3D-Tool Version 8.

5 Manual

3D-Tool Version 8.5 - Manual

© Ingo Wulf 2008 – www.3D-Tool.de – [email protected]

3D-Tool V8.5 Manual Page 2

Contents

1. FUNCTION COMPARISON: FREE VIEWER, BASIC, ADVANCED ..........................................................8

2. ACTIVATION AND LICENSING ................................................................................................................10
FREE VIEWER ................................................................................................................................................10
ACTIVATING A COMMERCIAL LICENSE...............................................................................................................10
REPLACING THE COMPUTER............................................................................................................................10
14 DAYS TRIAL LICENSE .................................................................................................................................11
3. DISPLAY SPEED OPTIMIZATION ............................................................................................................12
4. MOUSE AND KEYBOARD CONTROLS...................................................................................................13
MOUSE CONTROLS ........................................................................................................................................13
3D-MOUSE ....................................................................................................................................................14
FUNCTION KEYS ............................................................................................................................................15
5. DATA EXCHANGE ....................................................................................................................................16
OVERVIEW: IMPORTING DATA .........................................................................................................................16
Notes on importing data ......................................................................................................................16
SUPPORTED FILE FORMATS............................................................................................................................17
Load.....................................................................................................................................................17
Save ....................................................................................................................................................17
RECOMMENDED FILE FORMATS / FILE SIZES ...................................................................................................18
STEP - IGS - VDA - SAT - PARASOLID SETTINGS .......................................................................................19
BATCH MODE ................................................................................................................................................20
6. PUBLISH CAD-DATA................................................................................................................................22
COMPARISON OF EXE, DDD AND 3D-PDF FILES ............................................................................................22
3D-Tool EXE-files................................................................................................................................22
3D-Tool DDD-files ...............................................................................................................................22
3D-PDF files ........................................................................................................................................23
PUBLISH EXE-FILE (SAVE COMPLETE).......................................................................................................24
Settings when publishing an EXE-File ................................................................................................24
Options when publishing an EXE-File.................................................................................................24
PUBLISH DDD-FILE ..................................................................................................................................25
Settings when publishing a DDD-File..................................................................................................25
Options when publishing a DDD-File ..................................................................................................25
PUBLISH 3D-PDF .....................................................................................................................................26
Settings when publishing a PDF-file ...................................................................................................26
7. ELEMENT LIST 3D ....................................................................................................................................27
BASICS WHEN WORKING WITH THE ELEMENT LIST ............................................................................................27
CONTEXT MENU.............................................................................................................................................27
ELEMENT LIST FUNCTIONS .............................................................................................................................28
List of Elements ...................................................................................................................................28
Show Selection ..............................................................................................................................28
Hide Selection ................................................................................................................................28
Show only Selection.......................................................................................................................28
Show all Shells/Parts .....................................................................................................................28
Hide all Shells/Parts .......................................................................................................................28
Undo last Show/Hide .....................................................................................................................28
Find in Element List .......................................................................................................................29
Show Selection as Shade ..............................................................................................................29
Show Selection as Shaded with Edges .........................................................................................29
Show Selection as Wireframe........................................................................................................29

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Reset special Settings/Use global Shade Mode............................................................................29

Transparent Color for Selection .....................................................................................................29
Solid Color for Selection ................................................................................................................29
Change Color of Selection .............................................................................................................29
ADDITIONAL FUNCTIONS .................................................................................................................................29
8. LAYER LIST 2D .........................................................................................................................................30
List of Layers .......................................................................................................................................30
Select .............................................................................................................................................30
Deselect .........................................................................................................................................30
Resolution of Arcs ..........................................................................................................................30
Delete.............................................................................................................................................30
Change Color .................................................................................................................................30
Move ..............................................................................................................................................31
Scale ..............................................................................................................................................31
Change Text...................................................................................................................................31
Small Lines ..........................................................................................................................................31
Show / Hide....................................................................................................................................31
All: Show All ........................................................................................................................................31
No: Hide All .........................................................................................................................................31
9. CUSTOM VIEWS .......................................................................................................................................32
W HY USING CUSTOM VIEWS?.........................................................................................................................32
W HAT IS STORED IN CUSTOM VIEWS? .............................................................................................................32
W HAT YOU HAVE TO CONSIDER .......................................................................................................................32
STORING AND RESTORING CUSTOM VIEWS......................................................................................................33
[V] : Open List......................................................................................................................................33
<< >>: Previous and next Custom View..............................................................................................33
Master View ...................................................................................................................................33
Save Custom View.........................................................................................................................33
Delete Custom View ......................................................................................................................33
Previous View ................................................................................................................................33
EDITING CUSTOM VIEWS ................................................................................................................................33
10. LIGHTING.................................................................................................................................................34

11. SECTION .............................................................................................................................................35

SECTION CONTROLS ......................................................................................................................................35
EXCLUDING PARTS FROM SECTIONS ................................................................................................................35
ADDITIONAL NOTES ON SECTIONS ...................................................................................................................36

12. PRINT / CREATE PICTURE ...........................................................................................................37

COMMON SETTINGS .......................................................................................................................................37
PRINT - ADDITIONAL SETTINGS ...................................................................................................................37
CREATE PICTURE - ADDITIONAL SETTINGS ..................................................................................................38
13. 3D - TOOLS..............................................................................................................................................39

ANNOTATIONS - DIMENSIONS.....................................................................................................................39
General Information.............................................................................................................................39
Selection of Annotation and Dimension Tools: ...................................................................................40
Auto (Automatic Measurement of Distances and Angles): ............................................................40
Measure Radius: ............................................................................................................................41
Measure Thickness:.......................................................................................................................42
Measure Vertex:.............................................................................................................................42
Measure Point: ...............................................................................................................................42

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Measure Edge:...............................................................................................................................42
Measure Box: .................................................................................................................................42
Create Note:...................................................................................................................................42
Add background Images or Text....................................................................................................42
Moving Annotations and Dimensions and Editing Notes ....................................................................43
ASSEMBLY EXPLODE.................................................................................................................................44
Selection Mode....................................................................................................................................44
Create Explosion .................................................................................................................................44
Saving Explosions / Creating Custom Views ......................................................................................45
PAINTER...................................................................................................................................................46
Transparency / Brightness ..................................................................................................................46
Change Color ......................................................................................................................................46
Auto Color ...........................................................................................................................................46
PLACEMENT .............................................................................................................................................47
Align Parts ...........................................................................................................................................47
Translate Parts ....................................................................................................................................47
REPAIR ....................................................................................................................................................48
Delete ..................................................................................................................................................48
Normal (Changing the Orientation of Triangles) .................................................................................48
Move Pnt. (Move Points) .....................................................................................................................49
New (Create a new Element/Triangle) ................................................................................................49
Auto (automatic Repair) ......................................................................................................................49
RP-LAYOUT .............................................................................................................................................50
Selecting parts.....................................................................................................................................50
RP-System ..........................................................................................................................................50
Part Placement....................................................................................................................................50
Align Part Faces ..................................................................................................................................50
Snap Z-min to ......................................................................................................................................50
DRAFT ANGLE ANALYSIS ...........................................................................................................................51
Reference Plane..................................................................................................................................51
Parting Analysis...................................................................................................................................51
Draft Analysis ......................................................................................................................................51
Angle Analysis .....................................................................................................................................51
W ALL THICKNESS ANALYSIS ......................................................................................................................52
Calculation Settings.............................................................................................................................52
Display Settings...................................................................................................................................52
Point Calculation .................................................................................................................................52
Fast Calculation...................................................................................................................................52
Exact Calculation.................................................................................................................................52
ANIMATION ...............................................................................................................................................53
Basic Approach ...................................................................................................................................53
Create Animation.................................................................................................................................53
Applying Keyframes ............................................................................................................................54
Planning Keyframes ............................................................................................................................54
Limitations ...........................................................................................................................................55
Play Animation ....................................................................................................................................55
Export AVI ...........................................................................................................................................56
CUSTOM VIEWS EDITOR ............................................................................................................................57
PROPERTY EDITOR ...................................................................................................................................58
Editing Properties ................................................................................................................................58
Saving and loading Properties ............................................................................................................59
INFORMATION ...........................................................................................................................................60
MOVE.......................................................................................................................................................61
ROTATE ...................................................................................................................................................62
SCALE ......................................................................................................................................................63
MIRROR ...................................................................................................................................................64
DRAG'N TRANS .........................................................................................................................................65

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14. PREFERENCES.......................................................................................................................................66
PREFERENCES - COMMON ..............................................................................................................................66
PREFERENCES - 3D DISPLAY..........................................................................................................................67
PREFERENCES - 2D DISPLAY..........................................................................................................................68
PREFERENCES ELEMENT LIST (3D) ................................................................................................................69
PREFERENCES - COLOR .................................................................................................................................70
PREFERENCES - IMPORT / EXPORT .................................................................................................................71
PREFERENCES - HARDWARE ..........................................................................................................................72
15. MAIN MENU .............................................................................................................................................73
MENU: 3D-2D ...............................................................................................................................................73
3D...................................................................................................................................................73
2D...................................................................................................................................................73
MENU: FILE ...................................................................................................................................................74
New Scene.....................................................................................................................................74
Load ...............................................................................................................................................74
Save ...............................................................................................................................................74
Save ... as ......................................................................................................................................74
Publish EXE/DDD ..........................................................................................................................74
Publish PDF ...................................................................................................................................74
Most recently used ..............................................................................................................................74
Print................................................................................................................................................74
Create Picture ................................................................................................................................74
Exit .................................................................................................................................................74
MENU: DISPLAY .............................................................................................................................................75
Rotate Screen Center ....................................................................................................................75
Perspective View ...........................................................................................................................75
Shade.............................................................................................................................................75
Shade with Edges ..........................................................................................................................75
Shade + Triangles..........................................................................................................................75
Wire Frame ....................................................................................................................................75
Hidden Lines Colored ....................................................................................................................75
Hidden Lines Black/White ..............................................................................................................76
Triangles ........................................................................................................................................76
Points .............................................................................................................................................76
Fast Move............................................................................................................................................76
Back Faces..........................................................................................................................................76
Bad Edges......................................................................................................................................76
Absolute Coordinate System .........................................................................................................76
Orientation......................................................................................................................................76
Annotations-Dimensions ................................................................................................................76
Transparency .................................................................................................................................76
Explode ..........................................................................................................................................76
Smooth Display ...................................................................................................................................77
(Re) Calc Smoothing ...........................................................................................................................77
Black/White - Lines (only 2D-Mode)....................................................................................................77
MENU: VIEW ..................................................................................................................................................78
Fullscreen.......................................................................................................................................78
Section *.........................................................................................................................................78
Zoom in ..........................................................................................................................................78
Zoom out ........................................................................................................................................78
Fit to Screen...................................................................................................................................78
Previous View ................................................................................................................................79

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Load View ......................................................................................................................................79

Save View ......................................................................................................................................79
Front, Back, Left, Right, Top, Bottom, 3D-View * ..........................................79
Align View * ....................................................................................................................................79
Rotate Horizontal 180° * ................................................................................................................79
Rotate Vertical 180° *.....................................................................................................................79
Rotate Normal 180° * .....................................................................................................................79
Rotate Normal 90° * .......................................................................................................................79
MENU: ANIMATION .........................................................................................................................................80
Rotate Left, Rotate Right, Rotate Up, Rotate Down * .........................................................................80
Play Fullscreen Animation * ................................................................................................................80
Play Animation * ..................................................................................................................................80
Slide Show ..........................................................................................................................................80
MENU: TOOLS................................................................................................................................................81
Annotations - Dimensions ..............................................................................................................81
Assembly Explode .........................................................................................................................81
Painter............................................................................................................................................81
Placement ......................................................................................................................................81
Repair.............................................................................................................................................81
RP Layout ......................................................................................................................................81
Draft Angle Analysis.......................................................................................................................81
Wall Thickness Analysis ................................................................................................................81
Animation .......................................................................................................................................82
Custom Views Editor......................................................................................................................82
Property Editor ...............................................................................................................................82
Information .....................................................................................................................................82
Move ..............................................................................................................................................82
Rotate.............................................................................................................................................82
Scale ..............................................................................................................................................82
Mirror..............................................................................................................................................82
MENU: ELEMENT LIST ....................................................................................................................................83
Expand all ......................................................................................................................................83
Collapse all.....................................................................................................................................83
Activate selected Part ....................................................................................................................83
Pick Shell .......................................................................................................................................83
Highlight Selection .........................................................................................................................83
Delete Selection .............................................................................................................................83
Combine selected Elements to one Shell ......................................................................................83
(Re)Arrange selected Elements to new Assembly or File .............................................................83
Move Up.........................................................................................................................................84
Move down.....................................................................................................................................84
Sort Element List............................................................................................................................84
MENU: OPTIONS ............................................................................................................................................85
Pre Highlight ........................................................................................................................................85
Use Animation .....................................................................................................................................85
Hardware Acceleration ........................................................................................................................85
Change Wireframe Angle *..................................................................................................................85
Background * .......................................................................................................................................85
Preferences .........................................................................................................................................85
MENU: HELP ..................................................................................................................................................86
Help................................................................................................................................................86
Tip of the Day ......................................................................................................................................86
Check for Updates...............................................................................................................................86

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Licensing ........................................................................................................................................86
Licensing Terms ..................................................................................................................................86
About ...................................................................................................................................................86
16. HOW TO... ................................................................................................................................................87
HOW TO DISTRIBUTE CAD-DATA ....................................................................................................................87
Loading the CAD-data into 3D-Tool ....................................................................................................87
Editing the CAD-data...........................................................................................................................87
Highlighting important details ..............................................................................................................88
Publishing CAD-data ...........................................................................................................................89
HOW TO DO PRESENTATIONS WITH 3D-TOOL ..................................................................................................90
Adjusting colors ...................................................................................................................................90
Custom Views .....................................................................................................................................90
Publishing data for presentation..........................................................................................................90
During presentation .............................................................................................................................90
HOW TO LESSEN FILE SIZES AND INCREASE DISPLAY SPEED ..............................................................................92
Hardware Acceleration ........................................................................................................................92
Manipulating the number of triangles ..................................................................................................92

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1. Function Comparison: Free Viewer, Basic, Advanced

3D-Tool Basic and 3D-Tool Advanced differ only in the supported import formats, all other functions are
the same.

The 3D-Tool Free Viewer supports 3D-Tool EXE and DDD files plus STL files. The import of multiple
files into one scene is not possible. The Free Viewer can not publish/save data and has a limited
functionality.

The following table gives an overview on the functions supported by each version:

Free 3D-Tool 3D-Tool

Function
Viewer Basic Advanced
Loading of 3D Advanced formats
3D Advanced formats: STEP, IGS, VDA, SAT
and PARASOLID.
Loading of 3D Basic formats
3D Basic formats: STL, VRML, SLP, XGL, OBJ,
3DS, ASC, DXF, IV
Loading of STL-files
Import of models in STL-format.
Loading of 2D formats
2D-formats: DXF, DWG, PLT (HPGL and
HPGL2)
Loading of 3D-Tool EXE/DDD-files
Import of EXE and DDD-files created by 3D-
Tool.
Simultaneous loading of multiple files
Merge multiple files of different formats into one
scene.
Publishing of EXE/DDD-files
3D-Tool EXE and DDD-files contain the
complete project including all Annotations,
Dimensions, Custom Views and Animations.
Additionally EXE-files contain the 3D-Tool
Viewer, so they can be started without any
installation on any Windows system.
Publishing of 3D-PDF-files
Publish models in the 3D-PDF format. They can
be opened and viewed with the Adobe Acrobat
Reader from version 7.0.7.
Saving into STL, VRML and 3DS
Convert imported models into the file formats
STL, VRML and 3DS.
Support of 3D-mice
Support of 3D-mice made by 3Dconnexion, such
as: SpaceNavigator, SpaceExplorer, SpacePilot,
SpaceTraveller
Printing
Print 3D and 2D views, separately or combined
on one sheet.
BMP/JPG output
Save 3D and 2D views, separately or combined
into BMP or JPG pictures.

