Parametric Technology Corporation Announces Immediate Availability of Pro/ENGINEER Solutions Release 20; Highlights Include New User Interface, New Sketcher and 3D Notes.

WALTHAM, Mass.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Sept. 28, 1998--Parametric Technology Corporation (NASDAQ:PMTC), one of the world's leading providers of software solutions for mechanical product development and enterprise information management, today announced the immediate availability of the production release of Pro/ENGINEER Solutions Release 20. The latest release of PTC's flagship product development software includes a new user interface, a new sketching environment, and the new 3D Notes communication tool, as well as a series of improvements to assembly design functionality, drawing creation, and graphics performance.

"Parametric Technology continues to lead the mechanical CAD/CAM/CAE software industry with our Pro/ENGINEER Solutions," said C. Richard Harrison, president and chief operating officer at Parametric Technology. "Release 20 includes significant enhancements to user productivity that -- in addition to our recent pricing changes -- continue to make Pro/ENGINEER more accessible to the new and casual user. In addition, the intuitive new user interface and other enhancements of Release 20 will help to increase the efficiency of experienced Pro/ENGINEER users."

The New User Interface

In an effort to advance user productivity, Pro/ENGINEER Release 20 includes a new top-level user interface that is easier to learn and more efficient to use, allowing users to more effectively harness the software's power. The new look and feel of the user interface includes a menu bar that consolidates all top-level commands into a familiar industry interface, a customizable tool bar, and consolidated dialog boxes. The number of menu picks for commonly used commands has been reduced by approximately 50 percent.

"Pro/ENGINEER now boasts a modern user interface which combines the best that the Windows-style guide can offer with the best of its cascading menu scheme," noted industry consultant Charles Clarke in a recent issue of CADCAM Magazine. "The package features menu bars and customizable one-pick tool bars, and because it borrows from Windows, it is instantly familiar to any desktop application user. Experienced Pro/ENGINEER users will find application access easier through dialog boxes, familiar keyboard shortcuts, and single-click access to common and user-definable commands."

Intent Manager

Adding emphasis to the user productivity theme, an innovative new sketcher, called Intent Manager, allows engineers to quickly "sketch and stretch" their ideas without interrupting the creative process. The Intent Manager makes intelligent assumptions and provides immediate visible feedback to the user during sketching. The sketches are always fully and automatically dimensioned, without any user intervention. This ensures the accurate capture of the product's design intent, through an easily modifiable sketch.

3D Notes

In addition to user productivity, Release 20 enhances design management capabilities with a new communication tool called 3D Notes. This tool allows users to easily display important product information within the context of the 3D model. The introduction of 3D Notes offers countless applications by harnessing Web communication capabilities within the modeling environment.

"This production-proven release of Pro/ENGINEER Solutions links power with grace," added PTC's Harrison. "With Release 20, Pro/ENGINEER has achieved a new level of ease of use for one of the industry's most popular product development software packages."

Representatives from Parametric Technology will be demonstrating Pro/ENGINEER Solutions Release 20 in Booth 301 at the Autofact trade show in Detroit from September 29 through October 1, 1998. In addition, a brief guided tour of Release 20, including the new interface and selected other enhancements, is available at http://www.ptc.com/products/demos.

About the Company

Parametric Technology Corporation develops, markets, and supports a comprehensive suite of integrated product development and information management solutions. The Company's Pro/ENGINEER Solutions provide the software tools to automate the mechanical development of a product from its conceptual design through production. The Company's enterprise information management solutions include the Web-centric, Java-based information management technology of Windchill(tm), including Windchill Information Modeler, Windchill Foundation, Enterprise Document Manager, and Enterprise Configuration Manager. All software solutions are supported and complemented by the strength and experience of the Company's professional services organization (PSO), which provides training, consulting, and support to customers around the globe.

Except for the historical information contained herein, matters discussed in this news release may constitute forward-looking statements that involve risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from those projected. Such risks and uncertainties are detailed from time to time in reports filed by PTC with the Securities and Exchange Commission, including the company's most recent reports on Form 10-K and 10-Q.

Parametric Technology Corporation and Pro/ENGINEER are registered trademarks, and Windchill and all names in the PTC product family, as well as the PTC logo are trademarks of Parametric Technology Corporation and/or its subsidiaries in the United States and in other countries. All other companies and products referenced herein have trademarks or registered trademarks of their respective holders.