Mathcad 15 files to Mathcad Prime 6.0 and vice versa possibilities???

[CB_9619726]

Hi.

I work for a small employer and the company only has Mathcad 15. I'd like to be able to go back and forth using the same file between the version of mathcad I have at work and the version I'm considering to purchase for my personal home use.

Can mathcad 15 files work with mathcad prime 6.0 and vice versa? 

Can mathcad 15 still be purchased individually from reliable sources?

Thanks!

[Werner_E]

According buying Mathcad and/or Prime:

You can't buy either software, you can only rent it (typically for one year). If you don't pay every year, you lose access to your IP.

If you rent Prime, you are also entitled to download and use Mathcad 15 - it uses the very same license file. At least thats the case now. I am pretty sure that PTC will change this in the future as one day they will not support MC15 anymore  (at the time being MC15 is not further developed, but its still maintained by PTC).

According the conversion - there is no way to convert back and forth.

There is no way (at least no official one and none that I would be aware of) to convert Prime files into MC15 format. You can't even save a Prime file in a Prime format of an earlier version of Prime.

You only can convert MC15 (and older) worksheets to Prime format using the converter that comes with Prime. This converter currently needs a full MC15 installation in parallel with Prime to work and I am pretty sure that PTC is working on a standalone converter and as soon as the conversion does not need MC15 anymore, MC15 may be dropped.

You also have to be aware that the conversion is far from being perfect and extensive post-processing of the files is usually necessary. And sometimes you will not be able to get the converted file to work in Prime at all. Of course, that depends on the features used in the worksheet - simple worksheets can usually be converted without any problems.

So your best choice seems to be that you install and use MC15, too, as long as the employer dos. After all MC15 is faster and more powerful than Prime anyway and in my opinion the few improvements in Prime do not outweigh the many drawbacks and flaws of Prime.

[Fred_Kohlhepp]

"Mathcad Prime 2.0 is a XMCD, MCD Converter"

No.  Mathcad Prime (any version up to the current 6.0) has a converter appended.  This converter will attempt to interpret a Mathcad (non-prime) file to a Prime file in the version of the installed Prime.  Two things are worth noting:

1. Up until now this converter requires a full, functioning version of Mathcad 15 on the same computer.
2. The converted file arrives in the version of Prime that invoked the converter.  If someone with Prime 3.0 converts your Mathcad 15 file, your version of Prime 2.0 will not read it!

"Mathcad Prime 2.0 will enhance your engineering calculation capabilities"

My initial reaction to this statement is "ROFLMAO". 

• Prime (even in version 6.0) still is not capable of some of the things that Mathcad 15 could do.  (Valery is fond of creating animations, try that in Prime!)
• Prime 5.0 imported a graphing package in response to user complaints about the native graphing.  It's slow, cumbersome, does not deal well with units.  Further development of native graphing stopped; there are no legends, titles, axis titles available.  (Grids can be created thanks to the efforts of two seasoned users and their programming skills.)
• Prime (versions thru 5) used the same symbolics engine as Mathcad 15.  (Symbolic math has never been a real strong capability in Mathcad.)  Prime 6 has added a different engine, the relative merits are still under discussion.  A few users still cling to Mathcad 11 because it was the last version to have the symbolic engine from Maple.

Will Prime "enhance your engineering calculation capabilities," beyond what Mathcad 15 could do?  I'm still chuckling!

The one GOOD thing Prime does?  If you download an evaluation copy it will be fully functional for 30 days.  After that it defaults to "Prime Express."  Express is capable of reading any Prime file up to its own version, but DON'T CALCULATE IT!  When the file opens it displays the file as it was last saved--programs, solve blocks, and other "premium" features will show as they were when the file was saved.  As soon as you do anything to alter the file and it recalculates, all the premium features fail.  But Express by itself isn't a bad tool for calculation, it may require some ingenuity, but, hey, aren't you an engineer?

[Werner_E]

Fred, I fear you are answering to Spam!

The text of this answer was copied from

https://www.concurrent-engineering.co.uk/Blog/bid/83087/How-to-convert-Mathcad-worksheets-to-work-in-Mathcad-Prime-2-0

and I would not be surprised, if after a while a link will be added to that "answer" (maybe this will not be done if someone already answers the spam).
We had seen this behaviour quite a couple of times the last months - a new account is created and an (most of the times meaningless) answer which was copied from some technical articles you can find on the net is given and after some time it is edited and suddenly a spam link is added to that answer.

When I mousover the name of this poster I am told that he already placed two posts but in his profile page I only find this one - so probably one post was already deleted by a moderator.
We also experienced it with a more general text in which a respondent or the questioner is thanked and it is explained that one will keep an eye on the thread (a threat? 🙂 )

[LucMeekes]

Apart from that (what Werner wrote), your reaction is spot-on and correct. Except for the fact that Maple was the symbolic engine until (and including) Mathcad 13.

Regarding ROFLMAO: I hope you're still in one part.

Stay safe,

Luc

[Fred_Kohlhepp]

Thanks for the correction!

Still in one piece; cracked, but whole!  😉