You may have been wondering how 3D CAD software Creo works with engineering calculations software Mathcad Prime 3.0. John Sheehan spoke on his blog earlier this year about how the two work together. In fact, he made it known to his readers that the integration between the two products has existed since 2006. To what extent are they integrated? Well, dimensions and parameters can be sent from Creo to Mathcad where it can be run through complex (or simple) calculations – the results of which can be returned to Creo and tied back to the dimensions and parameters.
Direct integration doesn’t just benefit PhDs
The link between the two solutions was created in order to optimise worksheets for communication. As Andrew McGrough, Product Manager of Mathcad, points out, this collaboration is not just for “the PhDs, but between engineers, designers, and everyone else in the development cycle”.
And the worksheets that you or any of the engineers or designers in your organisation create are already easy to read and edit thanks to the introduction of templates in Mathcad Prime 3.0. You can tweak the algebra whenever you need to, whether its a bucket or a Fibonacci conch you’re generating between the two systems.
McGough continues “Mathcad is a powerful communication tool for the entire workflow, from concept to detailed design. As more designers leverage what ‘the PhDs’ started and apply it to their designs directly, a lot less is lost in translation.”
What can you expect in future releases?
The next era of Creo and Mathcad will include the capability to embed worksheets into the 3D model data: so even more interaction between the products.
Take for example an item in the Creo model tree that shows there is a worksheet associated with it. You simply click the item and Mathcad will launch the corresponding worksheet. You then designate the inputs and outputs which trigger the calculations, regenerate the model and show the results quickly.
“It creates a much tighter correspondence between the model and the worksheet,” says Jakov Kucan, Director of PTC Mathcad Product Strategy. “You know the calculations in the worksheet always reflect exact values used in the model because they’re tied together right there.”
An added bonus is that there is an embedded worksheet that is now faster to reach and always travels with the model. This saves your product developers time as they don’t have to waste it on digging around for the relevant file, and of course, they’ll spend more time on the value-adding activity of exploring design options.
Want to find out more about the latest release of Mathcad? Download the Mathcad Prime 3.0 Datasheet to find out more:
