Tech Soft 3D Updates Tetra4D 3D PDF Creation Suite

Tech Soft 3D Tetra4D Enrich. (Image courtesy of Tech Soft 3D.)

According to Tech Soft 3D, the latest release of Tetra4D Converter includes format updates from CATIA and Autodesk Inventor, and adds a STEP AP242 export feature. With the introduction of the STEP AP242 standard, Tetra4D Converter can now read and export a 3D filetype that has become the standard for the aerospace, defense and automotive industries. In addition to its format and filetype enhancements, Converter also contains a number of user interface (UI) enhancements that will make using the software much easier.

When it comes to Tetra4D Enrich, Tech Soft 3D's 3D PDF creation tool that works inside of Adobe Acrobat, users will now have the ability to add CAD attributes to text fields. Additionally, Enrich has also been optimized to make creating 3D PDFs quicker, especially when working with large and complex 3D models.

“After using Tetra4D Converter for the past couple years, I can’t even imagine how I would be able to do my job without such a great tool.” said Jerome Bosch, core engineer at Takata. “Checking out CAD data at all stages of the development is crucial to making sure we are creating the best products for our customers, suppliers and operations group. With a larger emphasis on 3D CAD data, as opposed to 2D drawings, having a tool that allows you to quickly review geometry without needing resource-consuming native CAD packages such as CATIA or NX is a major advantage.”

But why are 3D PDF's garnering so much attention these days?

Aside from the fact that they make sharing and collaborating on drawings much easier, they’re also a great tool for exploring design intent on the fly. For that reason, 3D PDFs play a critical role in the development of the emerging model-based definition (MBD) paradigm.

Although MBD is still nascent, major players like the U.S. Department of Defense (DoD) have started to require that all contractors adopt the MBD standards set out in the MIL-STD-31000 guidelines. With backing from one of the world’s biggest technological incubators in its corner, it likely won’t be long before MBD, and by proxy, 3D PDFs become the norm across many industries.