The rapid development of technology has transformed traditional modeling methodologies and provided new ways to deliver digital 3D models and product data. Computer-aided design (CAD) now gives users the tools used in all stages of product development from concept development to final presentation. Not only are the products changing with technology advances, the tools we use to design the products are changing too.
So how exactly is augmented reality changing the way you do your work? Here are 3 ways Augmented Reality is reinventing your design process.

AR makes your workspace way more flexible

You won’t have to be constrained to your desk to design products anymore. AR allows you to take your design beyond where you traditionally have done the bulk of your work. With the help of smart glasses, tablets, and mobile phones, you can design, and experience your designs anywhere you want whether it’s at your desk, in a conference room, or on a shop floor.

AR allows you to fully conceptualize designs

Digitally generated 3D models created within CAD software have a limitation – the rendering of the design is still stuck inside of a flat screen. Augmented reality allows you to fully conceptualize designs when they’re superimposed on the physical world. Augmented reality allows you to sit inside your design as you’re creating it – enhancing engineers’ ability to evaluate and improve designs. This lets you fully appreciate characteristics of a design at full, partial, or expanded scale in its intended setting.

AR reduces time and money spent on prototyping

Augmented reality gives designers and engineers the ability to view accurate representations of finished products in real-world scenarios without expensive prototypes. It eliminates the constant need to build multiple and costly prototypes because you’re able to see any design flaws in a half virtual, half physical world. By the time you’re ready to send your draft to a 3D printer or manufacturer, you’re already very confident in your design.

If you’re not already using AR in your design process, it probably won’t be long before you are. Companies like PTC are leading the way to innovation and new design processes by integrating Augmented Reality (AR) capabilities into their CAD software, Creo Parametric. Creo AR allows you to rapidly create AR experiences directly from Creo, easily manage and control viewer access, rapidly distribute and share AR experiences, and effectively communicate and collaborate design information.

Start creating, publishing, and sharing augmented reality experiences with Creo AR – download the datasheet to learn more.

This is a guest post from our friends over on the PTC blog.

This week in Chicago, IoT business and IT leaders from multiple industries came together at Bosch Connected World to share best practices and case studies around connected products, services, and solutions.

During the conference, the emerging trend of using augmented reality in manufacturing was explored in a keynote on Wednesday by PTC CEO and IoT expert and visionary, Jim Heppelmann, where he shared a research-driven framework for how companies can capitalize on the convergence of the physical and digital worlds.

Heppelmann emphasized the experiences and opportunities augmented reality is creating for competitive advantage in the IoT.

With the number of smart, connected products increasing each day, the volume of data generated continues to grow, presenting both challenges and opportunities. More data is being created than humans can possibly consume, which creates the need for new processes and applications to address this challenge. The ability to make this information more digestible, while also being able to identify what is valuable and requires action, will become a key competitive advantage. Data analytics is one way to take this large amount of data and condense it to a smaller actionable amount, but AR presents another level of opportunity to redefine the way we as humans absorb and learn from this information.

The excitement over AR’s ability to change the way we consume and communicate information is getting a lot of attention. Recently, Apple CEO Tim Cook weighed in on his view that AR will be bigger than VR in an interview with ABC, saying, “…my own view is that augmented reality is the larger of the two, probably by far, because this gives the capability for both of us to sit and be very present, talking to each other, but also have other things — visually — for both of us to see.”

Last week, an article in The Huffington Post also addressed how AR can offer tangible benefits by providing a more immersive form of education and training. As evident in Heppelmann’s keynote at Bosch Connected World, this can be very valuable in a business or manufacturing setting.

Using AR to ‘educate’ in a business setting opens up a vast amount of possibilities for addressing the many challenges that manufacturers across industries face in the age of IoT, including:

• Being able to better understand IoT data and make it actionable

• Marketing and selling smart, connected products

• Overcoming the manufacturing skills gap by optimizing training through simulation, which leads to better retention of information

• Changing the way service information is consumed and the way smart, connected products are serviced

The use of AR in enterprise will continue to grow. It is not only changing the way we interact with things, but also holds a lot of promise for increasing our understanding of information and improving the way we work.

On March 19th, 2018, PTC released the newest version of Creo Parametric – Creo 5.0. It brought with it new functionality and tools to improve design and help engineers and designers bring the physical and digital worlds together with augmented reality (AR) and smart, connected design.

“Product design is fundamentally changing, and Creo continues to evolve to meet the needs of our customers. With Creo, companies can go from the earliest phases of design to a smart, connected product,” said Brian Thompson, Senior Vice President, CAD Segment, PTC. “Improved functionality and new capabilities, like additive manufacturing, set Creo apart, and give companies a true competitive edge all the way from concept to manufacturing.”

The release includes advanced AR capabilities that ease the beginning stages of your product design process. Watch the EAC’s tip of the week on creating AR experiences from Creo here. The newest additions also provide designers and engineers with the tools to increase productivity, improve optimization, and get products to the market faster. So what’s new in Creo 5.0?

