Creo 3D Illustrations

PAGE 2 1 5 4 3 9 8 7 6
3D Illustrations
:

Taking service
to the next level
Next Page
Search Save Print Twitter Facebook
Creo 3D Illustrations
The Next Level of Product Communications
It takes a team of well-trained, knowledgeable people to produce, service, and support
todays complex products. So why are we still sharing product information in the same
way that Thomas Edison documented the light bulb? Or in the same way that Henry
Ford communicated his plans for the Model T? Flat, static drawings may have worked
in the past, but the complexity of modern products and business requires a more
effective approach. Dynamic, 3D illustrations are easier than ever to develop and much
better at communicating complex product details and procedures than drawings and
diagrams. The stage is set to take product communications to the next level.
PAGE 2 1 5 4 3 9 8 7 6
Its time to stop sharing information about your cutting-edge
products with techniques used by Leonardo da Vinci!
COMMUNICATING PRODUCT INFORMATION
Making sure complex product details are effectively communicated is
critical to profitability. Raising the bar on technical illustrations helps
improve service information in the form of:
User and operator instructions
Manufacturing work instructions
Illustrated and dynamic parts catalogs
and spare parts kits
Maintenance and repair procedures
Safety and compliance procedures
Call center and customer service information
Customer self-help information
Training materials
Requirements gathering and validation
Product documentation
Next Page
Search Save Twitter Facebook Print
Creo 3D Illustrations
Taking Service Communications Up a Notch
Improving service is one of the most compelling ways 3D communications can improve
business performance. For manufacturers, the service ecosystem is strategic and offers
some unique challenges and opportunities. Getting the right information into the hands
of the people who are servicing products or sharing information about products is
critical to getting it done right the first time saving time and money. Doing so keeps
customers happy and allows them to get the value they want from your products.
Whether its your in-house service technician or an authorized service center on the oth-
er side of the world, you need to be able to provide everyone who operates, repairs, or
trains others on your products with up-to-date, accurate information.
Having the wrong information is costly at best and potentially dangerous at worst.
Even for less complex products, traditional text and 2D illustrations can be costly,
error-prone, and out of date quickly. Such outcomes are highly detrimental since a
customers perception of your product and even your company is directly influenced
by their experience with your service information. Its time to raise the bar by creating
rapid, accurate, high-quality illustrations and animations that better communicate
product, service, and parts information.
Good Service is Good Business
So why is service so important to your business? Many manufacturers now view service
operations as a profit center because of the higher margins available from
consumables and spare parts. In the end, good service improves both top-line and
bottom-line performance:
Good service experience leads to greater customer satisfaction and loyalty
Properly maintained products provide higher productivity and availability, so your
customers get more value from your products
Service provides a revenue stream for the lifecycle of the existing product
Effective service reduces cost, since closing a call the frst time saves time and money
Good service and self-service reduce call center volumes
Excellent service reduces warranty cost, and is absolutely critical to maximizing
proft from fxed-cost maintenance contracts or service-based contracts in which
uptime and throughput directly impact your service proft margins
PAGE 2 1 5 4 3 9 8 7 6
53% of service time is spent on non-productive tasks,
more than HALF their time which contributes to equipment down-
time and higher cost of service this includes searching for and
questioning replacement parts information
1
Largest contributor to "not fixed", first time is caused by incorrect,
irrelevant parts and service information
2
50% to 70% or more of company
profits for many industries are represented by post-sale service,
including parts revenues, new maintenance and warranty contracts
and field service engagements
3
Next Page
Save Search Twitter Facebook Print
Creo 3D Illustrations
Text-Based Information Isnt Enough
Why do traditional communications fail to adequately convey product details? Trying
to describe parts or part placement in words is difficult. Physical actions are even
harder to translate into text instructions, and can be interpreted differently by different
people. For example, try writing text instructions on how to tie a shoe lace! What
seems relatively straight forward to demonstrate is often very difficult to describe.
Text instructions have many drawbacks, for example:
Written instructions require strong reading skills and are prone to misinterpretation
Text updates are hard to maintain as products change because someone has to
re-read the existing text to determine where changes must be made and then
write updates
Translation into different languages in global settings can introduce errors
Translation cost may be the biggest drawback. If your products are serviced in other
languages, your costs are signifcantly multiplied when you rely on text. Changes
are signifcantly harder when you realize you have to retranslate every time
PAGE 2 1 5 4 3 9 8 7 6
Shoelace Translated
INSTRUCTIONS FOR TYING A SHOELACE
1 Match up the ends of your shoelaces, take one end, lay the
other down, then go over and under your laid-down end.
