PTC has launched a cloud-native Model-Based Definition (MBD) capability, built directly into its Onshape computer-aided design (CAD) and product data management (PDM) platform. The new addition gives engineering teams the opportunity to add manufacturing information directly into the 3-D model early in the design process, enabling clearer design intent, fewer hand-offs, and improved efficiency across design, documentation, manufacturing, and quality.
In traditional file-based CAD and PDM systems, manufacturing data is spread across drawings, exports, and disconnected files. This approach makes product definition harder to keep current, accessible, and trustworthy. PTC’s Onshape cloud-native platform, built on
Amazon Web Services (AWS), helps eliminate these challenges by allowing teams to work from the same, always-up‑to‑date product definition, enabling reduced errors and accelerated design‑to‑production workflows.
Marc Germain, chief digital officer at
Aura Aero, said: “When you build aircraft under strict regulatory oversight, ambiguity is expensive. As an early user of MBD in Onshape, being able to carry certification and manufacturing requirements inside the model — instead of across drawings and files — is already cutting rework and review cycles and helping our teams work faster with fewer hand-offs.”
Michael Choe, AWS general manager (US automotive and manufacturing), added: “Onshape Model-Based definition is a great example of how AWS and PTC are working together to modernise engineering. By re-architecting core engineering tools on AWS’ cloud-native platforms, we are unlocking new possibilities — making them easier to deploy globally, more powerful through AI-driven capabilities, and dramatically better at enabling friction-free, real-time collaboration across distributed teams. This strategic collaboration represents a major leap forward in how teams design, build, and bring products to market."
Key MBD capabilitiesKey MBD capabilities include:
Integrated 3D Annotations — engineers can embed Geometric Dimensioning and Tolerancing (GD&T), weld symbols, and datums directly into the 3-D model, clearly communicating design intent without relying on separate 2-D drawings;
Smart Inspection Panel — all product manufacturing information (PMI) is automatically organised into a structured, filterable list, with instant cross-highlighting to the related geometry in the model;
Shareable MBD Views — teams can share PMI-rich models through simple URLs that preserve views and annotations, enabling browser-based access with no exports, plugins, or add-ons required;
Feature Tree Awareness — MBD annotations remain intelligently linked to the feature tree, keeping specifications connected to the correct geometry as designs evolve; and
Downstream-Ready Data — models can be prepared for inspection and compliance workflows with support for STEP AP242 export and integration with tools, such as PC-DMIS and AS9102.
David Katzman, EVP and general manager of Onshape and Arena at PTC, said: “Cloud-native MBD is a critical step for our customers to build an intelligent, fully digital product lifecycle. By moving product definition into the cloud, companies can finally break down barriers between design, manufacturing, and the rest of the enterprise. This shift is made possible by AWS’ scalable infrastructure and AI capabilities, which enable Onshape to deliver a faster and more resilient cloud-native platform.”
With Onshape and the rest of its portfolio, PTC is delivering on its vision for the Intelligent Product Lifecycle — enabling manufacturers and product companies to build a product data foundation, extend the value of that data across their enterprise, and accelerate AI-driven transformation.
Broader use of product data enables companies to bring higher quality products to market faster, better manage product complexity and meet important regulatory and compliance standards.