Creo 1.0: How open is Creo?

By Geoff Hedges | Published: June 13, 2011

 

Deelip.com and Evan Yares’ recent blog posts ask the same great question about Creo - How open is PTC’s Creo file format?

 

To help answer the question, Mike Campbell, DVP of Creo Product Development, recorded video answers over the last couple of months, so let’s listen to Mike clarify the points. For you skimmers, I’ve summarized the points in a short sentence, but it’s definitely take the time to watch the videos.

1. Creo uses a common data model to keep all the data used by each Creo app in synch, not a single common data file. The common model is NOT a common file format.


2. The common data model enables each Creo app to have it’s unique view


3. Parts of the common data format will be open to customers, partners, etc.

Creo Reactions: The Unanswered Questions Answered

By Geoff Hedges | Published: June 7, 2011

 

L. Stephen Wolfe, P.E. (contributing analyst with Jon Peddie Research), recently posted some great questions regarding Creo. Here’s his 8 questions with our answers, and where possible, we’ve also included video answers from Mike Campbell, DVP of Creo product development at PTC, offering a more in-depth explanation. I’ve summarized his answers in words (for you skimmers), but you’ll want to view the complete videos for full details.

1. What will be the upgrade paths from the Creo Elements (a.k.a. Wildfire 5 M080) packages to Creo application suites?

Every Creo Elements product, package, and extension has an upgrade path to Creo, for example, a customer with Creo Elements/Pro on maintenance has the option to upgrade to Creo Parametric, a customer with the Creo Elements/Pro Foundation will have an upgrade path to a package of the corresponding Creo Parametric capabilities, and so on.  At a minimum, the upgrade to Creo offers the same product capabilities as the customer has today, and in many cases, adds new capabilities. 

As part of the release of Creo 1.0, we’ll publish a ‘product mapper’ to detail every product, package, and extension and how it maps to Creo. Mike discusses the approach to protecting a customer’s existing investment in the second part of this video FAQ.




2. How much will it cost (in both initial charges and annual maintenance fees) to upgrade each Pro/Engineer or CoCreate user?

There is a no cost upgrade for existing maintenance customers to each target Creo app, extension, or package. There are no increases in annual maintenance fees when the customer selects the no cost upgrade.

3. When will the Creo apps have all the equivalent capabilities of Pro/Engineer Wildfire 5?

PTC is committed to protecting the investment customers have already  made, and all data, working methods, and capabilities in Creo Parametric are equivalent to or deliver more than the capabilities found in Creo Elements/Pro 5 (Pro/ENGINEER Wildfire 5) today.




4. How consistent are the user interfaces across all the Creo apps?

While the Creo apps are standalone programs, they have a common look and feel for key areas. The Ribbon presentation is common across all Creo apps, and when commands are common (like File Open, and Close, for example) they are presented in the same way and in the same place.

5. Will all changes made using direct-modeling techniques be represented as dimension-driven features in Creo Parametric? Or will changes made with direct modeling have to be recreated in the parametric program?

Changes made in the direct modeling approach do not have to recreated in the parametric approach;  all changes made in the Direct Modeling app are simply represented as additional changes (features) in the model when it is viewed in the parametric modelling app.  The user of the parametric app can choose to either  accept, and incorporate these changes permanently in the model (by persisting the new features in the model), or review them and reject them entirely. 

6. Are there direct edits that will cause parametric features previously created to fail?

No. All changes made via a direct modeling approach can be captured within the parametric model without a failure.

7. What changes to the company’s Windchill PDM or Intralink software will be required to support Creo?

Creo 1.0 apps are compatible with Windchill 9.1 M062 and 10.0.

8. How much retraining will be required to use Creo?

For existing users of Creo Elements/Pro (formerly Pro/ENGINEER), they should think of this upgrade as they would have a significant release of Pro/ENGINEER in the past.  Many companies are planning ½ to 1 day training.

In one minute or so: How is Creo different from other vendors’ offerings?

By Geoff Hedges | Published: April 20, 2011

 

It seems like every vendor offers a direct modeling option with their parametric solutions. In this group of video responses to your most frequently asked questions, Mike Campbell, Divisional Vice President of Creo Product Development, explains how we serve the non-parametric user as well. We’ve summarized his answers in just a few words (for you skimmers), but you’ll want to view the complete videos for details.

 Q. How does Creo compare to products from other vendors who offers multiple CAD approaches?
“We serve the non-parametric user as well as the parametric user. We have solutions for those who are overserved by parametric modelers.”


Q. Will I need to install every Creo 1.0 app?
“Each app is standalone.”


Q. Is the Creo 1.0 UI new?
“Yes.”

In one minute or so: Creo 1.0 apps and extensions (Part 10)

By Geoff Hedges | Published: March 29, 2011

 

What’s the difference between an extension and an app? In this group of video responses to your most frequently asked questions, Mike Campbell, Divisional Vice President of Creo Product Development, explains the differences, what you can expect from extensions, and what apps look like in the Creo 1.0 release. We’ve summarized his answers in just a few words (for you skimmers), but you’ll want to view the complete videos for details.

Q. What’s an app? What’s an extension in Creo 1.0?
“Apps are standalone products. Extensions enhance apps.”


Q. What apps can I expect in Creo 1.0?
“Parametric, Direct, Simulate, Layout, Visualization, Illustrate, View MCAD, View ECAD, and Sketch.”