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Free 3D-Tool 3D-Tool

Function
Viewer Basic Advanced
Hide and show Elements
Single parts and complete assemblies can be
hidden, shown and displayed separately.
Customizing the graphical display of
Elements
All single Elements of a model can be colorized,
displayed transparent and displayed in different
render modes: (shaded, shaded with edges,
hidden lines, etc.).
Custom Views
Custom Views store any 3D and 2D view
including all display settings (shown/hidden
Elements, Cross Sections, Explosions) and can
be simply restored when needed.
Cross Sections
Create Cross Sections of the complete model as
well as of single parts and assemblies.
Annotations and Dimensions
Measure distances, angles, radiuses, wall
thicknesses and clearances and create
3D-annotations.
Assembly explode
Create exploded views of the model by moving
and rotating Elements without changing their
original position.
Animation
Combine multiple Custom Views to continuous
Animations which can be replayed with 3D-Tool.
Export of Animations to AVI-video
Save Animations created by 3D-Tool as AVI-
video.
Analyzing tools
Analyze draft angles and wall thicknesses.
Information
Get information on the volume and surface of
Elements.
Positioning and copying of Elements
Move, rotate, mirror and scale Elements.
Create copies of Elements.
Property Editor
Fast editing of names, colors and transparencies
of Elements. Save changes for further versions
of the model.
Custom Views Editor
Easily change the order and names of Custom
Views.
Placement
Move, rotate and scale parts in the coordinate
system. Place parts in relation to other parts.
Repair
Close bad edges, re-orientate flipped triangles
and delete triangles.
RP-Layout
Place parts on a rapid prototyping platform.

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2. Activation and Licensing

When 3D-Tool is started up after installation, the 3D-Tool licensing window is displayed. You have the
following possibilities to activate the program:

Free Viewer
Without a valid License Key, or with the Free Viewer version installed, 3D-Tool will start as
Free Viewer with limited functionality.

Note:
The independent Free Viewer version can be downloaded from www.3D-Tool.de .

Activating a commercial license

Requesting a License Key
After ordering 3D-Tool you will get an invoice and a License Certificate, which contains the
Authorization Key needed to request the commercial License Key.

On the computer, 3D-Tool should be activated on, enter the Authorization Key into the licensing
window and then click Acitvate Key. In the following window enter the e-mail address where the
License Key should be sent to. The License Key will be sent to this address. This method of key
request requires an active internet connection. Alternatively you can request a License Key by e-mail
or by fax. In these cases we need the following information:
• The Registration-ID from the installed program.
• The Authorization Key as stated on the License Certificate.
• The e-mail address, or the fax number, the License Key should be sent to.

Activating a License Key

Once you have received the License Key by e-mail, enter the Key into the licensing window and click
Activate Key. Now 3D-Tool is activated for the user currently logged in on this computer. If other
users want to use 3D-Tool on this computer, the same License Key can be entered for them also.

License File
Together with the e-mail containing the License Key comes a License File (license.dat). If you copy this
file to the installation folder of 3D-Tool, 3D-Tool will be activated automatically for all users of the
computer.

Note:
The License Key and the License File will only work on the computer they were requested for.
A commercial license Key can only be used with one computer.

Replacing the computer

If you have to reinstall 3D-Tool because you replaced the computer or reinstalled the operating system,
the License Key will lose its validity. In this case you can request a new License Key using the
Authorization Key from the License Certificate. The procedure is the same as described above
under Requesting a License Key.

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14 days Trial License

Requesting a Trial Key
You can request a one-time 14 days trial of the fully activated program by selecting the Trial License
button in the licensing window. In the following window enter all the data required and click Get Key.
This method of key request needs an active internet connection. Alternatively you can request a Trial
Key by e-mail or by fax. In these cases we need the following information:
• The Registration-ID of the program.
• The e-mail address, the Trial Key should be sent to.
• Your contact data (company, address and contact person)

Note:
If you already received a Trial Key and you're in the need of another one, you can get it only by an
appropriate request by e-mail.

Activating a Trial Key

Once you have received the Trial Key by e-mail, enter the Key into the licensing window and click
Activate Key. Now 3D-Tool is fully activated for 14 days.

Note:
The Trial Key will work only with the computer it was requested for.

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3. Display Speed Optimization

The speed of the program depends on the performance of your system. Besides the pure speed of the
processor, the 3D-capabilities of the graphics card play an essential role. To avoid possible problems,
the default setting of 3D-Tool does not use the hardware acceleration provided by the graphics card.

But you should try to activate hardware acceleration since this will considerably increase the display
speed. NVIDIA based graphics cards should work properly with OpenGL graphics turned on but some
ATI or SIS based graphics cards may not work perfectly in this mode.

If you discover strange effects after activating hardware acceleration - e.g. no colors, no display or
abnormal looking models - you should switch off hardware acceleration. If you find that it is not
possible to start up 3D-Tool after activating hardware acceleration, you will have to switch it off in the
start menu of Windows: Program Files => 3D-Tool => Tools=> OpenGL-Acceleration_Off. This is
not a bug in 3D-Tool but the result of an inadequate implementation of the OpenGL interface in the
drivers of your graphics card. Updating the drivers to the latest version may solve such display
problems.

Activating the Hardware Acceleration:

Temporarily you can activate hardware acceleration in the Options menu. If you want to permanently
activate hardware acceleration, you can do this in the Options menu by selecting the Preferences.
Go to Hardware, activate the hardware acceleration and click OK.

Note: When using 3D-Tool EXE-files you cannot pre-set hardware acceleration. When the file is
starting up, you can choose to activate hardware acceleration top-right in the start window, or after
starting up in the Options menu.

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4. Mouse and Keyboard Controls

The following pages explain how to use the mouse and the keyboard:
Mouse Controls
3D-Mouse
Function Keys

Mouse Controls
Left Mouse Button

3D Rotate (Spin):
Left-click in the display area, hold the mouse button and move the mouse to rotate your models.

Right Mouse Button

3D and 2D Move (Pan):

Right-click in the display area, hold the mouse button and move the mouse to pan your models or
drawings.

3D Context Menu - in Display:

Right-click in the display area without moving the mouse. Objects under the cursor are highlighted and
you get a context menu with primary object functions. Over the background, if any objects are hidden,
you get a list of all currently hidden objects to do a fast show.

3D Context Menu - in Element List:

Right-click on an Element in the Element List and you get a context menu with primary functions.

Mouse Wheel

3D and 2D Zoom:
Move the cursor into the display and turn the mouse wheel to zoom in and out. The rate of zooming
can be adjusted in Preferences > Hardware .

Middle Mouse Button

3D and 2D Zoom:
Hold the middle mouse button and move the mouse to zoom in and out.

[Shift] + Left Mouse Button

3D Select:
Holding the [Shift]-Key and clicking an object in the display will select elements in the element list or,
when working with the tools Painter, Placement, RP-Layout or Repair, will specify references directly
without always needing to use the selection buttons.

2D Select:
Holding the [Shift]-Key and clicking in the display will activate the selection rectangle.

[Shift] + [Ctrl] + Left Mouse Button

3D Multi-Select:
Like 3D Select but you can select multiple Elements in series.

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3D-Mouse
3D-Tool supports 3D-mice made by 3Dconnexion, such as:
• SpaceNavigator
• SpaceExplorer
• SpacePilot
• SpaceTraveller
• SpaceMouse Plus USB
• SpaceBall 5000 USB

Buttons of the 3D-mouse will be assigned to the function Fit to Screen.

Setting of the speed and the assignment of the axes can be done by using the 3Dconnexion Control
Panel.

Limitations:
The following 3D-mice are not supported with new driver versions by 3Dconnexion and therefore will
not work with 3D-Tool:
• SpaceMouse Plus Serial
• SpaceMouse Classic USB
• SpaceMouse Classic Serial
• SpaceBall 5000 Serial
• SpaceBall 4000
• CadMan

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Function Keys
Delete the currently selected Shell/File (3D)
[DEL]
Deletes the selected annotation in Annotations-Dimensions
[F1] Help
[F2] Zoom in
[F3] Zoom out
[F4] Fit to screen
[F5] Previous View
[F9] Load View
[F10] Save View
[CTRL]+F Find in Tree

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5. Data Exchange
Here you will find information on loading and saving CAD-data with 3D-Tool:
Overview: Data Import
Supported File Formats
Recommended File Formats / File Sizes
STEP - IGS - VDA - SAT - PARASOLID Settings
Batch Mode

Overview: Importing Data

Every 3D-Tool Scene begins with the importing of data into 3D-Tool by using one of the supported
Exchange Formats. When importing one of the Advanced formats STEP, IGS, VDA, SAT and
PARASOLID you can apply different settings for the triangulation, which affects the display quality
(faceting) and the resulting size of the 3D-Tool file, though the default values will normally produce
good results.

To import data start 3D-Tool and from the File menu choose Load or just click the symbol in the top
toolbar. Then select the desired file and click Open. You can select multiple files by using the Ctrl-Key.
They will be loaded successively into 3D-Tool.

For Advanced exchange formats you can use the Faceter Settings to affect the quality of
triangulation. When loading multiple files you can decide, if the settings should be applied to all
files(Start all) or just to the actual file to import (Start).

Notes on importing data

Duration of loading
Depending on the exchange format, the size and the complexity of the model, the duration of loading
data will vary. Most models will be imported into 3D-Tool in a short time. However, when importing
large and complex models using one of the Advanced formats, it can take 3D-Tool several minutes to
read and triangulate the data. While loading Advanced formats, information on the current action and
the triangles imported is displayed. It is possible, that this display will temporarily stop when 3D-Tool is
doing intensive calculations. During these periods it is also possible that the 3D-Tool window does not
react or display as usual. This does not mean, that 3D-Tool is crashed, it is just calculating.

No facets found
If you get this message while trying to import a file, 3D-Tool was not able to find any utilizable volumes
in the file. This will happen, if the file only contains line and curve elements.

Loading of multiple files

3D-Tool enables you to load multiple files of different formats together into one Scene.
So, for example, you can bring together different parts of a project in 3D-Tool. The parts will be placed
into the scene according to their coordinate system. Part locations can be adjusted after import by
using the tools Placement, Move and Rotate.

Note: The 3D-Tool Free Viewer does not support the loading of multiple files.

Loading of 2D-drawings
Using 3D-Tool you can not only load 3D-files but also 2D-drawings in the file formats DWG, DXF and
PLT (HPGL and HPGL2). 2D-drawings will be loaded into the 2D-area of 3D-Tool.
The switch 3D-2D resp. 2D-3D is located on the very left in the top toolbar. Unlike the 3D-area it
is only possible to load one 2D-file at the time. If you load a new/additional drawing, you will be asked,
if the previous one should be erased.

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Supported File Formats

Load
Free 3D-Tool 3D-Tool
3D-formats
Viewer Basic Advanced
(*.stp) STEP-files
(*.igs) IGS-files
(*.vda) VDA-files
(*.sat) SAT-files
(*.x_t *.x_b) PARASOLID-files
(*.stl) STL-files
(*.wrl) VRML1, VRML2 - files
(*.slp) Render files
(*.xgl *.zgl) XGL-files
(*.obj) OBJ-files
(*.3ds *.prj *.pli) 3DS-files
(*.asc) ASC-files
(*.dxf) DXF-files (3D-Faces) *1)
(*.iv) Inventor-files
(*.ddd) 3D-Tool files
(*.exe) 3D-Tool EXE-files
Free 3D-Tool 3D-Tool
2D-Formats
Viewer Basic Advanced
(*.dxf) DXF-files
(*.dwg) DWG-files
(*.plt *.plo *.hpg *.hp2) HPGL-files *2)

*1) By default DXF-Files are loaded as 2D-Files. If you want to import 3D DXF Files, set the lower filter
in the load dialog to (*.dxf) DXF-Files (3D-Faces).

*2) HPGL / HPGL2 Data - Files made by printing data to a file - possible on every PC with an HPGL
compatible printing driver.

Save
Free 3D-Tool 3D-Tool
Formats
Viewer Basic Advanced
(*.exe) 3D-Tool EXE-files
Viewer + 3D/2D-data + Presentations
(*.ddd) 3D-Tool DDD-files
3D/2D-data + Presentations
(*.stl) STL-files
triangulated 3D-data
(*.wrl) VRML 2.0 -files
triangulated 3D-data
(*.3ds) 3DS-files
Geometrical data

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Recommended File Formats / File Sizes

3D-Tool uses triangulated Data to display your models. This means, the models are mapped by a
multitude of triangles. In general there are no limitations in the program for the number of triangles.

Though the quality of the mapping increases with the number of triangles, the number of triangles
should not be as high as possible, since this will have a negative effect on the speed of the program.

Most systems should be able to easily display up to about 100,000 triangles. And even though 500,000
triangles should always provide good results it may overload older systems.

Pro/E Users may affect the number of triangles by specifying the "Chord Height" when exporting SLP-
Render Files and STL-Files from Pro/E. Refer to your CAD-system's help or manual how to affect the
export accuracy of triangulated files (i.e. VRML, STL, SLP, XGL, 3DS).

Recommended File Formats

Pro Engineer: VRML, STEP, IGS, SLP

CATIA: STEP, IGS,VDA, STL
UG: STEP, IGS, VRML, STL
SolidEdge: XGL, VRML, STEP, IGS
SolidWorks: XGL, VRML, STEP, IGS
IDEAS: STEP, IGS
Autodesk Inventor: XGL, STEP, IGS, 3DS, STL

Tip: Utilize the filter settings in the file loading dialog. E.g. it is possible to only display supported 2D-
formats or VRML-components (*_a.wrl;*_asm.wrl) as rendered by Pro/Engineer.

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STEP - IGS - VDA - SAT - PARASOLID Settings

When importing one of the Advanced formats STEP, IGS, VDA, SAT or PARASOLID, in the Faceter
Options window you can affect the number of triangles which will be generated to display the model.
The number of triangles determines the display quality and the size of the 3D-Tool file.

Chord Height (Default: 0.02 mm, 0.0007 in):

The smaller this value, the more exact the display but also the higher the number of generated
triangles. Values of about 0.02mm (0.007in) will lead to good results most of the time. Depending on
the system performance 100,000 up to 500,000 generated triangles are a good choice. On high-end
systems up to one million triangles should display without problems. If you want to ship your models,
you have to consider the file size and the performance of the recipient's system.

Angle Tolerance (Default: 15):

The smaller this value, the more exact the display but also the higher the number of generated
triangles. Values around 15° will lead to good results usually.

