For the past month, I’ve been discussing key productivity advantages PTC Creo Parametric has over Pro/ENGINEER Wildfire 5.0, including: cross sectioning, measuring geometry, sheet metal, assembly performance, 3D annotations, a new user experience, and Freestyle modeling.
Let’s say you’ve realized the value of these productivity increases and upgraded from Pro/ENGINEER Wildfire 5.0 to PTC Creo Parametric. What’s the next step? How do ensure you get the most out of your investment?
Here are a few tips to make sure you get up to speed quickly:
1) Use PTC Creo Parametric’s Helpful Product Features
There are four main product features in PTC Creo Parametric designed specifically to help former Pro/ENGINEER users. First, PTC Creo Parametric has full upward compatibility in regards to data. This means you will not lose data from models, parts, assemblies, drawings, etc. You will also keep design intent, features, parameters and annotations.
Secondly, all the Pro/ENGINEER capabilities available to you today are also available in PTC Creo Parametric. As I’ve discussed over the recent postings, there are also many new capabilities to increase your productivity.
Thirdly, PTC Creo Parametric allows you to keep your custom settings. This means you can re-use your Pro/ENGINEER configurations and environment settings.
Last but not least, the Command Finder feature allows you to access commands via a search box. Start by typing out a Pro/ENGINEER command and a list of matches will be presented and if you are trying to find a specific command, the user interface shows you the navigation path to access the command in the future.
2) Utilize the Learning Connector
Recently, I’ve written about the success of the Learning Connector and it’s worth repeating here. This free, built in application aggregates material from multiple sources including video tutorials, eLearning recommendations, the help center, and tech support knowledge base. There are approximately 170 free video tutorials available for PTC Creo 1.0 and PTC Creo 2.0. The information is also context- sensitive, so If you are having trouble with a specific command the relevant help content will appear automatically. All of this information is available without having to leave the program.
3) Take a PTC Creo Parametric Training Course
Learning new software on your own can be stressful and time consuming. When it comes down to staying productive, you can’t replace a good training course to show you the ropes. Instructor-led training is available through PTC and a network of value-added resellers. There are 100+ training facilities in 35 countries around the globe. More than 75,000 students are trained each year by 400+ certified instructors.
For former Pro/ENGINEER Wildfire 5.0 users, the PTC Creo update training course is a 2 day commitment. These two days of training will deliver a significant return on investment for the product development team by ensuring that each user understands how to best use the new release and to quickly leverage the new capabilities and workflows we’ve discussed in the recent blog posts.
From my perspective, an engineer/designer deserves the best opportunity to improve themselves as part of a software update process.
Finally, once you’ve mastered the basics it’s worth checking in regularly on the latest demos and tech tips. These webcasts provide the most popular and useful time-saving tricks for users of all skill levels.
