Note: For help on installing Mathcad for the first time, click HERE. Now, as we start Mathcad software, a window as the one shown here should appear. On this Image, each area of the window is labelled for your consideration as we walk through the workspace or window in which you will working in.

    The drop menus are the the list of menus in which you can find various commands to math, graphics symbolic options to use in Mathcad as well as the various functions of editing and controlling your worksheets that you will working with. The Insert, Format and Symbolics menus are the most commonly used drop menus to gain access to the different mathematical function at your disposal with Mathcad.

    As we go down further in the image from the drop menus, there are list of icons where are all shortcuts various and commonly used functions in Mathcad. This is know as the main toolbar. Here you can save, cut, paste, change fonts and sizes and other various functions as well. Under the main toolbar is the math palette. Here is a set of shortcut icons of just a few of the many functions that are with Mathcad. Note to take is that by clicking on any of the icons in the math palette will open an additional dialogue box which will allow you to use the various options are made available to you. With addition to that, there is also a control palette that also allow Object Linking and Embedding (OLE). This means that you can integrate various items from other programs to be added to your worksheet in the calculation process. However it is required that you need to understand a degree of scripting before you undertake using this function.

    Next is the workspace in which will be doing the layout out of the calculations as well as various descriptions and information to be placed in. At very bottom of it all there is a small section known as the message box. This box will tell you what description of the function you have selected.

Inserting Text, functions, values and changing the unit system

    In Mathcad, you have noticed that the position on workspace red crosshair. By selecting a position on the worksheet you will be able to enter in values, text or an equation at that location. Simple arithmetic can be entered via the number pad located on the right hand side of the keyboard or using the calculator icon located in the math palette. By entering a equal sign after the calculation, Mathcad will give a solution. By adding different units in the previous equation by simply re-clicking the area in which the equation is entered, will allow for Mathcad to recalculate the answer in units for you. To change the units in the final answer, just simply double click the unit and a dialogue will open up to allow to select the various units which are available in Mathcad. Depending on the version you have, the European version will have the units based on the SI system, however you can change to imperial system or US system by going to the drop menu> select tools > Worksheet options >select the Unit system tab and selecting the desired unit system.

    Mathcad also has a list of various functions which you can simply access by going to the drop menu > insert > function. This will open a dialogue as shown here, allowing you to access a large variety of functions which are used in mathematics ,engineering and other fields which is involved with calculations.

    You can also move singular or multiple calculations on the workspace, by holding the left mouse button and dragging a box highlighting the calculations. You will notice that a hand will appear over the box highlighted allowing you to move calculations freely in the workspace. By using the Shift key, you can deselect various parts of the calculations that you do not want to move.

Errors and solution checking for calculations

    Algebraic expressions can also be entered into Mathcad and then able to generate a solution with given values. This is done firstly by entering the expression and then above it, enter the values of the various terms show in the equation. Note that if the equation is showing some highlighted parts of the equation, this tells the user that he or she has not entered the necessary values to work out the solution to the equation. Mathcad provides an answer to the highlighted error in the calculation by click on the error itself. A small description will be given. Note to remember is when entering expressions use the colon key Shift+ [:] and when giving a value use For example, In the image below you can see what Mathcad has Identified a problem with my calculation of y here. I haven't given the value for b within the calculations and shown in the next image the problem is identified as soon as I clicked here:

Entering Characters and other functions using shortcuts

    A lot of the functions have been arranged into shortcut keys. Example of this is the Greek characters which are most commonly used in engineering equations and calculations. With Other programs such as excel will require for you to go to the character maps and select the individual and then insert them into the field, cut and paste the expression into the desired equation. Mathcad has provided the shortcut within in the Math palette where you can add the characters individually or by pressing Ctrl and keystroke g to change the previous character entered into a Greek character. Example of this is the pi symbol. To create the character pi, you just have type the letter p and then ctrl+g to change it π or alternatively use ctrl+shift+p to get the symbol of pi. This is only one example of the various keyboard shortcuts which can be found in drop menu help > quick sheets > keyboard shortcuts.

Graphing

    Graphing of various points can be done differently depending on the values which are used as well as the function which is used to generate the graph. Now by creating a table of values( done by right clicking within the workspace >insert table), you can use this to define your graph. Firstly you will need enter in the values in the appropriate fields. Like shown in this example. Once you have completed this, the next step will require for you to define the table. In this case, we will define the table as T. Next we will have define the X and Y axis in which values we will be using. by typing x, : m [ctrl+6], 0, this will give the following function of x:= m⁰. This will tell Mathcad to use the values found in column 0 as the x -values. The process is repeated to the y -axis by replacing the x with y and 0 with 1 giving the function of y:= m¹.

     You can also sketch graphs based on data collected by using the matrix function as well to define the values given. This is done by entering the name of the data and then by pressing [Ctrl+M] to open the matrix option. Next define the amount of values which will be entered and enter the data required. For example: the values for X axis can be called xdata and pressing [shift+colon] and then [ctrl+M] to generate the matrix. Next is just adjusting the amount of columns as well as rows for your data. In this example, we will be using only 1 column and 5 rows. Now we enter the vales for the x axis and then repeat the same steps for the y axis.