Q. What happens to my Pro/ENGINEER extensions?
“Most will continue on as apps for Creo Parametric, for now.”

In one minute or so: How disruptive is this going to be? (part 8)

By Geoff Hedges | Published: February 24, 2011

 

Creo is an exciting breakthrough in the CAD industry, but for established PTC users, concerns arise about how the technology might impact existing data. In this group of videos, Mike Campbell, Divisional Vice President of Creo Product Development, answers questions about just how much disruption you can expect. We’ve summarized his answers in just a few words (for you skimmers), but you’ll want to view the complete videos for details.

Q. What type of effort do existing users of Creo Elements/Pro (formerly Pro/ENGINEER) need to plan to upgrade?
“Think of this upgrade as you would have a significant release of Pro/ENGINEER in the past.”


Q. Can I migrate models and drawings from Creo Elements/Pro to Creo 1.0?
“All previous versions of Pro/ENGINEER will be Creo compatible. No conversion necessary.”


Q. Will I lose any existing product capabilities when I upgrade from Pro/ENGINEER and Creo Elements/Pro to Creo 1.0?
“In general, no.”


Q. I’ve customized my UI, how will those customizations be handled in Creo 1.0?
“If you’ve customized menu bars, added buttons, etc., you’ll need to rebuild those customizations for the new ribbon-based UI.”


Q. Will Creo 1.0 support the same platforms and configurations as Creo Elements/Pro?
“By and large yes. Creo 1.0 will support Windows XP, Windows Vista, and Windows 7.”

In one minute or so: How does Creo change my work? (part 6)

By Geoff Hedges | Published: February 8, 2011

Will I have to do everything with one file type? What about my Mac? In this group of videos, Mike Campbell, Divisional Vice President of Creo Product Development, answers these and other questions related how Creo might change the way you work. We’ve summarized his answers in just a few words (for you skimmers), but you’ll want to view the complete videos for details.

Q. Will Creo be available on Apple platforms?
“Over time, some apps will support Mac.”


Q. Can I work in one mode (like direct modeling) and switch easily to another (like parametric)?
“Yes.”


Q. Will the Creo suite of design apps have a single file type, a single extension?
“No. The common model is NOT a common file format.”


Q. Can I easily switch from app to app? What about data between apps?
“Yes. This is an important part of our strategy.”

In one minute or so: What does Creo mean to my business? (part 5)

By Geoff Hedges | Published: January 31, 2011

What does Creo mean to partners? And are you sure it’s a good idea to put product development in more hands? In this group of videos, Jim Heppelmann, CEO of PTC, and Mike Campbell, Divisional Vice President of Creo Product Development answer questions related to Creo’s impact on partner and customer businesses. We’ve summarized their answers in just a few words (for you skimmers), but you’ll want to view the complete videos for details.

Q. Can PTC software partners easily update their solutions to work with Creo 1.0?
“The effort should be comparable to supporting a new release.”


Q. How does Creo help the whole company contribute to product development?
“By providing simple apps for each role.”


Q. Why does PTC think it’s a good idea to give  everyone the tools to be a  product developer?
“For the same reason it was a good idea to give everyone a word processor—not just writers and secretaries.”

In one minute or so: What happens to my other PTC products? (part 4)

By Geoff Hedges | Published: January 24, 2011

 

[In our recent “One Minute or Less” series on this blog, PTC executives answered questions, via video, about Creo and what you could expect from it (here, here, and here). The questions keep coming. So, here’s another instalment —renamed “In One Minute or So” since executives need a little more time for the more detailed answers.]

In this group of videos, Mike Campbell, Divisional Vice President of Creo Product Development, answers questions related to what happens to existing PTC technology and extensions. We’ve summarized his answers in just a few words (for you skimmers), but you’ll want to view the complete videos for details.

Q. Will Creo work with Windchill ProductPoint?
“Yes.”


Q. What does the future hold for Creo Elements/Direct Model Manager?
“The Model Manager roadmap goes out for two more releases, at least.”


Q. Will the text table and variant functionality be available in Creo  or AnyBOM with Windchill?
“Yes. Creo won’t bring any regression in capabilities.”


Q. Will Creo include extensions like Reverse Engineering Extension?
“Yes. All existing technologies will be included in Creo.”


Q. Will Creo work with Windchill PDMLink?
“Yes.”

In one minute or less: Mike Campbell answers Creo product questions (part 3)

By Geoff Hedges | Published: January 18, 2011

Over the past few months we’ve collected many of the questions asked most about Creo. We then asked our executives for straightforward answers, giving them just a minute to reply. Here’s what Mike Campbell, Divisional Vice President of Creo Product Development, said:

Q. Will the Creo Common Data Format be Open?
“By and large, yes.”


Q. Will there be a Pro/ENGINEER Wildfire 6.0 release?
”No.  Wildfire support customers will be upgraded to Creo 1.0”


Q. What are the key technology breakthroughs in Creo?
“AnyRole apps, AnyMode modeling, AnyData adoption, AnyBOM assemblies.”


Q. Will there be Creo apps for manufacturing engineers?
“Yes, several of them.”


Q. Will my Creo Elements data be fully usable in Creo?
“Yes. Some sooner than others.”


Q. How will the Creo apps evolve over time? And how do you protect my investment?
“It’s complicated, but we have a plan.”