Pro/DESKTOP

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Pro/Desktop

Developer(s)	Parametric Technology Corporation (PTC
Release date(s)	unavailable
Genre(s)	Design tool
Mode(s)	Single person
Platform(s)	PC (Windows),
Input	mouse and Keyboard

Pro/DESKTOP (commonly referred to as Pro/D) is a Computer-aided design (CAD) program from Parametric Technology Corporation (PTC), that allows users to design and model in 3D and create 2D drawings. It can transfer a 3D design into a 2D engineering drawing format and also create photo-realistic views using Album Views. It is part-compatible with Pro/ENGINEER, and uses the Granite kernel, but otherwise is a freestanding CAD system.

Pro/DESKTOP has particularly distinguished itself in the education market. From a start in the CAD/CAM in Schools Initiative in the UK, Pro/DESKTOP has been donated free of charge to over 14,000 secondary schools worldwide, and is used by nearly 4 million students each school year. Its main educational rival is AutoCAD, which is widely used in schools to teach 2D drafting and technical drawing. The use of Pro/DESKTOP in schools for 3D design far exceeds AutoCAD's limited 3D use.

An example of a Pro/Desktop 3D Design by Vito Cassisi in year 10, 2006

Parametric recently announced the discontinuation of Pro/DESKTOP for commercial applications, and replaced it with Pro/ENGINEER Wildfire.

1 Areas
2 See also
3 External links

[edit] Areas

[edit] Design Window

A screen print of a Gillette Mach3 component being constructed in Pro/DESKTOP

This is the main area of the program as it where the other two areas get information from. The user uses different workplanes to draw their sketches (design) on to these can then be projected from a 2D format into a 3D format. This can be done in multiple ways, here is a selection:

Extrude
Project
Revolve
Sweep
Loft

From this simple shape detail can be added by rounding edges or shelling the solid for example.

To help with getting the design drawn there is a selection of different views, these are:

Wire Frame- Design is only shown using lines to represent the edge of the solid
Transparent - Design is visible with translucent areas representing the areas that are the faces of the design, the edges and also shown as solid lines
Shaded - Opaque areas represent the areas that are the faces of the design, the edges are not shown
Enhanced - Same as the 'Shaded' view but with the edges shown in solid lines

[edit] Album Views

Album View Of a Coffee Table Designed in Pro/DESKTOP

Photograph of the coffee table shown above

This area allows the user to create photo-realistic view of their design. There is an array of different options available to alter this view. Options available are:

A large library of different materials (sometimes called textures, with the option to add more. Which can be applied to wholes components or individual faces.
A Choice of five different lighting options (Default, Room Lighting, Day Lighting, Flood Lighting and Spot Lighting)
A Choice of eight different [camera lenses, these digitally alter the view to give the illusions of the chosen camera lens. These are: