posted on 6/14/2011 4:44:44 PM
As part of Creo 1.0, the PLM vendor has rolled out a set of design and product data management applications that leverage a common data model; the apps can be easily accessed and used by everyone in the organization who is contributing to product development.
Product lifecycle management vendor PTC has delivered the first round of Creo applications, which the company announced last fall. Creo, unveiled in October, is a suite of 3D design, CAD, and CAE product data management (PDM) tools, as well as visual markup software that uses a common data model for interoperability between people and design applications.
The first crop of Creo 1.0 apps is said to optimize engineering, manufacturing, and service processes by utilizing role-based packages designed for a wide range of users. They include engineers who have historically driven product design processes, and CAD users across the enterprise such as service planners, technical illustrators, and industrial designers.
Creo, the company says, is based on four “breakthrough” technologies: AnyRole Apps (easy-to-use specialized applications); AnyMode Modeling (mix-and-match 2D, 3D direct, and 3D parametric modes); AnyData Adoption (re-use of data created in third-party CAD systems); and AnyBOM Assembly (allows for product variations to be modeled).
Creo 1.0 emphasizes the AnyRole Apps, which PTC further describes as “bite-size” applications that use a common data model but cover a variety of capabilities, from direct modeling, parametric modeling, and conceptual engineering to visualization, 3D technical illustration, 2D design, and simulation.
The applications available now include:
- Creo Parametric: 3D parametric modeling with extensions that deliver a broad range of seamlessly integrated 3D CAD/CAID/CAM/CAE capabilities.
- Creo Direct: Fast, flexible 3D geometry creation and editing using a direct modeling approach.
- Creo Simulate: Delivers the capabilities an analyst needs for structural and thermal simulation.
- Creo Schematics: Creates 2D routed systems diagrams for piping and cabling designs.
- Creo Illustrate: Provides capabilities to communicate complex service and parts information, training, work instructions, etc., to improve product usability and performance graphically in 3D.
- Creo View ECAD and MCAD: For viewing, interrogating, and marking up electronic and mechanical geometry.
Two more applications—Creo Sketch for simple “freehand” drawing of ideas and design concepts in 2D; and Creo Layout, which captures early concept layouts in 2D that ultimately drive 3D design—will be available in July and in the fall, respectively.
Overall, Creo provides a scalable suite of interoperable, integrated design applications to meet the needs of the wide spectrum of users contributing to product development and product lifecycle management. By engaging all of these users, PTC says companies can increase productivity and improve operational efficiencies, getting better products to market faster.
“Creo’s role-based apps make a typically closed process open and inclusive, enabling more people to make a meaningful contribution to product designs,” said Brian Shepherd, PTC’s executive vice president of product development, in a statement. “This is a huge advance that will help our customers create better designs, and ultimately better products.”