PTC Launches Creo 1.0
Today PTC announced the availability of Creo 1.0 with press release declaring that a new era of Product Design had begun. According to the press release the first round of Creo apps are:
- Creo Sketch –for simple “freehand” drawing of ideas and design concepts in 2D
- Creo Layout – for capturing early concepts layouts in 2D that ultimately drive 3D design.
- Creo Parametric – for powerful, 3D parametric modeling capabilities currently available in Creo Elements/Pro™ (formerly known as Pro/ENGINEER®). Extensions deliver a broader range of seamlessly integrated 3D CAD/CAID/CAM/CAE capabilities. New extensions offer more design flexibility and support for legacy data adoption.
- Creo Direct – for fast, flexible 3D geometry creation and editing using a direct modeling approach. Provides unprecedented levels of interoperability with Creo Parametric for greater design flexibility
- Creo Simulate – delivers capabilities an analyst needs for structural and thermal simulation
- Creo Schematics – for creating 2D routed systems diagrams for piping and cabling designs.
- Creo Illustrate –for 3D technical illustrations, providing capabilities to communicate complex service and parts information, training, work instructions, etc. to improve product usability and performance graphically in 3D.
- Creo View ECAD – for viewing, interrogating, and marking up electronic geometry
- Creo View MCAD – for viewing, interrogating, and marking up mechanical geometry
A majority of the Creo 1.0 apps are available in 10 languages.
PTC claims that Creo solves four unaddressed problems in the MCAD space: usability, interoperability, assembly management and technology lock-in. My hope is that this is not mere lip service because I have been in the data exchange business long enough to know that “propriety file formats” cannot be used in the same sentence as “interoperability” and “lock-in”.
So my very simple question is: Do the Creo 1.0 apps store their data in proprietary file formats or not?