PTC Manikin Gives Designs A Human Touch

New digital human modeling software is integrated directly into the Pro/ENGINEER development environment

Beth Stackpole, Contributing Editor -- Design News, November 20, 2008

PTC is joining the handful of design tool companies offering a digital human modeling component with the introduction of Manikin, which works directly with its Pro/ENGINEER suite.

Manikin, available in two modules, lets design teams using Pro/ENGINEER add a digital human model to an MCAD design to simulate and communicate human interactions with products. Engineers can leverage the tool to explore any human reach and vision limitations that may exist in a design, catching potential problems earlier on in the design cycle when it is easier and less expensive to initiate changes. Digital human modeling programs like Manikin can also be leveraged to evaluate human ergonomic factors like worker-related fatigue and stress injuries when designing assembly operations and manufacturing work stations.

While companies like Dassault Systemés and Siemens PLM Software offer Manikin-like capabilities as part of their digital product design and manufacturing suites, PTC officials say the direct integration with the Pro/ENGINEER environment makes the technology more accessible to mainstream mechanical engineers-not human factor specialists. "This is an important part of the Pro/ENGINEER story," notes Michael Campbell, PTC's senior vice president, product management. "We're allowing users to do more virtual exploration of human factors, which is traditionally reserved for high-end analysis tools. Here, it's a part of the core design environment."

Pro/ENGINEER Manikin Extension lets users insert accurate, standards-based 3-D human models into a design; Pro/ENGINEER Manikin Analysis Extension provides the ability to simulate and optimize manual handling tasks for safety and ergonomic concerns by validating them against published standards and guidelines.

Starting in December, PTC will also be adding basic Manikin capabilities into Pro-ENGINEER packages at no additional charge for those customers on the latest maintenance release of Wildfire 4.0.