The webinar objective is to communicate our current and future 3D graphics strategy. We will demonstrate a new software solution, and present our 3D product roadmap. Do not miss this event, it will be the official launch of the new Larson Technology 3D solution.

1. 3D Product Strategy 2020
September 3rd 2020
11am Eastern Time, USA
Presenters:
Don Larson, CEO
David Manock, VP Sales & Marketing
Welcome to the Webinar
We will begin shortly
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Agenda
• Housekeeping
• Company Profile
• Introduction
• 3D CAD and technical illustration
• New Product Demo
• The Larson 3D product strategy
• Summary
• Q & A
STEP - File:
is a widely used data exchange form of STEP. ISO 10303 can
represent 3D objects in Computer-aided design (CAD) and
related information. Due to its ASCII structure, a STEP-file is
easy to read, with typically one instance per line.
CGM: Computer Graphics Metafile
an ISO (International Organization for
Standardization) standard for vector
and composite vector/raster picture
definition since 1987.
X3D
an ISO-ratified, royalty-free open
standards XML file format and run-time
architecture communicating 3D scenes
and objects.
IGES: Initial Graphics Exchange Specification
is a vendor-neutral file format that allows
the digital exchange of information
among computer-aided design systems.

3. Webinar: Housekeeping
• If you’re experienced problems when joining the webinar,
please use the questions function to communicate
• All attendees will be muted for the duration of the Webinar
• Computer Audio is the recommended option
• Associated materials are available in the Handouts section,
drag and drop to download to your computer, at anytime
• Post your questions during the webinar using the panel
• Questions will be answered following the main presentation
or by email
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Larson Software Technology
• Based in Houston, Texas, USA – New Location
• Founded in 1984, graphic technology experts for 30 years
• We develop powerful, innovative graphics software and toolkits,
based on open standards
• Promoted CGM usage, by providing a free CGM & TIFF viewer,
replaced by a subscription version available online
• The Larson online store is now open, the address:
• www.cgmlarson.com/store
• Developer of the first HTML5 CGM viewer, no plug in!
• Member of the CGM Open Foundation
• Larson technology simplifies the graphics workflow for Technical
Publications Professionals, Engineers, Geologists, and Geophysicists
• www.cgmlarson.com www.svglarson.com

5. Introduction
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• 3D data enables the creation and delivery of visual information
• CAD software is usually capable of processing data and exporting into applicable
technical illustration file formats
• However, Technical Illustration has some very specific requirements not usually
present in CAD systems
• The manipulation of the model should be fast and intuitive
• The ability to easily manipulate the model and optimize the exported data
• Export quality data in standard open 2D formats
• In todays webinar, we will discuss the current use of 3D data in technical illustration
• We will also discuss the future of technical installation creation, display and delivery

6. Webinar Objectives
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• Discuss the points of interests when processing, authoring and
displaying 3D data
• Demonstrate Larson’s new 3D data conversion solution
• Describe how the new software solution will easily integrate with your
workflow
• Present the Larson 3D Product Roadmap, what's next?
• Q&A session to discuss the strategy and the new product

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2D and 3D Graphics

8. 2D or 3D, that is the question?
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• The overriding driver in technical publications/illustration will be
cost
• In the near term 2D illustrations will continue to dominate
• Why? The amount of 2D legacy data
• 2D also has the support of trusted open data formats, CGM, SVG,
PDF
• The use of 3D data is a more complex topic:
• There is now greater access to 3D data
• Do we convert the data to 2D with hidden lines removed?
• Or display the 3D information in a usable form and file format?
• There are many 3D formats available, both proprietary and open
standards
• What 3D formats do we use for the best results

9. Technical Illustration – Today
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• We are still in a 2D creation and delivery paradigm
• There is a huge archive of 2D illustrations
• It is unlikely legacy 2D illustrations will be converted to 3D
• 3D CAD data can be converted 2D information
• 3D graphics are predominately being used in spare parts catalogs
• There is a definite benefit, however, the creation cost is a factor
• The delivery and display of the 3D data is more problematic
• Currently there is no specified 3D file format for the S1000D and ATA
specifications
• In Aerospace and Defense the 2D CGM format still dominates
• SVG is also being used mainly as a display format

10. Technical Illustration – Future
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• So what does the future of technical illustration look like?
• Is it going to continue predominantly 2D?
• Or a combination of the 2D and 3D?
• 3D, what are the benefits, dependencies, pitfalls and cost to deliver 3D
data?
• The benefits of 3D:
• Visually, easier to identify parts, view from any angle
• Animate parts in 3D, ideal for removal, repair and maintenance procedures
• Easily reuse 3D CAD data, and update as the model changes
• The dependencies include:
• Does the 3D data exist and is it accessible?
• Is the software available to easily repurpose the CAD data?

