Case Study: Siemens PLM Software expands its mobile reach with Microsoft Corporation and Visual Studio Tools for Xamarin

Siemens helps bring ideas to life with mobile sketchpads

Siemens PLM Software wanted to extend its desktop drawing and product-design capabilities to mobile devices so designers, engineers, and even new consumer audiences could work anywhere. Using Microsoft Corporation’s Visual Studio Tools for Xamarin, the company set out to build an intuitive mobile sketchpad, Catchbook, that would be easier to use than traditional CAD software while still preserving its advanced technology.

Microsoft Corporation helped Siemens PLM Software create Catchbook with a shared cross-platform codebase for Android, iOS, and Windows, reusing 75% of the user interface code and porting native C++ algorithms from the desktop product. The result was faster development, lower costs, strong performance, and a richer user experience, while also opening the door to new markets such as contractors, homeowners, and hobbyists.

Siemens PLM Software

Ken Hosch

Director of Innovation, Research, and Strategy