DASSAULT TO BUY SPATIAL'S COMPONENT DIVISION.

Dassault Systemes of Paris, which develops computer-aided design, computer-aided manufacturing, and computer-aided engineering software, will buy the component business division of Spatial Technology Inc. for $21.5 million. The Spatial division in Boulder, Colo., makes 3-D software components.

Dassault will buy all of the division's products, trademarks, patents, and intellectual property, and operate them as a subsidiary under the Spatial name. The purchase will further Dassault's corporate aim to offer 3-D capabilities to any computer user, said Dassault president Bernard Charles.

Spatial plans to concentrate on its Web engineering application service business, which will operate as Planet--CAD. The service, offered on the company's Web site, provides engineering technologies accessible via the Web and hosted on a Spatial--owned server, rather than on the user desktop.

No employee layoffs are expected to result from the purchase, Charles said.

A set of cross-licensing agreements is integral to the transaction. Under those agreements, PlanetCAD will have a perpetual licensing agreement for the component technologies being sold to Dassault. The companies also will share joint rights to the healing and translation technologies developed by Spatial and available on the PlanetCAD Web site. The companies will jointly develop and enhance those technologies, Charles said.