Creo Elements/Direct 18.1 is a comprehensive system for mechanical engineers and designers who create products using the direct modeling approach to 3D CAD. Direct modeling allows you to quickly and easily create one-off designs or radically repurpose existing designs—even if you don’t know how they were made.

Creo Elements/Direct 18.1 consists of several modules and extensions that work together to provide a complete solution for your design needs. Some of the main components are:

• Creo Elements/Direct Modeling: The premier 3D CAD direct modeling system for quickly and easily creating one-off designs or radically repurposing existing ones.
• Creo Elements/Direct Drafting: A comprehensive 2D CAD system that meets the needs of both product designers and mechanical engineers.
• Creo Elements/Direct Model Manager: A data management tool that helps you organize, manage, and share your design data across the enterprise.
• Creo Elements/Direct Cabling: A tool for creating cables, harnesses, and bill-of-materials documentation.
• Creo Elements/Direct Finite Element Analysis: A tool for quickly analyzing your product’s performance under real-world design conditions.
• Creo Elements/Direct Mold Base: A tool for creating mold plates and components.
• Creo AR Design Share: A tool for viewing and sharing designs, securely collaborating with colleagues, customers, suppliers, and stakeholders across the enterprise and accessing your designs anywhere, anytime.

To use Creo Elements/Direct 18.1, you need to have a compatible operating system, hardware, and license. You can download the software from the PTC website or from your authorized dealer. You can also refer to the installation manuals and online help for more information on how to install, configure, and use the software.

Creo Elements/Direct 18.1 is a powerful and flexible system that can help you create innovative products faster and easier. Whether you are a novice or an expert, you can benefit from the direct modeling approach and the integrated modules and extensions that Creo Elements/Direct 18.1 offers.

Table of Contents

How to Start a New Design with Creo Elements/Direct 18.1

One of the advantages of Creo Elements/Direct 18.1 is that you can start a new design from scratch or from an existing one. You can also import data from other CAD systems or formats and modify them as you wish. Here are some steps to start a new design with Creo Elements/Direct 18.1:

1. Launch Creo Elements/Direct Modeling and select File > New to create a new part or assembly.
2. Use the toolbar, menu, or keyboard shortcuts to access the modeling tools and commands. You can create basic shapes, such as boxes, cylinders, cones, spheres, and tori, or use more advanced tools, such as extrude, revolve, sweep, loft, and blend.
3. Use the direct manipulation tools, such as move, rotate, scale, copy, and delete, to modify the geometry interactively. You can also use the smart selection tools, such as faceset, coplanar faces, and connected faces, to select multiple elements at once.
4. Use the dimensioning and constraint tools to add dimensions and constraints to your geometry. You can also use the measure and analyze tools to check the properties and quality of your design.
5. Use the feature recognition tools to identify and edit features in imported geometry. You can also use the feature operations tools to create or modify features, such as holes, rounds, chamfers, patterns, and shells.
6. Use the assembly tools to create assemblies from parts or subassemblies. You can also use the assembly constraints tools to define the relationships between components.
7. Use the annotation tools to add notes, symbols, balloons, and tables to your design. You can also use the drawing tools to create 2D drawings from your 3D models.
8. Use the save and export tools to save your design in various formats or export it to other applications.

How to Collaborate with Others Using Creo Elements/Direct 18.1

Another advantage of Creo Elements/Direct 18.1 is that you can collaborate with others using various tools and methods. You can share your design data across the organization and the supply chain securely and efficiently. Here are some ways to collaborate with others using Creo Elements/Direct 18.1:

• Use Creo Elements/Direct Model Manager to manage your design data in a central repository. You can check in and check out your files, control access and permissions, track changes and revisions, and perform searches and queries.
• Use Creo Elements/Direct 3D Access to view and share 2D and 3D product design concepts securely across the organization and the supply chain. You can also use Creo AR Design Share to view and share designs in augmented reality.
• Use Creo Elements/Direct Cabling to create cables, harnesses, and bill-of-materials documentation for electrical products. You can also use Creo Elements/Direct Finite Element Analysis to perform structural analysis on your products.
• Use Creo Elements/Direct Drafting to create 2D drawings from your 3D models or from scratch. You can also use Creo Elements/Direct Mold Base to create mold plates and components for plastic injection molding.
• Use Creo Elements/Direct SAP Integration to integrate your design data with SAP ERP systems. You can also use other third-party applications or formats to exchange data with other CAD systems or platforms.