Adobe is to release in March a public preview beta of Acrobat 3D Version 8, the next version of its tool for embedding 3D models in PDF documents. The new version greatly compresses 3D models for email transmission and will be kept up to date with major CAD file formats in future.

Due for full release later in spring 2007, Acrobat 3D Version 8 will enable engineers to send a 3D model in a PDF to anyone with the free Adobe Reader 7 or later. The new version will also position PDF as the standard format for exchanging 3D information in the manufacturing industry, according to Adobe.

"PDF can be used everywhere in the chain - from design to procurement to manufacturing," said Rak Bhalla, senior marketing manager at Adobe's Knowledge Worker business unit.

Acrobat 3D Version 8 enables complex 3D models to be easily distributed over email, Bhalla said, because it can take a 150MB CAD file and embed it in a PDF as small as 1MB.

"Customers previously found it difficult to create and share complex 3D data, but anyone will be able to view CAD data because of PDF; the Adobe Reader is one single viewer that any enterprise can use to view data," Bhalla said.

Firms can also be confident that their intellectual property is not being disclosed, as the Acrobat Reader renders a tessellated version of any imported CAD model.

"You can send 3D data to suppliers and have control over it – they can’t reverse engineer the CAD model from the PDF," said Bhalla. However, trusted third parties can be given access to the precise geometry data if necessary. Acrobat 3D can also work with Adobe's LiveCycle Policy Server, which gives rights management control over documents, including those sent out to third parties.

The new release also allows engineers to include product manufacturing info, such as dimensions, text, or annotations in the 3D model, instead of this information being sent in separate files to the manufacturing company.

Adobe said that Acrobat 3D will help solve the problem of incompatible file formats used by various CAD and computer aided manufacturing (CAM) systems because it can export CAD files back out in neutral formats such as STEP (Standard for the Exchange of Product model data).

"Customers are looking to Adobe to produce interoperability between CAD systems," said Bhalla. He added that Adobe will provide regular and timely updates to ensure customers have latest importers for new CAD formats.

However, Adobe also said that Acrobat 3D Version 8 enables businesses to easily repurpose 3D assets for richer technical documentation, putting a 3D model that can be manipulated into user manuals or brochures, for example.

The public preview version will ship sometime towards the end of March, and will be compatible with Windows Vista, Adobe said.