Creo Parametric Ideas

Please include detailed documentation such as screenshots, images or video. 1. What version of the software are you running?  Creo 7.0.5.0 connected to Windchill 12.1 2. What is the problem?  When making changes to a model (.prt or .asm) Creo users do not always know what parent models to open and validate when making changes.  This leads to unintended changes to parent designs and rework required to fix the changes.  Many times the changes don't mess up the designs, but do cause regeneration issues due to failed constraints in the parent models. Creo user is tasked with making a change to a component and adds it to the workspace.   Creo user makes the change and checks in the model.  Unknown to them the change made negatively impacts another assembly. (diameter size is incorrect) 3. Are you using a workaround? If yes, please describe it.  There is a partial workaround that requires knowledge of Windchill and Multiple steps, but Creo users are not always familiar with Windchill except for the 'Add to Workspace' and 'Check In' process.  User has to navigate to the Windchill information page of the model they are working on. User has to make sure they are looking at the Worksapce view of the model. User can then select all the first level parent models and use 'Add to Worksapce' However, even if the Creo users are able to add the parent models to the Workspace, two issues remain.  It is not clear which of the objects added are the parent level assemblies.  There are now 783 objects in the  workspace... which 3 need to be opened? This Part is used as a merge model in 1 part, that Part was not added to the workspace.  Users must remember to look at Referenced By, navigate to each Merge Model reference and add them to the workspace manually.  (changing collector settings does not solve this issue) 4. What is the use case for your organization? Describe how your idea would work in context or how it would apply to a practical situation.  Creo users need the ability to quickly access impact of design changes on all models which use it as a dependent. When a Creo user is in a workspace, my idea would allow them to select a CAD model, then run an action which provides the list of models dependent on the selected model.  The action would present the user a table with all models dependent on it and allow them to select specific models to open in Creo. 5. What impact does this problem currently have on your organization? (Number of users affected, hours of lost productivity, etc.)  This impacts our entire organization and the potential to impact the integrity of every model.  The number of assemblies that have failures and the rework hours in development is not easily measurable but impacts a lot of work hours every day throughout the org. ... View more

Please include detailed documentation such as screenshots, images or video. 1. What version of the software are you running? 7.0.2 2. What is the problem? When opening any part within Creo, the context menu looks always the same, independent if an object is in Draft or Approved state. After using an "invalid" option like Check-Out for an Approved object, the user receive an error message, that he isn't allowed to run this operation on this object. Idea would be to introduce a validator which hides invalid operations, as for example Check-Out for approved objects or revise and check-out for objects which are already in Draft stare.           3. Are you using a workaround? If yes, please describe it. No real workaround available. 4. What is the use case for your organization? Describe how your idea would work in context or how it would apply to a practical situation. Simplifies a users life and makes him more efficient as he doesn't need to check for the state of objects, but he is automatically prompted with valid options. 5. What impact does this problem currently have on your organization? (Number of users affected, hours of lost productivity, etc.) All Creo Users are affected, loosing per check-out some seconds, easily adds up to hours during a year. ... View more

