Pro/ENGINEER

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Pro/ENGINEER

Pro/ENGINEER splash screen
Developed by Parametric Technology Corporation
Latest release Wildfire 4.0
OS Unix-like/Windows
Genre CAD software
Website www.ptc.com

Pro/ENGINEER (commonly referred to as Pro/E or ProE) is a 3D CAD parametric feature solid modeling software created by Parametric Technology Corporation (PTC). Its direct competitors are UGS-NX and CATIA, and to a lesser degree SolidWorks, Autodesk Inventor and SolidEdge. It runs on several UNIX flavours, Linux and Microsoft Windows, and provides solid modeling, assembly modelling and drafting functionality for mechanical engineers.

Contents

[edit] Overview

Pro/ENGINEER is an integrated 3D CAD/CAM/CAE solution for mechanical engineering and design which was created by Dr. Samuel P. Geisberg in the mid-1980's. It pioneered the CAD industry by introducing the concept of Parametric, Feature-based Solid Modeling. Models are driven parameters and intelligent features, rather than simple dimensional values.

Pro/ENGINEER outputs consist of solid model data for tooling and rapid prototyping, CNC manufacturing, and finite element analysis. A product and its entire Bill of Materials can be modeled accurately with fully associative engineering drawings, and revision control information. It is compatible with Windows and Unix-variants. All data is interchangeable between these platforms without conversion.

[edit] Modules

Pro/ENGINEER Wildfire 2.0 screenshot
Pro/ENGINEER Wildfire 2.0 screenshot

A typical Pro/ENGINEER software package is made up of different modules, customizable to the customer's specific needs. In the past years some of the modules like Pro/SURFACE and Pro/SHEETMETAL have been integrated into the basic Pro/E offerings. The modules serve different needs, for example, the Pro/CABLING and Pro/HARNESS-MFG modules are used for the design of wire harnesses for the automotive industry. Likewise, free form surfacing is done via the ISDX package.


[edit] Advanced modules

Pro/ENGINEER WF2.0 created using the ISDX - free form surfacing extension module complements of http://www.proetools.com
Pro/ENGINEER WF2.0 created using the ISDX - free form surfacing extension module complements of http://www.proetools.com
  • Basic Hull
    • Structural Hull
  • Behavioral Modeler
  • Design Animation
  • Expert Machinist
  • Import Data Doctor
  • Mechanism Design
  • ModelCHECK
  • Pro/ASSEMBLY (Advanced)
  • Pro/CABLE
  • ROUTED SYSTEM DESIGNER or RSD
  • Pro/CMM
  • Pro/COMPOSITE
  • Pro/DIAGRAM
  • Pro/DIEFACE
  • Pro/HARNESS-MFG
  • Pro/MOLDESIGN and Pro/CASTING
  • Pro/NC
  • Pro/NC-SHEETMETAL
  • Pro/PIPING (Specification-Driven Design Mode)
  • Pro/PIPING (Non Specification-Driven Design Mode)
  • Pro/PROCESS for Assemblies
  • Pro/PROCESS for MFG
  • Pro/REVIEW
  • Pro/SCAN-TOOLS
  • Restyle - reverse engineering module
  • Pro/SURFACE
  • ISDX (Interactive Surfacing Design eXtension)

[edit] Revisions

Pro/ENGINEER 2001 screenshot.
Pro/ENGINEER 2001 screenshot.

In 2002, a new revision of Pro/ENGINEER called Wildfire was released that dramatically changed the software's graphical user interface. This has been a recurring theme since the release of revision 20 in the late 1990s when the software interface was changed from a nested text-based menu to one that incorporated graphical icons and pull-down menus. The response among users regarding these updates had been mixed. Some argue the improvements made the program easier to use and more efficient while others complain that re-learning basic operations and new menu layouts took more time than the improvements save.

List of revisions:

  • Pro/ENGINEER 1 - 19 1988 thru 1997
  • Pro/ENGINEER 1 - 1987 (Autofact 1987 premier)
  • Pro/ENGINEER 8.0 - 1991
  • Pro/ENGINEER 9.0 - 1992
  • Pro/ENGINEER 10.0 - 1993
  • Pro/ENGINEER 11.0 - 1993
  • Pro/ENGINEER 12.0 - 1993
  • Pro/ENGINEER 13.0 - 1994
  • Pro/ENGINEER 14.0 - 1994
  • Pro/ENGINEER 15.0 - 1995
  • Pro/ENGINEER 16.0 - 1996
  • Pro/ENGINEER 17.0 - 1997
  • Pro/ENGINEER 18.0 - 1997
  • Pro/ENGINEER 19.0 - 1998
  • Pro/ENGINEER 20.0 - 1998
  • Pro/ENGINEER 2000i - 1999
  • Pro/ENGINEER 2000i2
  • Pro/ENGINEER 2001
  • Pro/ENGINEER Wildfire 1.0
  • Pro/ENGINEER Wildfire 2.0
  • Pro/ENGINEER Wildfire 3.0
  • Pro/ENGINEER Wildfire 4.0

[edit] See also

[edit] References

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[edit] External links

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