version migration

[rollinsn]

I am poised to upgrade from WF2 this week... hooray!

I have been given the advice to "start with 4 and then move to 5"
because of UI changes...

I question this rational and would rather hear things like "don't move
to 5 yet because it crashes..." or something more definitive.

Any thoughts on this?

Is the age old "skip every other version" tactic still in effect?
(putting us safely in a WF4 setting, and not 5) - (2000i, 2000i^2,
2001, WF, WF2,...)

Any input is welcome... Thanks

-Nate
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[mpeterson]

I would consider the specific enhancements before determining which version to go to. There are some great new features and improvements like to cable harness routing, some mechanisms like 3D contact and gears, belt design features for pulley belts, some sheet metal enhancements and some others. None of those new features/enhancements are of much use to me currently, so I would have preferred staying in WF4 instead of going to WF5that does have a new drawing interfacethat I and others here do not like at all. Thus I would migrate to WF4 unless some of the enhancements in WF5 are of significant advantage to you.

Mark A. Peterson
Sr Design Engineer
Igloo Products Corp
-

[ashu_proe]

Nathan,

There are many enhancements that has been taken care in Wildfire 5.0.

More over what I really liked about is Spark Analysis Extension which is a new feature in Wildfire 5.0.
I also work with rendering which I felt is excellent in Wildfire 5.0 as compared to previous releases.

Though I do not work in Manufacturing but I have colleagues discussing over the tea table, the enhanced capabilities in Wildfire 5.0.

I usually work with large assembly's and have never experience any performance related issues. May be I am lucky!!..

Only thing I have difficulty is in navigating through the drawing for different options because of the new dashboard. But thats fine as I will get used to it shortly.

I am completely with WILDFIRE 5.0.

~Ash..

[Jim.Tierney]

I hate to open the Intent Manager can of worms again, but the UI for all
of Pro/E is going to the ribbon style interface seen in WF5's drawing
module. I'm afraid this may be one of the things we'll have to learn to
like (IE, Intent manager).



Jim

[mpeterson]

I hope that is the case that the new Windows Ribbon interface in the drawing package is just a "getting use to" feature, but to me it adds another layer of productivity restrictions hopping back and forth between annotate and layout and table and back to annotate, etc, etc. Maybe the ribbon interface should change depending on what type of feature or item is selected. I am sure I will learn after a while, but that doesn't mean they should change the interface to a new windows standard just to make it look the same as other windows products. CAD is not Word or Excel or Power Point, etc, etc.

Mark P

[lylebeidler]

Keep in mind the reasoning behind the ribbon UI: theoretically, when you
start a drawing, you're doing mostly layout stuff, and you do a bunch of
layout tasks first, so it makes sense to have all the layout tools at your
fingertips. Then you switch over to doing dimensioning tasks, and it makes
sense to have all the dimensioning tools at your fingertips, etc.



(note that I am not in any way endorsing this line of thinking: I've not
used WF5, so I don't know how true it holds; I'm just explaining the
reasoning. So no flames, please).





--



Lyle Beidler
MGS Inc
178 Muddy Creek Church Rd
Denver PA 17517
717-336-7528
Fax 717-336-0514
<">mailto:-> -
<">http://www.mgsincorporated.com>

[pgress]

I agree, it requires more mouse clicks then previously (WF4). I too
hope they can improve upon it by making it smart. I just want to be
able to click and right click, no matter what part of the ribbon is
active. Also, another thing is printing. It was better previously
again. Now I have to set it up in the "publish" tab, then click on the
"setup" button to choose the printer, click OK the click on "Publish"
button to print it. I feel like I'm going back and forth. They should
at least put a small publish button in the setup screen.

Paul

[pgress]

In WF4, I could do all my Layout, Dimensioning and Editing from on
screen, depending how I used the mouse. This is not how it is now with
WF5. You need to be in the particular Tab from the ribbon to do the
task now. It might make sense in a layout scheme of the interfaces, but
not in implementation.

Paul

[JoshuaHouser]

Hi Nathan,

I don't envy your position at all. In my point of view, WF3 and WF4 were just "fixes" for Wildfire projects that couldn't get done in previous releases. Don't get me wrong, there are "Enhancements" all over the place that I believe my company has greatly benefited from.

Wildfire 5.0 seems to be the beginning of the Ribbon UI. I'd expect it to be in more places in WF6. So the question is, do you give users the new interface to learn one piece at a time, or everything at once? I can say that after several years of always being on the latest release, my users have gotten good at getting used to the latest and greatest, even to the extent that they bug me about when we're going to get upgraded. They like new toys!!

I really hate to get into debates about the "Look and Feel" stuff of Pro/E, given the fact that no matter what you change with any software interface, people are going to love it and people are going to hate it.

I'm just starting to use Office 2007. Am I as efficient as I was with 2003? No, probably not yet. Will I be eventually? Probably.

Wildfire 5.0 drawing has the same type of interface. Actually, I saw the WF5 interface before the Office 2007 interface, so I had an idea how the Office UI worked.

One of the biggest complaints I've heard about Pro/E is that it's non-intuitive, or it just doesn't act like other software. PTC seems to be listening to that complaint and doing something about it.

Joshua Houser
MCAD Tools Administrator
Pelco
Worldwide Headquarters:
3500 Pelco Way
Clovis, CA 93612-5699 USA
Phone 559/292-1981
North America 800/289-9100
-

www.pelco.com

[ptc-46674]

Hi Nathan, What version to upgrade to? I like to always go with the latest and greatest if there is not a limiting factor such as the version of your data management "Intralink" not working with the latest version of ProE. or the need to hold training classes for the latest version of ProE, are the things I would consider 1st.

So will your current data management software handle Wildfire 5.0 ?

The user interface between Wildfire 2.0 & 4.0 hasn't changed that much at all. "not much need for training".

I haven't seen or worked on Wildfire 5.0 yet as the version of Intralink "9.0 M090" we are running here does not support it, but it sound like there may be a need for training when going to Wildfire 5.0 ?

Now a little bit of a rant !!!. Why are they changing the interface again ? PTC has been updating the user interface gradually from version 2001 "table driven menus" which if you knew where things where worked just fine, thru Wildfire 4.0 "Icon selections" user interface, and they still are not done making all of the ProE modules look and function the same! PTC "Finish what you started". Now their going to start the process of gradually updating the user interface's all over again to this "ribbon interface" so it will look like what the latest "Microsoft windows program" !

Hello PTC.... this is not a Microsoft windows program, it doesn't need to look like one!. Why don't you focus your time and efforts on adding functionality, improving stability & keeping ProE & Windchill products compatible.

That is all sorry for Ranting !!!

Dave

[ptc-1932745]

With regards to the interface changes....



In order to get a 'Microsoft Windows Certified' or similar logo slapped
on their software it has to conform to the Microsoft style guide
(

[A.DelNegro]

AMEN! ( to the Rant!)

[PAULKORENKIEWIC]

<rant reply="> They are changing because then they won't REALLY have to
complete the initial change of WF!!!! lol...

Question: HAVE they EVER completed a revision? Why am I on wf4 and yet
I still get menus off on the right side? Why can't I maximize the Pro/E
window? oye vie... I could go on and on... but it's time for lunch!!!!


Thanks...

Paul Korenkiewicz
FEV, Inc.
4554 Glenmeade
Auburn Hills, MI., 48326