Today we are going to talk about PTC and work instructions. Many people are focusing on Vuforia as the means to create AR-based instructions and a way to consume them, but there’s also a very interesting asset/solution that’s not talked about very much. It’s called Arbortext. This was an acquisition made several years ago by PTC and it is a tool that lets you create detailed service instructions.

It has interesting integrations on both ends. First off, it integrates tightly with Creo. This lets you bring in 3D models and create work instructions, such as service instructions, very quickly and easily. When using this 3D asset, it’s a very seamless process that allows for control of the display of the digital assets (the models) in the work instructions.
This has been closely integrated with Vuforia. You can publish a model out as an AR experience and the Vuforia apps can then consume, allow people to read them, view them, interact with them, and go through or proceed through the steps in the work instructions.

It’s an interesting and compelling solution overall, something to keep in mind if you’re developing work instructions and are thinking about taking the leap into augmented reality.