally Stark's Mark II, but became Rhody's through a series of events. Stark surely re-accessed previous design elements to make the suit better fit Rhody. These changes ultimately created the War Machine, and Stark eventually redesigned other elements, both in color and functionality, like when Rhody ultimately lost the use of his legs.

Stark was all over the place at any given time, which means that the cloud-based storage that EQUIVAQ uses was perfect for him. He could not be tied to one work location, so the functionality offered by EQUIVAQ is perfect and would allow Stark to access his designs whether he was at home or on another planet. That means that any time inspiration (or Thanos..) struck, he could design without restriction. 

Obviously we all dream of a day where the technology that Stark uses is a reality. While some of it does exist in preliminary versions, we always love to hear about advancements in the design and creation of things we see in fantasy universes and wish so badly existed in our world. What is really exciting is the clips of him using his holographic display to visualize, throw out parts, and rotate the design is becoming a reality.

Not quite on Stark-scale (yet), but Microsoft has released a headset similar to a VR set, used to bring your computer screen to life in your living room. Using overlays, the HoloLens creates an immersive and interactive experience that is literally perfect for designers and engineers. It allows users to keep their glasses on, and is comfortable enough for extended wear. It's something totally worth geeking out over (really.. gives me goosebumps).

In conclusion, while it makes perfect sense that Stark would've used SOLIDWORKS PDM, you don't have to be a superhero to use this product. It's incredibly user-friendly and there are even programs for kids to learn how to use it. Meaning his daughter, Morgan, could totally follow in dad's shoes. Like we said in a previous blog, PDM is everywhere! Even superhero movies.