Max. Edge length and Max. Aspect Ratio(Default: 0 - not used):

These options should be used only by experienced users. The values are extremely file specific and
must be determined by way of trial. Some values may lead to a huge amount of data and cause input
processing to take a very long time.

Read blanked Entities:

Imports hidden Elements which are in the imported file.

Note: While loading data, the number of generated triangles and processed elements are displayed.
For hidden elements these numbers are displayed in a red color (usually for a very short time).

Create B-Reps:
The quality of display can be improved using this option. The program tries to reconstruct the volume
body. This results in a higher demand on memory.

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Batch Mode
3D-Tool can be used in batch mode to convert files to executable 3D-Tool files (Combined Viewer and
Data) via command line.

To run 3D-Tool from any directory you have to specify the installation directory path of 3D-Tool in the
"PATH" variable of Windows (see Windows help) or enter the complete installation path into the
command line.
[InstallationPath\]3D-Tool InputFile -s [-de] [-eng] [-m:ShortMessage] [-zip] [-zippw:Password]
[-o:OutputFile.exe]

Parameters in brackets "[ ]" are optional.

The order of command line parameters is arbitrary. To use special characters or blanks with
parameters you have to enclose the whole parameter in quotes, e.g. "-m:Project Stage 07/07/15"

Required Parameters

Input File
Name of the file to convert.

-s
Activates batch mode

Optional Parameters:

[InstallationPath\]
Installation drive and path of 3D-Tool. This is not required, if the installation path is specified in the
"PATH" variable of Windows.

-de or -eng
Specifies the viewer's language. If not specified the language of your 3D-Tool will be used.

-m:ShortMessage
To enter a short message to be displayed in the viewer's start window.

-zip
Compresses the file into a ZIP-File.

-zippw:Password
Secures the ZIP-File with the specified password. The parameter -zip is set automatically here.

-o:OutputFile.exe
The file name of the created executable file. If not specified the name of the inputfile is used.

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Examples

3D-Tool demo.slp -s
Creates the file demo.exe without a short message and the embedded viewer will be in your 3D-Tool's
language. The installation path of 3D-Tool is specified in the "PATH" Variable of Windows.

"C:\Program Files\3D-Tool\3D-Tool D:\demo.stl" -s -eng

Creates the file D:\demo.exe without a short message and the embedded viewer will be in English.
The installation path of 3D-Tool is not specified in the "PATH" Variable of Windows. Please note, that
the path is enclosed in quotes because it has a space character in it.

3D-Tool demo.stl-s -zippw:password

Creates the file demo.zip containing the file demo.exe and secured with the password "password".
The viewer starts up without a short message and is in your 3D-Tool's language.

3D-Tool Assembly.wrl -s "-m:Project 75246" -o:Project_75246.exe

Creates the file Project_75246.exe from the VRML-file Assembly.wrl. The viewer starts up without
start window and the viewer is in your 3D-Tool's language.

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6. Publish CAD-Data
The fast and efficient dissemination of CAD-data inside your company and with third parties such as
contractors and customers is a major factor of success plus saving time and money. 3D-Tool offers
three strategies to publish, present and distribute your CAD-designs. Here you can find ideas on the
different possibilities of publishing your CAD-data using 3D-Tool:
Comparison of EXE, DDD and 3D-PDF Files
Publish EXE-files
Publish DDD-files
Publish PDF-files

Comparison of EXE, DDD and 3D-PDF Files

3D-Tool EXE-files

Features
3D-Tool EXE-files contain the 3D-Tool Viewer, all loaded CAD-data, all Annotations and
Dimensions, Custom Views and Animations.

Advantages
3D-Tool EXE-files can be started without any costs or installation on every Windows system.
When started up they offer detailed 3D-Tool functions to display, analyze and present the model.
As with 3D-Tool itself it is possible to create cross sections and to do measurements. The color,
transparency and render modes of Elements can be changed, and Elements can be hidden and
shown.

Limitations
Distributing EXE-files by e-mail can be difficult if they are blocked by firewalls at the recipient.
Zipping the file (preferably password protected) as well as the manual renaming of the file extension
(e.g. to *ex_ or *.dat) can help, although some very restrictive firewalls will not be fooled by these work
arounds. Also the recipient has to know to manually change the file extension back to exe before
starting up the file.

3D-Tool DDD-files

Features
3D-Tool DDD-files contain all loaded CAD-data, all Annotations and Dimensions, Custom Views
and Animations. So they are almost equal to EXE-files but the 3D-Tool Viewer is not included.

Advantages
3D-Tool DDD-files can usually be sent by e-mail without problems, and they are smaller in file size
because they do not contain the viewer. To view the files the 3D-Tool Free Viewer can be downloaded
for free at www.3D-Tool.de.

Limitations
The recipient needs to have the 3D-Tool Free Viewer (or 3D-Tool) installed to view your models.

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3D-PDF files

Features
3D-PDF files contain the 3D-model and an optional interface with some additional functions.
The recipient can create cross sections, move objects (explode) and change colors.

Advantages
3D-PDF files can usually be sent by e-mail without problems. The recipient just needs to have the free
Adobe Acrobat Reader of at least version 7.0.7. to view the files.

Limitations
Compared to the 3D-Tool Viewer the Acrobat Reader offers considerably less functionality.

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Publish EXE-File (Save complete)

(Not available in Free Viewer or EXE-files)

3D-Tool creates compact directly executable EXE-files. They contain the 3D-Tool Viewer, all loaded
CAD-data, all Annotations and Dimensions, Custom Views and Animations. The files will be
packed and can be distributed via e-mail or on adequate digital media. The recipient can start the files
on any Windows system without any cost or software installation.

Settings when publishing an EXE-File

Viewer Language:
From the Viewer Language list you choose the language for the viewer (English or German).

Include Data:
Using the options Include 3D-Data and Include 2D-Data you decide, which of the currently loaded
data will be attached to the viewer.

ZIP:
The option Zip the File will create the EXE-File and additionally compress it into a ZIP-File (*.zip).
Additionally you may use the button Password to protect the file from unauthorized access.

Tip: Zipping the file may help when sending the file via e-mail to companies that block EXE-Files with
firewalls or antivirus software.

Short Message:
The option Include Short Message will enable you to enter a text message up to 2000 characters.
This message will show in the Start Window of the Viewer. You may also load a prepared Text-File
(*.txt) for the message using the Load button.

Tip: You can use the message to display copyright or confidentiality information. For this purpose you
may also specify a standard Text-File under Preferences>Common.

Options when publishing an EXE-File

Options:
Using the Options button you get additional settings affecting the Viewer:
• The option 3D-Tool Icon uses the standard 3D-Tool icon. The option Create Icon creates the icon
as a thumbnail of the current display. In this case you may switch the background of the icon to
transparent using the option Transparent.
• Activating the option Start with Custom View will let you choose one of your Custom Views to show
up first when starting the viewer. If this option is not activated and there are Custom Views, the
recipient is asked if he would like to start a Slide Show .
• The option View Only de-activates all measure tools so the recipient can only look at your models.
This will also prevent the file from being re-imported into 3D-Tool. The files can only be loaded into
the Free Viewer. Here the measure tools will be disabled too.
• 3D Display Shade Mode specifies how the model is displayed when starting the viewer. Shaded or
Shaded with Edges. This affects only the start of the viewer and can be changed by the user after
the file is loaded.
• The three options under Display Back Faces determine how the back faces of the triangles are
displayed when starting the Viewer. This affects only the start of the viewer and can be changed by
the user at any time.

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Publish DDD-File
(Not available in Free Viewer or EXE-files)

DDD-files created by 3D-Tool can be opened and viewed with 3D-Tool and the 3D-Tool Free Viewer
on any Windows system.

The 3D-Tool Free Viewer can be downloaded at www.3D-Tool.de.

Allows you to publish DDD-files which contain all your CAD-data, all Annotations and Dimensions,
Custom Views and Animations, and distribute the files, for example, by e-mail. The recipient just
needs an installation of the 3D-Tool Free Viewer to view your data.

Settings when publishing a DDD-File

Include Data:
Using the options Include 3D-Data and Include 2D-Data you decide, which of the currently loaded
data will be attached to the viewer.

ZIP:
The option Zip the File will create the DDD-File and additionally compress it into a ZIP-File (*.zip).
Additionally you may use the button Password to protect the file from unauthorized access.

Short Message:
The option Include Short Message will enable you to enter a text message up to 2000 characters.
This message will show in the Start Window of the Viewer. You may also load a prepared Text-File
(*.txt) for the message using the Load button.

Tip: You can use the message to display copyright or confidentiality information. For this purpose you
may also specify a standard Text-File underPreferences>Common.

Options when publishing a DDD-File

Options:
Using the Options button you get additional settings affecting the Viewer:
• Activating the option Start with Custom View will let you choose one of your Custom Views to show
up first when starting the DDD-file in the Viewer. If this option is not activated and there are Custom
Views, the recipient is asked if he would like to start a Slide Show .
• 3D Display Shade Mode specifies how the model is displayed when starting the viewer. Shaded or
Shaded with Edges. This affects only the start of the viewer and can be changed by the user after
the file is loaded.
• The three options under Display Back Faces determine how the back faces of the triangles are
displayed when starting the Viewer. This affects only the start of the viewer and can be changed by
the user at any time.

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Publish 3D-PDF
(Not available in Free Viewer and EXE-files)

3D-Tool enables you to publish your 3D-models as Acrobat 3D-PDF files. These PDF files can be
distributed by e-mail without problems. The recipient just need the free Adobe Acrobat Reader of at
least version 7.0.7.

Unlike 3D-Tool EXE and DDD-files the 3D-PDF files will not contain Custom Views and Animations.
Also they offer considerably less functionality regarding measurement and analysis.

Settings when publishing a PDF-file

Language:
From the language list you choose the language (English or German) for the 3D-Tool controls inside
the PDF-file.

Password:
The Password button lets you choose a password to protect the PDF-files. The recipient will need this
password to open the PDF-file.

Password protected:
This option will be activated automatically, if you entered a password. You will be asked to enter a
password if you activate this option without having entered a password yet.

Show Navigation Panel:

This option will activate the navigation panel for the 3D-PDF. The panel contains the model tree
(list and structure of all elements of the model) and some standard views. If you deactivate this option
the recipient can still choose to show the model tree manually in the 3D-PDF.

Add additional controls:

This option acitvates the additional 3D-Tool controls below the display of the model in the 3D-PDF.
The controls enable the recipient to:
• create cross sections,
• store and restore a view of the model,
• colorize parts and assemblies,
• move (explode) parts and assemblies.

Open PDF:
Activate this option to immediately open the PDF once created so you can view the output.

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7. Element List 3D

Basics when working with the Element List

In 3D-mode the Element List is always located to the right of the display unless you are currently
working with a tool. The Element List helps you organize and edit shells, assemblies and files of your
project.

The width of the List can be doubled by clicking the symbol located beneath the 3D-Tool logo or set
to a custom width by dragging the left border. Move the cursor to the left border of the Element List.
When the cursor switches to a <||> symbol, press and hold the left mouse button and drag the border.
To reset the width to default, click the symbol located beneath the 3D-Tool logo.

Selection of single Elements

Moving the mouse pointer over the Elements of the Element List the causes the corresponding
Elements of the model in the display to be highlighted in a red color. This helps navigate through the
list, especially for models made up of a large number of single parts and assemblies. To select a
single Element just click it with the left mouse button. Now with the function buttons above the list you
can, for example, hide the Element, colorize the Element or assign transparency to the selected
Element.

Note: The highlighting of Elements can be switched on and off in the Options menu.

Selection of multiple Elements

You can select multiple Elements and then use a function on all selected Elements simultaneously.
To do so, first click one Element in the list. Now you have two options:
• To select all Elements between two Elements, hold down the Shift-Key on your keyboard while
clicking/selecting a second Element.
• To select single additional Elements, hold down the Ctrl-Key on your keyboard while clicking
arbitrary additional Elements.

Context Menu
Right-clicking an Element in the List or right-clicking a part of the model in the display will show the
context menu which contains frequently used functions.

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Element List Functions

Show Selection
Hide Selection
Show only Selection
Show all Shells/Parts
Hide all Shells/Parts
Undo last Show/Hide
Find in List
Show Selection as Shade
List of Elements Show Selection as Shade with Edges
Show Selection as Wireframe
Reset special Settings/Use global Shade Mode
Transparent Color for Selection
Solid Color for Selection
Change Color of Selection

List of Elements
This list contains all currently opened files with its assemblies and shells. If you place the cursor on an
element in the list and stop moving the mouse, this element will be shortly highlighted in the display.
This can be deactivated in the Options Menu.

Several mouse actions help you to perform functions:

• Left-clicking the eye symbol in front of a shell/file shows and hides the shell/file.
• Left-clicking a shell selects the shell. Use [SHIFT]+Click or [CTRL]+Click to select multiple shells.
• Double-clicking a file selects and activates the file for actions (e.g. Save, Wall Thickness Analysis,
Repair). The label of the selected file is displayed in red color.
• Clicking the [+] and [-] symbol in front of assemblies will expand and collapse their contents.
• Right-clicking an Element opens the context menu which provides fast access to primary
functions.

Show Selection
Shows the currently selected elements.

Hide Selection
Hides the currently selected elements.

Show only Selection

Only the currently selected elements are displayed. All others will be hidden.
Tip: Use the function Undo last Show/Hide to return to the previous state.

Show all Shells/Parts

Shows all elements.

Hide all Shells/Parts

Hides all elements.

Undo last Show/Hide

Will undo the last show/hide action.

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Find in Element List

Searches the Element List for certain strings. The search will start always at the selected Shell.
The next element found will be highlighted/selected in the list. If the search reaches the end of the list
you will be asked if you want to restart the search from the top of the list.

Show Selection as Shade

Displays the selected Elements shaded irrespective of the render mode globally set in menu Display.
But when changing the global render mode all elements will be set back to the global mode.
This reset can be deactivated in Preferences - 3D-Display.

Show Selection as Shaded with Edges

Displays the selected Elements shaded with edges irrespective of the render mode globally set in
menu Display. But when changing the global render mode all elements will be set back to the global
mode. This reset can be deactivated in Preferences - 3D-Display.

Show Selection as Wireframe

Displays the selected Elements as wireframe irrespective of the render mode globally set in menu
Display. But when changing the global render mode all elements will be set back to the global mode.
This reset can be deactivated in Preferences - 3D-Display.

Reset special Settings/Use global Shade Mode

Resets the selected Elements to the chosen global render mode.

Tip: To reset all Elements to the global render mode just select a global mode from the menu Display.
This works only if Set Global Shade Mode resets local Parts settings is activated in Preferences
3D-Display.

Transparent Color for Selection

Assigns transparency to the selected elements. The amount of transparency of all transparent parts
can be set using the Painter - Tool.

Solid Color for Selection

Assigns solid color to the selected elements.

Change Color of Selection

Colors the selected elements. A color palette will show up to select the color.

Additional Functions
More functions regarding the Elements List can be found in the Element List menu.

The menu contains functions to organize the Elements of the list. For example you can simplify the
structure of the list for models with a large number of parts by merging and rearranging Elements.

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8. Layer List 2D
In 2D-mode the Layer List is located at the very right of the 3D-Tool window.

