My second blog post went live yesterday over at the PTC Creo website. We’re continuing the discussion of whether you need a new CAD system and the pros and cons of switching, focusing this week on how today’s “CAD” systems offer so much more than you may realize.
One of the problems we all face is that we’re deep in the weeds, doing our jobs, and don’t take the time to see how others are doing something similar. We’re stuck in our patterns, using the same tools we’ve always used. This is one reason I urge everyone I meet to attend user conferences: you’re not alone, others have faced your situation and found a way to make it work. Don’t reinvent the wheel.
The other benefit of a user conference is seeing what you already have in a new light. Did you know that your CAD solution, no matter which one you use, probably has a lot of non-CAD built into it? Competitive pressures and the march of technology have forced vendors to add data management, simulation, 3D PDF, conceptual modeling, snazzy rendering and dozens of other features that you might not even know about, turning what you think of as CAD into “CAD+”.
I barely use 20% of the new features of whatever software I’m touching at any moment; what about you? Do you know what your solution is even capable of today? Not when you selected it, but today?
Head on over to the PTC Creo blog and get in on the conversation.
Image of a groundhog courtesy of flickr user Gilles Gonthier. For some reason, Americans let these furry little guys forecast how much longer winter will last.
