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CAD tip CAD tip # 8852:

   
Question CAD 
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Q - question

Publish interactive 3D models on the web with Autodesk 360.

A - answer One of interesting functions of the web cloud service "Autodesk 360" is the internet viewer of CAD models stored in in the web cloud repository (the original "QuickShare" technology, now Forge). Your 3D models from Autodesk CAD applications (and in other supported CAD formats) can be explored interactively inside a web browser on a desktop PC (or even on a mobile tablet device - with Autodesk 360 Mobile), without installing any plug-in module for the browser. Please note that working interactively on a larger 3D model raises performance demands on the client computer.

And while you can optionally set your documents stored in Autodesk 360 cloud as public documents, this mechanism can be also used for publishing 3D models of your products or projects on your public web pages and in your web catalogs.

Besides viewing graphics of the model, you can also use the Properties button in the viewer to access published information about the model/project (version, author, date), but first of all to access information about the individual elements of the model (part material, roof area, wall material) - just mouse-select the element in the viewer (try e.g. the roof of the house in the sample below).

Viewing WebGL/HTML5 models in 3D is supported in the latest versions of some web browsers (and with a graphics card not blocking WebGL) - Google Chrome, Firefox 5.0 and higher (resp. Mozilla), Safari 5 and higher.

If your Google Chrome browser doesn't show 3D content, your graphics card is probably not considered "3D capable" by Chrome. You can persuade him manually. Go to the address about:flags or chrome://flags/ and then click on the field "Override software rendering list" (activate); on the bottom the click "Restart". Also check the option "Disable WebGL". A similar problem in Firefox is solved in the tip 8077.

NOTE: validity od public document links in free versions of Autodesk clouds may be limited to 30 days.

Sample of 3D models from Inventor and from Revit (zoom-out using mouse-wheel):

See other online 3D samples in native CAD formats (Catia, Solidworks, STEP, IGES, IPT).

The first model was inserted into this web page using the HTML code (use "Embed" or "Details"):
< iframe scrolling="no" frameborder="0" hspace="0" src="https://360.autodesk.com/Public/Details?hash=00fec6f0f0e14aa28360b6089eb7525d" width="640" height="480" allowtransparency="true" style="border: medium none;">< /iframe>

Publishing of 3D models

How to publish such models from your CAD? First publish a 3D DWFx file from your CAD application (not neccesary anymore - newer A360 cloud directly supports native CAD formats), if possible: including the metadata information. See the functions Save As, Export ... E.g. in Inventor, use the function I > Export > Export to DWF and in the options, set e.g. the following options:

Publish DWF (in Czech)

Upload (publish) the resulting DWFx file to your free account on Autodesk 360 - see the button "Upload" ("Odeslat" in CZ version), resp. - for updates - the function Action > Upload New Version. Click on the uploaded document in the cloud and in the menu Action choose Share > Public Sharing:

Public Sharing (CZ)

Now in the dialog Public Sharing toggle the "switch" to "I" (on) and use the Embed button to generate a HTML code for inserting the window (frame) with your model and its viewer into your own web page (you can also select the window size for the embedded frame - min. 640x480) - this procedure is similar to embedding a YouTube video:

Embed

After you insert the copied code, your updated web page will display the interactive viewer similar to the above two samples.

Alternatively you can display your CAD models only for invited persons (accounts) and only in the Autodesk 360 environment (not on public web sites) - see "Private Sharing". To access and view the model you will need the right "View document" (applies also for the mobile viewers):
Access rights

When exploring the 3D model, please note that the element you click/select will become semi-transparent (here e.g. the roof, else e.g. an assembly part) and its automatic properties can be displayed - here e.g. the level, area, volume, construction, phase (data taken from the BIM project in Revit):

DWGACADInventorPublisherRevitmax
100% *  CAD 
10.10.2012    38405×   FAQ  
applies to: DWG · AutoCAD · Inventor · Publisher · Revit · 3ds Max ·

See also:
Tip 13280:How to publish models in USD/USDz format from Inventor?
Tip 12771:Simplification of an assembly in Fusion 360 - the shrinkwrap function
Tip 12663:How to transfer my project from Infraworks to Revit?
Tip 11816:How to convert 3D CAD model to the format glTF 2.0 (GLB)?
Tip 11337:Convert 3D PDF files back to CAD models.


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