Presenting your CAD Models in PDF: Solutions & Benefits

As a CAD designer or engineer, it's essential to be able to share and present your models in a way that is easy to understand and accessible to others. The use of PDF format is one of the most common and effective methods of sharing and exchanging design information for 3D and 2D models. In this article, we will explore how to present your CAD models in PDF format, and the different solutions available to achieve this.

The Benefits of PDF Format for CAD Models

The PDF format has become one of the most popular ways to share CAD models due to its many benefits. PDF files are lightweight and can be easily shared and distributed, making them perfect for emailing files or sharing to cloud storage services. In addition, PDF files are operating system independent, which means that they can be viewed on any device without the need for specific software or hardware. Additionally, the PDF format allows easy conversion to other formats and can include interactive features such as hyperlinks, bookmarks and multimedia elements.

Preparing and Exporting

CAD Models in PDF To present your CAD models in PDF format, you need to have the right tools and software. Fortunately, there are several solutions available to prepare and export your CAD models in PDF format.

First Solution: 3DViewStation to Exchange and Analyze your models in PDF formats

3DViewStation is one of the best CAD viewing solutions, offering functionality to convert any CAD format to 2D or 3D PDF with customization possibilities. With 3DViewStation, you can export your model to 3D PDF using your own template. When opening a 3D PDF created from 3DViewStation, users can manipulate geometry, measure, create section views, and navigate between views created in 3DViewStation..

Second Solution: SimLab to enrich your 3D PDFs with animation and interaction

SimLab is another software solution that allows you to export interactive 3D models into 3D PDF files with a wide range of options and animations. SimLab is highly customizable and feature-rich, with a minimal number of steps required to create highly detailed outputs. Some of the main benefits of using SimLab to generate 3D PDF files from your CAD models are:Easy to Create : Highly customizable and feature-rich outputs in minimal steps.

  • Ready to Use Materials : Give your 3d models a better appearance with SimLab’s pre-built textures and materials.
  • Animations : Add animations to objects, add different animations for the same object and add buttons to control them inside PDF.
  • Options : Use Scene States to view different options of materials, lights, transformations, and more.
  • Measurements : Add all types of annotations and measurements to the 3D model.
  • Actions : Make objects clickable and interactive by connecting them with scene states, animation sequences, and more.
  • Custom Templates : Customize your PDF page, buttons, and style to suit your design and branding.
  • Texture Baking : Bake your textures with SimLab Composer to give much better-looking 3d scenes and realistic lightning.

In summary, presenting your CAD models in PDF format is an effective way to share and exchange design information. PDF files are lightweight, easy to distribute, and can be viewed on any device without the need for specific software or hardware. With the solutions provided by 3DViewStation and SimLab, you can easily prepare and export your CAD models in PDF format, providing an interactive and highly detailed way to present your work.