11. Technical Illustration – Future (2)
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• 3D considerations:
• What will be the quality when converting 3D to 2D
• Will 3D information display on the target devices?
• Does the customer still require hard copy information?
• 3D cost:
• Will it take more time to author the data?
• Do I have the correct the software to create the data, if not what is the cost?
• 2D, do we continue down the path of creating and delivering 2D data?
• In the short term it is still likely the majority of data will be 2D illustrations
• However, new illustrations will be originated from 3D data

12. Technical Illustration – Legacy
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• Legacy 2D illustrations:
• It is very unlikely the 2D legacy illustrations will be updated to 3D
• There are a vast amount of existing 2D illustrations, there will be a significant
cost to convert and validate
• Also the current delivery mechanism will need to be accounted for, either
electronic or hard copy
• There will need to be a compelling business case for a 3D conversion on this
scale to take place
• The future, probably a combination of the two, with the use 3D
becoming more common

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Converting 3D formats to 2D

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3D – Source Data
• The ability to reuse 3D data is increasing
• 3D data is readily available from CAD systems:
• CATIA
• CREO
• Solidworks
• Inventor
• Etc.
• The main challenge is choosing the most suitable file format for
repurposing the data for an end-user
• Repurpose could mean convert to 2D, or use the 3D data to
provide useful graphical information

15. 2D target formats
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• CGM – A 2D graphics format with a long history of publishing quality graphics in
different environments
• The WebCGM profile was developed to deliver Vector Graphics on the Web
• Visit CGM Open for more information www.cgmopen.org
• SVG - Objective to deliver high quality vector graphics for the Web
• The development of SVG was influenced by other submissions to the W3C (World Wide Web
Consortium)
• VML - Vector Markup Language (Microsoft)
• PGML - Precision Graphics Markup Language (Postscript)
• The final decision was to base SVG on XML
• More information on the origins:
• Secret Origin of SVG

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2D target formats (2)
• In the specifications driven environment CGM is the primary
format
• SVG has grown into another significant 2D file format
• CAD systems do not tend to support the export of CGM and SVG
• If they do the quality of the data can be questionable
• The quality of the graphics can cause issues downstream
• The impact could be the editing or the display of the graphic
• In conclusion a specifically designed conversion
software will be the best solution

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3D – Data Exchange File Formats
• The major two open CAD data exchange formats are STEP and
IGES
• STEP and IGES are data rich CAD formats and can provide the
best results especially when converting the 3D data to 2D
• The other option for data exchange are the CAD native formats
• Support of native formats can provide the optimum data exchange
scenario
• However, the formats have to be published for 3rd parties to use

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3D Open - Publishing Formats
• There are many 3D formats, however the proprietary ones
should be excluded when publishing information
• What formats are available:
• X3D
• X3D is a royalty-free ISO/IEC standard for declaratively representing
3D computer graphics using XML
• PRC
• PRC is a 3D file format that can be used to embed 3D data in a PDF
file. This highly compressed format facilitates the storage of
different representations of a 3D model.
• U3D
• Universal 3D is a compressed file format standard for 3D computer
graphics data.

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3D - S1000D Authoring
• The Chapter provides basic guidelines for the use of 3D
interactive graphics
• The production of 3D content must be produced from
verified and authoritative engineering information
• 3D information usage is recommended where procedures are
complex, and users will benefit from the visualization
• The 3D graphics must contain appropriate warning's and
cautions when parts are removed
• 3.9.2.5 – Interactive 3D Content

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Technology
The Solutions - Today and Future

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2D – Editing and Conversion - VizEx Edit
• VizEx Edit, native CGM editing
• Import and Export of SVG files, TECH SVG compliant
• Uses the TECH SVG profile for the export SVG files
• CGM, fully complying to international specifications, S1000D, ATA.
• Add hotspot’s manually or automatically
• Hotspots created in VizEx Edit preserved in the SVG
• View the interactive graphic in VizEx View HTML5
• http://www.cgmlarson.com/demos/jsViewer/table_cgm_example/index.html
• Or, view as SVG in a popular web browser

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3D – Conversion
• VizEx Edit 3D, imports STEP and IGES open file formats
• It can convert to the CGM format directly and save as SVG
• The 3D model can quickly and easily be manipulated to the required
viewpoint
• The 3D model can be exploded, parts moved and removed appropriately
• When the required viewpoint is achieved the user can perform a hidden
line removal
• The result, a quality 2D CGM illustration

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Demo

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VizEx Edit 3D - Benefits
• Easy reuse of CAD 3D data, independent of the engineering department
• Support of common open CAD formats STEP and IGES
• Intuitive tools enable the manipulation of the model to the required view
• Isolate assemblies or parts and work dependently of the main model
• Explode the model automatically, or manually to create spare part illustrations
• Convert to industry standard 2D format CGM, for standards compliance
• Quality 2D output enables the completion of the illustration in VizEx Edit
• Annotations
• Hotspots
• ETC.

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New 3D Technology – Product Development
• 3D Spare Part Illustration solution
• New functionality for VizEx Edit 3D – Version 2
• X3D export to X3D and VRML conversion software
• Import VRML Files
• X3D Viewing Capability
• As with CGM we want create an easy way to implement a 3D
viewing environment
• Supporting the X3D format
• Develop X3D Profile
• Develop specific technical illustration X3D Schema

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Summary
• Larson continues to make significant progress in supporting 3D file
formats
• Conversion, Compatibility and Compliance are the keywords
• Larson will continue develop standards compliant technology
• The Larson product roadmap continues to mature, 2D and 3D
graphics is a significant part of the strategy
• We will be pleased to work with companies or organizations
interested in implementing 2D and 3D graphics solutions

27. Q&A
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