CAD Simulation and Analysis

See how your product design will perform in the real world with these simulation tools

What is simulation and how can it benefit you?

Simulation in Creo allows you to virtually test and validate product designs before physical prototyping. This saves costs, accelerates time to market by resolving issues early, and empowers better design decisions for optimized product performance and reliability.

What is CAD simulation?

CAD simulation involves using computer-aided design software to digitally replicate real-world conditions and behaviors of products. It allows engineers to test and analyze designs virtually before physical prototyping. By simulating factors like stress, heat, fluid flow, and motion, CAD simulation helps identify potential issues, optimize designs for performance and efficiency, and reduce the need for costly physical testing. This iterative process accelerates product development cycles, enhances product quality, and ultimately lowers development costs.

Types of CAD simulation

Finite Element Analysis (FEA):

Evaluates structural integrity by simulating how designs respond to physical forces like stress, vibration, and heat.

Mechanism Dynamics:

Simulates motion and interactions between components to ensure proper functionality and clearance analysis.

Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD):

Analyzes fluid flow patterns and thermal effects within designs, crucial for optimizing aerodynamics and heat management.

Benefits of simulation software

Cost Savings

Simulation software reduces the need for physical prototypes, saving on materials and testing expenses.

Simulation software reduces the need for physical prototypes, saving on materials and testing expenses.

Time Efficiency

Virtual testing accelerates product development cycles by identifying issues early, speeding up time to market.

Virtual testing accelerates product development cycles by identifying issues early, speeding up time to market.

Enhanced Design Optimization

Allows for thorough analysis of designs under various conditions, leading to improved product performance and reliability.

Allows for thorough analysis of designs under various conditions, leading to improved product performance and reliability.

How is simulation software used?

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LIXIL’s American Standard brand drives faster time to market

With Creo, American Standard achieves rapid time to market with MBPD, addressing late-stage changes swiftly and designing with 75-85% confidence in surfacing and simulation capabilities.

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CUPRA optimizes vehicle component design and manufacturing with PTC Creo

Cost savings of 15%, fewer errors via integrated product management, and rapid component development in just two weeks.

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HPE COXA speeds time to market by embracing design agility with Creo

Faster design and production by 30%, 50% faster concept to delivery, enhanced agility, and fewer errors.

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Simulation and analysis is fast and easy with Creo

Whether you are a design engineer or an analyst, PTC provides solutions fit for your needs. These suites of solutions allow you to test the stresses and loads under which your product will operate. Some of our solutions offer design guidance while others offer a comprehensive set of capabilities that allow you to analyze and validate the performance of your 3D virtual prototypes.

Explore Our Simulation Portfolio
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Trying to decide which high-fidelity simulation solution is right for you?

All of PTC’s simulation software has the familiar Creo user interface, engineering terminology, and seamless integration with CAD and CAE data. But we do have some options for you. Use this comparison datasheet to understand which product fits your needs best.

Simulation Comparison
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Simulation tools and capabilities

Designed parts, assemblies, and mechanisms need to be analyzed so that real-world effects and their behavior during intended use can be predicted. In order to do this, PTC offers several capabilities, some of which are listed below:

Explore CAD

Structural analysis

Incorporate structural analysis into the design process in order to avoid failure because of static and dynamic loads on parts, assemblies, and mechanisms. Explore CAD
Learn About CSL

Modal analysis

Perform modal analysis on your designs to determine the effects of vibrations. Learn About CSL
Explore Creo

Thermal analysis

Incorporating thermal analysis into the design process lets you gain insights into how the physical properties of materials change with differences in temperature. Explore Creo
Learn About CFD

Computational fluid dynamics

Explore computational fluid dynamics within Creo Simulation Live and Creo Flow Analysis. Learn About CFD

Enhance your CAD software with simulation extensions

Creo Fatigue Advisor Extension: Analyze how your product performs under repeated loading and unloading.

Creo Human Factors Analysis Extension: Insert digital human models into your designs to investigate ergonomic and human factors issues.

Mathcad: Using PTC Mathcad’s rich array of mathematical functionality, you can document your most critical engineering calculations as easily as you can write them.

Creo Flow Analysis: This is a computational fluid dynamics tool used to easily simulate fluid flow. This helps predict the performance of a system or product involving internal or external fluid flow and heat transfer.

Creo Clearance and Creepage Extension: Increase the safety and reliability of your 3D electromechanical designs.

Creo Mechanism Dynamics Option: Analyze how your product will behave given real-world forces such as gravity and friction.

Creo Simulation Extension: Evaluate structural, thermal and modal product performance on your digital model before resorting to costly, time-consuming physical prototyping.

Creo Mold Analysis Extension: Simulate the injection molding of plastic parts.

Creo EZ Tolerance Analysis Extension: Visualize geometric tolerances (GTOL) to be sure all components of your product fit together.

Frequently asked question

What is simulation modeling?

Simulation modeling is a technique used to create a digital representation (model) of a real-world system or process. It involves building a mathematical and/or logical model that simulates the behavior and interactions of components within the system over time. By running simulations with this model, one can analyze how the system might behave under different conditions, test hypotheses, and make predictions about its performance. Simulation modeling is widely used in various fields, including engineering, economics, logistics, healthcare, and environmental science, to optimize processes, improve decision-making, and understand complex systems better.

What is simulation analysis?

Simulation analysis refers to the process of using simulation models to study and evaluate the behavior of a system or process. It involves running simulations based on the model to generate data and insights into how the system operates under different scenarios or conditions. The goal of simulation analysis is to gain a deeper understanding of the system's performance, identify potential problems or bottlenecks, optimize processes, and make informed decisions. It allows analysts and decision-makers to experiment with changes or improvements virtually, without the need for real-world implementation, thereby reducing costs and risks associated with trial and error. Simulation analysis is used extensively in fields such as manufacturing, healthcare, transportation, finance, and many others, to improve efficiency, reliability, and performance of complex systems.

What are some challenges with simulation?

Simulation faces challenges, such as ensuring model accuracy amidst complex real-world dynamics, rigorous validation against empirical data, and demands for significant computational resources. Managing model complexity and interpreting results accurately requires interdisciplinary expertise and reliable data inputs. Effective scenario definition, sensitivity analysis, and clear communication of findings to stakeholders are critical. Addressing these challenges involves continuous refinement of methodologies, collaborative efforts across disciplines, and ensuring users are well-trained in both simulation software and domain-specific knowledge. Overcoming these obstacles enhances simulation's utility in decision support and optimizing complex systems.

Who uses simulation modeling?

Simulation modeling is utilized by a wide range of professionals across various industries. Engineers employ it to optimize manufacturing processes, design efficient logistics systems, and develop robust infrastructure. Healthcare professionals simulate patient flow in hospitals and study disease propagation. Economists and analysts use simulation for financial forecasting and risk management. Military strategists employ it for operational planning and training simulations. Environmental scientists model climate change impacts and ecosystem dynamics. Additionally, simulation is integral in research and development across academia, helping researchers explore hypotheses and predict outcomes in fields such as physics, biology, and sociology. Its versatility makes simulation modeling indispensable in problem-solving across diverse disciplines.