Mathcad is a maths software package from PTC that focuses on allowing engineers to design and document their engineering calculations effortlessly.
Mathematical calculations are the foundation for most engineering activities, and companies can use Mathcad all the way through their entire design process – from initial design, to experimentation, and finally verification and validation.
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- Mathcad Strengths
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- Natural math notation
- Superior unit awareness
- Live and automatic calculation
- Intuitive whiteboard interface
- Native calculus and programming support
- Self-documenting
- Integration with most CAD packages
- Mathcad Disciplines
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CAD
Mathcad is easily used to create and capture critical upfront design conditions, constraints, and assumptions within the early stages of product development during requirements gathering and conceptual design. Mathcad is also used in this phase to predict the behaviour of the design, thus contributing the shortening of design and testing cycle. During the detailed design phase, when 2D or 3D CAD models are created, results calculated in Mat hcad can be linked directly to the design geometries and used for downstream calculations to ensure design performance criteria are met.
CAE
During the analysis phase of product development, Mathcad calculations are used in conjunction with other CAE simulation software such as finite-element analysis or computational fluid dynamics software, to verify structural integrity of designs, ensure safety, and verify computer aided analysis results. Essentially, CAE is used to validate the predictions made in the requirements gathering and concept design phase.
Prototyping and real world testing
Lastly, the robust computational capabilities of Mathcad provide the ability to analyse data from field validation leveraging prototypes and real world testing to further interrogate and verify functional specifications and performance characteristics. The easy to use charting capabilities improve the way in which information is displayed and utilized to graph and interpret the results.
Summary
This approach to product design builds upon the successful application and capture of knowledge and intellect. The electronic format of Mathcad ensures the documentation can be managed and tracked in the same way a CAD document is managed throughout the product development process. The XML format of Mathcad worksheets provides additional benefits allowing CAD applications and other downstream deliverable to easily utilize Mathcad calculations to drive CAD models and publish content rich documentation.
- Mathcad Benefits
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Perform, Document & Share Valuable Calculation & Design Work
Mathcad combines a powerful computational engine, accessed through conventional math notation, with a full-featured word processor and graphing tools. Expert documentation, examples and context-sensitive Help get you up and running quickly. Mathcad automates unit balancing and recalculation, saving time and reducing errors. Mathcad has hundreds of built-in functions, operators and libraries.
Visualise your ideas
Mathcad's 2D and 3D graphs automatically update with changes in your equations. Plot types include cartesian, polar, surface, contour, bar, scatter and vector-field. A picture operator gives you the same interactive display for image processing applications. Any part of a Mathcad document can be animated, including numerical results, graphs and images.
Document your work
Mathcad automatically recalculates your calculations, redraws your graphs, and updates your results whenever you change a variable. A math font is also available to improve the display of mathematical formulas.
Verify, validate, and annotate your solutions
Mathcad integrates text, formulas and graphs in a single worksheet. Your entire result is documented in one place. Engineering calculations in Mathcad are easier to read, verify and validate because all of the key assumptions, equations, methodology and results are documented in natural math notation.
Integrate data across software and systems
With its bi-directional integration, Mathcad fits the bill for the ideal engineering calculation software. It features interoperability and connectivity with many leading engineering applications, and users are able to take advantage of this, to combine their existing CAD package with Mathcad's easy-to-use interface.
- Future of Mathcad
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Leveraging a new intuitive interface as well as a shift towards making an engineer's life easier, Mathcad's future will continue to be re-tinkered and re-focused to work hand in hand with engineers in whatever field they may operate in.
Over the next few years, PTC with continue to port Mathcad 15's functionality over to Prime and introduce brand new ideas to assist engineers in being able to complete their work efficiently. Such features include:
- Natural math notation
- A re-tooled symbolics system
- Extensive graphical manipulation
- Improved interoperability (eg, with Excel)
- Enhanced support for 64-bit machines
