| Pro/ENGINEER | |
| Screenshot: | |
| Caption: | Pro/ENGINEER splash screen |
| Developer: | Parametric Technology Corporation |
| Latest Release Version: | Wildfire 4.0 |
| Operating System: | Unix-like/Windows |
| Genre: | CAD software |
| Website: | www.ptc.com |
Pro/ENGINEER (commonly referred to as Pro/E or ProE) is a 3D CAD parametric feature solid modeling software created by Parametric Technology Corporation (PTC). Its direct competitors are UGS-NX and CATIA, and to a lesser degree SolidWorks, Autodesk Inventor and SolidEdge. It runs on several UNIX flavours, Linux and Microsoft Windows, and provides solid modeling, assembly modelling and drafting functionality for mechanical engineers.
Pro/ENGINEER is an integrated 3D CAD/CAM/CAE solution for mechanical engineering and design which was created by Dr. Samuel P. Geisberg in the mid-1980's. It pioneered the CAD industry by introducing the concept of Parametric, Feature-based Solid Modeling. Models are driven parameters and intelligent features, rather than simple dimensional values.
Pro/ENGINEER outputs consist of solid model data for tooling and rapid prototyping, CNC manufacturing, and finite element analysis. A product and its entire Bill of Materials can be modeled accurately with fully associative engineering drawings, and revision control information. It is compatible with Windows and Unix-variants. All data is interchangeable between these platforms without conversion.
PTC also provides a comprehensive product development system that helps companies optimize their product development processes. This integral, interoperable and internet-based system provides the capabilities to create, colllaborate, control, configure, and communicate product development information. PTC's product families include Pro/ENGINEER, CoCreate, Windchill, ProductView Mathcad, and Arbortext.
A typical Pro/ENGINEER software package is made up of different modules, customizable to the customer's specific needs. In the past years some of the modules like Pro/SURFACE and Pro/SHEETMETAL have been integrated into the basic Pro/E offerings. For example, if a company specialized in the design of wire harnesses for the automotive industry, they would want to purchase the Pro/CABLING and Pro/HARNESS-MFG modules. A product development company or more specifically engineers working with industrial designers may want to purchase the ISDX module for free form surfacing.
In 2002, a new revision of Pro/ENGINEER called Wildfire was released that dramatically changed the software's graphical user interface. This has been a recurring theme since the release of revision 20 in the late 1990s when the software interface was changed from a nested text-based menu to one that incorporated graphical icons and pull-down menus. The response among users regarding these updates had been mixed. Some argue the improvements made the program easier to use and more efficient while others complain that re-learning basic operations and new menu layouts took more time than the improvements save.
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