Composer for All Your BOMs
With so many different perspectives on the BOM in today’s organizations, companies have come to expect that different departments will be creating and re-creating content to describe their products. Some will do it with Microsoft Excel, some with Microsoft Word, others with Adobe Illustrator, and others still with an alternative CAD package like AutoCAD. With new tools like 3DVIA Composer, all of this extra effort can be saved. Once metadata is stored in a set of CAD files, 3DVIA Composer lets users slice and dice the content and BOM information in whatever way is relevant for a particular audience, with full associativity for downstream changes. Setting xBOM management in PDM aside, let’s look at how 3DVIA Composer can present very different views of a product’s BOM, visually. Continue Reading
A lot of people have big ideas in mind for how they will use 3DVIA Composer to create new types of output or documents, like animations and renderings. But don’t forget how great 3DVIA Composer is at the basics. A number of features in 3DVIA Composer are helpful in defining and maintaining realistic and informative 2D images of 3D geometry. You can set and retain specific views, define types of explosions, and set components to appear/disappear in multiple ways. All of this yields shorter delivery times on documentation, and speedy updates to existing 3DVIA Composer content. 
Global collaboration depends on communication, and since there is no universal written or spoken language, the communication part of collaboration is still a challenge for many companies. Fortunately, the use of 3D tools and remote meetings are addressing this challenge in the design process, but there are still downstream communication challenges with internal customers like manufacturing and field service. From assembly instructions to routine maintenance documents, the desire to create documentation without having to go through language translation is growing. 3DVIA Composer gives companies the ability to communicate with downstream users through animations and detailed images instead of relying on the written word. 
Neutral Properties in 3DVIA Composer are generated from the original import of the underlying CAD files. Often, the default properties such as texture, scale and location are changed for geometry actors or collaboration actors for various reasons (exploded views, animations, etc.). Fortunately, the original properties of the actors can be restored easily, saving time in creating technical illustrations, animations, and other content.
A common problem many companies face is the ability to have deliverable documents, like web images, catalogs, and technical illustrations, mirror their final product. Because of the dynamic nature of design and engineering, it is often a struggle to keep this downstream output up-to-date without utilizing some type of automation. Using 3DVIA Sync ensures changes that have been made in the upstream CAD systems are reflected in the downstream content created in 3DVIA Composer. 
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. 
