**FIRST EMAIL**/2009 PTC Announcement

[Gamer930]

Originally Posted by Gamer930

Windchill supports CAD authoring tools such as Pro/ENGINEER, Autodesk Inventor, AutoCAD, and Solidworks. Windchill also includes robust visualization capabilities, and provides a secure environment for project management and execution.

Windchill facilitates collaboration with web-based workspaces, alerts, discussion forums, and Microsoft Office integration. Hosted by PTC, web-based Windchill is easily accessible through a Web-browser.

It says it supports all these other programs including Microsoft Office. Was hoping someone would have experience with it and would know if Labview was just left out of the list??

[rogerlsmith]

I've had a little experience with Pro/ENGINEER and I am familiar with WindChill. I have also been experimenting with LabVIEW.

Pro/ENGINEER and WindChill are products from PTC that are primarily used for mechanical engineering and design.

LabVIEW is a completely different animal. I would highly doubt that they would work together, but I don't know that for a fact.

[R.C.]

What is the learning curve for PTC Wildfire.

[Greg Needel]

Originally Posted by rc_cola1323

What is the learning curve for PTC Wildfire.

Pro-e wildfire is much harder to learn then inventor or solidworks, unless you have someone on your team proficient in the software already. There are many benefits to know the software for engineering applications but it is harder to learn then the other offered alternatives. That being said Team DeWALT will most likely use Pro-e, as Black & Decker uses pro for design.

That being said I do believe that it is better for large scale manufacturing as it's tools for FEA, Mechanica and integrated CAM programs are better then inventor and solidworks.

[AdamHeard]

Originally Posted by Greg Needel

Pro-e wildfire is much harder to learn then inventor or solidworks, unless you have someone on your team proficient in the software already. There are many benefits to know the software for engineering applications but it is harder to learn then the other offered alternatives. That being said Team DeWALT will most likely use Pro-e, as Black & Decker uses pro for design.

That being said I do believe that it is better for large scale manufacturing as it's tools for FEA, Mechanica and integrated CAM programs are better then inventor and solidworks.

I can't comment on all of this, but I'm currently enrolled in a class that teaches solidworks, and one that teaches Pro/E. The learning curve on Pro/E is much, much steeper (I'm much more proficient in solidworks now, and the struggling students in solidworks seem to be doing better than the struggling students in Pro/E) and the interface much less intuitive.

I'd have to back up Greg's recommendation that teams use Solidworks unless they have a real good reason to switch.

However, both professors admit that for large scale projects in industry, Pro/E is probably a better choice.

[R.C.]

Thanks guys, I was just wondering because I am currently teaching a class at our school. We have all the software (AutoCAD, Solidworks, Inventor, and Pro/E) and I have never used Pro/E. I was just wondering if I could make use of Pro/E, oh well, thatz what a summers for =).

Thanks,

RC