The width of the List can be doubled by clicking the symbol located beneath the 3D-Tool logo or set
to a custom width by dragging the left border. Move the cursor to the left border of the Element List.
When the cursor switches to a <||> symbol, press and hold the left mouse button and drag the border.
To reset the width to default, click the symbol located beneath the 3D-Tool logo.

Resolution of Arcs
Select Deselect
Delete

Small Change Color

All No
Lines
Move

Scale

Change Text
List of Layers

Show/Hide

All Show all

No Hide all

List of Layers
This list shows all the Layers in the drawing and their labels.
Click on the Eye Symbol in front of the labels to show and hide Layers. Click on the labels to activate
Layers.

Select
Activates the selection of elements by mouse. Afterwards left-click in the drawing, hold the mouse
button and drag the selection rectangle over the desired elements. When the mouse button is
released, all the elements totally or partially inside the rectangle are selected.

Deselect
Resets the current selection.

Resolution of Arcs
Opens the dialog for setting the resolution of arcs. The higher the value, the more exact the display of
arcs in the drawing but also the slower the speed of display. Use the button Set as Default to make
the current value the default value for 3D-Tool.

Delete
Deletes all currently selected elements.

Change Color
Colors selected elements. Colors the whole Layer if no elements are selected.

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Move
Moves selected elements. Afterwards pick the points to start and end by clicking into the drawing and
the selected elements are moved accordingly. Sets the origin of the whole drawing to (0,0) if no
elements are selected.

Scale
Scales selected elements. Choosing "inch => mm" will multiply the entity location values by 25.4, and
"mm => inch" will divide by 25.4. Entities are always scaled relative to the drawing sheet origin, in the
lower left corner. Custom allows the entry of any scaling value. If no elements are selected the whole
drawing is scaled.

Change Text
Changes the text of text elements. Afterwards pick the desired text element and enter new text into the
box at the right.

Small Lines
Activate this option to display all the lines in the drawing as one point wide. This may improve the
display of drawings containing thick lines.

Show / Hide
Shows and hides the Layer activated in the Layer List. Clicking on the Eye Symbol in front of a Layer
label will have the same effect.

All: Show All

Shows all Layers.

No: Hide All

Hides all Layers.

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9. Custom Views

Why using Custom Views?

If you send models to other persons or prepare models for presentation, of course you want that all
important aspects of the design to be clear.

3D-Tool offers a lot of options to reach this goal:

• Move and rotate the model into a optimal position and zoom into interesting details.
• Utilize the Element List to hide distracting parts, to display parts in a transparent color or in different
render modes.
• Create Cross Sections to show the inner structure of a model.
• Explode parts of the model to make clearly view the assemby of the parts.

This way you can pre-create specific views of the model which will focus the viewer's attention on
important details. Of course it would be laborious to manually create a view every time it is needed.
With 3D-Tool you can save an unlimited number of different views as so called Custom Views.
They are available in 2D and 3D and will save the complete display settings of a view.
Custom Views will be saved with 3D-Tool EXE and DDD-files and later they can be easily restored by
you or the recipient of your data.

Custom Views are also the basis of Animations and can be used when doing print-outs and
exporting pictures.

What is stored in Custom Views?

Custom Views store:
• The orientation, position and zoom of the model in the display.
• All settings regarding the graphical display of Elements (transparency, shaded, shaded with edges,
etc.).
• The hidden or shown state of an Element.
• The exploded position of an Element.
• Cross sections and Elements excluded from section.
• All settings done in Display menu, such as Perspective View, show Annotations-Dimensions and
show Exploded.
• The color of the background.
• The position of the light.

Note: The color of an Element is a global setting and will not be stored in or changed by Custom
Views. If you change the color of an Element this change will affect the model itself and also all
Custom Views.

What you have to consider

Changing the coordinates of parts (Move, Rotate, Scale, Mirror) or deleting Shells/Files may cause
unpredictable results in your Custom Views. It is recommended that you wait until your models are not
changing anymore before creating Custom Views.

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Storing and restoring Custom Views

The functions for saving and loading Custom Views are located in the lower right of 3D-Tool above the
lighting.

Additionally there is a Slide Show for the Custom Views that is found in the Animation menu.

Custom Views
List of Custom Views [V]
<< >>

[V] : Open List

The down arrow opens the list of the Custom Views.

<< >>: Previous and next Custom View

Browse through the Custom Views.

Master View
Unhides all Shells/Files and resets the display to default settings.

Save Custom View

Saves the current view to a Custom View. In the following dialog you may enter a label for the Custom
View or overwrite an existing one.

Delete Custom View

Deletes the currently selected Custom View.

Previous View
Returns to the last view before the current Custom View.

Editing Custom Views

You can edit the Custom Views list at any time by using the Custom Views Editor. It is located in
the Tools menu. With the Custom Views Editor you can change the order and names of your Custom
Views.

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10. Lighting
Adjusting the lighting is useful for improving contrast and highlighting details.

In 3D-mode the controls for lighting are located in the lower right corner of the 3D-Tool window.

You can set the lighting angle by selecting one of the standard positions: Just click into one of the
round checkboxes. Or you may adjust the lighting angle freely by dragging the yellow spot.

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11. Section
Sections make it possible to look inside your models and make it easier to select elements, e.g. while
using measure or repair functions.

Section Controls
The controls to adjust sections are located at the top of the display.

Section Plane:
Choose the section plane from the List at the very left. You can choose one of the three standard
planes XY, XZ and YZ.

Section Position:
There are three ways to adjust the position of the section:
• By dragging the Slider. This moves the section dynamically through your model.
• By typing a value into the Input Field and pressing "Enter".
• By clicking the button Indicate and then directly left-clicking at the desired position in your model.

Section Display:
The options to the right of the section controls affect the display of the section. Use Side1 and Side2
to decide which side of your model, starting from the section line, should be displayed. The option
Both Sides displays the whole model and the red section line. The option Section Only displays only
the section line. The option Fill Section will fill the intersection in the color of the corresponding
element. Show and hide the red section line using the option Section Line.

Show all Parts sectioned:

When doing a cross section, by default all parts of the model will be sectioned. Using the right-click
context menu you can exclude single parts, or complete assemblies from being sectioned (see below).
This function will remove all these exceptions so the model will be sectioned completely.

Export DXF:
This function stores the current section line as a 2D-DXF file, which can be loaded into other CAD-
programs. The option Transform to X-Y Plane in the following dialog transforms the section line to
the standard X-Y plane, so the section will be displayed correctly in 2D-CAD programs. You only need
to deactivate this option, if you want to keep the orientation of the section line to be imported into a
3D-CAD program. Click OK, choose a directory, enter a name for the DXF-file and save the file.

Excluding parts from sections

If a section is displayed right-click an Element in the display or in the Element List. The context menu
will contain the function Section on/off. Use it to exclude the selected part or assembly from the
sections. So, for example, you can cut a housing but keep the interior completely visible. If you use the
function on an already excluded part, the part will be included into the section again.

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Additional notes on sections

Clipping of Annotations and Dimensions:
When doing a cross section only those Annotations and Dimensions will be displayed which have at
least one measure point on the visible side of the section. All other Annotations and Dimensions will
be hidden automatically.

Measuring on section lines:

You can also use the Annotations-Dimensions tool when a cross sections is displayed. It is possible
to measure points and edges created by the section line. So you can get dimensions in places being
difficult or impossible to reach.

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12. Print / Create Picture

You can print views of your models to any of your printers, or save them as JPG / BMP-Files in
24bit color depth, or as an Icon.

A small preview gives you full control over the image creation.

Common Settings
Template:
This list contains predefined templates for both orientations (portrait / landscape). Select the
orientation, how many, and which views should be exported.

Tip: To export customized views you have to define them first using Custom Views. You may arrange
up to 4 Custom Views on one paper/image.

Include Fileinfo (3D only):

Activate this option to display the complete path and filename of a loaded 3D-file in the down right
corner of the view when printing or exporting pictures. The fileinfo option shows up only if there is not
more than one file loaded or if the Information tool is active. If the Information tool is active the path of
the file and the file extension will be added to the already displayed filename. The setting remains
stored when restarting the program.

Improve Quality:
Uses antialias to smooth edges when printing or creating an image.

Transparent Background:
The background is left out.

Sliders:
Drag the horizontal and vertical slider to adjust the view (not available in all of the templates).

Zoom:
Adjust the size of the view (not available in all of the templates or when printing by scale).

Print - Additional Settings

Printer:
Select a printer from the first drop down list.

Paper Size:
Select the size of the paper you like to print on from the second drop down list.

Printer Setup:
Using this button you get directly to the setup of the selected printer where you can do further settings
depending on the selected printer.

Scale:
Makes it possible to define a scale, e.g. to print out parts in their original size.

Pen Assignment (In 2D-Mode):

On the left side of the dialog you can assign line thicknesses to the colors of the drawing for printing.

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Create Picture - Additional Settings

You have to specify the file type (JPG, BMP or Icon) and the resolution. For Custom Resolution
values from 100 up to a maximum of 10,000 pixels are possible. The maximum resolution depends on
your graphics card and may therefore be lower than 10,000 pixels.

Attention: Images of 10,000 x 10,000 pixels will need a huge amount of memory.

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13. 3D - Tools
These are the tools available in 3D-Tool:

Annotations-Dimensions
Assembly Explode
Painter
Placement *
Repair *
RP Layout *
Draft Angles Analysis
Wall Thickness Analysis
Animation
Custom Views Editor *
Property Editor *
Information
Move
Rotate
Scale
Mirror

*) not available in Free Viewer and EXE-files

Annotations - Dimensions
This tool lets you easily add 3D-Notes and 3D-Dimensions to your models, e.g. to highlight certain
details to the recipient.

The controls are located at the right side of the display.

General Information
When working with measure tools and moving the cursor over the model possible measure references
will be highlighted in blue. When you have highlighted the desired reference just left-click and the
reference will be selected for measure. If you would like to rotate the model while doing measurements
also left-click on the model but hold the mouse button down and move the mouse. In this case no
reference will be selected but the model will be rotated.

Depending on the selected measure tool, one or two text areas are displayed right down in the control
window to give a preview of the measurement. The gray text area always displays the values of the
reference which is currently under the mouse pointer. When working with the Auto tool an additional
white text area will display the angle or the distance to the second reference after you have selected
the first reference.

The position of an Annotation or Dimension can be moved after creation, and the text of Annotations
can be edited.

Note:
Annotations and dimensions can be completely shown or hidden in the menu Display.

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Selection of Annotation and Dimension Tools:

Auto (Automatic Measurement of Distances and Angles)
Measure Radius
Measure Wall Thickness
Measure Vertex
Measure Point
Measure Edge
Measure Box
Create Note
Add Background Image or Text

Auto (Automatic Measurement of Distances and Angles):

This tool measures the angle or distance between two references. If both references are parallel or if at
least one reference is a point or radius center the distance or else the angle between the references
will be measured.

Tip: Have you selected an unwanted first reference and want to remove it then just click the button
Auto and the reference will be deleted an you can choose a new one.

Combinations or References
For measurement you can combine different references and depending on the type of the selected
references the angle or the distance will be displayed automatically. The following table provides an
overview:

Combination Measure

Plane or Distance Measurement if parallel

Plane Angle Measurement if not parallel
Standard Plane

Plane or Distance Measurement if parallel

Edge Angle Measurement if not parallel
Standard Plane

Plane or Vertex or
Distance of Point normal to Plane
Standard Plane free Point

Plane or Radius or
Distance of Radius Center normal to Plane
Standard Plane 3P-Radius
Distance Measurement if Edges are parallel
Edge Edge Angle Measurement if Edges are not parallel but in
one Plane.

Vertex or
Edge Distance of Point normal to Edge
free Point

Radius or
Edge Distance of Radius Center normal to Edge
3P-Radius

Vertex or Vertex or Distance between Points

free Point free Point (plus x, y, z - Distance)

Vertex or Radius or Distance Point to Radius Center

free Point 3P-Radius (plus x, y, z - Distance)

Radius or Radius or Distance Radius Center to Radius Center

3P-Radius 3P-Radius (plus x, y, z - Distance)

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Auto-Selection of References:
Under Filter you find the buttons for the four possible types of auto-references:
Plane
Edge
Vertex
Radius (Center or Radius)

By default all four types are activated. When moving the cursor slowly over the model the program
highlights possible references in a blue color. Once you found the desired reference just left-click to
select it. Then select the second reference the same way. Depending on the type of selected
references the distance or the angle between the references will be displayed as a dimension with
leaders. Before finally selecting the second reference you can preview the measurement in the white
text area in the lower part of the tool window.

If all types of references are activated in the Filter it might be difficult to pick a certain reference if
multiple references are very close together. In this case deactivate the types of references you do not
need and the program will only highlight the type you want.

Manual Selection of References

In most cases the auto-selected references should be sufficient for measuring distances. The manual
selection allows you to measure distances to free points and centers of 3-Point-Radii which are not
supported or cannot be identified by the auto-selection.

Point
Lets you choose a free point somewhere on a plane unlike the auto-selection which identifies only
vertexes.

Radius
Lets you specify a radius center of a circle which is defined by three arbitrary vertexes.
When activating this function the vertexes of the model are displayed and you can choose three
vertexes to define the radius.

Measure to a Standard Plane

If you want to measure the distance or the angle with respect to one of the three standard planes you
have to select one of the planes XY XZ or YZ as the 2nd Reference. After this all references
selected are measured to this standard plane. To select a different 2nd reference again just click the
button

Boundary
This option will add a highlighted boundary of the selected faces.

Measure Radius:

Automatic
If this option is active as you move the cursor over the model the possible Radii will be highlighted in a
blue color. Once you have found the desired radius just left-click and the center of the radius and the
radius will be shown in the display.

By three points
The automatic pre-selection will not find the desired radius in all circumstances. In this case activate
the selection by three points. Pick three points which located on the radius to be measured. Have you
selected three points the center of the radius and the radius will be shown in the display.

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Measure Thickness:

Wall Thickness
Pick the point to measure the wall thickness at by left-clicking. The wall thickness is always calculated
normal to the surface of the corresponding triangles and is independent of the viewing angle.

Clearance
This option lets you measure the free space between a selected point and the "opposite" plane of the
model. The clearance is the length of the ray normal to the plane the measure point is located at. So
the measure of the clearance is the same as measuring the wall thickness but in opposite direction.
When moving the cursor over the model this distance is highlighted in a blue color. If the desired
distance is highlighted just left-click and the clearance will be shown in the display.

Measure Vertex:
Pick a vertex by left-clicking and its coordinates (x, y, z) will be shown.

Note:
For an easier selection the vertices of the model are displayed.

Measure Point:
Pick a free point on any plane (not a vertex) by left-clicking and its coordinates (x, y, z) will be shown.

Measure Edge:
Move the cursor over the model until the desired edge is highlighted in a blue color. Then left-click and
the length of the edge will be shown.

Measure Box:
First choose if you want to display the boundary of a file or the boundary of a shell.
Then move the cursor over the model until the desired file/shell is highlighted in a blue color. Select the
file/shell by left-clicking and the boundary box, the name of the file/shell and its dimensions will be
shown in the display.

Create Note:
First pick the position of the note on the model by left-clicking. A new note will be created. Then enter
the text of the note into the white input area.
Tip - Alternative Note Creation - Quick Note (in Context Menu):
Instead of using the Note Tool, you can also quickly create notes using the Context Menu. Right-click
the desired detail and choose Quick Note from the context menu. Then enter the text for the new note.