Please include detailed documentation such as screenshots, images or video. 1. What version of the software are you running? 8.01 2. What is the problem? I would like to use an existing part/assembly as the material for a new part file and at the same time have CREO import the files geometry as if using the merge feature and have the first item in the new part's browser be that file. Further detail; to start a new part I would like the ability to select an existing file as the start part/template file. Along with this, if an existing part is selected, as suggested, I would like CREO to recognize this referenced part/assembly as the new part's material with option to utilize the materials library as is. For example if an existing part is allowed as the template/start part it would be beneficial for CREO to automatically default the material parameter to no material needed. 3. Are you using a workaround? If yes, please describe it. No, there is no work around. It is possible to use the merge feature to reference the part needed, but CREO/Windchill cannot push the merged part as the material to GEMS. This must be manually added to the EBOM. 4. What is the use case for your organization? Describe how your idea would work in context or how it would apply to a practical situation.   Well, there are three scenarios where time could be greatly cut down if the function I described above could be implemented. Process drawing sets: Forging, Rough-out, Machining which each successive step using the part prior. Weldment process drawing similar to No. 1. (Prep/Weld/Machining) Modification drawings, where an existing inventory item needs to be modified by some process (machining/welding, etc.). I also believe as should you that this ability would impact your entire install base as the other prominent CAD system have had at least partial ability as I’ve described above. For instance, the derive component feature in Autodesk Inventor works in just this way. 5. What impact does this problem currently have on your organization? (Number of users affected, hours of lost productivity, etc.) Here at SLB I’m told we have an install base of 1300+ users, which is spread among several subsidiary entities. Hours saved? Annually perhaps in the thousands companywide if the majority of users have just a couple instances like the ones I described above. When you consider how long it would take now to create a merge and then must manually create a reference in GEMs to represent the material for a simple part that’s under a re-work scenario. I also believe as should you that this ability would impact your entire install base as the other prominent CAD system have had at least partial ability as I’ve described above. For instance, the derive component feature in Autodesk Inventor works in just this way. ... View more

The existing limitation applies both to interactive Creo Parametric and equivalent functionality via the Toolkit API.  A solution is needed for both.   This request applies to all supported versions of Creo Parametric since 3.0, when UNITE support for MultiCAD reuse was introduced.  Today that is Creo 7, 8 and 9. Creo Parametric can directly open SOLIDWORKS parts and assemblies, with or without the Collaboration Extension for SOLIDWORKS.  In this context, 'directly' means opening the .sldasm or .sldprt file, without first translating the non-native models to a neutral format such as STEP.   Like Creo, SOLIDWORKS 3D models may have family tables defined within them.  The SOLIDWORKS terminology for a family table member ('instance' in Creo) is 'configuration'.  A SOLIDWORKS model having no family table has only a single configuration, called Default or some locale-specific variant.  A model's Default configuration is equivalent to Creo's generic part or assembly.   Today Creo can only open the last-saved configuration of a 3D model, even though the .sldprt or .sldasm file may contain any number of other non-default configurations, and each of these may have a very different geometry from the default configuration.  I'm requesting that PTC add support for opening a non-default configuration of a SOLIDWORKS 3D model, by name, both interactively and through the API. The use case is inserting into a Creo assembly a selected model that is defined within the family table of a SOLIDWORKS part or assembly.  Without this capability, the Creo designer can only design around a family table configuration happened to be the last-saved, and often this will not be the one he needs to reference in his Creo assembly. The business value is higher-fidelity MultiCAD reuse, for customers working with standalone Creo as well as Creo connected to a PDM system. ... View more

When importing a non-native file, in my example from Inventor, the assigned mass properties are not being transferred to Creo. Feedback from PTC support is that this is technically not possible. Screenshot showing assigned mass prop in Inventor: Trying out the sollution first suggested in the support article did not seem to be working.   This product idea does suggest continuing with such a technique. If the assigned mass property would be copied to a designated custom property in Inventor, then an interface could be provided in Creo Parametric , such as a configuration setting that would enable the value of a fixed parameter (f.e. FINSIHED_WEIGHT) to be copied over as the assigned mass property.   Mind that this example above is a simple block, but purchased components that are used as (multi-body) parts need this assigned mass property to have a correct weight in assemblies and further along the line in PLM. Below an example of such a part.   Referring to article CS384714   1. Describe your environment: What is your industry? What is your role in your organization? Describe your stakeholders. The industrial manufacturing industry collaborating with different companies/departments that use other CAD-software, f.e. Inventor, NX, SW,... 2. What version of Creo Parametric are you currently running? Applicable for Creo  7.0.10.0 to 9.0.x.0 3. Describe the problem you are trying to solve. Please include detailed documentation such as screenshots, images or video. See top of the post. 4. What is the use case for your organization? Purchase parts that cannot be assigned a single standard/real material density. 5. What business value would your suggestion represent for your organization? Having correct weight for parts and assemblies influences multiple departments of a company. From engineering to run calculations to logistix for shipping details. ... View more

