3D VISUALIZATION TECHNOLOGY FOR THE MANUFACTURING …€¦ · ad-hoc processes. For product data, the 3D CAD model cons-titutes the master, and following processes are provided with

WHITEPAPER

3D VISUALIZATION TECHNOLOGY FOR THE MANUFACTURING INDUSTRY

[email protected] ı viewer.kisters.de

Whitepaper: 3D VISUALIZATION TECHNOLOGY FOR THE MANUFACTURING INDUSTRY © 2013 KISTERS AG 2

The manufacturing industry is characterized by the need for many com-

panies to work together, both in the development process and all fol-

lowing processes. CAD models form the shared language in this process,

serving as an information source to be handled in different ways for the

many business processes. Visualization technologies are a key to meeting

these requirements, as their broad range of functionality facilitates more

independence, greater economy and faster realization of the task at hand.

Nevertheless, the needs of large and small companies differ greatly, and

while in one case a solution integrated with PLM or ERP may be preferred,

in another, a standalone solution will be superior. The Kisters 3DViewStati-

on product family capably meets this range of demands.

Abstract

Engineering

Partners

Tech. Documentation, Service Process planning, Manufacturing

Change request

Review Prozess

MarketingSales, Purchasing

Converter

Native CAD

Neutral viewable

File-based / PLM

Company-wide visualization


Initial Situation: A World of Mixed Systems

CAD systems are the primary system used by a manufacturer‘s

engineering department or service provider as a tool for ge-

nerating product data. A number of CAD systems are on the

market, each following different release cycles and confi gura-

tions. While a large company may be able to standardize on a

single product, its suppliers must still remain fl exible in order to

work in the CAD environments chosen by their multiple clients.

Methods of data provision also vary considerably: while large

companies may deploy PLM systems with desktop and web cli-

ents and neutral data formats throughout their processes, small

and medium-sized enterprises tend to work using fi les in native

and neutral CAD formats, and use elaborate folder structures

and fi le naming conventions.

The complexity also differs in terms of the data quantities to

be processed, ranging from small (for individual components)

to extremely large (for complete products). The only consistent

feature is that the data quantities are always growing. Finally,

the functionalities offered by different systems introduce more

heterogeneity. Depending on sub-processes - i.e. the specifi c

task in question - and the number of users involved, the requi-

red functionality may also differ signifi cantly.

The complexity differs in terms of the data quantities to be processed, ranging from small (for individual components) to extremely large (for complete products).

Supported Import format File Extension 3D-PDF PDF3DViewStation 3DVS, 3DVSX3DXML 3DXMLAutodesk Inventor IPT, IAMCGR CGR CATIA V4 MODEL DLV, EXP, SESSIONCATIA V5 CATPRODUCT, CATPARTCATIA V6 3DXMLCreo Elements/Pro PRT, XPR, ASM, XAS, NEUIndustry Foundation Classes

IFC

IGES IGS, IGESJTOpen JTPro/ENGINEER PRT, XPR, ASM, XAS, NEUSiemens I-deas MF1, ARC, UNV, PKGSiemens NX-3D PRTParasolid X_T, X_BSolid Edge ASM, PAR, PWD, PSMSolidWorks SLDASM, SLDPRTSTEP Exchange STP, STEPStereo Lithography STLUniversal 3D U3DPRC PRCVDA-FS VDAVRML VRML, WRLSupported Export format File Extension3D-PDF PDF3DViewStation 3DVS, 3DVSXParasolid X_T, X_BIGES IGS, IGESSTEP Exchange STP, STEPStereo Lithography STLUniversal 3D U3DPRC PRC

Visual collaboration

3D-PDF Native CADJT

3DViewStation ActiveX

3DViewStation Desktop






PLM ERP integrated


File-based

non-integrated

Automation Server

PLM

ERP

Meta-data

Geometry-associated

data

Role infor-

mation

Native CAD

Neutral CAD

3DVS


Focus on Large Companies

Native vs. Neutral CAD, Standardization vs. Ad-hoc,

Role-based PLM Clients

Large companies aim for standardization: they use a single CAD

system and maintain a unified release cycle and configuration.

The computers in use have well-defined operating system en-

vironments, as well as email, office and PLM systems. PLM sys-

tems facilitate standardized processes, although research has

shown that every company also has a significant amount of

ad-hoc processes. For product data, the 3D CAD model cons-

titutes the master, and following processes are provided with

neutral CAD data to work with. Design derivatives are often not

necessary, as manufacturing works with the 3D data directly.

