With the introduction of our Publish 3D – 3D PDF into any organisation, the processes of sharing engineering design data are instantly enhanced and simplified, helping to improve communication and reduce any ambiguity based around product design data.
The ability to share 3D product design data with non CAD users internally and externally can be problematic for engineers. Sharing data in its native digital form requires specialist resource and training. The more traditional paper route can be equally as problematic. Both routes can be expensive and time consuming and often require input from Engineering to make sense of the data for next steps within the process.
As almost every department within an organisation will need to discuss a product’s design with engineering at some point along the process; the question is how this can be done more efficiently and utilising existing resource?
Our Publish 3D – 3D PDF suite of products addresses these issues using Adobe’s standard PDF Reader, which is already in use in most organisations globally.
What is Publish 3D – 3D PDF?
Publish 3D – 3D PDF is a software application that enables the publishing of 3D CAD data directly from within the native design applications, alongside any associated metadata, into the interactive 3D PDF document format.
It is a fully integrated solution supporting Model Based Definition (MBD) processes, and 3D annotations and dimensions (PMI), for downstream data re-use.
By creating a 3D PDF document, design engineers can pass on CAD data to anyone within the organisation who has access to Adobe reader, and they can in turn mark-up, interrogate and annotate the 3D CAD data as per their requirement and then pass it back to the designer for consideration.
Features of a 3D PDF
Using the Adobe toolbar you are able to:
- Explode views
- Show attribute information
- Manipulate 3D data using zoom, pan and rotate
- View product structure tree and hide/show different items within that structure
- Include attachments so that a complete technical data package can be created
- Manually mark-up and annotation
- Cross section parts
- Change the graphics for the 3D data using Model Rendering
- Change lighting, background colour, text colour etc.
- Control the 3D geometry content using tessellated representations.
A 3D PDF can also contain saved views showing design data in specific orientations or specific components of the design highlighted whilst other components are hidden to help speed up the process of finding what’s required. A number of widgets, such as carousels, tables, check boxes and drop down lists are also available to aid the process.
Why use 3D PDF’s and Publish 3D?
Using Publish 3D to create 3D PDF documentation can help in the design process by allowing a more thorough understanding of the 3D technical content of the product for staff who do not have CAD access. By using design data to create engineering change requests, request for quotations, and engineering change notice documents to share with engineering colleagues, this speeds up the overall process.
Any additional information can also be attached to the 3D PDF document (such as spreadsheets, hyperlinks, AVI’s etc.). You can then use the 3D image embedded in the document and any additional data when showcasing design concepts so that a full overview of the product can be seen, not just the visual element of it . This can then be shared throughout the organisation, especially with the engineering department, and the supply chain.
The IP of the native CAD data is also protected in the 3D PDF format but data can still be exchanged. Passwords can be set on the documents so that only certain people of your choosing can access the data.
3D PDF is a great way of leveraging CAD and PLM assets. When the CAD data has been produced by engineers, the 3DPDF is a simple and cost effective way of sharing that data with others.
How can this benefit Design?
Product designers have a close working relationship with other engineers as they create the initial design concept/brief which would then be shared with engineering colleagues who need to review and asses the design and provide their own input and feedback. Using 3D PDF makes this quick and easy, so speeding up the whole design cycle.
The benefit of this technology is its simplicity of deployment and ease of use, removing barriers to integrate departments, customers and suppliers into the product lifecycle process. With everyone in the organisation and supply chain contributing to the design process, this offers a gain of strategic advantage in an increasingly competitive market and leads to reduced lead times, fewer mistakes and better products.
To learn more about 3D PDF watch our short ‘What is 3D PDF’ video…
http://www.theorem.com/3dpdf/what-is-a-3d-pdf.htm
For more information visit www.theorem.com
Publish 3D - 3D PDF 