PTC has released its PTC Creo 3D product design software, PTC Creo 3.0, with Unite technology, which is said to significantly enhance the ability to use CAD files from a variety of systems directly in PTC Creo.

PTC Creo 3.0 is also said to empower innovation through more powerful, seamlessly integrated concept design tools ensuring efforts undertaken in concept design can be fully reused in the detailed design process. Key productivity enhancements within the release further add to customers’ ability to focus on higher levels of innovation and product quality.

Michael Campbell, executive VP CAD Segment, PTC, said: "With PTC Creo 3.0, we continue to deliver on the PTC strategy. Our ground breaking Unite technology addresses the data and process-related challenges of CAD consolidation. By enabling designers to convert data ‘as needed, when needed’, and only converting the data that requires modification, organisations can save a tremendous amount of effort and cost.

"In situations where development teams need to collaborate across CAD formats, Unite technology enables designers to create and protect design intent between PTC Creo and other CAD data. This both significantly reduces the efforts needed to maintain design integrity and enables collaboration to take place earlier and more often in the design process."

Campbell continued: "With Unite technology, richer and truly integrated concept design tools and a continued emphasis on day-day productivity gains, this new release empowers our customers to bring greater efficiency to their product development process."

Unite technology in PTC Creo 3.0 enables CAD data of varying formats to be used directly in the PTC Creo Parametric, Creo Direct, Creo Simulate, and Creo Options Modeler apps. As a result, PTC said this release enables significant efficiencies to be achieved when consolidating multiple CAD systems onto PTC Creo, as well as when collaborating with others using different CAD tools. These efficiencies enable improvements in on-time delivery, product quality and desirability by allowing design teams to spend more time innovating and less time on non-value add tasks such as recreating design intent and redundant file management.