PLM systems use integrated visualization solutions to display,

analyze and process 3D data. Role-based PLM clients help users

do the work suitable for their role, which means that the clients

behave differently depending on the assigned task. Visualizati-

on solutions play an important role here.

Investment & ROI

Generate /maintain

product data (CAD)

Find/use/distribute/ manage product dataIntegrated viewing,

DMU graphical navigation, role-based viewing

Information at-your-fingertips

Simple viewing/measuring/markup(Start Viewer X for data format Y)

Visual navigation (freebie)

Retu

rn o

n In

vest

men

t pr

o U

ser

Number of users

High ROI per userHigh riskHigh investment

Significant ROILow to medium riskLow to medium cost

Low ROILow riskLow cost

part1

part 4

part 5

part 6

part 7

part 2

part 3

prod

Assy 1

Assy 3

Assy 2

CADStructure „as designed“

prod

Assy 1

Assy 3

part1

Assy 2

part 5

part 6

part 7

part 2

part 3

part 4

Release statusAssemblies with parts

in different release status „released“, “in

progress”,“change request“...

part 2

part 5

part 6

part 7

part 1

prod

Assy 1

Assy 3

part 3

part 4

Views“as designed”, “as manufactured”, “as

maintained”…

meta 1

meta 2

part 6

part 7

part 1

meta 3

prod

Assy 1

Assy 3

doc 4

doc 1

part 4

Associative dataMeta, e.g. ERP: price, inventory, supplier

Doc: QA, maint., draw., ECM, errors, mktg, BE……

part1

part 5

part 6

part 7

part 8

prod

Assy 1

Assy 3

part 9

VariantsRemove, replace and

change parts and assemblies

3DViewStation ActiveX APIs support all these scenarios (e.g. transformation matrix, hyperlinking)

Support for virtual product structures


Performance, Real MultiCAD, Virtual Products, Selections

Kisters 3DViewStation technology makes it possible to cover all

conceivable scenarios: in addition to native formats, it also pro-

cesses neutral CAD data such as JT, STEP and 3D PDF. It offers

extremely high performance when opening all data formats, alt-

hough native and BREP CAD data naturally loads more slowly

than neutral or tessellated files. It offers maximum performance

when using the 3DVS format which, like STEP and 3D PDF, can

be generated in a batch using the Kisters Automation Server.

The Kisters 3DViewStation ActiveX is a component specially de-

veloped for integration in PLM and other management systems.

It integrates seamlessly in the interface and offers importers,

exporters and the same full range of functionality as the desk-

top version of Kisters 3DViewStation, for all CAD data. Assem-

blies can be loaded from native or neutral CAD assembly files,

or through transformation matrices from a PLM system using

the API (so-called virtual products, which allow a particularly

good representation of versions, variants and configurations).

Because any number of data formats can be processed in a

mixed environment without prior conversion, this type of sys-

tem is said to have true multiCAD capabilities.

After the data has loaded, it is important for users to have access

to the necessary functionality inside the deep integration. In

70% of use cases the purpose is purely to view the data, which is

supported by a full range of navigation aids and support to read

m a n u f a c -

turing in-

formation,

known as

PMIs. In addition to fundamental functions such as zoom, rotate

and move, Kisters 3DViewStation also offers functions to show/

hide, cut, measure, dimension, compare, shift/rotate objects, ge-

nerate images and convert to 3D. The range of selection func-

tions is particularly important when working with assemblies.

Kisters 3DViewStation allows you to select objects not only in

the structure tree, but also in the graphical view. As in Windows

Explorer, objects can be added and removed from a selection

using the Ctrl and Shift buttons, or many selected together by

dragging a selection box. A search for objects in the immedia-

te geometrical range of the selected object may also be found

using a neighbor search function. Finally, Kisters 3DViewStation

also offers a filter function, which may be used to select ob-

jects by name, CAD attributes and color. Color in particular may

be used for a range of purposes, as described in the following

section.

In-place Integration, Hyperlinking, Information „At Your Fingertips“

The interface of the Kisters 3DViewStation ActiveX version is

determined entirely by the embedded application in this scena-

rio, and can thus be adjusted to the role of the user. The advan-

tages are clear: while previously all users had to work with a

unified client containing the maximum range of functionality,

frequently making it too cumbersome to use and for this rea-

son finding only limited acceptance, it is now possible for every

user to get the information they need „at their fingertips“ using

hyperlinking. Simply clicking on a geometry displays the last

supplier, price and current inventory to a purchaser, while a

service professional will instead see the maintenance manual.

