PTC: The importance of design agility
Here’s an interesting term: Design agility. PTC defines it, generally, as “the power to make late-stage design changes quickly and easily .” They define it more specifically as “the ability to rapidly recognize features and patterns in imported models, enabling seamless modifications; design intelligence for dumb models.” You might expect that more specific definition... Read More
Organic shape modeling with PTC Creo Parametric Freestyle
There is no standard definition for what an “organic shape” is. Probably the best definition, in the context of CAD, is that it’s a shape that’s a real pain in the neck to model using traditional methods with NURBS surfaces. Here’s an example. While you could certainly find a way to model this shape with NURBS, and even get the nice G2 continuity shown... Read More
How Whirlpool uses PTC CAD and PLM technology
Home appliances aren’t what they used to be. Consider, for example, washers and dryers. At this week’s PlanetPTC conference, Fred Bellio, CIO of Whirlpool’s Global Product Organization, and Jeff Burk, Director of Whirlpool’s Constellation Program Management Office, described some of the complexities of his company’s Maytag Maxima line of washers and... Read More
PTC announces Creo 2.0, Windchill 10.1, and shake-and-break 1.0
This week, PRC announced Creo 2.0 and Windchill 10.1. These aren’t big releases in the grand scheme of things, but they are important releases, and show that PTC is working hard to deliver on what it’s promised. Creo 2.0 This release includes fresh and updated releases of the 9 existing Creo apps, and adds a 10th new app called Options Modeler, which supports design-to-order... Read More
Autodesk provides real-time DFM for plastic part design
There’s a lot of benefit to be had by doing manufacturability analysis (DFM, Design for Manufacturing) early in the design process, rather than waiting until later, when design changes are far more expensive. A couple of years ago, Autodesk Labs previewed a product, Project Krypton, which ran inside of 3D CAD programs (including Autodesk Inventor, DS SolidWorks, and PTC... Read More
Black thumb: How to bring a CAD system to its knees
I open up Creo Parametric, and load up a part model. Not too complex — some bosses, holes, and a bunch of blends. I select a blend (or “round,” to use PTC parlance), then click and drag its resizing handle. And wait. And wait. Eventually, after several seconds, the blend resizes. I wait some more, and the blend resizes again. Ad nauseum. Why so slow?... Read More
Creo 2.0 is near
PTC will soon be releasing Creo 2.0, and, in anticipation of this, invited me (along with three other blogger/editors) to their corporate headquarters for a preview. Unlike a formal release presentation, which would be heavily scripted, our experience was much more extemporaneous. We got to see a good chunk of what’s new, hear about PTC’s underlying goals, and even talk... Read More
Analysis linked to CAD
Comsol’s latest update to its flagship multiphysics software Comsol 4.2a includes enhanced LiveLink capability. The new associativity to between Comsol and Creo packages means any changes to a feature in the Creo CAD model automatically updates the geometry in Comsol Multiphysics while retaining physics settings. All parameters specified in Creo can be interactively linked with... Read More
PTC congratulates Penske Racing team for unprecedented weekend of race track wins
PTC congratulated its customer and performance partner, Penske Racing, whose cars are designed and developed with the help of PTC’s design software, on its banner racing weekend. The Team Penske IZOD IndyCar Series team swept the podium on August 28 as its three drivers claimed 1st, 2nd and 3rd place at the Indy Grand Prix in Sonoma, California and 1st place at the NASCAR Sprint... Read More
Mechdyne Corporation Announce the Release of Conduit™ 3.0
Mechdyne Corporation announced the release of Conduit™ 3.0, an immersive software solution that enables desktop 3D applications to operate on PC clusters, virtual environments, and tiled high resolution displays. This latest version of Conduit supports a wide variety of desktop applications, including: NX, TeamCenter, ENOVIA/CATIA/DEMIA V5, Pro/ENGINEER, Maya, Blender Game Engine,... Read More
