Enable Simscape Multibody Link Plug-In in Creo-Pro/E

R2026b

Use Simscape™ Multibody™ Link to export CAD assembly files from Creo™ or Pro/E to generate Simscape Multibody models. To enable the plug-in in Creo or Pro/E, you must manually update the contents of protk.dat, a registry file.

You must download and install the Simscape Multibody Link plug-in before you can enable it in Creo-Pro/E. To download and install the plug-in, follow the steps in Install the Simscape Multibody Link Plug-In.

Update Registry File

To update the registry file, follow these steps:

Step 1: Locate the Registry File

In the application root and startup folders of Creo or Pro/E, open the file protk.dat. If this file does not exist, create a new text file named protk.dat.

It is recommended to put the protk.dat file in same directory as the parametric.exe file. If this is not possible, follow the steps in If the Registry File Location Differs from the Creo Application Location after updating the registry file.

Step 2: Update the Registry File Using MATLAB

Add this code to the protk.dat file. 

name Simscape Multibody Link
startup dll
exec_file matlabroot\bin\os\filename.dll
text_dir matlabroot\toolbox\physmod\smlink\cad_systems\proe\text
unicode_encoding false
end

Replace matlabroot with the absolute path to your MATLAB® root folder, os with your operating system architecture, and filename.dll with the correct .dll file for your Creo version.

Note

Follow these steps to find the correct .dll file for your Creo version:

  • Open the .zip folder you downloaded from the Simscape Multibody Link download page. Do not extract the files.

  • Look at the list of available .dll files in the .zip folder. Look for a file named cl_proe2smN.dll, where N corresponds to your Creo version number. If a .dll file corresponding to your version number exists, use that file.

  • If the downloaded package does not include the corresponding .dll file for your Creo version, try using cl_proe2sm.dll. This file might work with earlier versions of Creo.

For example, suppose your MATLAB root folder is C:\Program Files\MATLAB\R2025b, you are using Creo 12.0, and your operating system architecture is win64. If you are using Creo Parametric software, then your .dat registry file must contain this code: 

name Simscape Multibody Link 
startup dll 
exec_file C:\Program Files\MATLAB\R2025b\bin\win64\cl_proe2sm12.dll 
text_dir C:\Program Files\MATLAB\R2025b\toolbox\physmod\smlink\cad_systems\proe\text 
unicode_encoding false
end

Step 2 (Alternative): Update the Registry File Without MATLAB

Note

Use Simscape Multibody Link 26.2 -- Release 2026b to complete this workflow.

Unzip the downloaded .zip file containing the Simscape Multibody Link plugin. Then, add this code to the protk.dat file. 

name Simscape Multibody Link 
startup dll 
exec_file Path\bin\os\filename.dll 
text_dir Path\toolbox\physmod\smlink\cad_systems\proe\text
unicode_encoding false 
end

Replace Path with the absolute paths to files that match your operating system architecture. For example, suppose you extracted the zipped files to the folder C:\Users\jdoe\Documents\smlink-r2025b-win64, and your operating system architecture is win64. If you are using Creo 12.0, then your .dat registry file must contain this code: 

name Simscape Multibody Link 
startup dll
exec_file C:\Users\jdoe\Documents\smlink-r2025b-win64\bin\win64\cl_proe2sm12.dll
text_dir C:\Users\jdoe\Documents\smlink-r2025b-win64\toolbox\physmod\smlink\cad_systems\proe\text 
unicode_encoding false 
end

If the Registry File Location Differs from the Creo Application Location

Option 1: Place a Copy of Your .dat Registry File in the Folder Containing parametric.exe

Make a copy of your updated .dat registry file and place it in the folder containing parametric.exe.

Option 2: Update Configuration File

If your .dat registry file is located outside of the root and startup folders, you must also update the config.pro configuration file. Search for this file in your Creo or Pro/E startup folder. If you cannot find the file, create a new text file and save it as config.pro in your startup folder. You might need administrator privileges.

Open the file and add this code:

toolkit_registry_file <full path to your .dat registry file>

For example, suppose you saved your .dat registry file as myprotk.dat in the folder C:\Users\jdoe\Documents\Creo. Add this code to your config.pro file: 

toolkit_registry_file C:\Users\jdoe\Documents\Creo\myprotk.dat

Verify the Plug-In is Enabled

Close and restart Creo or Pro/ENGINEER. In Creo, navigate to Tools. Confirm that Simscape Multibody Link appears in the list.

In Pro/ENGINEER, search for a Simscape Multibody Link menu. If the menu appears, the plug-in is enabled. You are ready to start exporting CAD assemblies.

Update the Plug-In

If you are updating your Simscape Multibody Link version, you must update the exec_file and text_dir paths in your .dat registry file to reflect this change.

Update Using MATLAB

For example, suppose you updated your MATLAB and Simscape Multibody Link software from an older release to R2026a. If the new MATLAB root folder is C:\Program Files\MATLAB\R2026a, and your operating system architecture is win64, then the updated exec_file and text_dir lines in your .dat registry file must be:

exec_file C:\Program Files\MATLAB\R2026a\bin\win64\filename.dll
text_dir C:\Program Files\MATLAB\R2026a\toolbox\physmod\smlink\cad_systems\proe\text

Update Without MATLAB

To update the .dat registry file without MATLAB, first unzip the downloaded .zip file containing the updated Simscape Multibody Link plugin. Suppose you extracted the zipped files to the folder C:\Users\jdoe\Documents\smlink-r2026a-win64, and your operating system architecture is win64. If you are using Creo 12.0, then the updated exec_file and text_dir lines in your .dat registry file must be: 

exec_file C:\Users\jdoe\Documents\smlink-r2026a-win64\bin\win64\cl_proe2sm12.dll 
text_dir C:\Users\jdoe\Documents\smlink-r2026a-win64\toolbox\physmod\smlink\cad_systems\proe\text

See Also

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