Directly supporting all data formats means independence from CAD suppliers.

In-place integration, hyperlinking and information „at the fingertips“ of every user


Color codes can be used to color a model based on available

metadata or values queried from the ERP system in real-time,

so that the purchaser immediately sees which parts of an as-

sembly are at a critically low level of inventory, and the project

manager can immediately see what the current release status

is for all parts of an assembly, or where new change requests

have been made. This type of integration accelerates processes,

eliminates many common mistakes at the source and thus in-

creases the quality of processes and increases user acceptance.

Ad-hoc Processes, Desktop Application

In every company, despite all efforts to standardize technology

and processes, there is still a high proportion of ad-hoc proces-

ses and niche solutions. Everyone has heard the typical „just

do it quickly like this“ line. Ad-hoc processes are not bad in

themselves, but instead arise from everyday realities and the

need for fl exibility, which should not be constrained by systems

and technologies. It is not by chance that email and Excel are

the most favored yet least effi cient workfl ow systems, which

are often used in last-

minute change request

scenarios. Because ad-

hoc processes can only

be handled to a limited

extent using integra-

ted solutions, desktop

solutions such as the

Kisters 3DViewStation

desktop version are

required for visualiza-

tion. This can be used

to visualize all data,

whether in native or neutral CAD formats or using the internal

3DVS format designed for maximum performance, loading from

the local hard drive or network drives. The system includes

functions for analysis, viewing a broad range of states, entering

annotations and markup, copying views into an email or offi ce

document using the clipboard or forwarding in a wide range of

3D formats, such as 3D PDF.

30% of ad-hoc processes require stand-alone solutions

Niche and Non-integrated Processes

Even in large companies, there are sub-processes which requi-

re specialized functionality rather than particularly effective

integration. In marketing, high-resolution images are requi-

red, which are ideally generated directly from the CAD data.

Technical documentation typically generates 2D documents,

which must be derived from 3D models for illustrations. Kisters

3DViewStation also meets the needs of processes which read

and prepare CAD data, create views, generate explosions, add

position number graphics and derive the necessary images and

illustrations, or allow you to transfer them directly using copy

and paste. Furthermore, Kisters 3DViewStation is often used to

inspect data quality during fi le exchange, as it reliably reads all

current data formats and can carry out geometric comparisons

between originals and the converted result.

Filter objects

Selection highlighting

Annotations with language variants

Communication between geometry and upstream systems

Query inventory

Jump to linked document

Show metadata

Initiated by graphic

Initiated by system

Aspects of graphical navigation


Focus on Small and Medium Enterprises

Demand for Flexibility

A relatively small

number of large

companies stand

in contrast to a

large number of

small and medi-

um-sized enterpri-

ses. The level of standardization here is lower, PLM systems less

widespread or deployed less consistently, system discontinu-

ities are the rule rather than the exception, and most work is

handled in files.

Processes are often defined informally, and defined differently

by different clients. SMEs must be flexible, which has an im-

mediate effect on the use of CAD systems: these are typically

diverse, and often in different release cycles and configurations

due to client requirements. SMEs must also adjust to the needs

of clients when delivering data: when awarding a contract, it is

often necessary to work with neutral visualization data such

as JT in addition to native CAD data, while after the contract

has been awarded, the process switches to either native CAD

or neutral BREP data such as STEP, which can be used to design

shapes and tools with the in-house CAD system. Sub-processes

in SMEs are often handled by only one or very few people, who

generally must be able to work independently.

For SMEs, multiCAD and flexibility are essential

Native and Neutral Viewing, Performance, Modern Interfaces

In order to meet these not insignificant needs, the desktop ver-

sion of Kisters 3DViewStation features the level of data format

compatibility demanded by the market, supporting all high-end

CAD systems such as CATIA, NX and ProE / Creo, mid-range sys-

tems such as Inventor, SolidWorks and Solid Edge as well as

neutral formats such as STEP, Parasolid, JT, 3D PDF, VRML and

many more.

In these cases, performance is just as important as the reliabi-

lity and completeness with which data can be read, not to for-

get up-to-date interfaces to keep step with updated to software

from CAD suppliers.

Sales Use Case

As one of the most common user groups, sales must be able to

visualize and analyze all incoming CAD data, regardless of the

type. The system acquires volumes, carries out surface calcula-

tions, takes measurements, organizes results and intermediate

results in views and handles undercut analysis. If the contract

arrives at a later point, the comparison function is key to en-

sure that the component to be manufactured has not suddenly

changed, so that the associated tool must be changed and the

calculation is no longer valid.

