Enterprise-Wide Intelligent Document and Data Exchange

Theorem Solutions has introduced Publish 3D, a server-based, enterprise-wide solution for high-volume intelligent documentation and information exchange. Publish 3D enables designers and collaborative team members to create interactive 3D PDF documents from native CAD data directly either as individual files or as an automated batch process. 3D PDFs created with Publish 3D can be shared, read, viewed and marked-up with Adobe Acrobat Reader by stakeholders in other departments internally as well as with external third-party suppliers and collaborators.

This infographic depicts the Publish 3D process. Image courtesy of Theorem Solutions.

Theorem Solutions designed Publish 3D specifically for CATIA V5, NX and PTC Creo CAD design environments as well as JT-enabled solutions. Publish 3D can be fully integrated into engineering and business processes such as PLM (product lifecycle management), PDM (product data management) and ERP (enterprise resource planning) systems, and it enables PDF forms to be customized for specific consumers and incorporated into the publishing process.

Described by the company as simple to deploy and easy to use, Publish 3D has three main features at the documentation-creation level:

1. A “Save as” function from within the CAD system to create a PDF document.
2. A “Save as” function from within the CAD system with batch processing capability.
3. Functionality for batch publishing files, creating complex documents and automated distribution of 3D PDFs through email, ftp or a cloud-based collaboration system in accordance with your company’s procedures.

Users can embed in their 3D PDFs supplementary media such as text, PowerPoint files, spreadsheets, AVI movies and hyperlinks to further online information. Additionally, users have the ability to embed or package native CAD files in the PDF document with every piece of collaborative information such as the historical record of all iterations. The 3D PDF document created by Publish 3D, says Theorem, is extremely lightweight, making it unlikely to encounter firewall or inbox capacity restraints when emailed.

An example 3D PDF publication notice created by Publish 3D. Image courtesy of Theorem Solutions.

At the recipient’s level, any collaborator with the Adobe Acrobat Reader on a PC or tablet can access the 3D PDF. Users can view the 3D model, interrogate the model tree subassemblies, turn components on and off, shade and render, cross section components and assemblies, and view a model in solid, wireframe, shaded and rendered modes. They can pan, zoom in/out and rotate models, and also they can attach notes, comments and recommendations.

At the enterprise level, Publish 3D leverages many of its features from Theorem’s Process Manager Suite of CAD data exchange automation and management tools. Theorem Process Manager, says the company, has a high level of sophistication that ensures that all CAD resources are fully utilized by scheduling publishing routines using hardware and CAD licenses as they become available or by scheduling publication routines overnight.

Publish 3D can pull into documents engineering data such as costing, tooling and BOMs (bills of materials) from a variety of enterprise-wide information repositories or MRP (manufacturing resource planning) systems. It supports 3D annotations and dimensions FTA (PMI) from a native interface into 3D PDF, and it supports model-based definition (MBD) processes for downstream activities in manufacturing as well as for use by supply chain partners. Automation, says Theorem Solutions, ensures repeatable and consistent data processes. Publish 3D incorporates technology to validate and protect data. Furthermore, Publish 3D can exchange IP (intellectual property) in a manner that protects the native data, according to the company.

Theorem Solutions designed Publish 3D for PTC Creo as well as CATIA V5, NX and JT-enabled CAD design environments. Image courtesy of Theorem Solutions.

Publish 3D can create customized documents for multiple users. For example, it can create and distribute a rendered assembly to marketing or an exploded view to customer service, or it can send a version to technical publications with hidden lines removed or as part of a BOM for purchasing.

Lighter, scalable versions of 3D Publish for the CATIA V5, NX, PTC Creo and JT-enabled CAD systems under the name 3D PDF Publisher are available. To learn more about the Publish 3D enterprise-wide solution for high-volume intelligent documentation and information exchange, go here.

Request sample interactive 3D PDF documents created with Publish 3D.

Learn more about 3D PDF Publisher for CATIA V5, JT, NX, and PTC Creo.

See why DE’s editors selected Publish 3D from Theorem Solutions as their Pick of the Week.

Sources: Press materials received from the company and additional information gleaned from the company’s website.