Add background Images or Text

Using this function you can add BMP or JPG graphics to the background, e.g. your company logo.
Click Add Picture to load a picture from your disk to the background. Then simply adjust its position by
dragging it to the right place (only possible when in "background images and notes" mode). It is
possible to add multiple pictures.

Click Add Text to add notes to the background, i.e. Project names or dates. You can also change the
position of the text by dragging it to the right place. Using the Change Text button you can edit the text
and change the size.

The orientation of background images and text is always absolute to the top left edge of the display. So
under different screen resolutions the position of the pictures and notes might change.

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Moving Annotations and Dimensions and Editing Notes

When moving the cursor over annotations and dimensions as well as their attachment points, all
adjustable elements will be highlighted in a blue color.

Moving Textboxes
Just click the textbox of the desired note/dimension, hold the mouse button and drag the textbox to a
new position. This is also works with background images and text.

Moving basing points

The basing position of a note can be changed by clicking and dragging the arrowhead.

For distance dimensions between planes and edges you can click and drag the basing points along
the plane or edge. This is not possible if one of the references is a point.

Editing Notes
Just click the desired note. It will be selected in a darker yellow. Then enter the new text into the white
text area.

When in the background images and text mode you can edit the selected background text and
change its size using the Change Text button.

Deleting Annotations and Dimensions

Click on a note or dimension. It will be selected and displayed in a darker yellow. The Delete button will
delete the currently selected note/dimension. The Delete all button will delete all notes and
dimensions.

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Assembly Explode
This tool lets you move and rotate elements to create exploded views of a model. The original position
of the elements is not affected hereby. After closing the tool the unexploded position can be restored
anytime in the Display menu or by clicking the Assembly Explode button in the top toolbar.

Important: After creating an exploded view you should save it as a Custom View , so you can later
reload the explosion or use it in an Animation. You will be asked to do so when closing the tool.

When activating the tool the controls are displayed in the upper right corner of the display.

Selection Mode
At the top of the dialog you choose how to select elements under Selection Mode.

Mouse
This type of selection lets you select elements by simply left-clicking them in the display. The selected
element will be highlighted in a red color. Only one element can be selected at the same time.

Element List
This type of selection lets you select elements by picking them in the Element List. You can select
multiple elements by holding the [Ctrl] or [Shift] Key when selecting elements. Selected elements will
be highlighted in a red color.

Create Explosion

Move Parts
This function lets you move parts simply by dragging them with the mouse. To ease the positioning
you can restrict the movement to two axes or one axe using the checkmarks under Allow Move
Direction. Another possibility is to directly enter values into the input fields for x, y und z and then
clicking the button Move.

Rotate Parts
This function lets you rotate parts simply by dragging them with the mouse. The checkmarks under
Rotation Axis let you specify the axis of the rotation. The rotation angle is displayed in the text field
Angle. Here you can also directly enter values and assign them to the selected element by clicking
Rotate.

Copy Position from another Part

This function lets you move one or multiple parts to the position of another part. Here only the
selection type Mouse is available. First pick the part to be the target for the parts to be moved. This
part will be highlighted in green. Then pick all parts to be positioned on the target part. If you want to
select a new target click Pick destination and select an new target.

Reset position
Use this function to restore the original position of parts. Here only the selection type Mouse is
available. The button Reset All will reset all parts to their original positions.

Don't Move/Rotate Parts

Select this function to rotate and zoom the model without accidentally moving parts.

Undo
This button will undo the last operation.

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Saving Explosions / Creating Custom Views

Click Close to end the dialog if all parts are in the desired positions. Now you should save your work as
a Custom View to later reload the explosion or to use it in an Animation. You will be asked to do so
when closing the tool.

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Painter
You may color any detail manually or color all parts/shells/planes automatically.

The painter controls are located to the right of the display.

Transparency / Brightness
By dragging the slider Transparency you set the global transparency for all the shells/parts with a
preassigned level of transparency. You assign transparency to shells/parts in the Element List or by
right-clicking them and choosing transparency from the context menu.

The slider Brightness sets the light reflection for all parts.

Change Color
First you have to select the details to color using the six Selection Buttons:
• Triangle: selects a triangle
• Plane: selects all triangles within the plane tolerance angle*
• Surface: selects all triangles within the surface tolerance angle *
• Shell: selects all connected triangles in a shell
• Rectangle: selects all triangles being totally or partially inside the selection rectangle
• By Color: selects all adjacent triangles of the same color

* by clicking the buttons Tol. you can adjust the tolerance angles. This will be especially necessary
when selecting planes. Small angles narrow the selection, big angles widen the selection.

Click the button Pick and then click in the display on the detail you want to select. A crosshair cursor
indicates that the position can be picked. You may do this repeatedly inclusive switching the Selection
Buttons. All selected objects are colored green. Alternatively you can pick a detail directly by holding
the [SHIFT] - key and left-clicking.
If you select an already selected object, the object is deselected. Clicking the button Unmark All will
deselect all objects.

If you select an already selected object, the object is deselected. Clicking the button Unmark All will
deselect all objects.

To color the selected objects, click the button "Change Color" and choose a color from the color
palette.

Auto Color
To color objects automatically, click one of the buttons:
• Parts: colors all parts differently
• Shells: colors all Shells differently
• Surfaces: colors all surfaces differently
If there is more than one part, the options Pick Part and All Parts specify if the auto coloring of shells
and surfaces should be done for all parts or just a particular part (to be picked afterwards).

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Placement
(Not available in Free Viewer and EXE-files)

Create assemblies by placing parts in relation to other parts or the coordinate system.

The placement controls are located to the right of the display.

First select the part to be positioned. Only the selected part will be moved. Right-click a part and
choose Select from the Context Menu. Or use the buttons [<<] and [>>] to browse through the parts.
By clicking the Cursor Symbol button you activate the selection of parts by mouse.

Five functions to freely place a part are available. They are activated by clicking the five buttons at the
top of the placement controls:

Drag'n Trans - Move - Rotate - Scale - Mirror

Align Parts
First select the reference points to be used for alignment from the From and To lists. The first
reference must be on the part to be moved/aligned. The second reference might be on any part.

Based on the selected type of reference, you now have to pick the reference points. This is done using
the buttons Pick Ref1 and Pick Ref2. When clicking these buttons the cursor switches to a crosshair
and you can left-click points to select them. Alternatively you can pick references directly by holding the
[SHIFT] - key and left-clicking.

If a reference is correctly defined, the red cross in front of the corresponding Pick Ref button switches
to a green check. If both references are defined, you align the parts by clicking the Align button.

The selected part will be rotated until the two references are parallel. The two buttons in front of the
button Align specify if the normals point into the same or the opposite direction.

Translate Parts
To translate a part you need a From and a To reference. The selection is done as described in
Align Parts.

Clicking the button Translate will move the part from Ref1 to Ref2. The options All, X, Y and Z specify
which coordinates will be affected by the translation. If the Translate button is not active, the
references are not parallel. In this case, first do Align and then Translate.

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Repair
(Not available in Free Viewer and EXE-files)

With the repair tools of 3D-Tool you can repair damaged files - delete elements, flip normals, create
new triangles, move points. Also there are auto repair functions, like the automatic orientation of
triangles and the search of near edges.

The repair controls are located right of the display.

Repair is done always for the currently selected file - means only this file is displayed. If the current
scene contains more than one file you can browse the files using the buttons [<<] and [>>].

When exiting the repair tool, you will be asked, if you want to keep the shell relations of the current file.
Select "Yes" to keep the shell relations and names. You should select "No" e.g. when repairing a
STL-file to get a closed shell. In this case the original shell names might get lost.

By default the repair tool activates the display of bad edges (yellow) and the display of back faces of
triangles (red). This helps locating flipped triangles and open edges.

Tip: To ease the repair you might also want to set the display mode to Shade + Triangles in the menu
Display and to activate the option Vertices in the repair controls.

The five top tabs give access to the five repair functions of 3D-Tool:

Delete
With this function you can delete any element.

First you have to select the details to highlight using the six Selection Buttons:
• Triangle: selects a triangle
• Plane: selects all triangles within the plane tolerance angle*
• Surface: selects all triangles within the surface tolerance angle *
• Shell: selects all connected triangles in a shell
• Rectangle: selects all triangles being totally or partially inside the selection rectangle
• By Color: selects all adjacent triangles of the same color

* by clicking the Tol. buttons you can adjust the tolerance angles. This will especially be necessary
when selecting planes. Small angles narrow the selection, big angles widen the selection.

Click the button Pick and then click in the display on the detail you want to select. A crosshair cursor
indicates that the position can be picked. You may do this repeatedly by switching the Selection
Buttons. All selected objects are colored green. Alternatively you can pick a detail directly by holding
the [SHIFT] - key and left-clicking.
If you select an already selected object, the object is deselected. Clicking the button Unmark All will
deselect all objects.

Click the button Delete marked to delete all selected elements.

Normal (Changing the Orientation of Triangles)

To select triangles refer to the selection described under Delete.

Change the orientation of selected triangles by clicking the button Invert marked. The button Invert
All flips the orientation of all the triangles of a file.

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Move Pnt. (Move Points)

This function lets you move two points(vertices) on top of each other, specifically point1over point2.
Click Pick Point1 and then click the point to be moved. Select point2 (target point) using Pick Point2.
Then click the button Confirm to move point1. Alternatively you can pick a point directly by holding the
[SHIFT] - key and left-clicking the point.

New (Create a new Element/Triangle)

This function lets you create new triangles. Select three points each with the Pick button and then left-
clicking the point or by holding the [SHIFT] - key and left-clicking the point. When you vave selected
three points, the triangle is created automatically. The orientation will be set according to the triangles
already there.

Auto (automatic Repair)

If there are bad edges or flipped triangles, you can try to fix the defects using auto repair. The button
Search Near Edges starts the auto repair of bad edges, the button Auto Orientation starts the auto
repair of flipped triangles. The button Search Near + Orient executes both repairs sequentially.

Auto searching near edges will usually not repair all of the bad edges. By default this function uses the
least edge length of all triangles for tolerance. Under More Advanced you may enter your own
tolerance and then by clicking the button By Tolerance run another auto repair using your tolerance.

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RP-Layout
(Not available in Free Viewer and EXE-files)

This tool helps placing parts on a platform for rapid prototyping systems.

The controls are located to the right of the display.

Drag'n Trans will be activated by default.

Selecting parts
First you have to select the part to be positioned. The currently selected part is displayed in a red color.
You can select parts by different actions:
• Right-click the desired part in the display.
• Use the [<<] and [>>] button to browse through the parts.
• Click on the mouse pointer symbol to activate mouse selections. Then left-click the part in the
display.

RP-System
From the list you select the RP-System. By default there is only the Standard system. New systems
are created by clicking the button Setup.

Part Placement
First select the part to be positioned by right-clicking a part. Or use the buttons [<<] and [>>] to browse
through the parts. By clicking the Cursor Symbol button you activate the selection of parts by left
mouse button.

Five functions to freely place a part are available. They are activated by clicking the five buttons at the
top of the layout controls:

Drag'n Trans - Move - Rotate - Scale - Mirror

Clicking the button Auto Position will automatically arrange all parts on the platform.

Align Part Faces

To align a part to the coordinate system you have to choose first a reference plane on the part. Click
the button Ref. Plane and then in the display click a face of the part. Alternatively you can pick a face
directly by holding the [SHIFT] - key and left-clicking. The selected face is colored green.

Then select from the To list the direction for the normal of the selected face. The button Align to ... will
do the alignment.

Snap Z-min to
To set the minimum installation height of parts enter the value into the input field beneath Snap Z-min
to and then click the button Part to move the selected part or click the button All to move all parts.

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Draft Angle Analysis

You may choose from 3 types of draft angle analysis:
• Display the parting in 2 cavities.
• Display draft angels as positive, negative and no angle.
• Display draft angles colored according to the angle.

The tool controls are located to the right of the display.

You switch between the three types using the tabs Parting, Draft and Angle.

Reference Plane
First you always have to specify the reference plane used to calculate the draft angles. From the list
you can choose one of the three main planes but you can also pick any plane you want. Just click
"Pick Plane" and then in the display click a plane on your model to be the reference plane.
Alternatively you can pick a plane directly by holding the [SHIFT] - key and left-clicking on objects.

The reference plane stays in effect when switching between the three types of analysis.

The input field Tolerance contains a tolerance angle used for angle allowance. This tolerance is
necessary since triangulated data is never 100% exact.

Parting Analysis
This analysis displays the parting in 2 cavities. From the Prefer list you choose the side to assign
sections of the model without draft angle.

Draft Analysis
Basically equal to Parting, but this analysis displays the draft angles in three colors: green - Side1,
red - no draft angle, blue - Side2

Angle Analysis
Different angles within a certain level are displayed in different colors so you can easily see, which
plane has which angle or you can easily locate vertical planes.

In the input field Angle you specify the angle up to which the models should be analyzed.
By clicking the button Direction you specify the side to be analyzed.

The option Small Angle displays small angles instead of draft angles, e.g. to locate planes almost
parallel to the reference plane.

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Wall Thickness Analysis

This tool displays the wall thicknesses of your parts in different colors.

Calculating wall thicknesses is extremely intensive arithmetically. For large models or models with a
large amount of triangles the analysis may take hours or days. The analysis can be cancelled at any
time by hitting the [ESC] - Key.

The controls are located at the right of the display.

Calculation Settings
These input fields specify the precision of the analysis - big triangles are split into small ones.

ReMesh Iterations
Specifies the number of splits for edges longer than Max Edge Length. Lower this value to shorten
calculation time.

Max Edge Length

Specifies the edge length of the created triangles. Increase this value to shorten calculation time.

Wall Angle
Specifies the maximum angle for walls, e.g. draft angles.

Min. Distance
Specifies the value under which wall thicknesses will be ignored.

Shells separate
Will do the calculation separate for each shell.

Display Settings
To set the maximum and minimum wall thickness for the analysis enter the desired values into Max.
and Min. The two options 2 Colors and Spectrum specify the type of coloring for the scope between
Min. and Max.

Tip: The display settings can be adjusted after calculation without the need of recalculation.

Point Calculation
The fastest way to analyze wall thickness is the calculation of one single point. Click the button
At Point and then click a point on you model. The wall thickness will be displayed on the right.

Tip: This function may alleviate the need for a complete analysis.

Fast Calculation
The button Quick Calc. starts the fast analysis. Here the wall thickness is calculated only for the center
of triangles.

Exact Calculation
The button Exact Calc. starts the exact analysis. The wall thickness is calculated for all three points of
each triangle.

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Animation
With this tool you can arrange multiple Custom Views to a continuous animation. The single custom
views will be displayed one after another with animated transitions.

Striking effects can be created here when using custom views containing Assembly Explosions.

Basic Approach
First you have to setup different Custom Views of your model, e.g. different Assembly Explosions.
Then insert these custom views as keyframes into the animation.
Finally arrange the keyframes and adjust their duration.

Example:
Keyframe 1 contains a standard view of the model.
Keyframe 2 contains an exploded view of the model.
When running the animation, the parts of the model will move from their original position into the
exploded view.

