Technical data packages with the 3D PDF solution from PROSTEP

Initiatives to establish drawingless processes in accordance with the VDA guideline 4953-2 or the US military standard MIL-STD-31000 are underway in many companies. In order to provide the best possible support for these initiatives, Adobe and PROSTEP have expanded their long-standing cooperation in the field of 3D PDF technology. PROSTEP may now also offer its customers the option of creating PDF-based technical data packages (TDP) containing any kind of 3D representations.

For licensing reasons, it was not previously possible to create PDF containers without dynamic 3D PDF content but only with file attachments in JT format and with STEP AP 242 metadata, as provided for in the VDA guideline for drawingless processes for example. In light of this fact, Adobe has extended the terms of its cooperation agreement with PROSTEP to allow PROSTEP to utilize the features in the AEM Forms product suite that enable dynamic 3D PDFs to be converted into static and PDF/A-3-compliant containers with 3D file attachments. This means that PROSTEP will in the future be able to provide its customers with optimum support when it comes to establishing drawingless processes in accordance with the VDA guideline 4953-2 or MIL-STD-31000.

Adobe and PROSTEP have been working closely together on developing and marketing 3D PDF technology for ten years now. Based on the original technology from Adobe, we provide our customers with a comprehensive portfolio 

of 3D PDF-based solutions for the digitalization of various business processes from request for quotation to creating spare parts catalogs. The core component of these solutions is our 3D PDF Generator, which allows 3D models from all leading CAD systems, 2D drawings and other documents to be automatically merged in 3D PDF documents.

"Support for current industry standards is a prerequisite for the sustainable digitalization of business processes and the elimination of media discontinuities at the juncture to long-term archiving," says Peter Pfalzgraf, head of the Products business unit at PROSTEP. "Thanks to the expansion of our cooperation with Adobe, we are now able to automatically fill PDF containers with all the information our customers need to digitalize their business processes."

PROSTEP will combine the functionality for flattening 3D models and generating PDF/A-3-compliant containers in a separate TDP module and offer it to the customer as an extension to PDF Generator 3D. The new module is now available.