3D CAD Software Global Market Opportunities and Strategies to 2033

This report describes and explains the 3D CAD software market and covers 2018-2023, termed the historic period and 2023-2028, 2033F termed the forecast period. The report evaluates the market across each region and for the major economies within each region.

The global 3D CAD software market reached a value of nearly $10.4 billion in 2023, having grown at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 3.98% since 2018. The market is expected to grow from $10.4 billion in 2023 to $14 billion in 2028 at a rate of 6.07%. The market is then expected to grow at a CAGR of 6.80% from 2028 and reach $19.5 billion in 2033.

Growth in the historic period resulted from emerging markets growth, increased internet penetration and expansion of the manufacturing sector. Factors that negatively affected growth in the historic period were software piracy and high cost of implementation.

Going forward, rising utilization of cloud computing, steady expansion of the automotive industry, increasing industrialization across various sectors and rise in adoption of 3D printing will drive the market growth. Factor that could hinder the growth of the 3D CAD software market in the future include limited availability of skilled personnel and technical expertise and growing concerns about data security.

The 3D CAD software market is segmented by deployment into cloud and on-premise. The on-premise market was the largest segment of the 3D CAD software market segmented by deployment, accounting for 70.3% or $7.3 billion of the total in 2023. Going forward, the cloud segment is expected to be the fastest growing segment in the 3D CAD software market segmented by deployment, at a CAGR of 8.86% during 2023-2028.

The 3D CAD software market is segmented by enterprise size into small business, midsize enterprise and large enterprise. The large enterprise market was the largest segment of the 3D CAD software market segmented by enterprise size, accounting for 41.7% or $4.3 billion of the total in 2023. Going forward, the small business segment is expected to be the fastest growing segment in the 3D CAD software market segmented by enterprise size, at a CAGR of 6.88% during 2023-2028.

The 3D CAD software market is segmented by application into architecture, engineering and construction, automotive, healthcare, manufacturing, media and entertainment and other applications. The manufacturing market was the largest segment of the 3D CAD software market segmented by application, accounting for 24.8% or $2.6 billion of the total in 2023. Going forward, the healthcare segment is expected to be the fastest growing segment in the 3D CAD software market segmented by application, at a CAGR of 7.83% during 2023-2028.

North America was the largest region in the 3D CAD software market, accounting for 32% or $3.3 billion of the total in 2023. It was followed by Asia Pacific, Western Europe and then the other regions. Going forward, the fastest-growing regions in the 3D CAD software market will be Asia Pacific and Western Europe where growth will be at CAGRs of 7.1% and 6% respectively. These will be followed by North America and Eastern Europe where the markets are expected to grow at CAGRs of 5.7% and 5.6% respectively.

The global 3D CAD software market is fairly fragmented, with a large number of players operating in the market. The top ten competitors in the market made up to 16.6% of the total market in 2022. The market fragmentation can be attributed to the presence of large number of small players in different geographies. PTC Inc was the largest competitor with a 4.9% share of the market, followed by Dassault Systèmes with 3.1%, Siemens AG with 2.1%, Nemetschek Group with 1.7%, ANSYS, Inc. with 1.5%, Autodesk, Inc with 1.2%, Hexagon AB with 0.9%, Trimble Inc with 0.6%, Graebert GmbH with 0.4% and Bentley Systems Incorporated with 0.3%.

The top opportunities in the 3D CAD software market segmented by deployment will arise in the on-premise segment, which will gain $1.9 billion of global annual sales by 2028. The top opportunities in the 3D CAD software market segmented by enterprise size will arise in the midsize enterprise segment, which will gain $1.4 billion of global annual sales by 2028. The top opportunities in the 3D CAD software market segmented by application will arise in the manufacturing segment, which will gain $886.5 million of global annual sales by 2028. The 3D CAD software market size will gain the most in the USA at $991.4 million.

Market-trend-based strategies for the 3D CAD software market include focusing on partnerships and acquisitions to improve their financial strength and geographical presence, focusing on cloud-based CAD solutions to enhance design collaboration and simplify CAD administration, developing innovative solutions, such as 3D CAD software packages to improve the user experience, focusing on advancements in technologies to expand their product portfolio and drive revenues.

Player-adopted strategies in the 3D CAD software market include focus on enhancing its operational capabilities through new product developments, focus on expanding its manufacturing capabilities through strategic partnerships.

To take advantage of the opportunities, the analyst recommends the 3D CAD software companies to focus on cloud-based CAD solutions, focus on innovative 3D CAD software packages, focus on technological advancements in 3D CAD software, expand in emerging markets, continue to focus on developed markets, focus on strategic partnerships and acquisitions, provide competitively priced offerings, focus on strategic pricing strategies for market leadership, participate in trade shows and events, continue to use B2B promotions, prioritize technical webinars for thought leadership, focus on small business and midsize enterprise segments and focus on automotive and healthcare segments.