Change Request Use Case

Technical products are subject to constant change processes.

Change management is one of the most common use cases for

3D visualization tools. Kisters 3DViewStation offers everything

you need: quick loading, search functions for objects of interest,

filtering or manual identification and isolation, changes to color

and transparency, adding comments and markup, and organiza-

tion in views for models with higher complexity. Depending on

the internal process, the result is sent as an image or 3D model,

over either the internal system or email.


Process Planning Use Case

The desktop version of Kisters 3DViewStation is also an autho-

ring tool, which can be used to prepare manufacturing guideli-

nes. CAD data of any type are read in and prepared into views

to clarify the individual installation steps. This process involves

selecting, hiding, coloring and changing the transparency of ob-

jects, as well as adding markup.

Remaining in 3D processes, it is also still possible to change the

sequence of views and send the result to manufacturing. If pro-

cess planning takes place using 2D guides, the views may sim-

ply be copied and pasted into Word, Publisher or FrameMaker.

Technical Documentation Use Case

Powerful editorial systems are available for manuals of all ty-

pes in the field of technical documentation. Images and illustra-

tions are of primary use today, generated from CAD data using

products such as Kisters 3DViewStation. Editorial systems offer

the advantage of modular processing for the described objects,

i.e. text and images, which may be output in a range of target

data formats, and should generally also be printable. These sys-

tems often have difficulty handling 3D, and documents may be

structured more compactly by taking advantage of 3D views.

However, they are not immediately printable without further

handling, or if using 3D with a view to print output, they bear

the disadvantage of a larger file size due to the increased quan-

tity of data. For this reason, the case of 3D documentation ge-

nerally demands preparation with a bare minimum of text, and

any text present should ideally not be subject to translation.

When using Kisters 3DViewStation, it is possible (in addition

to images and illustrations for 2D documentation) to create

3D-based documentation including the entire range of text an-

notations, 3D markup, showing and hiding components, colors,

move and rotate functions and views with animated playback.

In many cases in the technical world, such 3D-based documen-

tation is significantly more meaningful and comprehensible

than 2D counterparts.

And they can typically also be prepared faster and are easier

to maintain.

Kisters 3DViewStation allows you

to create 3D documentation, in

addition to typical images and il-

lustrations for 2D documentation


Summary

Visualization tools such as Kisters 3DViewStation are important

tools for the manufacturing industry. They serve above all as

a means for collaboration and the communication of technical

product information. Every company must identify for itself

how current processes are conceived, where which needs exist,

and which tool can cover the greatest range of scenarios pos-

sible. With 3DViewStation, Kisters offers a tool which was and

continues to be developed based on the needs identified in real

customer projects. For this reason, the Kisters 3DViewStation

family covers many scenarios identified in large, medium and

small enterprises. A modern and intuitive user interface should

not only provide the user with access to the necessary informa-

tion, but be fun and simple to operate. Kisters 3DViewStation is

so fast that it generally keeps pace with the working speed of

the operator, instead of the other way around. The import inter-

faces are not only fast and complete, but also constantly kept up

to date. They facilitate not only the fastest possible work with

native CAD data, but also with all important standards such as

JT, STEP and 3D PDF. This is important, because while in theo-

ry one data format is sufficient, reality involves much greater

diversity. The Kisters 3DViewStation product family covers all

important areas of application: standalone as a desktop version,

as a component integrated in PLM and web clients, and finally a

server solution for automatic conversion.

Kisters 3DViewStation also proves that using a preferred data

format as the process format for a company does not bind you

to one supplier‘s product - even if this is often the suggested

case. Kisters 3DViewStation can rapidly read the JT data format,

read and write 3D PDF and STEP, and the full scope of both 3D

PDF and native CAD data may be analyzed using the tool.

3D PDF is generally known as a monolithic data format; how-

ever, with Kisters 3DViewStation, it is also possible to load as-

semblies with individual components or also sub-components

from 3D PDF. For SMEs, desktop solutions and flexibility play

a much greater role, while larger companies focus more on the

ability to integrate, adjust and optimize solution processes.

This potential for deep integration may only be achieved with

powerful visualization technologies, such as that offered by the

Kisters 3DViewStation.

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http://viewer.kisters.de

http://blog.kisters.de

Tel. +49 (0)241 9671-517

E-Mail: [email protected]

Documents

3D VISUALIZATION TECHNOLOGY FOR THE MANUFACTURING …€¦ · ad-hoc processes. For product data, the 3D CAD model cons-titutes the master, and following processes are provided with