Subscription-Only Pricing & Annual Releases

Creo 5.0 and all future releases will only be available as a subscription. Unlike previous releases, there is no perpetual-license pricing available for new Creo Parametric seats. Ask an EAC representative about the current Reactivate Program to move to new Creo versions and packages at up to 23% off the list price of a new subscription license.

In October of 2017, Paul Sagar, VP of Product Management, Creo, announced the new annual release schedule for Creo software. The announcement showcased that going forward, PTC will release their CAD software each year to keep their customers up-to-date with the newest technology.

Creo 5.0 New Capabilities & Extensions

Topology Optimization Extension

Often times it’s a challenge to get past barriers to innovation with new physical designs due to already existing designs and practices. The new Creo Topology Optimization Extension automatically creates optimized parametric geometry based on a defined set of objectives and constraints. It’s a huge time-saver. The extension accelerates innovation without the limitations of existing designs and thought processes. It helps create improved designs without the over-engineering, additional weight, and additional material found in some designs.

Additive and Subtractive Manufacturing for metal 3D printing

Creo 4.0 enabled users to design optimize, and additively manufacture parts without the need to use multiple softwares – but now the Creo Additive Manufacturing Plus Extension for Materialise in Creo 5.0 extends support for metal 3D printing. New tools in the extension help generate and optimize custom support structures and weight/material saving lattices.

Mold Machining Extension

The new Creo Mold Machining Extension provides dedicated high-speed machining capabilities optimized for the creation of molds, tools, dies, electrodes, and prototype machining. These new capabilities can be used in complex machine designs to generate optimized design paths.

Creo Flow Analysis Extension

The Creo Flow Analysis Extension is a computational fluid dynamics (CFD) solution allows users to integrate analysis early and often to understand product functions and performance. The extension allows designers and engineers easily and quickly simulate fluid flow directly within Creo.

Productivity Improvements

Creo 5.0 includes many productivity enhancements such as an improved user interface, geometry creation with sketch regions, subdivisional modeling, surfacing, sheet metal tools, and volume helical sweeps.

Creo 5.0 also offers the Creo Collaboration Extension for Autodesk Inventor to help organizations consolidate onto a single CAD system and work with even more vendors/suppliers.

This reduces cost and effort associated with maintaining multiple systems and enables better collaboration throughout an enterprise.

Bring your design process to the next level with Creo 5.0.

Augmented Reality (AR) uses devices such as smart glasses and phone applications to overlay digital information on the real world. The resulting experiences provide a convergence of digital and physical worlds. Isn’t this what we’ve all been waiting for? For technology to catch up with us? How did we end up here? Where did it all begin?

If you think back to your earliest introduction to Augmented Reality, what do you think of? I tend to think back to Star Trek’s holodecks – augmented facilities that characters used for recreation and for work. But the idea of bringing together virtual and physical worlds has been around for longer than you think.

The first traces of an Augmented Reality device originated in the late 1960’s by computer scientist, Ivan Sutherland, at Harvard University when he was working on what he called “the ultimate display.” The device, called the Sword of Damocles, displayed a geometric grid of graphics over the user’s view of the room. The component parts to the device were so large and heavy that it had to be mounted from the ceiling and suspended with a mechanical arm that supported the head mounted display (HMD). It wouldn’t be until many years later that AR would be introduced to mainstream media as a device that could be used in the manufacturing world.

Not unlike Steve Jobs’ idea that the individual consumer may want his or her own personal computer – working designers and engineers are implementing the individual use of AR to improve workforce efficiencies. Why might manufacturers want Augmented Reality in their hands and in the workplace? What are the benefits?

Augmented Reality helps you work a lot faster.

For Designers and Engineers, a lot of time spent on the manufacturing floor is working with the design in one work space and moving to another space to test the product. With the aid of hands-free AR devices, you’ll be spending a lot less time writing down changes. You’ll be able to make a virtual change to a design with the swipe of a finger or by the nod of your head. You will no longer have messy notepads filled with your ingenious ideas with room for error, missing notepads, or frustration with file-keeping. Your AR glasses will be able to keep up with your fast-paced mind and you’ll be redirecting your energy towards developing new products and improving existing ones.

You can use AR to provide hands-on learning for employees.

Have you ever sat in class writing or typing down all the notes you could possibly think of to ensure that you would apply those rules later while you’re in the field? I know I have. How many times have you actually looked back at those notes? Augmented Reality in the workplace gives employees an opportunity to thrive in their learning environments. Hands-on learning can result in up to a 75% retention rate. AR devices produce real-time images of physical objects with virtual work instructions that guide you while you’re on the manufacturing floor. So yes, traditional training will still be relevant – but you’ll be able to supplement your learning with hands-on experience too.

Vuforia Studio allows you to access data easily.

