CIMdata PLM Industry Summary Online Archive
11 November 2008
Product News
PTC Introduces Pro/ENGINEER Manikin; New Solution Optimizes Human-Product Interactions
PTC® announced the launch of Pro/ENGINEER® Manikin™, a 3D digital human modeling solution that enables design teams to add a digital human model to a CAD product model to simulate and communicate human-product interactions. Two new modules, Pro/ENGINEER Manikin Extension and Pro/ENGINEER Manikin Analysis Extension, provide ergonomic and human factors analysis capabilities for customers of Pro/ENGINEER, PTC’s parametric 3D CAD/CAM/CAE software and a key component of the PTC® Product Development System. By accelerating detailed design processes and reducing the need for expensive physical prototypes, Pro/ENGINEER Manikin helps customers create winning products with faster time-to-market, improved quality and reduced costs.
“PTC’s new manikin software is notable for its tight integration with Pro/ENGINEER. Pro/ENGINEER Manikin brings digital human visualization and simulation to the engineer’s desktop within the CAD user interface and without the need for the engineer to be a human factors expert,” said John MacKrell, senior analyst, CIMdata. “This is a very impressive first step for PTC for supporting a human-centric design approach. Pro/ENGINEER Manikin will enable customers to better optimize their products for the people who will use, manufacture and maintain them.”
Pro/ENGINEER Manikin, the industry’s first ISO standards-based solution, provides comprehensive, easy-to-use, capabilities to simulate and communicate human-product interactions for a global population. Highlights of Pro/ENGINEER Manikin Extension and Pro/ENGINEER Manikin Analysis Extension include:
Pro/ENGINEER Manikin Extension
Quickly insert, customize, and manipulate accurate, standards-based 3D human models
Create human reach envelopes and vision cones to understand what limitations may exist in a design
Gain a first-person perspective of a product and “see” what the manikin can “see”
Accelerate design by leveraging libraries of global populations and manikin postures
Pro/ENGINEER Manikin Analysis Extension
Simulate, communicate and optimize manual handling tasks by validating them against published standards and guidelines
Ensure conformance with health and safety guidelines and ergonomic standards. Includes standard algorithms for analyzing workplace tasks including lifting and lowering (NIOSH 81/91), pulling and pushing (Snook), energy expenditure (GARG), and posture (RULA)
Analyze designs faster with simplified workflows to posture the manikin and reuse saved postures and analysis settings
Leverage advanced reporting capabilities of analysis results earlier in the development process to deliver products designed and optimized for humans in less time
Additionally, beginning in December 2008, basic manikin capabilities that enable users to insert a pre-defined manikin into a CAD model and easily manipulate the posture to gain an understanding of how a human would fit or interact with a proposed design will be included in all Pro/ENGINEER packages at no additional charge for those customers on the latest maintenance release of Pro/ENGINEER Wildfire 4.0.
“The new capabilities introduced in Pro/ENGINEER Manikin will dramatically improve our ability to design innovative products for our customers. These same features are also applicable to considerations for improvements in the manufacture, assembly and service of our products. The vision cones, reach envelopes and other human factors analysis capabilities provide valuable insight earlier in the product design and development process,” states Patrick Hodgins, chief engineer, Callaway Cars. “The seamless integration with Pro/ENGINEER and ease of use will also help accelerate adoption of the product. These new modules will enable our company to reduce time-to-market and decrease physical prototyping costs.”
“Having the capability to perform human-product interactions early in the development cycle supports innovation and helps optimize the design process,” said Michael Campbell, senior vice president, product management, PTC. “Allowing design engineers to know how a customer will physically interact with a product during the design process enables them to design products that will be optimized for their target audience. This technology enables customers to create safer, more comfortable and more usable products, while at the same time reduce the typical, costs associated with prototyping. Pro/ENGINEER Manikin underscores PTC’s ongoing commitment to delivering superior technology and value to our customers.”
Pro/ENGINEER Manikin Product Availability
Pro/ENGINEER Manikin Extension, Pro/ENGINEER Manikin Analysis Extension and free, basic manikin capabilities available to all customers on the latest release of Pro/ENGINEER Wildfire 4.0 and later are expected to be available in December 2008 in English, French, German, Korean, Japanese, Spanish, Italian and Simplified and Traditional Chinese. For more information on Pro/ENGINEER Manikin products please visit the Pro/ENGINEER Manikin product launch page on PTC.com at www.ptc.com/products/proengineer/manikin
*The timing of any product release, including any features or functionality, is subject to change at PTC’s discretion.
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