Secrets of a 3D CAD Support Expert

Meet Peter Hollmer, Senior Systems Technologist for Raytheon, a major US defense contractor. Among his roles, he helps staff with IT support, most notably Creo (previously, he worked at PTC from 1995 to 2004). When designers and engineers get stuck at Raytheon, who do they contact? Hollmer.

Pete Hollmer

He’s heard it all and solved many problems over the years. As such, he’s developed several tips that anybody can use to overcome roadblocks when using the 3D CAD software. No matter your problem, try one of these to get answers quick:

1. Use the magnifying glass. “The most powerful tool in the entire Creo Parametric is the little spyglass in the upper right corner. If you know the name or even the partial name of a menu pick, Command Search can show you where it is,” he says.
2. Try alternate approaches. “There are six ways to do everything in Creo,” says Hollmer. “Sometimes if you hit a work stoppage, try something else. Poke at the software, play with the software. One way may not work, but another way might depending on your geometry, your need, your data set.”
3. Use the Community. “As a community, we need to rely on each other’s knowledge. Even with 23 years’ experience, I wouldn’t claim to have exhaustive knowledge. There’s some things I know very well, but there’s other things I'm a complete novice at because this suite is so broad and has so many different applications.”
4. The answers may be within you. “Vast knowledge about Creo exists now on blogs, YouTube, and PTC’s tech support website. One time I was researching something on PTC’s website and found the article I needed, then thought, ‘Well this sounds familiar…’ On a lark, I looked at the source code and found my own name! It was a document I had written years ago and just forgot.”

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