1. Describe your environment: What is your industry? What is your role in your organization? Describe your stakeholders. Hello team, I am Kamlesh Joshi from GMMSPL. i am a Mechanical engineer and an Application engineer. 2. What version of Creo Parametric are you currently running? Currently I am using the Creo 9.0.2.0 3. Describe the problem you are trying to solve. Please include detailed documentation such as screenshots, images or video.   While doing the save a backup of the Creo assembly currently we do not have any functionality to backup the related, linked drawing. When we do back up of the current assembly, only related parts and assembly which are consumed in the current open assembly that only backup. And let us say if we want to back up the drawing of the backed up assembly then we have to find it all manually by opening each drawing then back up. so this method is very easy for 2 to 3 drawing but if we have more than 20, 50 200 drawing or more than that then it is very difficult to find out the linked drawing of the back up assembly.   So if PTC Creo can gives us the option to to do the single functionality where we can do the PACK AND GO like functionality then it will be the game changing. 4. What is the use case for your organization?   For sharing the specific data with designer, vendor and technical partner or customer 5. What business value would your suggestion represent for your organization? It will save a lot of time in the process and result in to the very less headache ... View more

1. Describe your environment: What is your industry? What is your role in your organization? Describe your stakeholders. CAD Designer, product evaluation. MBD and Digital Thread adoption. DOD contractor 2. What version of Creo Parametric are you currently running? 8.0.4.0 3. Describe the problem you are trying to solve. Please include detailed documentation such as screenshots, images or video. STEP AP242 creation using Creo with native Creo model files: DRV_DIM's lose all parameter values found in native Creo  part file dimension parameters. Semantic view of DRV_DIM shows value and tolerance but this only a symbol and cannot be machine read. Adoption of CREO STEP file process as a neutral file format requires at minimum dimension value, tolerance values and tol type data be retained in STEP AP242 parameters. Competitor products are able to do this and it is a critical requirement for adoption. 4. What is the use case for your organization? Adoption of STEP AP242 as neutral file for PMI data exchange with customers and business units using different CAD and PLM systems. 5. What business value would your suggestion represent for your organization? Ability to move away from 2D CAD drawings, adoption of MBD and Digital Thread technology, a controlled method of IP protection and PMI data exchange. ... View more

Idea : Creo's ACIS for export needs to be updated to a newer version.   1. What version of the software are you running? Currently running Creo 7.0.8.0. 2. What is the problem? As mentionned in the article CS46137, the latest supported ACIS version for .sat export is the 7 (which is 20 years old). Some software using .sat files are not compatible anymore with this old version. 3. Are you using a workaround? If yes, please describe it. No workaround. 4. What is the use case for your organization? Describe how your idea would work in context or how it would apply to a practical situation. We need to be able to export some geometry to other software that uses .sat files. Creo's current ACIS version is too old for that. 5. What impact does this problem currently have on your organization? (Number of users affected, hours of lost productivity, etc.) We can't use geometry made with Creo on those software using .sat files. Geometry needs to be recreate each time, which is a big loss of time. ... View more

1. Describe your environment: What is your industry? What is your role in your organization? Describe your stakeholders. DOD contractor 2. What version of Creo Parametric are you currently running? 8.0.4.0 3. Describe the problem you are trying to solve. Please include detailed documentation such as screenshots, images or video. Currently GD&T Advisor does not make use of the PMI information stored in STEP AP242 parameters.  Datums, driving dimension, GD&T and mass property information is saved within the STEP AP242 file.  Enhance GD&T Advisor so it pulls in dimensional, tolerance and GD&T data. 4. What is the use case for your organization? Model Based Digital Thread:  Using STEP AP242 to share only unrestricted model information between different business units and customers who use different CAD and PLM systems. 5. What business value would your suggestion represent for your organization? This would go a long way in preventing misinterpretation, miscommunication and human error. It would also help in automating some processes such as requirements validation. ... View more

