Leveraging 3D CAD Downstream

Engineering isn’t done just for engineering’s sake, so it is critical for engineering deliverables to make it outside to marketing, sales, and even out to the customer.  Tools like 3DVia Composer are great for more directly connecting engineering content with the consumers that need it, and doing so in a way that saves everyone time and reduces costly mistakes. 

With most engineering based companies moving to 3D design to take advantage of the benefits of using 3D CAD, why shouldn’t other departments in the organization take advantage of this data as well?  The models are complete and accurate.  They give everyone in the organization a clear picture of what the product is designed to do, and what the product is going to look like post-production.  An accurate count of parts and subassemblies is automatically generated from the CAD system.  These are all valuable pieces of information for other departments, but too often today this information is manually re-generated from paper copies of 2D drawings.

Technical publishing tools like 3DVia Composer can take advantage of these 3D CAD models and assist in creating downstream documentation (these tools belong to a software category known as Mockup, Visualization, and Publishing or MVP).  Marketing can use the 3D models to create high resolution, photo-realistic images of the product before any prototypes have been generated.  The people that maintain instruction and service manuals can generate 2D line art with 3DVia Composer’s technical illustration features instead of redrawing from scratch.  Sales can more quickly show the customer what their product is going to look like.  Service can get a better understanding of customer needs through web-based diagrams and BOMs for ordering parts.  Assembly instructions for manufacturing can be created using still images and animations.

The dynamic link between 3D CAD files and 3DVia Composer extends beyond a simple one-time import.  As the models change throughout the engineering process, 3DVia Composer will allow the user to manually update the changes as they see fit or Composer can work with 3DVia Sync to have models updated on a regular basis (dynamically changing the Composer outputs).  3DVia Composer can read CATIA, SolidWorks, Unigraphics and Pro/Engineer files natively, as well as many neutral file formats like IGES, STEP, 3DS, OBJ, and more.  The dynamic synchronization functionality works the same whether the file is native or neutral, and can be set for a single component or an entire assembly.  Metadata can also be synchronized for keeping key information like part number, material, and weight accurate and consistent.  It is even possible to connect everything (CAD and technical publications) together using a PDM system.  Dassault offers an integration among ENOVIA SmarTeam, 3DVia Composer, and 3DVia Sync that automates an entire lifecycle from 3D CAD change to the update of the Composer deliverables.

With today’s need to have products out to market faster and to get it right the first time, consider connecting engineering models more directly with downstream users.  Take a look at technical publication tools like 3DVia Composer to make it easier for your organization to work together.  If this sounds interesting and you’d like to take the first step, contact us to see how other Razorleaf clients are leveraging technical publications tools and what these tools can do for you.

Tags: 3DVIA Composer, 3DVIA Sync, CATIA, ENOVIA SmarTeam, MVP, Pro/Engineer, SolidWorks, Unigraphics