Create Animation
When starting the animation tool the animation dialog is displayed. On the right side you see a list of all
custom views currently defined and a small preview of the currently selected custom view. On the left
side you see the list of the keyframes in the actual animation. From the dropdown list above you can
choose a particular animation if there is more than one animation. If there is no animation setup so far
this list will be empty.

New Animation
This button creates a new animation. Enter the name of the new animation into the following window
and confirm with OK. Now you can apply custom views as keyframes.

Copy Animation to new Animation

Creates a copy of the actual animation. Enter a name for the copy in the following window.

Rename Animation
Use this to rename the actual animation. Enter the new name in the following window.

Delete Animation
Deletes the actual animation.

Filter
Using the filter above the list of Custom Views you specify which Views to display in the list. You can
choose All Views, only Orthogonal Views or only Perspective Views to be displayed. This helps
setting up an Animation, if there are Custom Views of both types, because it does not make sense to
mix both types in one Animation. The display of the model is recalculated when switching between
orthogonal and perspective, so the display will not be animated at this point but will jump/stutter.

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Applying Keyframes

Add selected Custom View to Keyframes

Inserts the selected custom view as a keyframe into the animation. New keyframes will be inserted at
the end of the animation and can be moved later. The duration of new keyframes initially is set to the
standard specified in Preferences - Common (e.g. 1.5 seconds). Adjust this initial duration by double
clicking the duration value.

Remove selected Keyframe

Removes the selected keyframe from the animation.

Move selected Keyframe up

Moves the selected keyframe one position up.

Move selected Keyframe down

Moves the selected keyframe one position down.

Play a Preview
Plays a preview of the animation in the preview window.

Planning Keyframes

Orthogonal or Perspective
Before you create Custom Views to be used in an Animation decide if the Animation should be
displayed orthogonal or perspective. Both types cannot be sensibly combined in one Animation.

Moving, rotating and zooming

To do animated moves, rotations and zooms of the complete model, you just have to adjust the view
as desired by using the appropriate Mouse Actions or the functions for adjusting the view in the left
toolbar. Then store the view by clicking Save Custom View in the lower right under Custom
Views. Use those steps to create all the Custom Views you will need. Start up the Animation tool
and insert the Custom Views as Keyframes in the desired order into a new or existing Animation.
When playing the Animation the model will move, rotate and zoom smoothly from one position to the
next.

To do animated moves and rotations of individual Elements activate the Assembly explode tool
and utilize the functions Move Parts and Rotate Parts. Then save a Custom View to be used
for the start of the Animation. Start the Assembly explode tool and move or rotate the Elements as
desired. Save this View into another Custom View. If the Animation is to take place in multiple steps,
where several Elements are moved/rotated one after another, you have to store every step into an
individual Custom View. You do not have to exit the Assembly explode tool to save Custom Views.
Move/rotate the Elements and then just click Save Custom View. Once you have created all the
Custom Views needed, start the Animation tool and insert the Custom views as Keyframes into a
new or existing Animation.

Note: If you want to move, rotate or zoom the complete view when working with the Assembly
explode tool, then active the functions Don't move/rotate Parts. This enables you to adjust the
view using Mouse Actions without accidentally changing the position of indivdial Elements.

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Adjusting the display

During an Animation you can also change the graphical display of Elements (transparent, shaded,
shaded with edges, etc.), you can hide and show Elements and activate Cross Sections. In these
cases consider that in the transition from one Keyframe to another at first always the general state of
the Elements will be set for display and then their positions will be animated. The result of this is, that
if a Keyframe contains a hidden Element, this Element will be hidden as soon as the previous
Keyframe is done. The first Keyframe of an Animation has always a duration of 0 seconds, this means
it will be not animated but just adjusted for display.

Stopping Keyframes
If you want to stop/pause a certain view for a specified time, you have to insert the same Custom View
two times into the Animation. For the first Keyframe adjust the transition time, and for the second one
the time to pause. The time specified for a Keyframe always refers to the transitions from the previous
Keyframe to this Keyframe. If two consecutive Keyframes are equal, the time specified for the second
one will create a pause accordingly.

Animated Cross Sections

You can make Cross Sections run animated through a model. Activate the function Display
Section and adjust the section to the desired starting position which can be inside as well as outside
the model. Store this view into a Custom View. Then move the section to the desired end position
and also store this view into a Custom View. Insert both Custom Views consecutively into an
Animation. When you run the Animation the Cross Section will be animated from the start to the end
position.

Note: The Animation will only take place if the start and end position are in the same section plane.

Tip: If you specify a time of 0 seconds for the first keyframe (start position) the section will be
activated in the right position and will start running through the model immediately.

Limitations
• When playing Animations in 3D-Tool the times specified for Keyframes will only be approximate.
Different computer speeds will result in more or less different display speeds. Except, when creating
an AVI-video the timing will be exact.
• Animated switching between orthogonal and perspective views within one Animation is not possible.
• In the transition from one Keyframe to the next the position and orientation of Elements will be
animated using the shortest way possible. This leads to the following limitations:
• To rotate an Element 180 degrees or more in a certain direction, the rotation must be split evenly
into two or more Custom Views, each with less than 180 degrees. If Elements are rotated more
than 180 degrees between two keyframes, the rotation will be animated the opposite direction.
• If you select multiple Elements to be rotated around their common center while using the
Assembly Explode tool the Animation will not produce a circular movement for Elements which
are not in the rotation center but rather these Elements will be animated the shortest direct way.

Play Animation
If you are satisfied with your animation you can close the animation tool by clicking OK. Your animation
now can easily be accessed from the Custom Views. Or you can go to the menu Animation and use
Play Animation, to play the animation in standard display, or Play Fullscreen Animation, to play the
animation in fullscreen mode.

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Export AVI
With the animation tool it is also possible to export an animation into an AVI-video. First choose the
size of the video by clicking the button Resolution. Then click the button Export AVI. Browse to the
folder you want the video to be generated in and enter a name for the video. After clicking the Save
button a dialog is displayed where you have to specify the type of video compression (video codec).
Depending on the selected codec you can specify additional parameters affecting the quality of the
video. Click OK to start the video export. Depending on the type of compression (codec), length of the
animation, size of the resolution and performance of the computer the export can take a considerable
amount of time.

Generally resolutions below 800 x 600 pixels are inapplicable to display small lines, little details and
small text such as annotation and dimensions.

The AVI format is a container for multiple video codecs. Independent of the selected codec all exported
files will have the file extension *.avi. The windows media player and other software players will display
the files correctly if the codec of the file is installed on the computer. If the video should not be played
on a computer but on a DVD player you have to convert the AVI file by using a conversion tool.

The following video codecs have been tested with 3D-Tool. The list does not intend to be exhaustive
but should give a first introduction.

Uncompressed Video
Limited suitable: Provides the best quality without any losses but will produce very large files.
However, this type of export should be used if you want to process or convert the video using a video
software. Please consider that windows only supports file sizes up to 2 Gigabytes.

Cinepak by Radius
Well suitable: Provides good results and good compression. The picture is sharp with smooth color
gradients.

Intel Indeo R3.2

Not suitable: Good compression but fuzzy picture with choppy gradients.

Microsoft Video 1
Limited suitable: Sharp picture but only weak compression and choppy gradients.

Microsoft Video 9
Well suitable: Good quality and small file sizes. However, color gradients are not ideal.

DivX
Very well suitable: Sharp picture with smooth gradients. Very good compression even on high
resolutions. However, depending on the DivX version and the licensing model we discovered some
problems when using high resolutions.

MPEG-4
Very well suitable: Clear and sharp picture with smooth gradients and very good compression.
Provided the best results in our little test.

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Custom Views Editor

(Not available in Free Viewer and EXE-files)

The Custom Views Editor enables you to easily change the order and names of your Custom Views.
For reference in the upper right is a preview of the currently selected view. Beneath it the Animations
are listed in which the Custom View is used.

Note: Deletion of a Custom View, which is part of one or more Animations, will also delete the
associated Animations.

Filter
Using the filter you specify which Custom views should be displayed in the list:
• All Views
• All 3D-Views
• Orthogonal Views
• Perspective Views
• All 2D-Views
• Views used by certain Animations

Rename Custom View

This function lets you change the name of the selected Custom View. Enter a new name and then
press ENTER or click somewhere else in the list.

Note: The length of names is limited to a maximum of 50 characters.

Delete Custom View

This function will delete the selected Custom View. If the Custom View is part of one or more
Animations you will be warned, because the deletion will also delete the Animations.

Move selected Custom View up

Clicking here will move the selected Custom View one position up in the list.

Move selected Custom View down

Clicking here will move the selected Custom View one position down in the list.

Applying changes
If you have completed all desired changes, then click OK to put the changes into effect. If you choose
Cancel, all changes will be discarded.

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Property Editor
(Not available in Free Viewer and EXE-files)

With this tool you can easily edit names, colors and transparencies of shells and assemblies, and save
the changes for later reuse. This helps you maintain a consistent appearance when repeatedly sending
models to third parties.

The Property Editor basically consists of four columns:

• Column 1 displays the original names and the structure of the model according to the
Element List.
• Column 2 allows you to enter a new name for an element.
• Column 3 allows you to change the color of an element.
• Column 4 allows you to switch on and off the transparency of an element.

Note: Changes will not take effect until clicking the Apply Changes button. The Property Editor is not
available in the bundled EXE-Files viewer.

Editing Properties

Highlight selected Assemblies/Shells

With this option activated (default) selecting an element in the list will also highlight the element in the
display in a red color. This helps in locating elements. If Highlight selected Assemblies/Shells is
switched off you can still highlight the elements in the display by double clicking the list.

Selecting an Element
In the first column click on the desired element. The row will be highlighted in a yellow color and in the
display the element will be highlighted in a red color (see above Highlight selected
Assemblies/Shells).

Changing Names
In the second column enter a new name for the element. To make the editing easier you can copy
single or all original names to the second column. The button will copy the original name of the
selected element to the second column. The button All will copy all original names to the second
column. Any previously entered new names will be overwritten.

Changing colors
In the third column the color of an element is displayed. Click on the colored square to choose a new
color. For assemblies and multi-colored shells no specific color is displayed, just a multi-colored
square. If you choose a new color all elements of the assembly respectively the complete multi-
colored shell will be assigned the selected color.

Changing the Transparency

In the fourth column you specify if elements should be displayed transparent or not . Just click on
the little blue square to switch between the two types of display.

Applying Changes
Click the Apply Changes button to set the changes into effect. Close will quit the Property Editor.

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Saving and loading Properties

By storing and retrieving a property file, you can quickly re-apply name, color and transparency settings
to iterations of the same design.

Having done all the changes on your model click the button Save to save the current state to a
property file (*.pf) on your harddisk.

After transferring the model from the CAD application open the property editor and use the Load
button to import the prepared property file. In the following dialog choose which properties (name,
color, transparency) should be applied. With that every element whose original name matches a name
in the property file will get the properties specified there. You can then finally edit the list or apply the
changes directly by clicking Apply Changes.

Note:
If the property file contains multiple entries of the same original name, all elements of the model,
independent of their position in the Element List, matching this name will get the properties of the first
entry, the other entries will be ignored. For assemblies, only names and no color or transparency
properties will be assigned, for the shells of an assembly however all selected properties will be
applied.

The Structure of a Property File (for advanced users)

A property file is a TAB-separated text file which could be opened and edited using a text editor.
Each entry starts in a new line and begins with the original name of the element whose properties
should be changed. The original name is followed by the properties "new name", "color" and
"transparency" each separated by a TAB and in the following syntax:

Original Name $N:NewName $C:$ColorHexadecimalBGR $T:- or +

ColorHexadecimalBGR stands for a hexadecimal BGR-color declaration (Blue,Green,Red) in the form

BBGGRR with a maximum of six digits .

Examples:
611_Stator $N:Stator $C:$0000FF $T:+
Changes the name of element 611_Stator into Stator, colors the element in red color and activates
transparency for the element.

Properties not to be changed can be completely left off.

611_Stator $C:$0099FF
Changes only the color of element 611_Stator to orange

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Information
This tool displays detailed information on volume and deviations of parts / shells and on the number of
bad edges and triangles.

The information window opens to the right of the display.

To get information on particular parts/shells you can use the top browse buttons for parts and the lower
browse buttons for shells. By clicking [<<] and [>>] you browse through parts/shells. By clicking the
Cursor Symbol button you activate the selection of parts/shells by mouse.

Attention:
Volume information is only reliable if there are no bad edges in the corresponding shell/file. If there are
bad edges, the volume calculation may produce completely absurd results.

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Move
The move dialog is located at the top right of the display.

Moved are always the elements actually selected in the Element List. Additionally this elements are
colored red in the display. Enter the desired values into the fields x, y and z.

Activate the option Create Copy, to create a copy of the object and move this copy.

By clicking the button Move you move the objects to their new positions.

Clicking the button will undo the last move.

Attention:
When moving elements you change their coordinates. This may cause Custom Views to change the
look you have setup before because the elements now have changed their position.

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Rotate
The rotate dialog is located at the top right of the display.

Select the elements to be rotated from the Element List. Those selected will be shown red in the
display. The coordinate axis to rotate about is selected from the Around list. The geometric point to
rotate about is chosen from the Rotation Axis list.

Enter the desired rotation value into the field angle.

Activate the option Create Copy, to create a copy of the object and rotate this copy.

By clicking the button Rotate you rotate the selected elements by the given angle.

Clicking the button will undo the last rotation.

Attention:
When rotating elements you change their coordinates. This may cause Custom Views to change the
look you have setup before because the elements now have changed their position.

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Scale
The scale dialog is located at the top right of the display.

Select the elements to be scaled from the Element List. Those selected will be shown red in the
display.

Scale
From this list you choose the scale:
• Scale inch to millimeters
• Scale millimeters to inch
• Custom scale

If you have selected Scale -> Custom, enter the desired scale in the input field. Deselect the option
Uniform in all Directions to enter different values for x, y and z.

Scale Center
From this list you choose the center for scaling:
• Center
• Origin
• Minimum
• Maximum

If you are not using the center of the element, the element will be also moved when being scaled.

Clicking the Scale button will set the scaling into effect.

Clicking the button will undo the last scaling.

Attention:
When scaling elements you change their coordinates. This may cause Custom Views to change the
look you have setup before because the elements now have changed their position.

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Mirror
The mirror dialog is located top right in the display.

Select the elements to be mirrored from the Element List. Those selected will be shown red in the
display.

Mirror Plane
Here you choose one of the three standard planes as the mirror plane. The mirror plane is displayed in
a yellow color.

Mirror Center
This list lets you choose the point the mirror plane is located at.

Create Copy
Activate the option Create Copy, to create a copy of the object and mirror this copy.

By clicking the button Mirror you set the mirror into effect.

Clicking the button will undo the last scaling.

Attention:
When mirroring elements you change their coordinates. This may cause Custom Views to change the
look you have setup before because the elements now have changed their position.

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Drag'n Trans
The tools RP-Layout and Placement utilize Drag'n Trans to easily move and rotate parts directly with
the mouse.

The Drag'n Trans mode dialog opens at the top right of the display.

Selecting the Type of Transformation

By clicking one of the three top buttons in the dialog you choose the type of transformation:
Move Parts, Rotate Parts or Don't Move/Rotate. The latter stops Drag'n Trans without exiting the
dialog. This helps, if you want to rotate the view without accidentally moving parts.

