As the manufacturing sector emerges from the disruptions of the pandemic, the urgency to deliver products faster while controlling development costs has intensified. This shift has spurred a notable surge in the adoption of advanced CAD solutions across aerospace, automotive, defense, and renewable energy industries. Software platforms such as Creo are gaining traction, yet many organizations continue to explore how to unlock their full potential.
Brian Thompson, CAD division vice president and general manager at PTC, emphasizes that the key lies in digital transformation. “Customers have digital transformation initiatives across the board and transformation is happening. Nobody is sitting around having coffee and discussing it. Clients are putting energy and money behind these initiatives,” he states. The drive is toward becoming far more model-based in all aspects of operations—not just in product design and development.
Central to this evolution is Model-based Definition (MBD), an approach in which 3D CAD models contain all the data necessary to define a product. This methodology eliminates the inefficiencies of chasing outdated 2D drawings and establishes the 3D model as the single source of authority for engineering activities. By embedding information directly onto the geometry, MBD ensures that simulation, manufacturing preparation, and other downstream processes operate from the same accurate dataset.
Market demands are increasingly focused on maximizing digital workflows before committing resources to physical prototypes. Thompson cites research from simulation leader Ansys showing that “upwards of 70% of product cost was already baked into the product by the time development reached the prototype stage.” This statistic underscores the importance of front-loading design and analysis in the virtual environment, where changes can be made without incurring material or lab expenses.
Simulation technology enables designers to iterate rapidly, adjusting materials, configurations, and approaches in real time. Generative design extends these capabilities by leveraging cloud computing to produce and rank multiple design alternatives based on specified parameters. Engineers can adopt these solutions directly or refine them further, as demonstrated by successful implementations at Jacobs Engineering and Volvo Trucks.
Thompson is unequivocal: “Design engineers need to embrace digital. Full stop.” He notes that simulation and generative design allow engineers to focus on creating exceptional products rather than spending excessive time preparing models for analysis only to uncover avoidable errors later. Analysts share this sentiment, preferring to dedicate their expertise to complex challenges rather than remedial corrections.
For engineers, strengthening knowledge in areas such as stress, strain, heat transfer, and structural analysis is essential to harness these tools effectively. MBD’s role extends beyond engineering efficiency; it propagates the CAD model’s influence throughout the value chain. A CEO might review the model in a viewer, a manufacturing engineer could generate tool paths directly from it, and a design engineer might run simulations—all from the same authoritative source.
At a strategic level, MBD forms a cornerstone of a model-based enterprise, aligning closely with broader digital transformation goals. This integration enables organizations to streamline processes, enhance collaboration, and reduce errors across departments. Importantly, the benefits are accessible to companies of all sizes. As Thompson remarks, “People don’t have to boil the ocean, build spaceships in their bathrooms or have miraculous insights at 3am to enjoy the benefits of digital transformation.”
The past two years have reinforced the difficulty of predicting future disruptions, yet there is optimism about the role CAD and digital transformation will play in supporting productivity and safety. Thompson’s career—spanning over 15 years in electro-mechanical product development, six product design patents, and leadership roles mirroring PTC’s diverse customer base—underscores his perspective. With degrees in mechanical engineering and computer science from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, his insights reflect both technical depth and practical industry experience.