Data Exchange within 3D-XML - Essay Example

It compresses the data sizes up to 90 percent smaller than those of existing formats, without compromising the geometric representation (James, 2006).

The 3D-XML format supports seamless integration with several office productivity software and popular web browsers; for example, 3D-XML files can be embedded into a Word or PowerPoint document by a simple drag-and-drop operation (James, 2006).

3D-XML technology makes 3D data accessible to the extended enterprise as a whole, hence, enabling users to add an extra dimension to their documentation as well as improve their collaboration with others (James, 2006).

3D-XML allows the incorporation of PLM (Project Life Cycle Management) information into various forms of communication such as technical documentation, maintenance manuals, marketing brochures, websites, emails, and many others (Dassault Systems, n.d).

Disadvantages:
- Products developed by Dassault Systems are only capable of supporting 3DXML format (Wikimedia, 2008).
- It is still believed that ‘the exact implementation of 3DXML has yet to be determined’ (Ancona, 1998).

According to Leondes (2002, p. 379), ‘IGES is a standard used to exchange graphics information between commercial CAD systems’. He further described that IGES includes four sections: the Start Section which provides a human-readable prologue to the file, the Global Section which contains information describing the preprocessor and information needed by the postprocessor to handle the file, the Directory Entry Section which provides an index and contains attribute information and topological information about each entity, and the Parameter Data Section that contains geometrical parameter data associated with each entity (Leondes, 2002, p. 379 – 380).

Advantages:
- IGES is based on American National Standards due to which its implementation has been adopted by almost every commercial CAD/CAM system (Leondes, 2002, p. 380).
- IGES can represent any CAD model precisely due to the wide range of entities of points, lines, arcs, splines, NURB surfaces, and solid elements that it provides (Leondes, 2002, p. 380).
- IGES is capable of representing geometry precisely (Leondes, 2002, p. 380).
- Few data conversions, smaller data files, and simpler control strategies are also considered strong aspects of IGES (Leondes, 2002, p. 380).

Disadvantages:
- Not suitable for RP&M due to containing a lot of unnecessary details such as electrical and electronic application information and architecture and construction information (Leondes, 2002, p. 380).
- The algorithm for slicing an object in the IGES format is more complex than that in the STL format (Leondes, 2002, p. 380).
- Creating the support structures in IGES format is not an easy process (Leondes, 2002, p. 380).

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