We have 3 seats of MTD that are not used. We build custom/complicated tools, MTD has some "nice" fuctionality geared towards widget style tools. I have built custom assembies and currently implementing Knowledge Expert with Product Knowledge Template.
Thixoguy - with Knowledge Advisor/Expert you can add a great deal of intelligence to a design. Example - if slide width >=4 and <=8 the horn pin = 1.25". Now if you increase the slide to a certain length 2 horn pins appear. Product Knowledge template allows you to insert smart sub assemblies. That same slide you would add to the tool will have gibs, wear pads, retainers, screws.... fully constrained with intelligence.
This will provide design consistency and reduce the engineering time on a tool.
I am a mold designer by trade and am now involved in selling Catia V5. I have found the MTD product to be mostly useless for doing complex automotive tool design. I'v done extensive work builiing KWA templates for mold design. I sure would like to compare notes with you and see if we can help eachother out in this endevour.
Although I have only played around with MTD I too think it would pretty difficult to utilize on more complex tools. I kinda like the way you can add screws, that seems like a time saver.
Dbezaire,
This knowledge advisor you speak of sounds very interesting. Is it a seperate module or is it standard in catia? I plan to read up about in the documents and if I have some questions I will post. Thanks again for all of the help you offer to a newbie!
Knowledge Advisor makes all the difference for tool design with V5. I wouldn't attempt mold design without both KWA and PKT if I wanted to do it productively and repeatedly. MTD is completely useless for real world mold design.
Thixoguy - Knowledge Advisor is an add on. KWA is the build license (make rules and checks). If you are running HD2 or MD2 - your catia will utilize all the rules you have created.
The other product that Derek talked about is PKT - Product Knowledge Template. This allows you to create User Defined Features (similar to PowerCopies, but they show up as a single block in the users tree), and Product Templates (similar to PowerCopies, but at an Assembly/Part level, rather than a feature level). KT1 is the run-time license required for this.
