Creo 2.0: What Pro/ENGINEER Wildfire 3.0 Users Should Know (Part 3 of 3)

We’ve come a long way since Pro/ENGINEER Wildfire 3.0. In this series of articles, we’ve been detailing all the highlights of our releases since the mid-00′s –from Pro/ENGINEER Wildfire 4.0 to Creo 2.0.

In this third segment (part 1 is here, part 2 is here), find out how we’ve updated Sheet Metal and sketching–two areas that have become significantly easier and faster to use. Plus explore more improvements to features and performance.

Sheet Metal

Sheet metal design in Creo Parametric has been significantly enhanced. Many of the commands now use the same standard user interface as the core product. As a result, in our comparison tests, Creo Parametric users spent 49% less time than Pro/ENGINEER Wildfire 5.0 users to perform the same sheet metal tasks.

Open a Flat Pattern Preview window to view your 3D model as a flat pattern in a separate window as you work.
Edit sheet metal parts in real time with dynamic editing and preview.
Use common tools in all your work, such as Bend and Wall creation.
Create a form feature or a partial piercing from a sketch.
Use the join tool to connect two intersecting walls with a bend between them.
Preview overlapping geometry in the Flat Pattern Preview window.
Automatically create a Flat Pattern Family Table Instance from the model when the Flat Pattern feature is regenerated in the Model tree or previewed in the Flat Pattern Preview window.

In addition, Pro/ENGINEER Wildfire 5.0 added the ability to mirror flat and flange walls during sheet metal design.

Sketching Environment

In Creo Parametric, it only takes two picks to get into Sketching mode. Just one way we’ve made it much more straightforward to change features. Look for these improvements in the newest versions of Creo Parametric:

Work faster with improved action/object-based dimensioning for sketching.
Use new and expanded tools in Sketching mode, including Center rectangle, Fillet with construction lines, and Construction mode options.
Select an existing sketch, planar face, or datum to reach Sketching mode.
Open the Section Orientation tool directly from the shortcut menu.
Dynamically drag sketch dimensions to isolate and change individual dimensions when previewing features.

In addition, Pro/ENGINEER Wildfire 4.0 added the ability to replace invalid and missing references for sketches (demo).

Feature Enhancements

We introduced several strategies for working better with features in Pro/ENGINEER Wildfire 4.0 and 5.0.

Use sketched points to define a pattern (demo).
Add ribs to plastic parts with the new trajectory rib tool. Sketch the planned view location on the model, and Wildfire does the rest (demo).
Mirror a patterned group (demo).
Remove surface geometry to simplify the model for downstream uses like structural analysis or casting creation.
Create composite curves using Copy and Paste after pausing the dashboard (demo).