Vuforia Studio, a PTC Service Lifecycle Management (SLM) tool, is used to improve service, operation, engineering, and manufacturing with AR capabilities. This app is a powerful solution for creating, deploying, and consuming AR experiences within your enterprise. Vuforia Studio has an easy-to-use ‘drag and drop’ interface so that users can quickly create and share scalable AR experiences.

Augmented Reality helps to refine and optimize design in early stages of product development. Smartphones, tablets, and smart glasses can retrieve product data such as sensor readings, locations, temperatures, sales history, warranty history, and other service information. Concepts, modifications, and new ideas can be reviewed and changed quickly. 3D parts observed using a wearable augmented reality device will give designers and engineers a better visualization of a finished product. What’s the result? Rapid repetitious design cycles and the optimization of product design and development.

Solve business problems and provide competitive differentiation with Vuforia Studio – download the product brief.

If you’re interested in talking to us today about Vuforia Studio, then email us at communications@eacpds.com or call us at 1-888-225-7579.

In preparation for the LiveWorx 2017 conference in Boston an amazing team of EAC, PTC, and RCR folks worked to create an entirely new experience for NASCAR fans. The experience was unveiled at the entrance of the Xtropolis exhibit hall floor and allowed LiveWorx attendees to interact with an actual RCR race vehicle using augmented reality (AR). The experience wowed show sponsors and attendees alike.

Racing provides many traditional experiences; the race track, the stands, concessions, meet and greets, etc. You may get to
see a car from a few feet away, but rarely will anyone get a chance to see inside a car or what’s beneath the sheetmetal. Our development team created four ThingWorx View “experiences” for people. Each one allows them to interact with a different part of the car in a different way using nothing but their smart phone or table and the ThingWorx View app that is available for free on both the Apple App Store and Google PlayStore.

In the picture below you will see one example. On an iPad we are able to scan a ThingMark and launch an AR video that shows the fuel system and how a car is fueled.

Another experience lets a viewer watch the official tire change process. It’s really cool stuff.

Moving to the other side of the car lets you see the roll cage structure and displays some really interesting facts and information across the top of the screen.

EAC, RCR, and PTC are using technology, available now, to engage customers and fans in an entirely new way. Let us know if you’d like to know more about how AR and the IoT can transform the way your internal and external customers engage with your products.

In my last blog, Hearing Voices Through Connected Manufacturing & Machine Learning I tried to convey how expensive manufacturing equipment could (and should) be telling you how it’s performing and if it’s going to malfunction. While it seems futuristic and expensive, I’ll attempt to dispel both challenges in this post.

One starting point is the reality of the Internet of Things (IoT) and its impact on manufacturing is recognized by major governments across the globe. It’s referred to as ‘Smart Nation’ in Singapore, ‘Made in China 2025’ in China, ‘Industries 4.0’ in Germany, and generally as the Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT) by various industry leading organizations in the United States.

Regardless of what the governing bodies are doing, we’re in business to make money.

How can you do that?

Use the IIoT and all that it can do to achieve your business initiatives.

That’s when some new compelling or wiz-bang approach to things can actually make sense (or cents). What I mean is this, don’t treat the IIoT as something new or as a separate initiative. Rather, embrace the technology for what it is and how it can propel your existing business initiatives.

The ideals of my previous blog, preventive maintenance, enterprise monitoring, and increased ROI are probably already on your visions and strategy hit-list for making more money. These are exactly the core business initiatives that are possible. When these are being met, the feeling of work being ‘expensive’ shifts to understanding the value of smart, connected operations. This comes from connected systems and equipment flowing data from previously disparate systems into a data refinery directly connecting operational metrics to core business initiatives in real-time. Then you can focus on the value.

Move forward into what’s current and available if you’ve been sitting for a while.

As for this being ‘futuristic,’ well I guess you could say it is, but it’s more focused on moving forward. This is fundamentally about transforming the way you design, manufacture, connect to, and service your products. It’s a major shift into the future.

It’s not about unobtainable science-fiction — rather its attainable with modern equipment and easy add-ons to old equipment. This is enabled even further through easy access to high volume scalable process computer systems in the cloud and at the edge. It’s even become expected in newer equipment.

The advent of IoT Platforms like PTC’s ThingWorx has created systems that address all aspects of the IoT stack and support smooth and complete implementation. Starting with Industrial Connectivity to accelerate the connection of existing equipment into a central hub, you can rapidly bring equipment into the ‘connected’ state by feeding the ability to give your equipment a voice. A scalable and flexible environment for creating applications and role-centric mashups of refined information comes together in ThingWorx Foundation. Augmented Reality runs right through this system as well as predictive analytics in ThingWorx Analytics. ThingWorx Analytics are available to turn these concepts into reality and truly give the equipment in your operation a voice.

So, are you hearing voices yet? Or maybe wishing that you did? We’d love to help make this happen — whether it is through connecting the dots related to strategy, providing technology, implementing it, or even helping to retro-fit existing equipment so it can speak, let us hear your voice and we’ll help give your operation a voice as well.

If you’d like more information about connecting your products through smart manufacturing, you may find our brochure helpful.