1. Describe your environment: What is your industry? What is your role in your organization? Describe your stakeholders. Worldwide Multisite Medical Device industry. I'm co-owner of the formats and title block management. I'm called to connect internationally with the others cad managers to unify the entire company Drawing formats. 2. What version of Creo Parametric are you currently running? Creo3 for Sustaining projects, Creo7 for new projects. 3. Describe the problem you are trying to solve. Please include detailed documentation such as screenshots, images or video. Titles in drawing parts are coming from many and different departments, when it comes to the title block, when it needs a longer description, it exits from the cell available space even if quite large.   A Dynamic Font Height Size, dependent on the cell size, could solve it. If this solution is applied the font text is then reduced in a smaller size but it avoids to exit from title block and  manual edit to can be skipped. In the screenshot here above it's in 1 row and with a too small size (just for exemplification) but the solution should works also for multiple line cells. 4. What is the use case for your organization? Different departments in different worldwide sites  are using Creo (and other CADs) for different purposes (R&D, Manufacturing, tooling) with different approaches. This historically led some to use Title in the title blocks as a long description field. 5. What business value would your suggestion represent for your organization? Unification of title blocks for a company drawings same look and feel. Avoiding designers edit on title blocks, it could be a source for mistakes. Save time for "aesthetic" intervention on drawings. A "ready to print" whole company title block.     ... View more

1. Describe your environment: What is your industry? What is your role in your organization? Describe your stakeholders. We are an OEM car manufacturer; 500+ CAD-users; I´m responsible for CAD methodology. Stakeholders for this topic are e.g. our poduction process planning department and corresponding suppliers (tool and machinery makers) and design departments. 2. What version of Creo Parametric are you currently running? 7 & 8 3. Describe the problem you are trying to solve. Please include detailed documentation such as screenshots, images or video. In various applications, the presentation and execution of kinematics are essentual components in order to be able to make the right decisions (e.g. mockup visualization). Often, different software with their own proprietary data formats are used. So far, this often leads to the manual and subsequent implementation of the kinematics for each application.  To avoid huge additional effort and data inconsistencies along the process, it would be a great benefit to use the neutral data format STEP AP242 XML in creo to transfer  kinematic information between different software products. 4. What is the use case for your organization? Uniformed data kinematic exchange between different software applications and parties 5. What business value would your suggestion represent for your organization? Kinematic information available throughout whole process chain Less manual effort for reworking data at system-switches (different software) No data inconsistencies as using unique data format even in case of system-switches ... View more

Currently, the Restricted Parameter list is imbedded into a file when that file is created, either a part or a drawing. With changing personnel, I would like to see this list be dynamic and automatically update when a file is opened. This would save time in that the designers would not have to remember to do the manual update.  I suppose a config.pro option setting that would allow the update to be automatic or manual would also be nice so the system admin could control if they want this option.   1. Describe your environment: What is your industry? What is your role in your organization? Describe your stakeholders. We design large structures and have a steady turn-over of designers who are contractors. This leads to many changes to the config.pro file and often the template files do not get updated at every change to the list. We are in the energy business sector, designing large centrifuges and the supporting building structure. I am the Creo/Windchill system administrator and responsible for updating the restricted parameter list across 3 systems. The designers would benefit from this proposed change as it would save them time if the list was automatically updated. We have about 10 active designers. 2. What version of Creo Parametric are you currently running? Creo 7.0.5.0 on one system, c Creo 4 M080/M150 on the other 2 systems. Both Creo 4 systems are on the schedule for upgrade to Creo 7.0.5.0 or higher in January. 3. Describe the problem you are trying to solve. Please include detailed documentation such as screenshots, images or video. I am trying to get the restricted parameter list to update automatically so the users do not have to go through the menus to do it manually. 4. What is the use case for your organization? Update the names used in drawing sign-offs in a more timely and less work for the designers by doing this one function automatically. 5. What business value would your suggestion represent for your organization? There would be a time savings if this list updated automatically. The user has to contact me to get the list changed but then for every drawing, they have to manually update the list imbedded in the file. A lot of times, they forget to manually update the list and I get asked to add a name that is already in the list. ... View more

