CAD Exchanger SDK is a set of libraries to develop 3D applications. It is written in C++, but it has a few wrappers to provide bindings with other programming languages, namely C#, Java and Python. It allows reading, accessing, exploring, analyzing and editing the contents of 3D CAD files, writing them to a number of formats, and also visualizing.
The ModelData_Model class is a data structure which contains all the information about the 3D model, used by our Readers and Writers when converting across the supported formats. In other words, our software uses ModelData_Model as its own intermediary format in performing conversions.
The conversion process with CAD Exchanger can be shown like this:
[Format A] > ModelData_Model > [Format B]
We have a Reader and a Writer for each of the formats we support, which both interact with ModelData_Model. Readers translate input files into ModelData_Model, and Writers transform ModelData_Model into output files. Having ModelData_Model as a mediator allows us to drastically reduce the number of converters we would otherwise need to exchange data across every pair of formats we offer.
ModelData_Model consists of the following entities:
Product Structure
Product structure represents the hierarchical relationship between the elements that make up a model, namely:
Part representations
Representations are associated with a part, and define its shape. These can be of two types:
I. Boundary Representation or BRep (ModelData_BRepRepresentation)
Boundary Representations are exact definitions of the model’s shape. B-Reps are used when precise definitions of a model's parts are necessary. The upside of this type of 3D representation is its precision. But on the other hand, Boundary Representations need specialized 3D modeling applications able to work with them. A B-Rep representation is formed from the following entities:
The above are grouped into bodies of several types that are stored in the ModelData_Body class:
II. Polygonal Representation or PolyRep (ModelData_PolyRepresentation)
Polygonal representation is an approximation of a model's shape constituted of a mesh of triangles, whose vertices are interconnected. A polygonal representation can be created from a B-Rep representation with the help of meshers. This type of 3D representation is widely recognizable by nearly all 3D modeling software, but not as precise as BRep, and also often weighs more. A Polygonal Representation is comprised of three types of vertex sets:
Note: in STL format, vertices are not interconnected, and our Merger is used upon import to connect every vertex, so the model could be processed.
Levels of detail (LODs)
Level of detail (LOD) refers to the accuracy of a model’s polygonal representation. LODs are often used to show meshes with more or less geometry based on distance from the camera in order to increase the efficiency of rendering. Each polygonal representation contains ModelData_PolyShapeList, which is a list of vertex sets. Each vertex set (subclass of ModelData_PolyVertexSet) defines either a set of triangles (ModelData_IndexedTriangleSet), polylines (ModelData_PolyLineSet) or just a point cloud (ModelData_PolyPointSet).
Note: levels of detail are only supported in JT and Rhino formats.
Meta-data
Meta-data includes entities that can be linked to geometrical objects. Apart from the graphical PMI, all the meta-data sub-types are of non-geometrical nature. Namely, meta-data types are:
Visual Appearance can be attached to scene graph elements, bodies and subshapes in B-Rep representation, or triangle, line and point set objects in Polygonal representation. The appearance (ModelData_Appearance) defines how this object should be visualized. ModelData_Appearance contains the following: • material - defines a graphical material; • generic color - defines an RGBA color; • line styles - defines line style properties.
Properties can be attached to any graph element or a sub-shape in ModelData_BRepRepresentation. Properties are represented in the ModelData_PropertyTable class. The latter contains a list of pairs {property_name, property_value}.
The data model allows attaching specific properties called "validation properties". These properties allow the exchange of data between CAD systems in order to verify correctness of the conversion, and compare properties in the sending and receiving systems. These properties include: • volume; • surface area; • center of gravity; • bounding box.
Scene graph elements can arbitrarily be grouped into layers, separately from the object hierarchy of a model. Layers can be used to group any elements in an order different from the main hierarchy.
PMI (Product and Manufacturing Information)
PMI is another separate table of properties used for geometric dimensioning and tolerancing (GD&T) values, surface finish information, material specifications and also 3D text annotations. There are two types of PMI:
The information related to PMI is stored in the instances of ModelData_PMITable class. Objects of the latter class can be attached to any scene graph element.
Turning a model of one format into another using the CAD Exchanger SDK implies importing it with an applicable Importer, getting a Model_DataModel object as a result, and then exporting it using a needed Exporter. There are two primary ways to handle reading and writing in CAD Exchanger SDK:
I. Using the universal ModelData_ModelReader and ModelData_ModelWriter;
II. Using format-specific readers and writers, such as STEP_Reader, OBJ_Writer, etc.
Note: if the import format is a BRep one, like IFC or STEP, and the export format is Polygonal, like OBJ or FBX, the conversion will also require a Mesh to be generated from the initial B-Rep.
