The start of a new year always presents fresh challenges and tasks. Our winter issue reflects this speedy pace with news on the latest acquisition by PTC as well as continuing efforts on software quality. You can read about the 2006 edition of PTC Awards, which has just kicked off and is an awesome opportunity for talented designers to gain recognition.

This issue's cover story by Jason Clark focuses on alternative tools to create high-quality renderings of your Pro/ENGINEER models.

On the technical side, we have four great articles in Tips and Tricks, including one based on Mike Mongilio's award-winning presentation at the PTC/USER World Event in 2005.

Feel free to share your praise or criticisms about the magazine with us. You can write me at rick@ptcuser.org.

Best Regards,

Rick Snider