1. Describe your environment: What is your industry? What is your role in your organization? Describe your stakeholders. Space MCAD Administrator Engineers 2. What version of Creo Parametric are you currently running? Creo Parametric 8.050 3. Describe the problem you are trying to solve. Please include detailed documentation such as screenshots, images or video. Currently, the Notification Center in Creo shows which objects have messages, warnings, errors, but in order to see the actual notification, you must hover the mouse over the object for about 1 second.  For one object this is not too bad, though it is not intuitive.  Even clicking on the object does not reveal any information about the message.  However, in larger quantities, inspecting each object individually with a mouseover is frustrating, slow, and inefficient.   Add a table view with columns and view customization so the object and the message can both be seen, sorted, grouped, and filtered. 4. What is the use case for your organization? Viewing notifications 5. What business value would your suggestion represent for your organization? Increased efficiency, accuracy of notifications, less time wasted. ... View more

Please include detailed documentation such as screenshots, images or video. 1. What version of the software are you running? Creo Parametric 8.0.1.0 2. What is the problem? I am unable to remove the Creo default system of units. This will limit our users to only the options that align with our company requirements.  3. Are you using a workaround? If yes, please describe it. No 4. What is the use case for your organization? Describe how your idea would work in context or how it would apply to a practical situation. Currently, our company uses two of the default options Creo Parametric Default and mmKs. We have some customizations that fail if users choose some of the other system of units. In our case, we are transferring weights and measurements through Windchill into our PLM system.  We have start parts that help manage compliance, but if the user is required to change the units on a model, they have ~70% chance of picking an incompatible system of units.  5. What impact does this problem currently have on your organization? (Number of users affected, hours of lost productivity, etc.) We currently have about 1300 users that access this function and don't have a way to determine the impact. If users experience a failed transaction, they usually manually apply the correct units in PLM system.  ... View more

1. Describe your environment: What is your industry? What is your role in your organization? Describe your stakeholders. We are an industrial automation company, providing solutions for global manufacturing. My role is providing IT support for design and engineering tools globally within our company. My stake holders are the various product design groups that use engineering and design software within our company. 2. What version of Creo Parametric are you currently running? We are currently on Creo Parametric 7.0.9.0 with some users still on Creo 4 and Creo 7.0.2.0. 3. Describe the problem you are trying to solve. Please include detailed documentation such as screenshots, images or video. We would like an option in the FlexLM License manager to block the use of older versions of Creo Parametric from our environment. When the majority of our stakeholders would like to move to a later version of Creo parametric, we would like to be able to block the use of the older versions so that everyone in the organization is on the same version. Having users on multiple older versions complicates our support model and prevents these users from being able to open the newer versioned files created by users that have upgraded. We have found it difficult to track and remove older versions from all computers within the company and feel that blocking these versions from obtaining a license would be an acceptable solution. Unfortunately, there doesn't seem to be a way to do this within the current FlexLM license manager for Creo Parametric and this is the reason for this enhancement request. 4. What is the use case for your organization? We as a company are trying to move towards and MBD approach and would like to upgrade to later versions of our engineering tools at a quicker pace to keep up with the industry and be more competitive. This means we must focus on training for our users and continual improvement of our processes. Limiting the licensing of Creo Parametric to only the versions that have been agreed upon by the majority of the stakeholders in the company would greatly help in this process. It has been communicated to me that FlexLM already offers this ability with other software, we would like to see it for Creo Parametric. 5. What business value would your suggestion represent for your organization? Being able to block older versions of Creo Parametric from our environment would simplify our support model and the number of hours we spend supporting legacy versions of the tool, including customizations for the older versions and the inability for the old versions to open files created in newer versions of Creo Parametric. ... View more

