CAD Forum

I recently did some reading on NX, and see they use what they call Continuous Release, where they release smaller updates every 6 months or so to keep big releases from being such a chore. Is this something new, or is it like Solidworks service packs?

My understanding from 5 years ago is that it is very similar to SW, but without the rigid schedule. Because their nomenclature isn't tied to a year, there aren't annual releases. Maintenance Releases are like service packs, where they are planned and (theoretically) thoroughly tested before release. Maintenance Packs are more like a hotfix that address a specific issue that slipped through and needs to be addressed quicker than the next MR. I was only a user at that job, and wasn't part of the admin team, so I may be wrong on this.

From what i read, it is pretty similar with what already exist, just that the maintenance patch/release are more frequent and they scrap the idea of annual release

It seem that some of the release will still resulting in compatibility issue like upgrading your CAD (aka trying to open future version file with older version application)

To me it seem to kind of like Window release...

Not really related but...
PTC has something they call "enterprise" release where they keep supporting and patching a specific version (eg: CREO 4) but recently they had scrapped the idea and decide to support each of their software for 4 years.

NX Continuous Release is essentially like Windows 10 releases like @Zhen-Wei Tee said.

Here is the FAQ that Siemens put together on it.
https://blogs.sw.siemens.com/nx-design/ ... ase-F-A-Q/

It looks like that change happened after I stopped using NX. Please disregard my earlier post.

Thanks for the link to the FAQ. One thing they didn't address is that the reason companies don't upgrade is that they have to test the upgrade for regressions on their data. How does the Continuous Release idea remove the need for end user data testing? It looks like they just have to go through the same testing process more often.

matt wrote: ↑Wed Apr 20, 2022 12:15 pm Thanks for the link to the FAQ. One thing they didn't address is that the reason companies don't upgrade is that they have to test the upgrade for regressions on their data. How does the Continuous Release idea remove the need for end user data testing? It looks like they just have to go through the same testing process more often.

That would be my biggest fear. MS and others seem to have adopted the attitude of "bugs are OK. There's always a new release a few weeks out." While that may be an OK approach to Outlook, I struggle to see it working well in a CAD environment.

SPerman wrote: ↑Wed Apr 20, 2022 12:57 pm That would be my biggest fear. MS and others seem to have adopted the attitude of "bugs are OK. There's always a new release a few weeks out." While that may be an OK approach to Outlook, I struggle to see it working well in a CAD environment.

I've seen that attitude in CAD environment and struggle with it; have not seen it working well though.

I just see any changes to how the updates are implemented now days will be more revenue focussed than we have seen before. Say Solidworks changes it's year release/SP system I would wager in someway it would increase the profits for them.

Found this but it doesn't explain much. At what point is there a version that is no longer backwards compatible.

https://appliedcax.com/resources/nx-cad ... marches-on

Dassault marketing would be proud: The previous link said updates every month. This was seems to indicate every 6 months.
https://blogs.sw.siemens.com/nx-design/ ... se-update/

This seems to indicate that each update is not backwards compatible. Maybe the monthly updates are like service packs.
https://community.sw.siemens.com/s/ques ... -prt-files

The "continuous release system" is basically no different than it ever was. It's only the terminology and some optional added capabilities (auto updates etc) that have changed. It' still a sequence of major releases, minor releases and hot fixes. Major releases are not backward compatible, minor releases are.

So where previously you would have had:

NX 10.0
... NX 10.0.1
... NX 10.0.2
... NX 10.0.3
NX 11.0
... NX 11.0.1
... NX 11.0.2
NX 12.0
etc

We now have:

NX1847
... NX1867
NX1872
... NX1880
... NX1884
... NX1888
NX1899
... NX1903
... NX1919
NX1926
... NX1930
... NX1947
NX1953
etc

Very confusing to identify the important major releases, the old naming system was much better.

Fun fact: The first continuous release 1847 represent the year Siemens was founded. I heard the other version numbers was supposed to mark other important years in Siemens' history, but not sure if that is true.

The latest minor release as of today is NX 2023, so we have just entered the future.

Together with this transition they also made it possible to get notified of new version and upgrade from within NX, instead of having to go to a separate support site and download a new installer package. This can also be controlled by a site admin, to block users from upgrading before it has been tested, and release a version so that users can upgrade in their own time.

rothers wrote: ↑Thu Apr 21, 2022 5:27 am
<snip>

Very confusing to identify the important major releases, ...

Under the new paradigm, there seems to be somewhat less change than there used to be, when going from one "major" to the next (not surprising with the increased release frequency). Maybe this new numbering system with less classically-intuitive labelling was intended to be a way of managing expectation regarding what a "new major" means. Every new number just kinda blends into the stream.

NX is still the hands-down best for productivity (at least for me).
...so it doesn't really matter what the marketing-psychology people do, as long as the substance keeps on being substantial.