Adobe Acrobat 9 Pro How-To : Editing in Adobe 3D Reviewer
Adobe 3D Reviewer is a separate application that’s installed with Acrobat Pro Extended. To open 3D Reviewer outside Acrobat Pro Extended, choose Start > Programs > Adobe 3D Reviewer. If you’re working with a model in Acrobat Pro Extended, you can right-click the model and choose Edit in 3D Reviewer.
You can use Adobe 3D Reviewer to work with 3D files in many ways:
- Merge CAD files
- Compare and measure exact geometry
- Calculate bounding box and physical properties
- Move and delete parts
- Add animations
- Create exploded views and bills of material
- Export to common 3D formats such as Universal 3D (U3D) and raster and vector 2D image files
What Is Universal 3D?
The Universal 3D (U3D) format supports animations and is editable in Adobe 3D Reviewer. U3D allows the use of computer-aided design (CAD) models with progressive detail, enabling viewers to see the underlying structure of the design as well as the finished product or model. U3D settings are for most CAD files created in digital-content creation applications and many CAD files created in mechanical engineering applications. The 3D industry Forum developed the U3D format to serve as an open, extensible 3D visualization and repurposing format. The 3D Industry Forum has various industrial members, including Hewlett-Packard, NVIDIA, Intel, and Adobe.
Making Your Way Around Adobe 3D Reviewer
At first glance (and even second and third), Adobe 3D Reviewer can seem rather daunting. Fortunately, the program offers a number of workspaces designed for different types of workflows. To select one, choose Workspace > Toolbar Presets and then select an option. Choose from these layouts:
- Visualization. This is the default set of toolbars, which includes tools used for viewing 3D assemblies and parts. This configuration displays the Standard, 3D Controls, Default Views, Display Mode, Selection Filters, Hide/Show, and View/Configuration toolbars.
- Design Review. This layout contains tools used for reviewing design projects, such as bounding boxes, markups, and dimensioning tools. This configuration displays the Design Review, Positioning, and Axis toolbars.
- Technical Documentation. This layout is used chiefly by technical writers for building illustrations and animations for manuals and guides. The Play Animation and Snapshot tools are displayed.