Universal reader/writer
With this approach, the suitable reader and writer are determined automatically - ModelData_ModelReader reads any format that CAD Exchanger can import, and ModelData_ModelWriter writes any format that CAD Exchanger can export. It’ll only require specifying the file path for the writer to determine how to export the model based on the file extension. This approach is particularly useful in cases when export to multiple formats is utilized in the same workflow.
Format-specific readers and writers
This approach implies choosing the applicable importer and exporter manually for finer control over the reading and writing processes. The importer reads an external CAD file and translates its contents into a 3D model in memory, and the writer converts a 3D model in memory and writes it to a target CAD file.
Mesh generation (Boundary to Polygonal conversion)
CAD Exchanger SDK can be used to generate meshes of different granularities from B-Rep representation with the help of meshers:
BRep generation (Polygonal to Boundary representation conversion)
Although the CAD Exchanger SDK is able to generate BReps out of PolyReps, the resulting boundary representations converted from polygonal meshes will have very limited usability in further modeling operations. We strongly advise our clients to avoid such scenarios.
Mesh Simplification
There’s a tool we offer as part of the Advanced Geometry Processing add-on called Mesh Simplification. It allows lowering the density of the original mesh by collapsing edges, preserving the major geometrical features of the mesh. It reduces the triangle count of the polygonal representation while maintaining the visual appearance. This process is also known as mesh decimation.
Note: this tool only works on the triangle sets and ignores the rest of the polygonal shapes (polylines and polypoints).
BRep Simplification
B-Rep simplification is another tool of Advanced Geometry Processing add-on that simplifies the geometry of B-Rep and mixed (B-Rep and polygonal) models. Features it can affect include holes, small bodies, internal non-visible faces and bodies, and also meshes:
Removes blind and through holes. It searches and identifies geometric configurations that represent such holes and then attempts to remove them from the model.
Removes the portions of the model that are not visible from most angles from outside. It checks faces from multiple viewing angles and viewpoints, and deletes thev if they can't be seen from anywhere. Face-oriented approach allows to simplify the model the most, however, the model quality deteriorates - solid bodies turn into unclosed sheet bodies. Hence, the tool can also be configured to only delete whole bodies.
Removes bodies that are small compared to the entirety of the model. It measures sizes of bodies and removes those that don't exceed the threshold. Alternatively, it can operate in a bit more sophisticated mode that also considers the role of the body within the model. If the body is deemed to play a significant role in the model, it is not removed even when going under the threshold.
Visualization Toolkit
The visualization component provides an efficient API to create scene graph from the SDK data objects (such as ModelData_Model, sub-assemblies or individual parts, B-Rep bodies and shapes, and polygonal meshes). In addition, scene graph nodes can be created directly from user-defined data.
The visualization component provides integration with different technologies, platforms and programming languages. The component architecture allows integration with other back-ends and front-ends while keeping the user’s code virtually unchanged and really cross-platform.
Unity
Unity add-on allows Unity users to utilize the CAD Exchanger SDK for CAD model import in the Unity game engine. Its main purpose is to convert CAD model files into Unity GameObjects and vise-versa. GameObject is the base class for all entities in Unity Scenes, including 3D objects. Both Edit and Game modes are supported, so that the capabilities of our SDK could be used not only in the Unity engine itself, but also in the applications built with it.
Web Toolkit
CAD Exchanger Web Toolkit is a set of JavaScript libraries to visualize, explore and analyze 3D CAD models. Unlike Autodesk Forge, Web Toolkit can be used to develop web applications running entirely on premise (i.e. inside a corporate network) without exposing any confidential data outside of the company.
Web Toolkit uses the three.js library to display 3D contents via WebGL on a client’s side.
In order to display any 3D file with the help of Web Toolkit, the contents must be first prepared by converting the original 3D file into a specific format called CDXFB. CDXFB is a highly-compressed binary format that allows efficient data transfer over networks to provide excellent application responsiveness and UX.
Both of these come with two options:
*Host ID is a collective term for the MAC-address, hard disk serial number and Windows Product ID combined. On Linux and macOS based systems it’s only currently the MAC-address that is tied to the license.
Our products differ in ways they can be licensed, as described below:
CAD Exchanger Lab
Licenses for can be both node-locked and floating, with both subscription and perpetual options.
