Sharing CAD data with others can sometimes be a real hassle for many engineers. There’s interoperability and interactivity issues and security concerns, to name a few factors that can get in the way. Let’s look at results of a new CAD sharing survey, as well as Adobe’s Acrobat 3D.

Sharing CAD data with others can sometimes be a real hassle for many of you engineers, no? You’ve got interoperability and interactivity issues, security concerns and other factors that constantly can get in the way of sharing such data files, whether internally (sharing with a purchaser) or externally (sharing with a business partner).

According to results of a recent Design News study: 16 percent of the respondents reported that sharing their CAD files is “a huge pain,” while 48 percent said that it is “somewhat pesky.”

The remaining 37 percent said that they have no problem at all; they seem to have either found a tool that works or found a way to manipulate their way around the situation (e.g., recreating the model).

However, good news comes in more than half (51 percent) of the respondents reported that they use an Express version of their CAD system to cope with the issue, while 14 percent use a third-party solution such as Actify .3D or Lattice 3D. Among this crowd, Autodesk’s .dwg seems to be the most popular of vendor solutions, as 79 percent of the engineers reported familiarity with the tool.

Of particular note is the newest entrant to the mix, Adobe’s Acrobat 3D, which allows users to convert a significant range of 2D and 3D CAD models to Adobe PDF, which could “prove to shake things up,” Design News reports with its results. Some 14 percent of respondents indicated that the new tool “is going to be a killer app” and 48 percent reported that it will be “fairly significant.”

The ubiquity of the free Adobe reader plays a particular role in industry opinion of the tool, while some added functionality also allows users to share something more.

Adobe released Acrobat 3D specifically to address the CAD market and the way in which CAD users collaborate on 3D CAD data. Adobe Systems created the high-end version of Acrobat — aimed at boosting sales in the manufacturing industry — to display three-dimensional images within PDF documents.

The application was enhanced to handle most 3D CAD files in a way that enables users to see the entire structural makeup of CAD files and make comments on virtually any aspect of the file. It enables engineers to add 3D CAD files, complete with full interactivity from most Windows and UNIX-based CAD applications into PDF documents, enabling users to better share and comment on file progression without requiring the application that created the files to be located on the commenting computer.

Acrobat 3D’s capabilities also enable users to enhance the interactivity of 3D objects in PDF documents by editing lighting, adding textures and materials, and creating animations such as assembly and disassembly instructions. Then, using Adobe Reader, Acrobat 3D users can let suppliers, partners and customers participate in the document review process, as users can view product structure and leverage commenting, measurement and cross-section tools directly on 3D objects in Adobe PDF files.

Acrobat 3D also has security features that allow people to restrict copying of potentially valuable designs.

As with most trends and software, time will tell how many engineers are willing to drop the nearly $1,000 for the app. Of course it depends on the reasons for use, but tell us which you prefer for your particular needs and uses: PDF, DWF or DWG?

Earlier: Adobe vs. Autodesk: This Is Getting Really Interesting

Source

Do Engineers Play Well With Others? Not When it Comes to CAD
by Karen Auguston Field
Design News, May 2, 2006