1. Describe your environment: What is your industry? What is your role in your organization? Describe your stakeholders. Mechanical engineer in consumer electronics manufacturer. 2. What version of Creo Parametric are you currently running? Creo 7 3. Describe the problem you are trying to solve. Please include detailed documentation such as screenshots, images or video.  It would be great if the recent files list in the file tab would be context sensitive to the current workspace. So that when you change workspaces, the list changes to the most recent files you worked on WITHIN that workspace. Then, when you're jumping around between projects, you can just open the first file in the list. Helpful when you've opened so many files in a workspace(s) that the most recent from the current (desired) workspace is no longer in the list. 4. What is the use case for your organization? We have many concurrent, active projects, and shifting between them could be easier if the application remembers current workflow. 5. What business value would your suggestion represent for your organization? It would streamline transitions when moving between projects, improving speed and reducing time and cost. ... View more

Please include detailed documentation such as screenshots, images or video. 1. What product and version are you running? Creo Parametric 8.0.7.0 and 9.0.4.0 2. What is the problem? The material library tool need to include the capability to filter based on material properties.  The increasing ease with which mechanical analysis can be done in Creo makes the material library increasingly important to compliment the analysis capabilities.   A material search tool should be able to search and filter a user definable range of properties.    Similar to many online resources, the user should be able to define a range of acceptable densities, Young's Modulus, user define parameters, etc.....   Also, if the file explorer could show more of the file parameters as columns, that would also be helpful, so that the users can quickly scroll through the files and see what is available.  3. Are you using a workaround? If yes, please describe it. 1)  External database 2) Create materials on the fly 3) Just user knowledge on what to select. 4. What is the use case for your organization? Describe how your idea would work in context or how it would apply to a practical situation. A user is going to run an analysis on a bracket.  They need to assign the correct material properties to complete the analysis.   They know need a particular range of Yield Strength, they should be able to filter the list based on the material properties to see that several versions of aluminum may be appropriate.  Also, if the user knows they also need to complete thermal analysis, a search tool could help them make sure the material the choose also includes the necessary material properties to support that analysis as well.    5. What impact does this problem currently have on your organization? (Number of users affected, hours of lost productivity, etc.) Hard to say how much productivity is lost, but not using known good material sources can be a source of significant losses.   And the current tool doesn't encourage using known data sources, which in turn encourages less than ideal practices.  ... View more

Please include detailed documentation such as screenshots, images or video. 1. What product and version are you running? Creo Parametric 8 and 9 & Windchill 12. 2. What is the problem? Creo Parametric drawing mode offers the "Compare Sheet to Picture" and "Difference Reports", but these don't work well when in a Windchill environment.  This is because you can only have one iteration of a drawing in your workspace at one time. 3. Are you using a workaround? If yes, please describe it. A user must first download the old version of the drawing into a workspace, generate copies or .pic files.  Then go open the new version of the drawing.  Then the drawing comparison tools can be utilized.   This process must be completed carefully to ensure that the "old" version added to the workspace precisely matches the version which is stored in WindChill or else the comparison could introduce new errors.   4. What is the use case for your organization? Describe how your idea would work in context or how it would apply to a practical situation. It would be helpful if it was easy for a user to automatically have Creo retrieve a stored version of the file from Windchill, so that the comparison can be made directly against the released dataset.   This can be a problem for businesses which choose to publish .pdf files as the drawing viewable.   A potential work around for the PDF problem is to either start a re-publish of the previously released drawing, or just place the .pdf as a temporary background image that can be used for visual checks. 5. What impact does this problem currently have on your organization? (Number of users affected, hours of lost productivity, etc.) Potentially lots of lost productivity during drawing revisions.   Because now the closest work-around is to publish the file into Windchill.  (Waiting on the publisher for larger drawings)   Then go through the steps to manually open both versions into CreoView, then run the comparison tool in CreoView.    This time intensive multi-step process must be repeated any time a comparison in CreoView is to be completed. ... View more