1. PTC Product Focus: RS Designer
2. Tip of the Week: Setting up Drawing Templates
3. Upcoming Events and Training Class Schedules

1.)  PTC Product Focus: RS Designer

Pro/ENGINEER Routed Systems Designer helps designers and engineers create complex interconnected routed system diagrams more quickly and easily, as an integrated part of the total product development process. It allows the creation of wiring, P&ID, block and schematic diagrams. It is a standalone package, but because it is an integrated part of Pro/ENGINEER, allows the reuse of diagrams to drive 3D cabling and piping routing using the Pro/ENGINEER Piping Design and Cabling Design Options.  Pro/ENGINEER Routed Systems Design has a unique architecture that uses an XML based communication layer to allow multiple designers to work at the same time, while assuring the consistency of interconnection data and the corresponding 3D routing information.

Key Features

• Rich, Single Diagramming Solution built on Experience
PTC has years of experience in understanding the needs of the diagramming community and delivering production strength diagramming solutions for Pro/ENGINEER, CADDS 5i and MEDUSA. All these capabilities have now been brought together in a single architecture as the Pro/ENGINEER Routed Systems Designer, intended to capture the vast majority of any company's diagram entry and system interconnect needs in a single product.
• Familiar Interface, Multi Discipline Flavors
Because Pro/ENGINEER set the standard for productivity and ease of use, and because diagramming should be treated as an integrated part of the mainstream product development process, Pro/ENGINEER Routed System Designer delivers the same look and feel as the rest of Pro/ENGINEER: This means your engineers will be able to quickly learn and master its capabilities. Even though there are different discipline specific capabilities, the basic use of Pro/ENGINEER Routed Systems Designer is the same, irrespective of the type of discipline, so engineers can quickly switch from one type of diagramming to another.  This approach delivers the benefit of reduced training costs, software maintenance costs and complexity of support and operations.
• Catalog Backed, Flexible Data Structure
To make navigation quick and easy a 'Windows Explorer' style utility is used to administer the symbol library catalog. To allow open and flexible use, components can be multi-part, have different appearances for different diagrams and can have as many user defined properties as required. Any combination of these properties can be shown as 'label text' on the diagram.
• Fast, Configurable Reporting
Systems interconnect data is used all over product development organizations, and in different forms.  To enable users to get at exactly the information they need customer reports can be created. For flexibility there are options to dictate report contents, sort methods, and conditional criteria.
• Integrated Into Mainstream Product Development
All component and connectivity information created in Pro/ENGINEER Routed Systems Designer may be used directly in PTC's 3D routing packages, Pro/ENGINEER Piping Design and Pro/ENGINEER Cabling Design. This is achieved by a standard XML layer in the architecture. Connecting the 3D routing design directly with the diagram enhances product quality and reduces design-through-manufacturing errors.

2.)  Tip of the Week: Setting up Drawing Templates

Release 2000i2 of Pro/ENGINEER introduced new functionality which allows users to create drawing templates. These templates contain the tools and means to create easily customized "start drawings".  They allow a user to setup standard views, formats, notes, dimensions and ensure adherence to company standards.  This automation can dramatically reduce the time needed to create drawings.  Drawing templates get the same extension as a standard drawing and are placed in the template folder under the Pro/ENGINEER load point.  They can also be tied to an existing part template if they are given the same file name as the template part.

Steps to Create a Drawing Template

1.  Start be creating a new drawing:
Select File, New, select the drawing radio button, uncheck the "use default template" option, and give the template a name.  In the next dialog box leave the default model field blank and either select the drawing size, or retrieve a format for use with your template.

2.  Set up Drawing Options
Select Advanced, Draw Setup to bring up the options dialog box.  Either retrieve an existing .dtl file to use with you template or adjust the individual options for text size, dimensioning defaults, tolerances, etc.

3.  Enter Template Mode
From the Applications pull down menu select Template.  This will change the menus and the functionality of the standard Pro/ENGINEER drawing environment to template mode.

4.  Add Views
Select Views, Add Template, to bring up the Template View Instructions dialog box.  This box can be filled out to generate any type of view needed.  Just as in standard drawing view creation, the first view will be a general view.  Enter a name of a saved view from your standard template part to start with.  Check off desired options for the view.  Select Place View and a symbol will appear to locate the view.  From there more views can be added to the template for projections and iso views.  Be sure to adjust the display type for each view created so that the user will not have to adjust that in the drawing.

5.  Add Additional Items
Add any additional standard notes and tables to the drawing so that users will not have to create or retrieve these items.

6.  Save the template
Save the template file and move it into the templates folder under the Pro/ENGINEER load point directory.  The template is now ready to be used.  Upon Drawing creation select the radio button to use the template and search for the newly created file.

Events:

   SupplyChainLinkExpo
   Register for this free, online conference and tradeshow.
   October 17-18

   Driving Profitability Executive Conference
   Turn Product Development into a Strategic Advantage
   Learn how manufacturers are turning product development into a strategic weapon that builds market
   share, customer loyalty and profitability. You will learn how to use Collaborative Product Development
   Solutions and how they integrate with CRM, ERP, and SCM.

   You will hear from industry experts such as Michael Porter - One of the worlds foremost authorities on
   competitive strategy, customer presentation from EMCs CIO and Ingersoll-Rands VP of Technology,
   Industry Analyst AMR on industry trends and strategies, PTCs CEO and CTO on using technology to
   customers achieve their goals, and Intels Director of Vertical Industry Marketing on new technologies for
   lifecycle management.
   Pinehurst, North Carolina
   October 29-31

Training Classes:
 

2001 10/01	Introduction to Pro/ENGINEER	San Jose (CA)	Request Registration
2001 10/01	ProductView Fundamentals	San Jose (CA)	Request Registration
2001 10/08	Fundamentals of Pro/MECHANICA Structure/Thermal Training	San Jose (CA)	Request Registration
2001 10/15	Introduction to Pro/ENGINEER	San Jose (CA)	Request Registration
2001 10/22	Pro/INTRALINK Administrator Training	San Jose (CA)	Request Registration
2001 10/22	Introduction to Pro/ENGINEER	San Jose (CA)	Request Registration
2001 10/22	Advanced Top Down Design	San Jose (CA)	Request Registration
2001 10/24	Fundamentals of Sheetmetal Design	San Jose (CA)	Request Registration
2001 10/29	Introduction to Pro/ENGINEER	San Jose (CA)	Request Registration
2001 10/29	Designing With Surfaces	San Jose (CA)	Request Registration
2001 10/29	Fundamentals of Pro/MECHANICA Motion Training	San Jose (CA)	Request Registration