Larson has a deep understanding of the technical illustration discipline, and the requirement to deliver quality and standards compliant graphics. The session will describe the status of graphics today, and how we might create, revise and deliver them in the future. We will discuss both 2D and 3D graphics, we hope you can join us for this informative session.
1. Technical Illustration
The Future
November 7th 2019
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
• History of Illustration
• Present and Future Overview
• 2D and 3D graphics
• Technology
• Summary
• Q & A
SVG: Scalable Vector Graphics
a modularized language for describing
two-dimensional vector and mixed
vector/raster graphics in XML.
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.
VRML: Virtual Reality Modeling Language
is a standard file format for
representing 3-dimensional
interactive vector graphics,
designed particularly with the
World Wide Web in mind. It has
been superseded by X3D
3. Webinar: Housekeeping
• If you’ve 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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• Where did technical illustration begin, history, origins?
• Provide some context for the presentation
• What is the future of technical illustration creation and delivery?
• The facts:
• There is a vast amount of 2D legacy data
• This will be continued to be used and revised
• We still require 2D software to perform the revision task
• The conversion of 3D CAD data to 2D illustrations is a common task when creating new
illustrations
• The use and delivery of 3D data will become more common, as the cost of hardware and
software reduces
• The use of AR (Augmented Reality) will increase, predominantly in the maintenance area
• The webinar will focus on the creation and delivery of 2D & 3D data
7. History Overview – Part 1
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• Pictures have always been used for
communicating information
• Cave paintings
• Perhaps not just decorative, also instructional?
• Hieroglyphics
• Pictorial communication
• One of the first people to use graphics
to illustrate complex mechanical
devices, Leonardo Da Vinci
8. History Overview – Part 2
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• Traditionally illustrations were created on the drawing board
• 3-point perspective, pencil illustration created from engineering drawings
• The Illustration was then traced and inked on translucent film
• The artwork was photographed before insertion into the master artwork
• The first major change was electronic
• The illustration could be scanned for insertion into desktop publishing
(Pagemaker)
• There were also the beginnings of creating the illustration electronically
• Adobe Illustrator and Coreldraw
• The introduction of specialized illustration software was a game
changer
• The first software was very expensive and only available on Unix Workstations
• The introduction of ITEDO IsoDraw on Apple Macintosh changed the market,
certainly from a cost paradigm
12. History Overview – Part 3
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• Today, technical illustrations are created, revised and delivered
electronically
• Primarily the illustrations will be black and white, using a
simplified perspective projection, isometric
• They could have some technique, thick and thin lines, but if technique
increases the cost it could be sacrificed
• The creation of new illustrations would usually by reusing CAD
data
• Legacy illustrations, if they were scanned from hardcopy are
also edited electronically, image editor
• A hybrid file is possible containing vector and raster information
• Delivery file formats will vary dependent on the industry
• Aerospace, Defense and Automotive will primarily be CGM
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Poll #1
How does your organization currently display graphics in
your published technical manual?
2D only
2D and 3D
3D only
2D at the moment but we intend to publish 3D in the future
15. 2D or 3D, that is the question?
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• The overriding driver in technical publications will always be cost
• In the near term 2D will continue to dominate, still the most cost
effective and proven solution
• 2D also has the support of trusted open data formats, CGM, SVG,
PDF
• 3D is a more convoluted topic especially with respect to file
formats
• There are so many formats available, proprietary and open
• In standards driven publications (S1000D) is there a requirement
for an open 3D format?
• X3D a contender?
• It has the credentials being based on XML
16. XML Technical Publications - World View?
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• Are we moving towards a technical publications industry
dominated by XML?
• Text and Graphics
• Text is already there after the move from SGML to XML
• Could graphics also now standardize on XML?
• Work required in definition
• 2D = SVG
• 3D = X3D
• The vision is certainly powerful from a data management and
delivery perspective
• Benefits
• Structured - Consistency
• Validation – Schema
• Appearance - Stylesheets
17. Technical Illustration – As is
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• Today we are still in a 2D creation and delivery paradigm
• There is a huge archive of 2D illustrations
• It is unlikely the 2D illustrations will be converted to 3D
• Even when 3D CAD data became more easily accessible, it was converted 2D
• 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 CGM format still dominates
• SVG is also being used mainly as a display format
18. Technical Illustration – To be
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• So what does the future of technical illustration look like?
• Is it going to continue as 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 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 repurpose the CAD data?
19. Technical Illustration – To be (2)
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• 3D pitfalls:
• Will the 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
20. Technical Illustration – To be (3)
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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 of this scale
to take place
• The probable future is a combination of the two, with 3D becoming
more common
22. Historical – The 2D 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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Commonality
• 2D Open formats accredited by the W3C (Not Proprietary)
• Suitable for the creation and maintenance of technical illustrations
• The only open graphical files that can be hybrid
• Both formats can contain editable Vector and Raster Data
• They have the potential to be validated
• CGM already has a defined profile, WebCGM adopted by the ATA and S1000D
specifications
• Metadata can be included in both file formats
• Provides the ability for interactive graphics
• SVG has the additional ability for animation and can be data driven
• Display of vector graphics in a web environment with out a plug-in technology
• The SVG support is native
• CGM display can be achieved using the Larson VizEx View HTML5 technology
• No Plugin required
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SVG is XML encoded
• Benefits:
• Based on the international open standard
• Structured information based on a schema
• In theory could be validated against a schema
• Caveats:
• The Off-the-shelf schema covers the whole
specification
• A new profile schema would be required to
validate against specific attributes/elements
• No rules for file creation could lead to
interoperability issues
25. Where is SVG used? – Industry Sector
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• Aerospace & Defense and Automotive
• Over the past year, we’ve experienced a significant growth in the use of SVG
• Mainly for the display of vector graphics in a web environment
• GIS (Geographic Information System)
• Maps on the web
• But not Google maps!
