CIMdata PLM Industry Summary Online Archive
22 June 2004
Product News
Autodesk DWF Continues to Set the Bar for Sharing Rich 3D Design Information Quickly, Easily and Securely
Autodesk ( http://www.autodesk.com ) announced a major upgrade to Design Web Format (DWF). DWF adds support for sharing 3D models, in addition to the detailed 2D and object information it already carries.
This functionality will be available in an upcoming release of its free, downloadable viewer software, Autodesk® DWFT Viewer 5, expected to be made available mid-July, in conjunction with the upcoming release of Autodesk's flagship mechanical design application Inventor 9. With more than three million users, Autodesk DWF Viewer has become the industry standard for sharing computer-aided design information. DWF Viewer enables manufacturers, architects and engineers to reduce costs by streamlining processes to more efficiently create, manage and share design data. DWF Viewer delivers higher performance and image fidelity than competing solutions to support viewing of rich data and 3D models.
As design processes become more collaborative, designers and engineers are faced with the challenge of sharing rich design information and content to colleagues using different systems. Autodesk DWF Viewer enables anyone to electronically navigate, view and print both 2D and 3D design information. DWF Viewer is compatible with all major Autodesk design products including AutoCADT, Inventor SeriesT and RevitT, and non-Autodesk files can be viewed using the Autodesk DWF WriterT print driver. With the addition of 3D capabilities, DWF Viewer 5 enables full visual and printing fidelity of the original Inventor models, but at a much more manageable size-often 1/25 the size of the original Inventor model. DWF files, which are smaller, faster and more complete to transmit than any other format including PDF, give everyone on the extended design team a way to distribute design data quickly, easily, and securely.
"Design professionals require a more efficient and secure way to share design information digitally, as opposed to being forced to mimic traditional paper-based processes," said Amar Hanspal, senior director, Autodesk Collaboration Services. "Autodesk DWF Viewer 5 is the only solution that enables customers to view design and engineering information with all of the intelligence and precision of the original design program." Autodesk DWF Viewer is available as both a standalone application or as an ActiveX control that is embedded within Microsoft Internet Explorer, providing a simple, easy to use interface for even the novice user to master viewing and printing of design data. Autodesk DWF Viewer ActiveX control also allows users to embed DWF files in other Windows Office applications like Word, Excel, or PowerPoint. The Autodesk DWF Viewer requires an Intel® Pentium®-based PC, 200MHz processor or faster, 32 MB RAM and Microsoft Windows XP Home or Professional, Windows 2000, Windows 98 or Windows NT 4.0.
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