CAD Exchanger Batch
CAD Exchanger Batch is positioned as a separate additional product that is offered on top of CAD Exchanger Lab, and requires an additional license. CAD Exchanger Batch licenses we offer currently are node-locked, annual subscription only.
CAD Exchanger SDK
SDK licenses can only be node-locked, with two subscription-only options: annual or 3-year.
CAD Exchanger SDK has a compound modular structure, allowing us to offer it in a “module by module” way, which in turn gives our customers an opportunity to only purchase the components they’re interested in, and not pay for anything they don’t need. There are three classes of SDK modules we offer:
For more information on licensing and pricing please contact us at sales@cadexchanger.com or through this form.
After your purchase you should receive a message from us including:
The license file won’t be necessary if your license is node-locked. In other cases the file will need to be placed into a specific folder it’s supposed to be in, namely:
CAD Exchanger Batch:
C:/Program Files/CAD Exchanger/bin (Windows)/Applications/CAD Exchanger.app/Contents/macOS (macOS)<install folder>/CAD Exchanger/bin (Linux)SDK:
${install_dir}/examples/${programming_langugage}Floating License Server:
C:/Program Files/X-Formation/LM-X End-user Tools 5.0 x64/Unity plugin:
${install_dir}/examples/csharp/Unity/Assets/Scripts${install_dir}/examples/csharp/Unity/Assets/Scripts/EditorIf it’s been a while but you still can’t find your serial and the download link in your inbox, then our message must have ended up in SPAM or was rejected by your email server. Please let us know if that’s the case.
- How do I renew my license?
Please contact our Sales team through this form.
- How do I transfer my CAD Exchanger Lab license?
We understand that sometimes hardware fails or requires an upgrade. For subscription licenses, we provide up to one free reassignment to another computer within a year. The same convention (one free upgrade within a year) applies to active maintenance. Perpetual licenses without active maintenance can be a transferred just once.
There are two ways you can initiate the license transfer:
The above will unbind the license from the old PC, and then you'll be able to activate CAD Exchanger Lab on the new machine.
(Up to 3.10.2)
(3.11.0 and higher)
After the above steps you'll be able to use your serial again to activate CAD Exchanger Lab. In case you encounter any difficulties with this, please let us know.
- Can the license server be installed on a client computer also running CAD Exchanger Lab?
Yes, the license server can be deployed on a client computer, but in this case please make sure this computer is being in the same network with the other computers that will use your license.
- How do I activate the license I bought for the Rhino plugin?
- How can I change some of the information my license was registered with (contact person’s name, company name, e-mail, etc.)?
Please describe the necessary changes in this form for us to make them for you.
- How do I get an older installer of the particular version to use with our perpetual license?
- How do I get to try CAD Exchanger Batch?
At the moment we only offer CAD Exchanger Batch on top of CAD Exchanger Lab subscription licenses (as an add-on). Please contact our Support for them to identify your current license and generate an additional CAD Exchanger Batch evaluation license file for you.
-I had been paying monthly for my Cloud subscription but found that in my profile I am listed as “Free”. How to fix that?
Unfortunately, you won't be able to sign up for the subscription or renew it any longer. According to the email announcement we've made on Fri, Jan 21, 2022, the Cloud service is being discontinued. This is also the reason we're not accepting payments for Cloud subscriptions since January.
- CAD Exchanger Lab has stopped working and it's saying that my evaluation period has expired.
The main reason for this issue is a change in the MAC-address the license was tied to. MAC-addresses are usually assigned when the device is manufactured and, unlike IP addresses, they generally do not change that often. However, there are cases when they do:
If the above aren’t the case, please send us your serial and a screenshot of the unfolded MAC-address drop-down list from the "Buy > Manual Activation" page. We’ll re-assign your license to a more stable and appropriate device to prevent this issue from happening again.
- I’m getting an error message after entering my serial: “This key has already been activated. Please use a different key.”
Please contact our Support team to figure out the reason it happened and help you.
- My Floating License server doesn’t seem to be working.
Firstly, please make sure your server is actually running:
If you didn't create Windows Defender Firewall rules permitting Broadcasting over port 6200, please follow our Youtube video guide demonstrating how to perform that.
If the above doesn't help, please let us know.
- When I try to get the license server to read the license file it comes up with an error: “WARNING: No licenses to serve”.
Please try following these steps:
Open your license file with any text editor, copy its' contents;
Open the lmx-serv.cfg and paste the contents of the license file between lines 436 (__START_LICENSE__) and 446 (__END_LICENSE__).