The selected part is highlighted by an orange colored box.

Move Parts
Left-click the desired part, hold the mouse button and drag the part.

To make the exact positioning easier, you can specify under Allow Move Direction in which of the
directions (x, y and z) the part can be moved.

The distance of translation according to the respective coordinates and the minimum and maximum
position of the part are displayed.

Tip: Use only one or two move directions at the same time. Allowing three move directions at the same
time may lead to undesired results.

Rotate Parts
Left-click the desired part, hold the mouse button and rotate the part by moving the mouse.

Under Rotate Axis you specify the rotation axis: x, y, z or the virtual axis of the Screen
(an axis that is normal to the screen, with positive coming toward you).

The rotation angle is displayed. After releasing the mouse button the minimum and maximum position
of the part is updated and displayed.

Undo Transformation
Clicking the button will undo the last transformation.

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14. Preferences
Selecting the item Preferences from the menu Options lets you adjust 3D-Tool to your needs. You will
get the following dialog giving you access to the different preferences:

Element List Color Import/Export Hardware

Common 3D Display 2D Display

Preferences - Common
Automatic Update
With this option activated, 3D-Tool will check for updates on the 3D-Tool server every time the
program is started up. If there is a new version you will get a note.

Save Window Size at Program End

Saves the window size for the next program start when exiting 3D-Tool.

Default Units
Sets the default measure unit: mm or inch.

Animation Time
Here you can enter a default value in seconds to be used if new keyframes are added to Animations.
This value also defines the duration of the animations when switching between Custom Views or
Standard Views. If this value is set to zero no such animation is done at all.

Default File for Short Message (when publishing EXE/DDD-files)

Here you can specify the path to a text file (*.txt), which will be used as standard short message when
Publishing EXE/DDD-files. The text file must not contain more than 2000 characters since the rest
will be cut off automatically.

Custom Views: Show Shells which are not defined

Newly loaded or created shells are displayed in already defined Custom Views.

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Preferences - 3D Display
Initial Mode
Here you select the default display mode: Shaded or Shaded with Edges.

Fast Move
You can increase the speed of display by automatically switching to wire frame when moving objects
(fast move). Here you can set the defaults for this function: On, Off or Auto.

For the Auto setting you can specify values for FPS On and FPS Off. These FPS-values (frames per
second) control the auto switching to fast move. Fast move switches on, if the FPS gets below
"FPS on" and switches off again, if the FPS raises above "FPS Off".

Back Faces
Sets the default display of the back faces of triangles: Display in Same color as front faces, display in
Red color or display None.

Pre Highlight
Activates the highlighting of Elements in the display if the mouse pointer is moved over the assiciated
Elements in the Element List.

Set Global Shade Mode resets local part settings

With this option activated (default) the setting of a global shade mode (Shaded, Shaded with Edges,
Wireframe, etc.) from the Menu Display will reset all elements to the selected shade mode. All local
shade modes setup for single elements in the Element List will be reset.

Bad Edges
Activates the display of bad edges when 3D-Tool is started up.

Display Coordinate System

Activates the display of the coordinate system when 3D-Tool is started up.

Display Orientation
Activates the display of the orientation (axes lower left in display) when 3D-Tool is started up.

Rotate around Screen Center

Sets the rotation center to screen center (instead of part center) when 3D-Tool is started up.

Perspective Projection
Activates the perspective View when 3D-Tool is started up.

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Preferences - 2D Display
Resolution for Arcs
This sets the default value for the resolution of arcs. High values will lead to more exact arcs but will
also lower the speed of display.

Background
This sets the background color for the 2D display when 3D-Tool is started up. To specify a Custom
Color, click the button Custom Color.

Use Antialiased Lines

Display lines using antialias - smoothes jagged edges of lines.

Use Small Lines

Sets the display of lines to small lines by default. All lines are displayed with a width of only one point.

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Preferences Element List (3D)

Size - Normal / Double
Here you set the default startup size for the Element list: Normal Size or Double Size.

Sort Shells after loading STL and SLP Files

Here you set if and how shells will be sorted in the Element List after loading STL and SLP files. The
options Up and Down indicate the sorting direction.

Tip: STL or SLP files may contain lots of shells, so sorting the shells usually makes it easier to locate
certain shells.

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Preferences - Color
Transparency/Brightness
By dragging the two sliders you set the default values for transparency and brightness of parts in 3D-
display.

Light
By dragging the yellow spot you set the default lighting angle when 3D-Tool is started up.

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Preferences - Import / Export

Load *_s.stl Files as only 1 Shell
Imports *_s.stl files (Support-Files) as one shell.

Assign a Color for non-colored STL-Files

When loading a non-colored STL-file, 3D-Tool will automatically assign a color.

Select a Color for non-colored STL-Files

When loading a non-colored STL-file, 3D-Tool will assign the selected color. Select the color by
clicking the square color button.

Load colored STL-Files as colored

When loading a colored STL-file, 3D-Tool will use these colors.

Save STL-Files with Color Information

The current color scheme will be saved with the STL-File.

Note: The files stay compatible to the standard STL-format and so can be opened by other programs.

Include Smooth Groups in 3DS-Files

Creates "Smooth Groups" for 3DS-files using 3D-Tool's Smooth Angle (if not equal "0"). So the
smooth display is saved with the files.

IGS-Files: Create B-Reps

The quality of data imported from IGS-files can be improved with the option Create B-Reps. This will
result in a higher amount of memory being used.

Step-Files: Create B-Reps

The quality of data imported from STEP-files can be improved with the option Create B-Reps. This
will result in a higher amount of memory being used.

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Preferences - Hardware
Enable Hardware Acceleration
Activates the hardware acceleration of your graphics card. In some cases the activation causes
problems (see Display Speed Optimization). If you discover such display problems, deactivate this
option.

If you are not able to start up 3D-Tool after activating hardware acceleration, you have to switch it off
using the start menu of Windows:
Program Files => 3D-Tool => Tools=> OpenGL-Acceleration_Off.

Mouse Wheel Zoom

By dragging the slider you control the sensitivity of the mouse wheel zoom.

Print
This sets the default orientation when printing: Portrait or Landscape.

Jpeg Quality
This sets the default quality when creating JPG-files . Values reach from 30 to 100 (Default:90).
Higher values will improve the image quality but will also enlarge the file size.

Improve Quality (use Antialias):

Uses antialias when printing or creating pictures to smoothen edges.

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15. Main Menu

Most of these functions can be easily accessed from two toolbars top and left of the display.

For a helpful overview refer to the 3D-Tool Quick Reference:

• Users of 3D-Tool and the 3D-Tool Free Viewer will find the Quick Reference in the program
installation folder.
• Users/recipients of 3D-Tool EXE-files can download the Quick Reference at www.3D-Tool.de on
the downloads page.

Main Menu 3D

3D-Tool
3D - 2D File Display View Animation Tools Element List Options Help

Main Menu 2D

3D-Tool
3D - 2D File Display View Animation Options Help

Menu: 3D-2D
3D - 2D
3D
2D

3D
Switches to 3D-Mode.

2D
Switches to 2D-Mode.

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Menu: File
File
New Scene
Load
Save *
Save ... as *
Publish EXE/DDD *
Publish 3D-PDF *
Most recently used *
Print
Create Picture
Exit
*) not available in Free Viewer and EXE-files

New Scene
Creates a new empty 3D-Scene/2D-Drawing. Previously loaded data will be lost. In the dialog choose
which you want: Create new 2D-Drawing, or new 3D-Scene.

Load
Loads/Imports one or multiple files. To cancel loading use the "Esc"-Key.
Tip: It is also possible to drag and drop files from the explorer into the 3D-Tool window.

Save
Saves all changed files using their actual name and file format (if possible).
If the file format is not supported for saving, you have to specify a filename and file format.

Save ... as
Saves a selected file using a new filename and/or file format.
Tip: Before starting Save ... as select the desired file in Element List by double clicking its label.

Publish EXE/DDD
Publishes your projects as directly executable EXE-files containing the 3D-Tool viewer, all CAD-data
and all project settings. Alternatively, you can publish your projects as 3D-Tool DDD-files without the
Viewer. To do so choose the 3D-Tool DDD-format (*.DDD) from the save as type list.

Publish PDF
Publishes your model as 3D-PDF file.

Most recently used

Displays a list of recently used files.

Print
Prints the current view on one of your printers.

Create Picture
Creates a JPG / BMP- File in 24bit color depth or an Icon.

Exit
Exits 3D-Tool.

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Menu: Display
Display
Rotate Screen Center
Perspective View
Shade
Shade with Edges
Shade + Triangles
Wire Frame
Hidden Line Colored
Hidden Line Black/White
Triangles
Points
Fast Move
Back Faces
Bad Edges
Absolute Coordinate System
Orientation
Annotations -Dimensions
Transparency
Explode
Smooth Display
(Re) Calc Smoothing
Black/White - Lines *

* only in 2D-Mode - all of the other functions only in 3D-Mode

Rotate Screen Center

Selects the center of rotation: screen center or part center.

Perspective View
Activates the perspective projection for the display. Otherwise the model will be displayed in orthogonal
mode. When switching the Perspective View on and off the display will be recalculated and completely
fit into the screen.

Shade
Displays the models shaded.

Shade with Edges

Displays the models shaded and additionally displays the edges as black lines.

Shade + Triangles
Displays the models shaded and additionally displays the edges of triangles.

Wire Frame
Displays the models as wire frame.

Hidden Lines Colored

Displays the model in a colored outline mode. The color of the lines corresponds to the solid color of
the Elements.

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Hidden Lines Black/White

Displays the model in a black outline mode on a white background.

Triangles
Displays the triangles of the models as wire frame.

Points
Displays the vertices of the models.

Fast Move
On
To speed up display, the models are displayed as wire frame while rotating, moving or zooming.
Off
The models are displayed always in the selected display mode.
Auto
The models are displayed as wire frame, if the number of frames per second gets lower than the value
set in Preferences. Above this value models are displayed in the selected display mode.

Back Faces
Same Color
Displays the back faces of triangles in the color of the front faces. This can very helpful when viewing
STL-Files with flipped triangles.
Red Color
Displays the back faces of triangles in red color. This may help to get a better orientation when looking
inside models.
None
The back faces of triangles are not displayed - the normal and fastest mode of display.

Bad Edges
Highlights all bad edges with yellow color.

Absolute Coordinate System

Sets the coordinate system to (0,0,0).

Orientation
Displays the orientation in the lower left corner. The orientation is formed by 3 lines along the positive
direction of the standard axes X, Y and Z.

Annotations-Dimensions
Shows and hides all the 3D-Annotations made by Tools > Annotations-Dimensions.

Transparency
Toggles the transparency of all Shells / Files having transparency preassigned in the Element List.

Explode
If the current view contains assembly explodes you can switch here between exploded and standard
display. (see Assembly Explode).

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Smooth Display
Improves the quality of the shaded display.
By default this function is activated if SLP- or VRML-Files are loaded. Usually these files contain
smoothing information. For all other files you may calculate smoothing (see below).

(Re) Calc Smoothing

In smooth display the transitions between triangles are smoothed, if the angle between triangles is not
bigger than the smooth angle. By setting the smooth angle the smoothing for all files is recalculated,
except for SLP-Files.

The bigger the angle, the higher the smoothing. To stop smoothing set the angle to "0".

The button Set as Default will set the current angle as default smoothing angle. So smoothing always
will be done automatically after loading files.

Black/White - Lines (only 2D-Mode)

Displays the lines of 2D-drawings in black/white.

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Menu: View
View
Fullscreen
Section *
Zoom in
Zoom out
Fit to Screen
Previous View
Load View
Save View
Front *
Back *
Left *
Right *
Top *
Bottom *
3D-View *
Align View *
Rotate Horizontal 180° *
Rotate Vertical 180° *
Rotate Normal 180° *
Rotate Normal 90° *
* only in 3D-Mode

Fullscreen
Switches to fullscreen, e.g. for presentations. In fullscreen mode right-click in the display to get the
context menu which will contain the functions Cross Section, View, Custom Views and Exit
Fullscreen. Using this menu you can activate Cross Sections, Standard Views and Custom Views
without exiting the fullscreen mode. Exit Fullscreen will switch back to the normal display. Pressing
the [ESC]-Key will have the same effect.

Note:
Hardware acceleration is not available in Fullscreen mode. Therefore moving, rotating and zooming the
model will be slower.

Section *
With this function you display cross sections of your models.

Zoom in
Activates the selection of an area to zoom in by mouse. Afterwards left-click into the display, hold the
mouse button and drag the rectangle over the desired area.

Zoom out
Zoom out the current view.

Fit to Screen
Fits all models in the current screen.

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Previous View
Returns to previous View.

Load View
Loads a previously saved view.

Save View
Saves the current view for later use.

Front, Back, Left, Right, Top, Bottom, 3D-View *

Standard Views: Fit the models to screen and rotate them as chosen.

Align View *
Aligns the current view horizontally and vertically to the screen.

Rotate Horizontal 180° *

Rotate view 180° horizontally.

Rotate Vertical 180° *

Rotate view 180° vertically.

Rotate Normal 180° *

Rotate view 180° normally.

Rotate Normal 90° *

Rotate view 90° normally.

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Menu: Animation
Animation
Rotate Left *
Rotate Right*
Rotate Up*
Rotate Down*
Play Fullscreen Animation*
Play Animation*
Slide Show
* only in 3D-Mode

Rotate Left, Rotate Right, Rotate Up, Rotate Down *

Animates (rotates) your models in the chosen direction. Useful for presentation purposes.

Play Fullscreen Animation *

If there are one or more Animations setup from Customs Views you can start them here in fullscreen
mode. To exit the fullscreen mode and stop the animation click the display or hit the [ESC] - Key.

Play Animation *
If there are one or more Animations setup from Customs Views you can start them here. To stop the
animation hit the [ESC] - Key.

Slide Show
If there are saved Custom Views, this point will start a slideshow of these views. The Custom Views
are shown automatically in sequence. To stop the show, just click into the display or hit the [ESC] -
Key. The current Custom View stays on the screen.

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Menu: Tools
Tools
Annotations - Dimensions
Assembly Explode
Painter
Placement *
Repair *
RP Layout *
Draft Angle Analysis
Wall Thickness Analysis
Animation
Custom Views Editor *
Property Editor *
Information
Move
Rotate
Scale
Mirror
*) not available in Free Viewer and EXE-files

Annotations - Dimensions
This tool easily lets you add 3D-notes and dimensions to your models e.g. to highlight details to the
recipient.

Assembly Explode
With this tool you can move and rotate elements to create explosion views of your model.

Painter
Using this tool, you may color any detail manually or color all parts/shells/planes automatically.

Placement
Create assemblies by placing parts in relation to other parts or the coordinate system.

Repair
With the repair tools of 3D-Tool you can repair damaged files - delete elements, flip normals, create
new triangles, move points. Also there are auto repair functions like the automatic orientation of
triangles and the search of near edges.

RP Layout
This tool helps placing parts on a platform for rapid prototyping systems.

Draft Angle Analysis

This tool offers three types of draft angle analysis.

Wall Thickness Analysis

This tool displays the wall thicknesses of your parts in different colors.

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Animation
With this tool you create animations out of custom views.

Custom Views Editor

This tool helps organizing your Custom Views.