• GIS Software Vendor
• https://www.esri.com
• Graphic Arts
• Graphics on the web, when vector will provide benefit
• Data Visualization
• Data driven images, animation, dashboards etc. One benefit of XML
• https://bl.ocks.org/kerryrodden/7090426
• Data Driven Documents
• https://d3js.org/
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2D – The Future
• In the specifications driven environment CGM will continue to be the
primary format
• However, SVG will continue to grow as a viable display format
• Will SVG replace CGM in the specifications?
• This can only happen if SVG is supported by a profile
• It will also require the ability to be validated against the profile
• There would also be a requirement to amend the S1000D specification to
include SVG
• This is possible, but it would take some time and effort to achieve
• Is this likely? it is possible especially if the XML element of SVG is attractive
• SVG will not replace CGM, more likely you will have the choice of formats
• The first requirement will be the creation of an SVG profile
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• What is TECH SVG?
• A subset of the Full and Tiny Specification’s
• We’ve documented and published the supported
elements
• How will TECH SVG help?
• Defining a standard method of exporting and importing SVG
elements
• Improve data exchange quality
• What else are we doing?
• Socializing our strategy and encouraging 3rd parties to
participate
• Specifically talking directly to the Aerospace and Defense
communities
• Work in Progress
• Developing our products to be TECH SVG compliant
• Work in Progress
TECH SVG
SVG - Full
SVG - Tiny
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SVG - additional steps
• Now we have TECH SVG profile:
• We can create the schema and validate the SVG’s
• This will also provide the ability to roundtrip SVG files
• What else could do we do?
• There is also the potential to create stylesheets
• Perhaps stylesheets applicable to the device being used, or the context
of the illustration
• Resizes, rotates, etc.
• The other possibility is data driven graphics,
where the illustration would change
applicable to certain criteria
• A good example could be instrumentation
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2D – In conclusion
• 2D Illustrations will continue to dominate, mainly because of the
volume of legacy data
• In the near term, new illustrations will still be created in 2D
• Where it makes sense 3D will be used, providing it adds value and
the creation is cost effective
• We still require good 2D editing software to maintain the legacy
archive of illustrations
• The use of SVG will continue to grow, but will require effort
to refine
• The SVG format will require work to produce a format you can rely
on for data exchange
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3D – As is
• The ability to deliver 3D data is increasing
• The hardware device component, desktop, laptop and mobile are
more capable of 3D data display
• The software and file format options are numerous
• 3D data is readily available from CAD systems:
• CATIA
• CREO
• Solidworks
• Inventor
• Etc.
• The main challenge is choosing the file format and repurposing
the data for an end-user
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3D – As is - 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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3D – To be
• The mechanisms for creating and delivering 3D data in technical
publications is already in place
• The use of 3D at this time can be considered limited
• It is inevitable that the use will grow as solutions to create and
deliver are refined
• However, unlike 2D data there is no specified 3D file format
• If the S1000D community were to recommend a 3D format the
use could increase
• Larson would encourage the use of open 3D formats, preferably
based on XML, the core format of the specifications
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Poll #3
What 3D file formats do you use for data interchange or
publishing/display?
STEP
DWG
VRML
3D PDF
Other..
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3D Open - Publishing Formats
• There are many 3D formats, however the proprietary ones
should be excluded
• 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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Why select X3D?
• An open format based on XML
• The ability to create a specific profile for the format
• Same idea as the TECH SVG profile
• An X3D schema will provide the ability validate files
• No plugin required to view in a web browser
• https://examples.x3dom.org/cadViewer/sceneGraphEngine/index.html
• https://examples.x3dom.org/CAD_Explosion/index.html
• Caveat:
• How do author the X3D files?
• Add the interactivity, hotspots
• Connection to parts lists
• Animations, procedural, assembly, disassembly
• Do we use existing software and export to X3D?
• Work will be required to develop a 3D standards compliant solution
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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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2D - Batch conversion support of CGM & SVG
• Larson develops two batch conversion products
• Enabling the conversion of graphic files to CGM and SVG
• VizEx Transform – Multiple formats
• Convert CGM to Vector – SVG, PDF and EPS
• VizEx Transform
• Supports import and export of files, including SVG
• Enables batch auto-hotspotting
• Supports the TECH SVG profile when exporting an SVG graphic
• CONVERT CGM to Vector
• Batch conversion
• Exports SVG using the TECH SVG profile
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New 2D Software - SVG Product Development
• SVG Viewer SDK
• Viewing environment for SVG graphics
• TECH SVG compliant
• Documented API
• Toolbox replicating CGM viewer environment
• SVG Illustration Software
• SVG graphics editing software
• TECH SVG compliant
• Leverage the SVG format using the power of XML
• Open, Data driven, Validation, Styling
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New 3D Products – Product Development
• VizEx Edit - 3D to 2D conversion
• VRML to X3D conversion software
• We see this as a requirement to repurpose exiting 3D data
• X3D Viewing Toolkit
• As with SVG we want create an easy way to implement a 3D viewing
environment
• Supporting the X3D format
• Develop X3D Profile
• Develop X3D Schema
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Summary
• Larson continues to make significant progress in supporting all graphic
formats
• Conversion, Compatibility and Compliance are the keywords
• Larson will continue develop standards compliant technology
• We employ a lessons learned strategy when supporting our software
• Benefiting the market and our customers
• 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