Not surprisingly, PTC is betting a lot of engineers are. In what seems to be a quiet and behind-the-scenes move, PTC released something called Mathcad Express, a free, scaled-down version of its Mathcad Prime engineering calculation software.
Mathcad Prime 1.0, released in 2011, was rearchitected with a new, tasked-based user interface and live mathematical notation functionality, designed to let engineers focus on developing engineering calculations, rather than formatting design documents. Specifically, the remodeled user interface promotes the learning of unfamiliar engineering functions, while the document-centric calculation environment enables the design of detailed documents that include complex calculations and live, standard math notations.
Mathcad Express includes much of the base functionality of the full Mathcad Prime 2.0 release, but is available for free for the lifetime of the user. (Source: PTC)
With the Mathcad Express version, you get the full version of Mathcad Prime 2.0 for the first 30 days. Once that time is up, you're left with an abbreviated, but still relatively useful, kit of basic engineering tools. The tools include the same math equation editing, basic numeric functions and operators, units, and X-Y plots as what's offered in the paid Mathcad Prime 2.0 release.
What you don't get are the advanced numeric functions, programming, symbolics, and advanced plot types, along with the Excel integration. For those extras, you have to buck up and pay for the full system.
There are benefits to leveraging the free version in the context of real-world engineering workflows. Since Mathcad Express lets users both create new Mathcad Prime documents and edit existing ones, the free tool could support markup and review capabilities without requiring team members to purchase full-blown licenses of Mathcad Prime.
For those who can get away with the stripped-down version, here's an interesting thing about Mathcad Express: After the 30-day trial, users can keep the scaled-down version for free for perpetuity. That means, if you like it, and the functionality fits, it's free for the rest of your engineering career.
Not bad for a time when engineering software can cost thousands, putting it out of reach for many folks whose companies won't bankroll any software that isn't absolutely part of the corporate design tool portfolio.
@TJ: Not really sure why PTC isn't making a bigger deal of it. Mathcad definitely has a devoted following and I'm sure there are many that would benefit or be interested in a free release, even if it wasn't packed with the full menu of features. PTC certainly isn't the first to introduce a free version to whet people's appetite for more. It has definitely been proven to be an effective strategy for exposure to new tools, not to mention, a boon for engineers looking to amass a portfolio of tools without expending a lot of investment.
Beth, thanks for the information. PTC is really keeping this quiet, I'm going to download a copy. I'm glad to see other vendors offering smaller version of thier expensive tools. This is like the webpack tools Xilinx and other FPGA companies are offering.
Here's an interesting update. After reading your article, I went to the site to check it out - didn't download it, just looked at it. A few hours later, I'm looking at a blog that has nothing to do with engineering and there's an ad specifically for this, coming from googleadservices.com. Not sure if it was coincidence or not, but my guess is that google was tracking that I went there and figured I might be interested in seeing an ad about it. Regardless, it does suggest that PTC is doing something about getting the word out.
I agree, gsmith120, about the manufacturer's release of free tools. Altera has a pretty well developed suite of tools for their FPGAs. Beware, though, takes up a good bit of disk space for the full version. No idea as to why they are quiet, maybe this a fairly well tested beta release made available while they tweak the functionality further.
Thanks for the update, Lindsay. I think more interesting than PTC's quiet (or subsequent "loud") marketing approach is the fact that these free versions give customers the chance to try out the technology and potentially stockpile a portfolio of free tools if they indeed meet their needs.
I have (had) Mathcad 15 and wanted to try out Mathcad Prime. When I installed Express version it said I already had a more capable version installed, then it proceeded to uninstall 15 and install Prime 2. And then the newly installed 2.0 won't run - application was unable to start correctly. I will probably waste 1/2 an hour by the time I get back to a working installation.
Same Problem here with the 'free' version. Win7 64bit tells me immediately that Mathcad Prime has stopped working. Since this is a 'free' license, you can't get to PTC's Support, nor does the PTC Community have any answers. Yes, some people have posted there, but PTC firmly refuses to answer.
My advice to everyone is to give this one a pass. PTC probably did this 'quietly' because they know it won't work.
The product itself is great. The free version is a good intro. Don't buy it, though. The licensing system is guaranteed to waste hours (if not days) when you upgrade your computer & try to transfer the license.
The product itself is great. The free version is a good intro. Don't buy it, though. The licensing system is guaranteed to waste hours (if not days) when you upgrade your computer & try to transfer the license.
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