Property Editor
This tool displays detailed information on volume and deviations of parts / shells and on the number of
bad edges and triangles.

Information
This tool displays detailed information on volume and deviations of parts / shells and on the number of
bad edges and triangles.

Move
Using this tool you move objects to new positions.

Rotate
This tool rotates objects.

Scale
With this tool you change the dimensions of objects.

Mirror
This tool mirrors objects.

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Menu: Element List

Element List
Expand All
Collapse All
Activate selected Part
Pick Shell
Highlight Selection
Delete Selection
Combine Elements
(Re)Arrange Elements
Move Up
Move down
Sort Element List

Expand all
Expands the contents of all assemblies in the list.

Collapse all
Collapses the contents of all assemblies in the list.

Activate selected Part

Select a shell, assembly or file in the list and then click this to activate the File for further actions.
Double-clicking an element will do the same.

Pick Shell
Activates selection of shells by mouse. Afterwards click a shell/file in the display and it will be searched
and selected in the list. This will makes it easier to select elements for further actions such as Show,
Hide, Painter or Delete.

Highlight Selection
The currently selected elements are temporarily highlighted.

Delete Selection
Deletes all currently selected elements.

Combine selected Elements to one Shell

Merges all selected shells or all shells of a file or assembly into one single shell.

Attention: The original shell names and partitions will be lost. This type of display may make it easier
to work with the list when working with files containing lots of shells.

(Re)Arrange selected Elements to new Assembly or File

Moves the selected elements into another or new assembly or file. In the dialog you can choose an
existing assembly/file or create a new assembly/file by using the appropriate button. New
assemblies/files will always be created in the currently selected (yellow) assembly/file. The name of a
new assembly/file might be edited here by slowly double-clicking the new assembly/file or by using the
button Rename.

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Move Up
Moves the selected elements one position up in the element list.

Move down
Moves the selected elements one position down in the element list.

Sort Element List

Displays a dialog to sort the shells in the element list. You can sort by:
• Number of facets,
• Volume,
• Volume of boundary box,
• Number of Bad Edges,
• Name of Shells.

By default only the shells of the selected file are sorted. The option "For all Shells and Parts" will sort
all shells in all files. The option "Rename Shells" will create new sequentially numbered names for the
sorted shells - this will cause the old names of the shells to be lost.

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Menu: Options
Options
Pre Highlight *
Use Animation *
Hardware Acceleration *
Change Wireframe Angle *
Background *
Preferences

* only in 3D-Mode

Pre Highlight
When this function is active the elements in the display will be highlighted as you move the cursor over
an Element in the Element List. To set the default for the start up of the program go to Preferences ->
3D Display .

Use Animation
Activate this function to make 3D-Tool generate smooth transitions (Animations) when switching
between different views (e.g. when browsing through Custom Views). The duration of the animation
can be adjusted in Preferences - Common.

Hardware Acceleration
Activates hardware acceleration for the display of the model. To set the default for the start up of the
program go to Preferences -> Hardware.

Change Wireframe Angle *

The wire frame angle only affects the Wire Frame Display. Two or more triangles are displayed as
one face, if the angle between them is not bigger than the wire frame angle. The button Set as Default
sets the current angle as the default angle for 3D-Tool.

Background *
Here you can change the color of the background.

Activating the option Gradient Background lets you adjust the upper intensity (brightness) of the
selected color by dragging the slider Top Color Intensity.

This adds a spatial touch to the background and improves the presentation of your 3D-models.

The button Change Color lets you choose a new color. The button Update Screen applies your
changes to the background. So you may test your settings without leaving the dialog. Set as Default
sets the current background to the default for 3D-Tool.

Preferences
Lets you do individual configuration settings for 3D-Tool.

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Menu: Help
Help
Help
Tip of the Day
Check for Updates
Licensing *
License Terms
About
*) not available in Free Viewer and EXE-files

Help
Displays this help.

Tip of the Day

Displays the Tip of the Day.

Check for Updates

Connects to the homepage of 3D-Tool and checks if there are any updates available. Needs an active
internet connection to work.

Licensing
Opens the licensing window where you can enter Authorization Keys, License Keys, or request a Trail
Key.

Licensing Terms
Displays the licensing terms for 3D-Tool.

About
Displays some information about 3D-Tool and your serial number.

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16. How to...

In this chapter you can find a lot of tips on these subjects:
How to distribute CAD-data
How to do presentations with 3D-Tool
How to lessen file sizes and increase display speed

How to distribute CAD-Data

3D-Tool enables you to provide your CAD-data to people who do not own a CAD system. Depending
on your goals, the target group, and the type of model you have to take some or all of the following
steps:
• Loading the CAD-data into 3D-Tool
• Editing the CAD-data
• Highlighting of important details
• Publishing the CAD-data

How much effort you have to put in on the editing of the data and the highlighting of details depends
on:
• What is the goal: Analysis, information, advertisement, etc.?
• Who are the recipients: project members, customers, contractors, etc.?
• How complex is the model: Single part or large assembly?
• Which kind of exchange format is used?

Loading the CAD-data into 3D-Tool

To get your parts and assemblies into a 3D-Tool Scene you have to export them from your CAD-
program using one of the exchange formats supported by 3D-Tool. Once all parts and assemblies
needed are in a suitable format, you load them into 3D-Tool. You can load multiple files, even of
different formats, into one 3D-Tool Scene. All the details on importing data import can be found in the
Data Exchange chapter.

Editing the CAD-data

Placing parts
If you have loaded multiple parts/files, for example to display an assembly, and if the parts are not in
their correct, the first step should be to the correct their placement. To do this use the tools
Placement, Move and Rotate.

Simplifying structures
Also, for the recipients of your designs, the Element List to the right sode of the display is an important
tool, for example to hide parts. Complex models made up of a lot of parts can be confusing for people
not used to the model. This is especially the case if the Elements are not structured in assemblies, for
example as a result of the limitations of some exchange formats. In the Element List menu you can
find functions to combine and rearrange the Elements in the list:
• The function Combine selected Elements combines multiple shells into one single shell.
• The function (Re)Arrange selected Elements enables you to move shells into new or existing
assemblies.

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Editing colors and names

If your models do not show the desired colors, colorization of the Elements can enhance clarity and
can make the model look more realistic. Providing meaningful names for the Elements will also
improve clarity, for example if they were only named with part numbers originally. 3D-Tool provides
different ways to accomplish these tasks:
• Right-click an Element in the list. In the context menu you can find the functions New Color and
Rename.
• The Painter tool provides detailed functions to colorize single details, planes and shells.
• The most efficient way of editing the colors and names is to use the Property Editor tool. This
tool also provides the ability to store the changes for future versions of the model. So you can assign
certain colors and names automatically to certain shells.

Highlighting important details

Annotations and Dimensions

Use the Annotations-Dimensions tool to measure distances, angles, radii and wall thicknesses
and to create text notes. Annotations and dimensions will be displayed in 3D directly on the model. If
you apply annotations and dimensions you should take the following into account:
• Create dimensions where you want to focus attention on important details. The recipients of 3D-Tool
EXE and DDD-files will also use the 3D-Tool Viewer, so they can do their own measurements if
needed. Remember that the goal is to provide clarity, not clutter.
• Use the Create Notice function, to apply annotations which will additionally point to important
details.

Background images and text

Also located in the Annotations-Dimensions tool is the function Add Background Images.
You can use this functions to:
• Apply a company logo to the background of the Scene.
• Insert informative text, for example a date or a short model description.

Custom Views
3D-Tool provides a lot of functionality for creating meaningful Custom Views of a model.
To highlight particular important details you can:
• Move, rotate and zoom the view
• Hide Elements
• Display Elements in a transparent color
• Display the complete model as well as single Elements in different render modes
(shaded, shaded with edges, wire frame, etc.)
• Create Cross Sections and Exploded Views

You can create and store an unlimited number of Custom Views. They will be stored with your 3D-Tool
EXE- and DDD-files, so the recipient of your designs can call them up too. Custom Views store all the
display settings and are perfect for focusing the attention on important aspects of a design. A detailed
description can be found in the Custom Views chaper.

Tip: Choosing the function Show Annotations-Dimensions from the Display menu or the top
toolbar allows you to hide and show all Annotations and Dimensions. Because this setting is stored
when a Custom View is created, you can hide the Annotations and Dimensions for Custom Views
where they will be distracting.

Animations
With 3D-Tool you can create continuous animations by combining an unlimited number of Custom
Views. They will be also available for the recipient of your data.3D-Tool animates the transitions by
default as one switches between different Custom Views, but by using the Animation tool you have
control over the order and duration of the views. So, for example, you can simulate the assembling of
parts in the correct order. You can find a detailed description in the Animation chapter.

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Publishing CAD-data
3D-Tool offers three strategies to publish your CAD-data - as EXE-, as DDD- and as 3D-PDF files.
• EXE-files contain the 3D-Tool Viewer, the CAD-data and all Annotations, Dimensions, Custom
Views and Animations. They can be started directly on any Windows system. For the recipients
EXE-files are the most simple way to view your data. They do not have to install anything and can
start up the files simply by double-clicking. However, the distribution of EXE-files by e-mail can be
hindered by restrictive firewalls at the recipients.
• DDD-files are equal to EXE-files but they do not contain the 3D-Tool Viewer. This means the
recipients need to already have the 3D-Tool Free Viewer (or 3D-Tool) to view the files. This method
is a solution if the distribution of EXE-files by e-mail is not possible.
• 3D-PDF-files can be used if the recipients can neither receive and run EXE-files nor can they install
the 3D-Tool Free Viewer. To view the files they only need Adobe Acrobat Reader Version 7.0.7 or
newer. However, the Acrobat Reader will provide less functionality compared to the 3D-Tool Viewer
and also your Annotations, Dimensions, Custom Views and Animations will not be included in the
3D-PDF-file.

Settings when publishing EXE/DDD-files

When publishing 3D-Tool EXE/DDD-files 3D-Tool provides several options in the Publish File dialog.
Use the following options to focus the attention of the recipient on important details right when the file
is started up.
• Enter a Short Message, which will be displayed when the EXE/DDD-file is starting up.
• Specify a certain Custom View to be displayed when the EXE/DDD-file is starting up.
When publishing EXE-files do not forget to set the Viewer Language with respect to the target group
to either English or German. The text of the Viewer controls and menus will then be in the selected
language.

You can find a detailed description in the chapter Publishing CAD-Data.

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How to do Presentations with 3D-Tool

If you want to use 3D-Tool to present your project, for example within a meeting, you just need to do
tasks that are similar to preparing models for distribution:
• Loading the CAD-data into 3D-Tool
• Editing the CAD-data
• Highlighting of important details
• Publishing the CAD-data

(see How to distribute CAD-data)

The following tips focus on the specifics of preparing and holding a presentation using 3D-Tool.

Adjusting colors
If you plan to present your project with a projector use contrasting and strong colors to distinguish and
highlight Elements. Not all projectors will properly display small color differences, especially if the room
is not darkened.

Custom Views
Meaningful Custom Views are the basis of a good presentation. Prepare Custom Views for all the
aspects you want to highlight during the presentation. Use the Custom Views Editor to arrange the
views into an optimal order for your presentation. Use meaningful names for the Custom views so you
can find a certain view quickly if needed. If you have planned the presentation well, then it is likely that
you will just need your Custom Views for presentation and that you will need almost no manual
orientation of the graphics.

Publishing data for presentation

Usually publishing EXE-files will be the best choice for presentations. Afterwards you can burn them
to a CD or store them on any other adequate medium (e.g. USB stick). On the computer used for
presentation you can start the EXE-file with a simple double-click.

During presentation

Starting the presentation

Test the EXE-file before the presentation and try to activate the Hardware Acceleration in the upper
right on the User Message window. This will speed up the display but can also cause display problems
on some computers, which is why you are testing it early. If you discover display problems with
hardware acceleration activated, then exit the EXE-file and start it up again without Hardware
Acceleration.

Using Fullscreen Mode

During presentations you can hide the 3D-Tool controls using the Fullscreen function. The display
of the model will expand to the complete screen. Right-click into the display to bring up the context
menu which contains the functions Section, View, Custom Views and Exit Fullscreen. This way you
can display Cross Sections, Standard Views and Custom Views without exiting the fullscreen mode.
Exit Fullscreen switches back to the normal display. Pressing the [ESC]-Key will have the same
effect.

Note: Hardware Acceleration is not available in fullscreen mode. Therefore moving, rotating and
zooming the model will be slower.

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Quick adjusting of view and display

Before doing presentations take the time to get familiar with the functions in the left and top toolbars.
Even in a well planned presentation it can be necessary to quickly adjust the view and display, for
example to react to questions from the audience:
• In the left toolbar you can find several Standard Views, which will fit the view to the screen and
will rotate the view as desired. The Align View function will align the view horizontally and
vertically to the screen. If you present your design on a laptop without an external mouse it is likely
that there is no mouse wheel function to zoom the view. In this case use the functions Zoom in,
Zoom out and Fit to Screen.
• The top toolbar contains file functions and frequently used tools but also some helpful display
functions. The Show Annotations-Dimensions function will hide and show all Annotations and
Dimensions. The Show exploded functions switches on and off the exploded view of the model,
if the current view contains exploded Elements.

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How to lessen file sizes and increase display speed

When publishing models for distribution or preparing models for presentation you should consider the
performance of the computers that the models will be run on. Very large and complex models
(e.g. complete plants and machines) can push older or smaller systems to the limitof their capabilities.
Here are some tips on how to speed up the display of models.

Hardware Acceleration
You should always try to activate Hardware Acceleration. This will speed up the display. You can
temporarily activate Hardware Acceleration in the Options menu.

Note: For 3D-Tool and for the Free Viewer, but not for EXE-files, you can activate Hardware
Acceleration permanently in the Options menu under Preferences -> Hardware. On some systems
using Hardware Acceleration can cause display problems. You can find more on this issue in the
chapter Display Speed Optimization.

Manipulating the number of triangles

3D-Tool uses triangulated data to display your models. This means, the models are mapped by a
multitude of triangles. The number of triangles created by 3D-Tool affects the display quality of the
model but also its display speed. Basically a large number of triangles will lead to high quality but also
to large file sizes, a higher computational effort and therefore to a lower display speed. Depending on
the exchange format you can manipulate the number of triangles created either when exporting the
data from the CAD-program or when importing the data into 3D-Tool.

Import: STEP, IGS, VDA, SAT and PARASOLID

If you use one of the Advanced formats STEP, IGS, VDA, SAT or PARASOLID, you can manipulate
the number of triangles when importing a file into 3D-Tool. In the Faceter Options dialog you can
specify the values for Chord Height, Angle Tolerance, max. Edge Length and max. Aspect Ratio.
The default values will lead to good results for most models concerning quality and speed. However,
for large models it can be necessary to adjust the values to ensure that the model is displayed fast
enough on slower systems. If you increase the values for Chord Height and Angle Tolerance, fewer
triangles will be created. This will speed up the display and lessen the file size when publishing the file.
You can find more details on this in the chapter STEP-IGS-VDA-SAT-Settings.

Export: All other Exchange Formats

For all other Exchange Formats you have to manipulate the quality of triangulation when exporting a
file from the CAD-program. Please refer to the manual of your CAD-program on how to do this.

© 3D-Tool / Ingo Wulf 2008