1

IINNTTRROODDUUCCIINNGG PPTTCC’’SS

PPRROO//DDEESSKKTTOOPP 88

• now you can exchange files between these two powerful MCAD programs. The newest release of PTC’s powerful 3D design software is greatly enhanced and ready to go! In the tradition of PTC’s Design and Technology in Education program, we will be distributing Pro/DESKTOP 8 to all Pro/DESKTOP certified teachers. Pro/DESKTOP 8 has been developed to share many qualities with Pro/ENGINEER Wildfire. The first thing you will notice when comparing Pro/DESKTOP 8 with Pro/DESKTOP 2000i2 is the new default colors of the screen. Gone is the familiar blue fade we are all so used to. The gray scale of the Design Field now more closely resembles Wildfire. While the look has been modified, the ease of design aspects of Pro/DESKTOP have been maintained and improved.

Pro/DESKTOP 2000i2 Pro/ENGINEER Wildfire

Pro/DESKTOP 8

2

In addition to sharing a similar look with Pro/ENGINEER Wildfire, Pro/DESKTOP 8 now allows you to share design files between these two programs. Parts designed in Pro/DESKTOP 8 can now be opened and fully manipulated in Pro/ENGINEER Wildfire. You can even combine parts from Pro/DESKTOP 8 and Pro/ENGINEER Wildfire into an assembly maintaining all meta-data like part color and density.

Same part, different programs!

And that is just the beginning. Here are just a few of the substantial enhancements PTC has added to Pro/DESKTOP.

Pro/DESKTOP 8 boasts a greatly improved palette, employing extensive use of drag-and-drop elements. Entire assemblies can be quickly and easily created by selecting and combining items from these menus. Pro/DESKTOP 8 ’s new palette represents a major step forward in conceptual engineering.

Pro/DESKTOP Pro/ENGINEER Wildfire

3

Another advance that greatly improves the user experience is the arrival of real time numeric feedback right at your curser – making it easier to dimension components.

Auto-shrink dialogue boxes – simplifying commonly repeated steps like extrusions while increasing your design field real estate. Now you can either enter the values you desire or drag the handles and simply press enter to accept the modification.

Thumbnails – view files before selecting them for opening or assembly. Improved workplane creation – even tangent to cylindrical and round objects. With the default setting showing workplanes filled, it is much easier to visualize workplanes as you create them, intuiting distances and angles in relation to selected objects. And now you can delete workplanes and sketches if you want to.

Icon images in dropdown menus – makes it easier to learn shortcuts for sketching tools and other menu items. Additionally, new icons have been added for various menu options, including Toggle Sketch Filled, Mirror… and Offset Chain. These icons represent an advancement in ease of use, especially for teaching students, new to Pro/DESKTOP.

In this example, you can see that the diameter is .8”.

4

Improved Manipulation feature – No longer are you dependent on individual axes to rotate your parts. By using the scroll wheel on the top of your mouse, or the middle mouse button, you can visualize your selection in any orientation. Also, as you use the scroll wheel to reduce the image on your screen, the object recedes or advances towards your curser, allowing for easy zooming. Simultaneously holding the Shift Key and the Scroll wheel allows you to pan the object around the screen in all three file-types. Doing the same with the Control Key allows you to zoom in really close or to pull way back. And if you still need an additional axis for rotation, you can hold the Shift and Control Keys at the same time as the scroll wheel on your mouse. Double-click activation – It has always been the case that double clicking on objects in browser activates objects in design field. Now, rather intuitively, double clicking on lines in the design field activates that sketch, saving you mouse movement and time. Curser based object identification – In the event that one neglects to name features during the design process (shame on you), Pro/DESKTOP 8 presents this sanity-saving innovation. Now, simply allow your curser to hover over any object for a second and a small text box will indicate the name of the indicated object. It is important to remember that you will still need to stipulate what kind of object you are looking for, part, feature, face, etc.

Extended use of feature handles – Once you select a feature, you will access all variable dimensions. These will be governed by a series of “handles” that allow for lateral and vertical adjustment in addition to a new rotation parameter.

Material List – Now Pro/DESKTOP 8 has a pull down list of materials, automatically setting material properties, like density, thermal coefficient and conductivity. These material qualities become part of the design and move with the file when exporting to Pro/ENGINEER Wildfire.

5

Drag and Drop Sectioning – Take a slice out of individual components used in an assembly so that you can look right through it when fully assembled.

View Transparent –

Pro/DESKTOP 8 has a greatly

improved transparent view option that

enhances viewing pleasure.

