Pick of the Week: PTC Introduces PTC Mathcad Prime 3.0

By Anthony J. Lockwood

PTC Inc. (Needham, MA) recently announced the availability of PTC Mathcad Prime 3.0, the latest version of its engineering calculation software for solving, analyzing and sharing engineering design knowledge. At the same time, it also released a new version of PTC Mathcad Express, its free application for engineering calculations. PTC Mathcad Express, says PTC, provides 30 days of unlimited use of the most popular capabilities in the commercial version of PTC Mathcad Prime 3.0. After the 30-day evaluation period, users can continue to use the standard features of PTC Mathcad Express for an unlimited time.

PTC Mathcad Prime image courtesy of PTC Inc.

The 30-day trial version of PTC Mathcad Express extends the standard capabilities of the application with such features as advanced numeric functions and a solve block capability for quickly solving systems of linear, non-linear and differential equations. It has an Excel component for leveraging data in existing spreadsheets as well as symbolic algebra capabilities for manipulating symbolic and numeric calculations in real time. The 30-day trial version of PTC Mathcad Express also provides functionality for creating a template that can be used as the basis for new worksheets and advanced 3D plotting capabilities for visualizing complex datasets.

PTC Mathcad Prime image courtesy of PTC Inc.

Standard features of the post-evaluation version of PTC Mathcad Express include math equation editing, more than 200 basic numeric functions and operators, X,Y plots and global definitions. The latter is functionality for defining and evaluating a variable anywhere in a worksheet without concern about calculation order. PTC Mathcad Express also allows users to integrate live math, text, plots, and images in a single comprehensive document.

PTC says that version 3.0 of PTC Mathcad Prime offers significantly improved calculation capabilities that allow more complex equations to be solved quickly. The company adds that the new version offers hundreds of mathematical functions, unlimited ability for users to define their own functions, and the capability to solve equations both numerically and symbolically.

The 3.0 update includes math in text, the ability to format math regions and tools to create new worksheets based on existing personal or company standardized templates, which can help support adherence to standards for calculations and documentation. To extend capabilities beyond what is provided out of the box, users can reuse existing algorithms coded in a variety of languages, including C++, C and Fortran, the company says. PTC Mathcad Prime 3.0s Global Definition Operator is said to provide the ability to define constants and parameters that can be used anywhere in the worksheet, and to define parameters close to the end result.

PTC Mathcad Prime image courtesy of PTC Inc.

With PTC Mathcad Prime 3.0, users can now create a contour plot of a set of unordered 3D points leveraging a PTC Creo design software surface interpolation algorithm. The new version also offers a number of improvements to frequently used functionality, such as pasting images to headers/footers and overtyping equations, that can translate into increased efficiency, says the company. Numeric enhancements are reported to include new, faster matrix decomposition functions with support for pivoting and complex numbers.

PTC Mathcad Prime 3.0 integrates with PTC Creo and PTC Windchill PLM (product lifecycle management) software. The integration with PTC Creo, says PTC, allows engineers to perform test analyses, optimize geometry parameters, and perform verification and validation steps on final designs to confirm that original requirements are met. The PTC Windchill PLM integration, adds the company, allows Mathcad Prime 3.0 worksheets to be directly managed by PTC Windchill, enabling version control and traceability for critical design and engineering knowledge.

“The level of integration in PTC Mathcad Prime 3.0 between PTC Creo and PTC Windchill essentially closes all the loops and ensures the accuracy of our customers’ final products,” said Brent Edmonds, senior director, Mathcad, PTC, in a press statement.

For further details and to download PTC Mathcad Express, go here.

See a list of PTC Mathcad Express functionality during and after the 30-day trial period.

Watch a video brief of PTC Mathcad in action.

For more information on PTC Mathcad Prime 3.0, go here.

Learn about the new features in PTC Mathcad Prime 3.0.

Download the PTC Mathcad Prime 3.0 datasheet.

Watch an overview of PTC Mathcad Prime 3.0.

Check out whats going on with the PTC Mathcad Blog.

See why DE’s editors selected PTC Mathcad Prime 3.0 as their Pick of the Week.

Sources: Press materials received from the company and additional information gleaned from the company’s website.