As far as CAD viewers go, users of all abilities from multiple stages of the product lifecycle have never had as many options—both free and paid—as they do today.
SOLIDWORKS users may prefer to stick with eDrawings and those looking for a budget-friendly option with advanced analysis tools may look towards CADbro; however, a new update to 3DViewStation Desktop from German IT company KISTERS may offer an ideal solution for those looking for powerful 2D viewing and markup capabilities directly in their 3D CAD viewer.
Featuring a new user interface modeled closely after Microsoft Office, 3DViewStation Desktop v2016.1 aims to be intuitive for all skill levels with the ability to load 3D CAD data quickly for measuring, annotating and comparing parts and assemblies easily.
With the added 2D file format functionalities, the update makes it possible for users to not only read 2D files, but also add measurements and markups. Supported file types include Autodesk DWG, DXF and DWF drawings, Microsoft Office formats DOCX, XLSX and PPTX, Bitmap file formats PNG, JEPG and TIFF and others.
The 2D file format support joins the list of features that support viewing and markup for 3D CAD files, including CATIA, NX, Creo, SOLIDWORKS, SolidEdge, Inventor, JT, 3D-PDF, STEP and other common industry formats.
Users will also have the option of additional 3D transform operations, including the ability to rotate around axes and set and lock these rotation axes.
Currently, 3DViewStation is available as a standalone desktop application or in ActiveX and HTML5 WebViewer forms intended to be integrated with existing product lifecycle management, ERP and CMS systems. Those interested can download a 30-day demo for machines running Windows 7 or later.