Is anyone using this? It seems expensive ($995), especially since 3-D file readers like e-drawings are a free add-on to Solidworks.
The ability to bolt-on other files to form a single PDF document seems cool. Especially for downstream things like instruction sheets and marketing literature.
Check it out:
We got Acrobat 3D in our office a few months back…and we don’t use it much. It’s a great idea in theory but still quite sluggish and buggy, frequently freezes up when you try and put multiple models into a document.
Note that eDrawings isn’t actually free though – the viewer’s free and and there’s a free version of the publisher, but if you want full functionality (ability to pull dimensions, section views, mark-up, etc) without a big “Created Using Free Version” text block in the viewscreen, you have to pay up. It’s a sweet application though, and easy enough to use that even some of our less techie clients are able to review parts this way.
Word is that Adobe and D’Assault are working hard on better integrating 3D reader with SW down the line, so I wouldn’t be surprised if it does become the standard a few releases from now.