Hi, everyone!
Today, we’re launching an exciting new series called “PTC Community Spotlights.” Each post in the series explores a community member’s experience with ThingWorx—how they’re using it, what their favorite part about ThingWorx is, and any tips or tricks they may have to share with the PTC Community.
For the first installment, I spoke with @nmilleson of EAC. Check out our conversation below.
@Kaya: Hi, @nmilleson, welcome! Thank you for taking the time to meet with me and volunteering to be our first ThingWorx Community spotlight!
@nmilleson: Of course, @Kaya. Happy to be here.
@Kaya: To start, can you tell me a little about yourself?
@nmilleson: Absolutely. My name is Nick Milleson. I work as an IoT Solution Architect at EAC Product Development Systems (a PTC Partner). I’m located in Apple Valley, Minnesota, which is a suburb of the Twin Cities.
@Kaya: Nice! We always love hearing from our partners about the awesome work they do. As a PTC Partner, what industries do you typically work in?
@nmilleson: I consult for many, many different industries, including defense, transportation, medical devices, construction & aerospace.
@Kaya: Wow, so what PTC products are you most familiar with?
@nmilleson: My schooling is in mechanical engineering, so I’ve also used Creo, Windchill, and MathCAD. I have been working with the ThingWorx application and helping clients get the most out of ThingWorx for approximately 7 years.
@Kaya: Seven years—that’s a while! Do you have any “ThingWorx” stories from over the years you can share with your community peers?
@nmilleson: Sure thing. I think the coolest thing that I’ve done with ThingWorx was create a custom SVG infographic that featured animations, click events, zoom-ins, and heatmaps based on temperature deltas. It was a custom widget and it worked really well in ThingWorx. When I first started learning to use ThingWorx, I took apart an old RC car and hooked up an Arduino to the motors and steering. I was then able to control it using a ThingWorx mashup. Pretty fun! I’ll be sure to share a visual so people can check it out.
@Kaya: That’s awesome! Sounds like a fun time indeed. I saw that one of your first publications about ThingWorx for EAC was from 2015 and titled “Updating ThingWorx Using an Arduino Uno and a Serial Connection.” The ThingWorx platform has certainly evolved since then. What would you say is your favorite thing about ThingWorx today?
@nmilleson: It sure has evolved. I would say my favorite thing is that it’s flexible enough to allow you the freedom to design all sorts of applications, while also providing you with all these great tools that make it easy to use as well.
@Kaya: Thanks for that. I can see that you have been a member of the PTC Community for five years. Thank you for providing such great contributions. What do you enjoy most about the PTC Community?
@nmilleson: I enjoy this Community because everyone seems very willing to help each other out, regardless of the complexity of the issue. I stick mostly with the IoT Developers section, but I’ll meander into the Manufacturing Apps and ThingWorx Ideas once in a while as well.
@Kaya: Love to hear it. Now, so the PTC Community can learn a little more about you, how do you spend your time when you aren’t playing with ThingWorx or engaging on the PTC Community?
@nmilleson: Great question. I have been a professional piano player for almost 20 years, so I’m often at a piano bar making music when I’m not doing software development with EAC.
@Kaya: Awesome. Well those are all the questions I have for today. Thank you for sharing your experience with ThingWorx! Truly appreciate it.
@nmilleson: Of course. Happy to be a part of it!
Kaya, here. We love hearing from community members like @nmilleson about how ThingWorx creates value for them amongst a variety of use cases. If you’re active on the community and interested in being featured on the PTC Community Spotlight series, send me a direct message and we’ll get the ball rollin’.
For now, we’ll let Nick “play us” out. Until next time, stay connected!
-Kaya
