Adobe Acrobat 3D, new software for collaborating on and reviewing 3D content in documents, is now available. The latest member of the Acrobat product family is intended to enable technical project teams to distribute, use and review 3D data quickly, securely and efficiently in Adobe PDF documents using the free Adobe Reader, version 7.07 or later. Designers, technical documentation staff, professionals in mechanical engineering, the automotive and aerospace industries, as well as architects and civil engineers can use the new software to convert 3D models from all common CAD formats and integrate them into cross-platform PDF files. With Acrobat 3D and the free Adobe Reader, 3D designs can therefore also be made available to non-technical users, improving collaboration with external project participants.
Adobe says this promises greater precision, lower design and manufacturing costs and shorter development times without requiring access to the original CAD applications.
Acrobat 3D also enables users to interact with 3D objects in PDF documents. A set of tools can be used to adjust lighting, add an object’s structure and material, and create animations such as assembly and disassembly instructions. Navigation tools—for example, displaying a parts tree, showing and hiding components or assemblies, creating cross-sectional views, making components transparent, or displaying object data—also make complex assembly designs easier to work with. Suppliers, partners and customers can be included in the review process and need only Adobe Reader. When a PDF document has been enabled for this purpose with Acrobat 3D, Adobe Reader users can view the object structure and apply commenting, measuring and cross-section tools to 3D objects in the PDF.
With Acrobat 3D, technical users can quickly share 3D CAD data with every member of a project team without recipients having to install CAD viewers or applications. This reduces costs caused by slow and error-prone communication methods, such as screenshots and paper-based processes. Creative professionals and users who create technical publications can also increase their productivity with Acrobat 3D by inserting 3D models into Microsoft Word, Excel and PowerPoint files and distributing them as secure, “intelligent” PDF documents. Service, operating and training materials as well as brochures and catalogues provided digitally can therefore be made even more illustrative.
According to Adobe, companies including Renault Group, Honda Racing F1 Team, Eaton Corporation, Bradrock Industries, ITT Industries and Atrus Incorporated have already tested Acrobat 3D for review processes involving 3D CAD models.
Acrobat 3D expands the Acrobat product family, which consists of Acrobat 7.0 Professional, Acrobat 7.0 Standard and Acrobat 7.0 Elements. Acrobat 3D is the most advanced software in this product line and includes all the functionality of Acrobat 7.0 Professional in addition to numerous features for technical users.
Acrobat 3D is now available for approximately €1,360 or CHF 1,900. Registered users of Acrobat 7.0 Professional can upgrade for €740 or CHF 1,040; users of Acrobat 6.0 Professional pay €950 or CHF 1,330. The software runs on Windows 2000 with Service Pack 2 and on the Professional, Home and Tablet PC editions of Windows XP. The Acrobat 3D Capture Utility also runs on IBM AIX 5.2, HP-UX 11.0, SGI IRIX 6.5 and Sun Solaris 2.8.
