First and foremost, it should be noted that the advantages of NVIDIA Omniverse revolve around the processing capacity that comes with NVIDIA’s electronic technology. This has the potential to provide significantly faster design and real-time simulation of AI infrastructure and complex products. By integrating NVIDIA Omniverse technologies into their Creo CAD and Windchill PLM environments, PTC, like many others in the PLM industry, is creating new conditions and contribute to transform how manufacturers and product companies design, simulate and collaborate on complex products – including the foundational hardware for AI infrastructure, such as high-performance circuit boards, advanced cooling systems and large-scale data center equipment.
PTC also joined the Alliance for OpenUSD (AOUSD), furthering the company’s commitment to OpenUSD’s open and interoperable 3D data-standards. Open Universal Scene Description is an open-source framework for describing, composing, simulating and collaborating on 3D scenes. It is a robust and scalable system for exchanging 3D data, particularly useful in visual production around architecture, design and manufacturing. OpenUSD enables efficient management of complex scenes consisting of various assets and is becoming the industry standard for 3D workflows.
Connecting Windchill with Omniverse Real-Time Simulation Platform
What PTC is doing by connecting Windchill with Omniverse’s real-time, photorealistic simulation development platform is to give development teams, for example, the tools to visualize and interact with the latest Creo design-data in a shared environment.
PTC writes in the press material that it will use Omniverse OpenUSD and RTX libraries to power an interactive real-time view in Windchill, enabling users to access high-quality 3D simulations without leaving their PLM environment. It further claims that, ”this integration will give all users—from engineering to marketing teams—access to traceable, version-controlled product information, enabling faster decisions as well as reduced risk in the development phase. Engineers will also be able to explore multidisciplinary assemblies, simulate real-world performance, and collaborate across features using real-time data directly from Windchill. These digital twin workflows will enable companies to accelerate the development process, drive higher product quality, and democratize access to complex 3D design content.”
Neil Barua, in a comment, says that by deepening its collaboration with NVIDIA and joining the Alliance for OpenUSD, PTC is giving its customers the ability to incorporate design and configuration data into a real-time simulation environment.
“Absolutely, today’s most advanced products—from AI hardware to industrial machines—are more complex, integrated, and engineering-intensive than ever before. The integration of Omniverse technologies within Creo and Windchill will enable teams to accelerate development, improve product quality, and collaborate more effectively throughout the product lifecycle.”
Driving the AI Revolution
The integration builds on PTC’s collaboration with NVIDIA to develop the advanced hardware that is driving the AI revolution—from high-performance circuit boards to next-generation data-center equipment. However, this isn’t the only collaboration in the PLM industry, Siemens Digital Industries and Ansys are other examples of actors collaborating with NVIDIA on Omniverse electronics.
In PTC’s case, NVIDIA has leveraged PTC’s Creo and Windchill solutions to streamline its product development process with precision, speed, and scalability. By integrating these tools into the NVIDIA Omniverse development platform and building the Omniverse view into Windchill, real-time simulation and visualization will be placed at the heart of the development process. This deeper integration will enable companies to improve the speed and quality of collaborative innovation and is also expected to serve as a template for extending these capabilities to other AI hardware-partners in the ecosystem.
“PTC is a global leader in design-for-manufacturing solutions. By integrating Omniverse technologies into Creo and Windchill, we are enabling designers and manufacturers to move from concept to production faster and with greater precision,” said Rev Lebaredian, VP of Omniverse and Simulation Technologies at NVIDIA. “PTC’s commitment to OpenUSD and open standards will accelerate our ability to connect and unify the global AI infrastructure industry from design to manufacturing.”
Codebeamer 3.0 Takes Hold of AI
Speaking of paving the way for AI, PTC is well on its way also in areas like ALM, primarily through the Codebeamer software, which is currently on the way to the 3.0 version, where AI plays a significant role. PTC’s most modern ALM portfolio now includes not only Codebeamer but also the relatively newly acquired Pure Variants and PTC Modeler solutions. This triad allows for highly qualified, model-based systems engineering, requirements management, product line development, risk management, test management and entire product development workflows.
In addition, PTC’s ALM solutions are integrated with the PLM system Windchill, which is said to shorten time to market while improving product quality and regulatory compliance. It is clear that comprehensive PLM environments, such as the one offered by PTC, that include ALM capabilities that support the complete product definition and all its functions – many of which include both software and electronic/mechanical hardware – are extremely valuable. Generally, integrated ALM has improved PLM environments by strengthening traceability across design elements, test results, regulatory requirements and customer use to the end of life.
The next move in PTC’s proactive approach to ALM is the introduction of AI capabilities in this envisonment and they have already sected customers in the beta program related to the upcoming Codebeamer 3 release. The goal is to help both experienced and new engineers create better requirements and test faster. ”It does not matter whether the elements are mechanical, electronic or software. The important thing is that all disciplines share the same customer requirements and regulatory framework, especially as they change during the lifecycle. These often change during development and use, which in turn makes continuous requirements traceability essential,” analyst CIMdata wrote in a recent commantary where they took a closer look at the upcoming 3.0 release.
Interesting Benefits
In this commentary CIMdata noted that PTC’s ALM modernization and consolidation offers several interesting benefits.
“Reducing the number of defects found late in the lifecycle improves quality. By using agile methodologies across all disciplines—software, electrical, and mechanical—time to market is shortened as the organization’s development velocity increases. Applying best-in-class product line technologies, such as those available in Pure Variants, improves an organization’s efficiency by focusing only on features that customers want to buy. Having consistent supporting processes for risk management, issue tracking, change management, and agile practices leads to a well-organized organization that applies all of its proven engineering and operational skills.
There is a competitive advantage in having technologies and processes that enable the exploration of candidate features that can be implemented in alternative ways across technical domains and product families. Systems engineers rely on ALM solutions to manage their virtual engineering environment, from models to trade studies to virtual simulation to field problem solving. AI can greatly improve the speed of discovery in both design creation and problem solving. By combining their ALM suite (with its new AI capabilities) with their PLM suite, PTC will bring an integrated ecosystem designed to enable faster, higher-quality system development and deployment by combining ALM and PLM digital threads.”
AVL and Volkswagen
It further notes that PTC’s ALM solutions are evolving well and that the inclusion of AI tools should help expand adoption. One case pointed out is that AVL, a well-known engine and systems engineering company, uses Codebeamer and Pure Variants for test and validation management.
“This illustrates the broader value that PTC’s ALM suite can bring to systems integration and validation. Volkswagen is expanding its ALM deployment to tens of thousands of engineers as mobility products become more software-defined vehicles (SDVs). Such software must be built in conjunction with other technology domains that provide the vehicle platform for SDVs. The AI capabilities for requirements and variant management are the same across all technology domains and operational disciplines, ensuring end-to-end lifecycle solutions.”
The conclusion of the analyst commentary is that when Codebeamer 3.0’s new AI capabilities are integrated with Windchill, PTC solutions will help an organization implement the comprehensive technical digital thread required to effectively design, produce, and service SDPs. Moreover, CIMdata recommends that ”organizations include PTC in their evaluation and selection of ALM capabilities, especially when evaluating and deploying AI technologies. PTC’s ALM-PLM capabilities are well integrated and provide an ecosystem to address complex, multidisciplinary product and agile development needs. As they have done with Windchill becoming Windchill+, a SaaS, cloud-based capability, CIMdata expects the same for Codebeamer soon.”
