NEEDHAM, MA, Jan 6, 2017 – PTC announced enhancements to its FlexPLM integration for Adobe Illustrator with its next generation FlexPLM Design Module for Adobe Illustrator, the first of a set of apps in the FlexPLM Digital Design Suite. The Design Suite enables designers to rapidly bring concepts to life by improving workflow and information accessibility.
The Design Module enables designers in the retail, fashion, footwear, apparel, and consumer goods industries to design and create products in PTC’s FlexPLM retail product lifecycle management (PLM) software directly from within the Adobe Illustrator workspace.
The FlexPLM Design Module for Adobe was developed to address the growing need for innovation-driven design, development efficiency, and better communication across design and product development processes. Since users can easily create product sketches leveraging FlexPLM-managed data natively within Adobe Illustrator, the focus remains on creativity and product instead of on non-value and manual tasks. The FlexPLM Digital Design Suite also includes the colorway design tool, swatch maker tool, and design template builder. With these tools, designers can:
- Create new products or product candidates in Adobe Illustrator and describe them with attributes and sketches
- Find and view FlexPLM-managed colors, materials, and palettes and use them in Adobe Illustrator sketches
- Create a design card in Illustrator that combines a product sketch with the materials, colors, prints, and patterns used for that product.
With easy sharing of sketches between Adobe Illustrator and FlexPLM using familiar functions such as drag-and-drop, this connectivity eliminates many adoption barriers that creative teams face when using typical PLM interfaces. Sketches can be checked into the FlexPLM system – even in the background – to maintain a single source of truth throughout the design process.
“With FlexPLM and these newly available design tools, retailers can digitize the entire design process from concept to spec approval to shorten cycle time and identify potential development and cost risk earlier on,” said Quach Hai, senior director, retail product management, PTC. “This new module connects the de facto design tool of Adobe Illustrator to FlexPLM, enabling a more seamless process for planning, design, and development. It is purpose-built for design efficiency allowing designers to focus on what they do best – be creative – without encumbering them with data management.”
About PTC
PTC has the most robust Internet of Things technology in the world. In 1986 they revolutionized digital 3D design, and in 1998 were first to market with Internet-based PLM. Now their leading IoT and AR platform and field-proven solutions bring together the physical and digital worlds to reinvent the way you create, operate, and service products. With PTC, global manufacturers and an ecosystem of partners and developers can capitalize on the promise of the IoT today and drive the future of innovation.
