This series of software profiles will focus on CAD software applications meant to be used by engineering organizations for discrete manufacturers. In each post, an overview of the software's capabilities will be provided and details on which industries use them most frequently.
Vitals
CAD Application(s): Creo (formerly Pro/ENGINEER and CoCreate)
Software Provider: PTC
Capabilities and Partners
Creo is a well developed desktop CAD software application that has been reinvented over the past five years.
With both parametric and direct modeling approaches covered, Creo offers a lot of flexibility when creating and modifying geometry. Creo Direct provides direct manipulation tools for 3D geometry, regardless of whether it was natively built or imported. Creo Parametric offers the traditional parametric feature-based modeling approach. Users can switch between these two apps, bringing their geometry back and forth, so both modeling approaches are available. Creo Simulate offers traditional FEA analysis tools that covers structural and thermal, but not CFD functionality. Creo View gives users the ability to interrogate ECAD deliverables and models created in other CAD applications. Creo also offers the traditional capabilities to create drawings, routed systems, machining tool paths and more.
PTC has developed a partner base that offers add-ons for Creo. Interestingly, the software add-ons can be delivered as apps that look and behave as if they were an app provided by PTC as part of the any app strategy.
Industries and User Base
Creo is used in a wide variety of industries including automotive, aerospace, industrial equipment, heavy machinery, high tech and others. Unlike Solidworks and Solid Edge, Creo is used by companies of all sized. PTC hosts its annual user conference where a couple thousand customers attend.
Looking Forward
Back in 2010, PTC's Jim Heppelman laid out a ambitious plan for the reinvention of Pro/ENGINEER as Creo (coverage in blog post). Fast forward four years, and a good bit of that plan has been implemented. The direct manipulation capabilities of CoCreate have been merged with the parametric feature-based capabilities of Pro/ENGINEER. The vision behind any apps and any data have been largely implemented. PTC is near to the completion of sweeping change.
Some of the CAD providers in the industry, most notably Autodesk with Fusion360 and Dassault Systèmes with CATIA and Solidworks, are making the move to the cloud. PTC has taken a different tack, at least to date. They have partnered with Citrix to offer the on-premise virtualization of Creo through XenDesktop (coverage in post). It has emerged as an interesting alternative to a move to the cloud.
Going forward, I expect to see more activity on the simulation front as well as integration with system engineering functionality. PTC is expanding its coverage to software engineering, and connecting the two is a natural fit.