Background

CAD Conversion consists of a process that generates additional files based on a native CAD File. These native CAD files can either represent an Assembly (with sub-assemblies and/or components) or a single Component. By default, the following files are generated as a result of CAD Conversion:

• View File: The content of this file is used by the 3D Viewer. These typically have either a .scs or .scz file extension
• Assembly XML: This file contains information about the native CAD file that was processed for conversion including the composition of components for assemblies
• Viewable (PDF): This is a 3D PDF file that contains the 3D geometry of the native CAD file to be viewed using a PDF Viewer (e.g., Adobe)
• Thumbnail: 2D Image of the native CAD data
• Monolithic File: Copy of the native CAD geometry in a standard format (.prc) generated for archival and exchange purposes.

The conversion process is triggered when a new native CAD file is stored and linked to a CAD Item via the native_file Property. CAD Items, with the associated native CAD files, are typically created by CAD Connector software, which provide a means of saving CAD content directly within Aras Innovator from CAD Authoring environments.

After the conversion process is completed, the resulting files are attached to the associated CAD Item based on the diagram above. Refer to the Aras 3D Visualization Administrator’s Guide for an explanation of CAD Conversion and additional detail about the data model and process.