2 Take one end of your shoelace and make a loop.
3 Take the other shoelace and wrap it around the loop.
4 By doing that, you will make a smaller loop.
5 Put the middle of the shoelace you havent looped, through the small hole.
6 By putting your shoelace through the hole, you make another big loop.
7 Pull on the big loop very hard; this will make it tight.
8 Thats how you tie your shoe!
German Schuhband Korean English Shoelace
Japanese French Lacet
Spanish Cordn Italian Laccio Chinese
Procedure:
CHINESE PROVERB (popularized by Benjamin Franklin, updated by PTC)
Tell me and I will forget
Show me and I might remember
Involve me and I will understand
And now let me explore it in realistic 3D and I will deliver exceptional service
Next Page
Save Search Twitter Facebook Print
Creo 3D Illustrations
2D Drawings Help, But Fall Short
Most service procedures, of course, are not strictly text-based. 2D sketches require less
interpretation and therefore adding them helps technicians and others identify parts
and locations. However, drawings have limitations as well. In our shoelace example,
adding some sketches would help, but its hard to visualize which string goes on
top of the other. Drawings still require skilled workers because as products get more
complex, drawings require more interpretation. They are also limited to the predefined
views that the illustrator chooses to include in the communication.
Manually creating drawings and sketches is also expensive because it requires
redundant effort in addition to developing CAD models. Some companies may try
to avoid such inefficiencies by using pictures. Photos can save time in developing 2D
images, but they cant be developed until parts, prototypes, or products are complete.
They also become outdated quickly and are limited to predefined views.
2D drawings and pictures are also inadequate due to the difficulty of showing motion
paths. Processes can be represented with arrows, call-outs, symbols, and text; however,
in addition to requiring a significant amount of work to develop the documentation,
such representations can still be misinterpreted. They are also very difficult to keep up
to date as products change.
Digital, 3D Provides Better Product Insight
Beyond flat, 2D drawings or photos are 3D product representations. 3D is not limited
to predefined views or perspectives. Instead, service technicians, customers, call center
personnel, and others can turn or zoom in on 3D representations to get the view and
understanding they need. An interactive model can be rotated and viewed in the ways
that make the most sense to viewers. For example, they can remove outer parts and
orient the assembly to resemble the equipment as they currently see it.
PAGE 2 1 5 4 3 9 8 7 6
Digital 3D models offer views that real products or prototypes cant provide. For
example, an outer casing could be made transparent to show underlying assemblies in
the context of an assembled product. Digital models can also be used to easily create
cross-sections of a product to gain more insight. Furthermore, viewing in 3D allows
people to explore the product more naturally. In short, 3D allows visual enhancement
to provide much richer communication that more closely resembles the physical product.
Cross-Section: Dynamic sectioning using two planes, as demonstrated in Creo Illustrate, provides clear
visibility to the exact information details you need to identify parts or product information. The viewer can
control the sectioning as needed.
Next Page
Save Search Twitter Facebook Print
Creo 3D Illustrations
Animation Adds a Process View
While 3D models are valuable, they lack a process view. By adding animation to product
communications, companies can show motion paths and put the process into context.
This approach comes a little closer to the Please just show me! response you would
probably get when handing over drawings on tying a shoe. 3D animation can be
used to clearly communicate assembly and disassembly procedures. People can
review the procedures as many times as they like, with the ability to pause, rewind, or
view the process in slow motion. Video could be used, but it has the same issues as
photos with regard to lead-times and the hassle of updating it when product changes
occur. It would also be virtually impossible to shoot video of every single configuration,
whereas animations could be generated for each possible variant using the existing
design data.
Animations based on 3D CAD can be developed much earlier in the product de-
velopment process. In addition, unlike videos, animations can show explosions and
cross-sections that videos cant, and can be readily updated with new part information
as designs change. They can also easily incorporate additional information in context,
such as annotations, cautions, and other effects to enhance communications.
PAGE 2 1 5 4 3 9 8 7 6
Beyond Physical Representations, Product and Part-Aware 3D
Seeing the product and procedures in motion helps technicians understand the job that
needs to be done. However, the physical representation of the part is only one piece
of the information they require. Service technicians need information about the product
and the parts they are working on. 3D models can be made part aware to incorporate
part data in context. With this approach, each part is clearly identified and contains a
wealth of information or metadata about itself that can be used or accessed. Wouldnt
it be nice to click on the shoelace and find out what size it is or, even better, order a
replacement online? Part-aware functionality allows technicians to visually navigate to
choose the right parts. Although technicians probably dont know part numbers, they do
know what a given part looks like and where to find it. If they can click on the part, the
model can highlight the appropriate part or kits required to replace it.
In service, parts equal money. If serviceable parts information is hard to identify, you
risk parts accuracy, which can lead to lower first-time fix rates, expensive and unnecessary
parts returns, increased equipment downtime, and lower parts revenues. If technicians
can identify replaceable parts accurately and rapidly with 3D product models or
illustrated parts catalogs, they can be more confident that they are ordering the right
part. This capability prevents ordering additional parts that need to be returned or
getting the wrong items and delaying service.
