Product lifecycle visualization

Abstract

When products are developed in 3D using engineering applications, the data is initially stored in the native format of the used CAD software. If this 3D CAD data is to be shared with people who do not have this software or to be consolidated with visualization data from other sources, neutral 3D formats are needed. For visualization of product data in the engineering field-regardless of native CAD formats-a plethora of 3D formats are available. Among these are disclosed or standardized formats like PDF from Adobe, JT and also X3D, Collada and STEP. The choice of a format has many implications, including the options available for using the data and the resulting follow-up costs. For this reason product lifecycle visualization is a rising discipline for product lifecycle management. This chapter provides an overview of the industrial challenge, technical background and standardization, typical applications, and evaluation and testing in the field of engineering visualization with neutral 3D formats. The chapter is completed by assessment approach for 3D formats and examples from the industrial practice in various fields.