Assembly Conditions – There are situations where you may want to have alternative assembly conditions: the on/off positions of a switch, a rotational component with various positions of interest, etc. Now you can create and suppress several mating conditions to toggle between options. The ability to create multiple, suppressible mating conditions is extremely beneficial to help you get the fullest utilization of the Configurations aspect of Pro/DESKTOP 8. Now you can access conditions by name for easy addition to various configurations. Configurations of course are the basis of Animations, so this enhancement will have a very visceral impact on the enthusiasm of students learning to think three dimensionally.

Look at these new Assembly Icons!

Center Axis

Mate

Orient

Align Fix

Component

6

Mating Conditions In the Components Browser Pro/DESKTOP 8 includes a major change in one aspect of the object browser, the components browser. Where as in 2000i2, mating conditions are indicated as subordinate to each component, indicating what each part is constrained to; in Pro/DEKSTOP 8, they are now found in a new location. A Constraints folder has been added at the bottom of the browser, similar to the recycle bin in 2000i2. By clicking on each mating condition in the Constraints folder, the condition will illuminate red in the design field. Clicking on any name of a component in the browser will likewise, illuminate the part in the design field. Conversely, selecting a part in the design field will highlight that part’s name in the browser.

Notice here that mate 3 is selected in the Components browser and the mating surface shared by the lamp head and the insert piece is highlighted red

In this example, the part, Lamp Insert Piece is selected in the browser and the actual part is illuminated in the design field.

Finally, in this image, Subassembly Head is selected in the browser and the actual subassembly is highlighted in the design window. Note: In Pro/DESKTOP 8, you are able to access the components of subassemblies in the context of a complete assembly

7

Dimension Slider – Another innovation in Pro/DESKTOP 8 is the addition of the Dimension slider. This tool allows you to easily modify variables and explore the possibilities of multiple configurations. The Dimension Slider represents another enhancement of Conceptual Design.

Inside and Outside Threads – While many class hours have been enjoyed using the Helical Sweep feature to create threaded bolts, Pro/DESKTOP 8 has added a much more valuable feature – Cosmetic Threads. It will not create, modify or delete any topology, but when a drawing view is created, a symbolic representation of the thread will be automatically added to the view based on the parameters entered.

Shell Solids – Now you can shell to the inside or the outside of an object.

Shell to the outside Shell to the inside

8

In the Engineering Drawing module of Pro/DESKTOP 8 there have been several imrovements. Dimension point-to-point dimension directly to a corner. Additionally, you can now dimension to side-on cones. Redefine dimensions on drawings if they become invalid.

New Weld Symbol command -- Now you can add a callout detailing extensive weld information.

Shaded View – Now you can add shaded view to drawings to improve visual understanding. You can also convert existing projections to shaded view by accessing their properties menu.

9

Multi-sheet capabilites have also been added, allowing you to group details and multiple projections within a single drawing file. As the complexity of your assignments increase, this new aspect of Pro/DESKTOP will prove to be very helpful. Additionally, Pro/DESKTOP 8 automatically creates a set of callouts that display drawing and sheet related information. These are all associative: if the referenced data changes, the callout’s display will change accordingly.

Photo Album Module

Several new bitmap textures have been added to the Album, enhancing the built-in imaging possibilities. Of course, you can also add your own bitmaps very easily, so the possibilities are virtually endless.

Perhaps the most impressive enhancement of the Album feature of Pro/DESKTOP 8 is that you can now create animations with bitmapping. This means that you can animate whole assemblies, with the material “skin” applied. Though it takes some time to render, you can create very impressive animations that can be posted to the web.

Just as in the Design module, the manipulate procedures in Pro/DESKTOP 8 differ from previous version. You will have to remember to use the scroll wheel on your mouse as a button to change the view in your picture.

10

Pro/DESKTOP 8 a more sophistocated program that previous versions, and with sophistocation comes a degree of complexity. This complexity can result in some features behaving in ways contrary to your expectations. One example is using the Revolve Profile feature. Now you can revolve a valid profile around one of its own sides or even a workplane. This is very cool, but it won’t work if you have more than one line in the axis, even if they line up perfectly or even overlap. So in this instance, you wouldn’t create a second sketch for the axis, rather you would just click on the line that you want to revolve around.

Another way the Pro/DESKTOP 8’s improvements can actually get in you way is if your graphics card isn’t very powerful. Your screen can get garbled or the program could even seize. Here is an easy solution. Open Pro/DESKTOP 8 ! Go to Tools ! Select Options ! Go to the Performance tab ! At the bottom of this tab, check Disable

graphics harware acceleration And this won’t change the appearance on your computer in any perceivabl way. If you want to experiement with Pro/DESKTOP 8 in the context of teacher designed tutorails and project, please vist our website at http://www.ptc.com/for/education/schools/curriculum/index.htm There are several Pro/DESKTOP 8 tutorials there now and many more on the way. Good luck and have fun. Don’t forget to consult the Help feature built in to Pro/DESKTOP 8 .