GETTING PARTS RIGHT Dynamically
Generated Parts Call-outs and Parts Lists
Next Page
Save Search Twitter Facebook Print
Creo 3D Illustrations
Better Service Information (and Service) with 3D Illustrations
Companies can achieve better service communications at a lower cost using 3D
illustrations and animation. 3D illustrations can help you:
Deliver interactive, visual product and service communications
Enable interactive, 3D navigation to rapidly fnd and show procedures that
increase productivity and service effectiveness
Provide fast and accurate part identifcation with real-time, linked, illustrated
parts lists and catalogs to fx products right the frst time and reduce
equipment downtime
Easily locate and link to the exact items needed in related parts lists and catalogs
to accurately order replacement parts
Convey complex procedures through animated visuals to hasten understanding
and completion of tasks for both offine and interactive use
Replace lengthy text to reduce burden, cycle times, and translation cost
PAGE 2 1 5 4 3 9 8 7 6
50-80% of illustrated parts catalog authors'
process time is spent manually acquiring, reconciling and verifying
information; less than 10% of their time is spent adding
value/quality to the document
4
Dynamically generated parts call-outs and parts lists make it easy to
quickly provide the most up-to-date and accurate information.
Transitioning from static, generic, out of date parts catalogs to online,
dynamic parts lists saved $1M+ in production costs plus now the
parts information available is only relevant to the task at hand.
We estimate that 25% of orders are for multiple parts because they are
unsure of which is the right one
Private contracted research, Carlisle Group, 2011
Next Page
Save Search Print Twitter Facebook
Creo 3D Illustrations
Change is Certain
Managing change is a big challenge throughout the product lifecycle, and the impact of
change is acutely felt when it comes to service. Far too often service information is not
linked to design data, making it difficult or impossible to keep the service information up
to date. Manually keeping service information up to date with all engineering changes
can be a huge burden. Making a small change to a product can have significant ripple
effects in related product information, causing rework, scrap, wasted time, and frustra-
tion. Automation can help alleviate the challenges associated with revising information
and updating documentation. Integration with a PLM system provides a repository to
manage illustrations in the context of the product across the product lifecycle to quickly
identify affected instructions. The associativity with CAD makes it possible to ensure that
changes are automatically made in all affected areas of product communications.
PAGE 2 1 5 4 3 9 8 7 6
90% of survey respondents claim that up to 40% of
training developers time is spent manually finding and updating
existing materials with engineering and procedure changes
5

Creo Illustrate Makes 3D Illustration Easier and More Cost Efficient
3D illustrations provide value to the business by enabling better service information.
The ironic and exciting thing is that 3D illustrations can provide greater user value
while actually reducing the cost of developing communications. Developing 3D
illustrations with powerful, easy-to-use Creo Illustrate is highly cost-effective because:
Drawings and models reuse existing CAD data, even from different CAD formats
Documentation specialists can quickly and easily create illustrations without
dependencies on external graphics resources, design engineers, or other
technical staff
Updates to product data are automated throughout the life of the product through
associativity with the CAD models
Information can be effciently generated to accurately represent the products,
components, and unique confgurations for use in illustrations, animations, service
BOMs, parts catalogs, and parts lists
90% reduction in creative processes can be achieved by
repurposing CAD data for 3D and 2D illustrations. This reduces
cycle times to service information consumers by sharply decreasing
the costs of illustrations, and producing high-quality, more relevant
illustrations faster
6
Next Page
Save Search Twitter Facebook Print
Creo 3D Illustrations
PAGE 2 1 5 4 3 9 8 7 6
See the creo illustrate introduction video here
Take the Next Step
For more detailed information on Creo Illustrate and to see how it can help you take
service to the next level, visit: PTC.com/go/illustrate
References
1. Trends in Workforce Management, January 2011 Aberdeen Group
2. Private contracted research, Carlisle Group, 2011
Consolidated metric sourced from AMR/Gartner 2008
3. Global consumer goods OEM
4. Consolidated customer data, PTC 2011
5. Private contracted research, Carlisle Group, 2011
6. Consolidated customer data, PTC 2011
2011, Parametric Technology Corporation (PTC). All rights reserved. Information described herein is furnished for
informational use only, is subject to change without notice, and should not be construed as a guarantee, commitment,
condition or offer by PTC. PTC, the PTC Logo, Creo, Elements/Direct, Elements/Pro, Elements/View, Pro/ENGINEER,
CoCreate, ProductView, AnyRole Apps, AnyMode Modeling, AnyData Adoption, AnyBom Assembly, Windchill, and all PTC
product names and logos are trademarks or registered trademarks of PTC and/or its subsidiaries in the United States and
in other countries. All other product or company names are property of their respective owners. The timing of any product
release, including any features or functionality, is subject to change at PTCs discretion.
6730 Creo 3D Illustrate-eBook 0911
Save Search Twitter Facebook Print