Wildfire 3 Assembly mode

Good news, indeed, that the transition to a real GUI interface for Pro/e continues. Does this one seem to have some intelligence built in, such as, to be able to figure out that components ought to be assembled outside of each other, especially when the faces of two solids are placed on top of each other. I'll be happy when it can figure out that a cut goes INSIDE a solid, not away from it. Then tells me, quite obligingly, that the cut doesn't cut anything. Seems to be losing, not gaining intelligence. And I don't want a balance, either: gaining intelligence "balanced" by gaining stupidity, a seesaw battle between "good and evil".

I just hope that they've actually figured out that they can't milk this "transition" forever, that they actually, and for once, have to finish something. Wildfires burn out, ya know! Anyone heard a date when it'll be done? WF6? SloBurn

10? BarelyGloingEmber 15? It's what? maybe half done now! Be nice to know if they do (and when) plan to finish it. Coulda been done 5 years ago and with a lot less pain along the way. But every year, every rev they drag it out leaves in doubt whether they'll finish it or get bored and cook up THE NEXT BIG THING. Anybody taken the customer satisfaction survey yet? I need some motivation to fill out mine because I really, really hate surveys.

David Janes

Hey, Dave.

Just curious: What makes you think it'll ever be "finished"? How would you prioritize the conversion?

Not just to be argumentative. I think it's pretty apparent what they are doing. I once had a user of the dumbed down wannabe industry leading mcad system I used before Pro/E tell me it "wasn't a program for the masses". If my first exposure had been to 2001 vs WF I ~might~ have agreed with him (he was, after all, an eggspurt so who was I to know better, anyway?). WF converted enough to make First Impressions more palatable and, probably, satisfy low end users. WF2 added more and it ~might~ be to a point where average, as well as low end, users are quite confortable with it (all they gotta do is figure out how to use that MMB instead of chasing Done, Done, Done thru the cascading menus). It really is my guess that conversion to the Dash Board interface will slow after after WF3. ...Not that I've really given it much thought ... If I did really think much about it I could probably come up with, what would be to me, better ways to spend R&D bucks. Dunno....

Not PTC, that's for sure. They have a way of dragging any change out like some function approaching zero (but never quite making it, of course) and doing it ad infinitum.

I wouldn't have. I would have said, in 2000 that in 2005, we'll have a new interface. And, for 5 years, I would have 1) investigated and tried out new ones,

2) identified the weak points of Pro/e as an interface and as functional software (i.e., the underlying code and whether it works, how well, bugs, complaints, tech committee reports, UG questions, etc.); 3) plotted a well-defined course forward, including release of 'preview' functionality, hints of the future development, and gotten a lot of people on board for a future, all new release, including a BIG push for training, help lines, ease of use and transition help and a bunch of co-developers, partners that I DIDN'TG intend to opportunitically, parasitically buy out when they did good. Then, in 2005, the transition would be over, new interface, old improved functionality (such as they actually did with Draft & VSS), the whole object oriented thing, including a new programming language for macros, etc. ~ well presented, well documented, thoroughly positioned to do everything GUI, much as VB does for SW.

Your guess is as good as mine about how they'll continue the transition. But wish lists is a perennial favorite. Pro/e users have lots of them. Here are a couple of mine:

• Completely dump the Setup menu, one of the last MM holdovers, and one of the last that keeps the program from being completely, consistently parametric/associative;

• Dump ASCII as the options configuration standard, such as was done with config.win

• An actual, documented programming/macro language

• A document editor with wordprocessing capabilities, even a shade more advanced than ACAD MTEXT

• Program intelligence for such functions as curves from equations, curves/points from and to file and with more flexibility/intelligence of placement/interface for datum feature creation

• A thorough elimination of all MM functionality and implementation of same as GUI: no more standalone, popping, slopping, slipping, sliding, flopping, hiding windows: do you realize, that, completely inexplicably, the 'Saved views' icon pops onto the screen a completely independent windowed list of view names, not a simple drop down list but a standalone window!?! Still, to this day!. This whole Unix approach to GUI (i.e., overboard GUI form to subvert GUI functionality) should be outlawed ~ yes, outlawed: the goofballs who are screwing around with this, with us as the pawns, should be held accountable: promises have been made, expectations raised, yet the dicking around continues. Tell me one thing that indicates a serious intention to complete this current 'transition', itself a possibly fradulent "prediction", and constantly compromised by appeasements to the Unix oldtimers, including the maintenance, within the program, for compatibility purposes, of at least six, separatge and distinct interfaces!!!! Yes, dragging dinosaurs with us pretty much guarantees the already glacial pace will be slowed even further after WF3.

Ok. Interesting. Thanky.