Project Lightning. PTC Strikes a Plan for the Future of MCAD

Here’s what PTC says Project Lightning is:

“The right solution for every user at the right time”

Solving the big unsolved problems

Fresh new approach building on our unique assets

Delivering a scalable, interoperable, open and easy-to-use set of mechanical design apps

Delivering the right size solution for each participant in the design process at the right time

fully upward compatible with what you have today

Wow, pretty obscure right? The wording suggest it’s much more than vision though. It’s delivering the right solution, delivering mechanical design apps. Our guess is that these are going to be small apps that integrate with the existing product line-up and further down it could be a platform that drives the development of that product line. They might be cloud-based or web-based, but the ideas is that you use them when you need them.

It sounds familiar – mobile apps, web apps, cloud apps… Most of the product development companies are taking a stab at them in one form or another and PTC’s main competitors, Dassault and Autodesk, have revealed their own plans to deliver cloud-based functionality to their users. Autodesk is actually already doing it with a lot of their Lab projects.

Whatever PTC is up to, on October 28th they’ll will hold a worldwide virtual event to launch and “introduce the next 20 years of mechanical CAD.” Get those suits on party people.