The 3DSpace App allows you to create and manage the Collaborative Spaces (also known as 3DSpaces) on the 3DEXPERIENCE platform.

Think of a Collaborative Space as a secure, cloud-based digital "vault" or "storage area" for all of your data.

It's where ALL THE DATA is actually stored, whether they are CAD models, Simulations, documents, or other types of content!

It's a foundational element that defines how teams work together and what data they can access.

Core Purpose and Functionality:

• Secure Data Storage: The primary function is to provide a secure and centralized location for all project data. This ensures everyone is working from a single source of truth and helps prevent version control issues, and everyone can access the latest information.

   

• Access Control and Permissions: This is a crucial feature. Collaborative Spaces are not just a place to store files; they are also where you define who has access to the data and what they can do with it. Administrators can assign specific roles and permissions to users, such as:
  • Reader: Can view data but not modify it.
  • Contributor: Can create new content but may have limited rights to modify existing data.
  • Author: Can create and modify content.

  • Leader/Owner: Has full administrative control over the space, including managing members, setting permissions, and deleting data.

     

• Visibility Settings (Types of Collaborative Spaces): When creating a Collaborative Space, you can set its visibility to control who can see it:

  • Private: Only members who are explicitly added can see and access the content. This is ideal for confidential projects.

    Note: For Academic use- teachers and Students can use Private Collaborative Spaces to keep their data private.

  • Public: All data is available to everyone on the platform. This is often used for standard parts libraries or company-wide resources.

    Note: For Academic use- teachers and Students can use Standard-Public Collaborative Spaces to store Standard data like standard parts catalogs.

  • Protected: Data is initially private, but becomes visible to non-members once it reaches a "Released" or "Obsolete" maturity state.

   

   

  For detailed information on access roles & visibility of data in Collaborative Spaces, please check the document below-

  

   

   

• Lifecycle Management: Content within a Collaborative Space is subject to lifecycle management. This means you can track the maturity state of a file (e.g., from "In Work" to "Released" or "Obsolete"), which is essential for controlled product development processes.

   

• Integration: Collaborative Spaces are seamlessly integrated with other 3DEXPERIENCE apps. For example:
  • The Bookmark Editor app helps you organize and create folder-like structures for content that resides in different Collaborative Spaces.

  • 3DSearch allows you to find content across all the Collaborative Spaces you have access to.

     

How it Relates to other Apps:

It's important to understand the distinction between a Collaborative Space and other apps like the Bookmark Editor:

• Collaborative Space (3DSpace app): This is the actual storage container for the data. It's the "drive" where your files are saved.
• Bookmark Editor: This is the tool you use to organize and create shortcuts (bookmarks) to the files stored in various Collaborative Spaces. Think of it as the "folder system" you use to manage your data, regardless of which "drive" (Collaborative Space) it's on.
• Other Design/Simulation Apps- Whenever data is created, it is stored on a Collaborative Space. Make sure to choose the right Collaborative Space when creating new content from any app. 

In short, the Collaborative Space is the foundational "vault" for your data, while other apps like the Bookmark Editor provide the user-friendly interface for managing and interacting with that data. It's the core of the 3DEXPERIENCE platform's data management and collaboration capabilities.

Troubleshooting & Other Important Points:

Inability to create, access or modify content-

• Make sure you have at least one Collaborative Space to store your data, and choose the right one to work in when you have multiple.
• Check your roles- Your assigned role (e.g., Reader, Contributor, Author) determines what you can see and do within a space. If your role is too restrictive, you may not be able to view/modify certain items. Creating Materials, for example, requires the Leader Role.
• Maturity state restrictions- A user with an "Author" role can save new files and modify existing ones, but they cannot change the maturity state of a file from "In Work" to "Released." This is typically reserved for a "Leader" or "Owner" role. Attempting this will result in an error.
• The file is "Reserved" by another user- If another user has locked a file for editing, no one else can make changes to it, regardless of their role. This is a deliberate function for version control.

Collaborative Spaces are NOT Folders!

• This is the single most important concept to grasp. A Collaborative Space is a secure data container with defined access rules. It is not a folder system like on your local computer.
• Treating them as folders can lead to an unmanageable number of spaces, making it difficult to control permissions and find data.
• The Bookmark Editor app is the correct tool for creating a hierarchical, folder-like structure for your data. Use it to organize the content that resides in your Collaborative Spaces.

Be Careful with Deleting Data.

• Delete: This action permanently deletes the data from the Collaborative Space and the entire platform. This is irreversible and should be used with extreme caution.
• In Professional PLM Practice, users will never delete data because each item will be created with deliberate intent, and even if it is Obsolete or not-in-use, it will be kept for future reference.

Be Careful with Public Collaborative Spaces

• Use a public Collaborative Space only for content that is explicitly intended to be shared with the entire Institution/Organization and contains no sensitive IP.

To learn more, check out the links below:

Learning Module: Explore the Collaborative Industry Innovator Role > Working with Others in Collaborative Spaces with 3DSpace

User Assistance: 3DSpace

User Assistance: Controlling Access to Content in Collaborative Spaces