Anark and 3D PDF Reduces Dependency on 2D Drawings

Boulder, CO : Anark Corporation, a provider of automated 3D CAD transformation and visualization solutions, and a key Adobe Manufacturing Solutions Partner, has announced the availability of two significant Adobe product extensions which enable users to interactively interrogate 3D PDF's containing 3D Model Based Definition (MBD) and Product Manufacturing Information (PMI).

Anark Interactive PMI Pro is a plug-in for Adobe® Acrobat® Pro Extended (APEX) that adds new model and PMI interrogation capabilities to 3D PDF documents that contain geometric dimensions, manufacturing tolerances, and other 3D annotations. By adding advanced model interrogation capabilities to new and existing 3D PDFs, Anark Interactive PMI Pro enables clear communication of original design intent between internal and external stakeholders across the extended enterprise. Once the 3D PDF is processed and enhanced, the PMI data may be interrogated on any version of Acrobat Pro or Acrobat Pro Extended with or without the Anark plug-in.

For high-volume 3D PDF processing, Anark Interactive PMI Pro Server runs as an Adobe® LiveCycle® ES server component and adds these new design intent interrogation features to 3D PDFs and enables interrogation with the free Adobe Reader, which currently resides on nearly 98% of all computers worldwide.

Anark Interactive PMI Pro, combined with the ability to embed manufacture-quality CAD models and associated product manufacturing data within secure, standards-based 3D PDF documents enables small and medium-sized businesses and large manufacturing enterprises to realize the promise of 3D Model Based Definition and dramatically cut--or completely eliminate--the costs and complexity required to create, maintain, and distribute 2D CAD drawings throughout the supply chain.

"Although the manufacturing industry has largely benefitted from adopting 3D CAD across the enterprise, nearly all manufacturers still rely on 2D CAD drawings to communicate design intent," said Stephen Collins, CEO of Anark. "The ability to view and interact with 3D CAD within Adobe Acrobat and the free Adobe Reader, combined with the unique capabilities of the Anark Core platform and Anark Interative PMI Pro, not only eliminates the need for 2D drawings, but also provides OEMs the with ability to securely share, exchange, and interact with manufacturing data without requiring suppliers to purchase expensive, proprietary, data exchange and viewing solutions."