 Once the values of  the X and Y axis has been complete, either go to the drop menu insert and then graph and then X,Y plot or go to the Math palette, graph icon and then x,y plot icon. This will give you a graph which looks like the following image:

    You will need now to define the X and Y axis by clicking on the Axis Label under the x axis and type x to set the X axis and repeat for the y axis in a similar fashion. Once you have done this, click outside the graph box to generate the graph. You can adjust the the upper and lower limits of the x and y axis values by clicking within the box and changing the values near to the limits of the axis as indicated here. The Graph can also be formatted based on preference of colour, style as well showing the gridlines on graph. This is accessed by right clicking on the graph area and selecting the format option. Here you will gain additional dialogue were you can change the format of the graph to better present the values to your liking.

    Going back to the insert text option, various points of the graph can also be labelled and information can be given specific area of the graph. This can be performed by using the insert text function outside of the graph and then selecting the text or label and placing it on the graph as desired. This is another function which allows for the Mathcad user to perform simple and easy task of labelling the graphs properly to share views and ideas other people who are looking through the calculation.

    Multiple algebraic expressions of various graphs can be placed all on a singular graph to compare the differences between functions drawn up. This can be done by entering multiple algebraic by the y axis and ensuring that the expressions are still using the same x values. For example as shown here, we can see that the all the expressions which are used here are labelled different yet still use the same variable (x). Note: When entering in the functions, ensure that the functions used are separated by commas. For example: f(x),c(x),d(x)

    3D graphs can be generated in Mathcad by going to the graph palette and clicking on either the surface, 3D bar, 3D vector graph icons. Entering an expression which has more than one variable will generate the 3D graph. Integrating multiple expressions into the one 3D graph can be done by using the matrix function by entering the the name of the expression with the two variables, creating a matrix with rows and entering the values into the matrix brackets. Change the appearance of the 3D model is very much the same as the linear 2D graphs as well by right clicking and selecting the properties menu. A Note to remember is that the whole expression is not required to be entered into the graph since you can refer the expression via assigned letter as shown within this example.

Integrating Mathcad with PTC Pro/Engineer

    Mathcad can be integrated into various programs within PTC products. In this tutorial, we will be looking on how to integrate into Pro Engineer via using the parameters as well as relationships within the model in Pro/Engineer. Firstly, start of by creating a part that you want to use in pro engineer. Here we have generated a Cylinder for this example. Once completed we go to the top of the menu and go to tools/ parameters. Next we enter a new parameter, rename the parameter to an appropriate name and then add a Value. Next, move to the right hand side of the menu and insert the units for the height.

    Click okay to confirm. Next, go to top menu to analysis / external analysis and then to Mathcad analysis, this will open a new dialogue as shown below. At the top of the dialogue, you can load previously made Mathcad worksheets or generate a new worksheet to be used in the analysis. Click new and a new worksheet for Mathcad will open. To create a link from Mathcad to Pro/Engineer. It is necessary to use the subscript here in the expressions that are written out. We linked the the subscripted height value back to the word height to make sure that Mathcad is processing it to the correct value. And also we added an extra line here with height [=] to see if the value is generated correctly. Next we need to link the expressions to Pro/Engineer by going to the properties to the first expression and then going to the Tag Field and type proe2mc. This tells the program Pro engineer to get the input field from this Mathcad file. The Last Height Expression we will use and go to properties, Tag and type mc2proe. This defines the output field from Mathcad to Pro/Engineer model. Once completed Click save and name file accordingly.

    Now go back to Pro/Engineer to the Mathcad Analysis dialogue, click load and select the Mathcad worksheet that you have created. Next, go down the dialogue to add parameter, select the name of the parameter that was created before and next click the input field from Mathcad which was "Height_proe" and click okay. Exit the extra dialogue box and proceed to the output field box in the Mathcad analysis dialogue box. Select the "height_proe" output field defined in Mathcad and to test, we will use the compute button. Once that the value shows that it has worked by giving the value we defined in parameters in this example, we click add feature, name the analysis accordingly and then save.

    Next, go to relationship where we will need to define the relationship of the Height value on the model with the Mathcad worksheet. To do this we go to the top menu tools / relations and type in the edge to work with, the expression to use found in Mathcad and then where the analysis is located in the feature tree. Example shown here for the cylinder height.

    Once completed, test the relationship to see if is verified by Pro-Engineer and then click regenerate. Note to remember is that if you change an values in parameters after the model has been regenerated. You will have to click the regenerate button twice to complete the new changes. This is due to Pro-Engineer doing the first initial calculations but not displaying the changes in the model. The second regeneration will regenerate the model that is shown graphically.

    This is just the few features that come with Mathcad that is show in this Basic Tutorial. For additional information of the functions please refer to the tutorial in Mathcad as well as the quick sheets to help you navigate through the multiple functions of Mathcad version 14.