This should let the server avoid trying to access the license file, and solve this problem.
- I can't click the Activate button. It seems to be greyed-out.
If the Activate button is inactive, it usually means that there are some non-latin characters entered into the serial number field. Please make sure there are only latin characters, or just copy and paste the code we've sent you via email after your purchase.
CAD Exchanger Lab is a desktop application to view, explore and convert 3D CAD data across 30+ file formats. CAD Exchanger can also show properties of the model and its elements (including PMI), measure, move and rotate its parts, create sectionings and exploded views.
System requirements
Hardware:
Operating systems:
Axis orientation
Different CAD applications may use different axis orientations. CAD Exchanger uses a right-handed coordinate system. The recent CAD Exchanger versions have the "Use OY as Up axis" option. If it's enabled, the exported model will be re-oriented accordingly. It's accessible through "Menu" > "Export Settings", and currently available for the following formats: 3DPDF, Collada, FBX, gLTF, OBJ, U3D, USD.
Model size limit
As for the file size limit for CAD Exchanger Lab, technically there isn't any. There may be some limit dependent on the PCs hardware capabilities though.
Note: we recommend increasing virtual memory for better performance with bigger models on Windows. Large models can cause trouble when there isn't enough virtual memory allocated for the system to process big files, so increasing it should help processing large models. Here's how to do this:
When you first start CAD Exchanger Lab, you can simply drag and drop a file to start working with it, or browse for a model by clicking the “New file” button on the start page. A few recent files you opened last will also be shown on this same screen.
View options
Under “Display mode”, you can choose "wireframe", "shading", or "shading with boundaries". Under “Projection mode” there are "parametric" or "isometric" view options. “Selection mode” allows selecting one face of the object or its whole body.
Delayed display
This option is useful while working with very large assemblies. Massive assemblies usually take considerable time to be imported and shown in the viewport. With the "Delayed display" option enabled, you can select certain parts to be displayed, instead of getting the whole assembly automatically displayed after it’s imported. The "Delayed display" switch is accessible through "Menu" > "Settings" > "General Settings".
Manipulator
It’s possible to move and rotate either the whole assemblies or individual parts of the model in CAD Exchanger. Click the “Manipulator” button for it to appear on the screen and use it to change the position and rotation of the selected object, then click “Apply” to save changes.
Measure
CAD Exchanger Lab has several options for measuring:
Click the “Measure” icon, “Add measurement”, pick the measurement type and measure the object or objects.
Note: Measurement tool only works with B-Rep models.
Sectioning
CAD Exchanger Lab allows sectioning with X, Y and Z planes. Click the “Sectioning” button at the top, then “Add plane” in the left panel. There can be up to 3 different planes simultaneously.
Explode
CAD Exchanger Lab can also explode models and assemblies - click the “Explode” button in the upper panel and tweak the explode value. Exploding can be used simultaneously with Sectioning.
Mesh generation
CAD Exchanger Lab can generate Polygonal representations (Meshes) of different densities based on Boundary representations (BReps): open "Representations" and click "Add Representation" to start Mesh generation.
Mesh generation settings
If the standard Mesh generation settings don't suit your needs (e.g. the resulting Polygonal representation is either too coarse or too dense), you can tweak the mesher settings to achieve a more appropriate result:
(3.11.0 and higher)
(Up to 3.10.2)
The next representation you add will be generated in accordance with the Mesh granularity settings selected. For example, the "Coarse" preset will provide a rough, but light Mesh version of the BRep, whereas the "Fine" version will be more precise and much heavier.
Note: CAD Exchanger Lab can't decimate Polygonal representations, so in case you need to reduce the number of triangles your polygonal model has, the CAD Exchanger SDK will be necessary.
Note: if you're not yet informed enough to differ BReps and Meshes, please see this blog post for an elaborate explanation of their crucial differences, and more.
- Why can't my model be processed?
The problem may stem either from CAD Exchanger or from the file you want to convert, but we won't be able to figure it out without reproducing the difficulties you're having, so please share your model for us to look into via this contact form. It will be confidentially secured, as per our License agreement.
- Does CAD Exchanger Lab require any CAD system to be installed?
CAD Exchanger is based on our SDK, which is a self-contained set of libraries without dependencies on any CAD system API.
- Can I edit my model in CAD Exchanger Lab?
CAD Exchanger Lab is only intended to be a viewer and converter. Although transformation and colors of the model’s elements can be changed with its help, editing their geometry will require the CAD Exchanger SDK.
- Can I edit PMI?
CAD Exchanger Lab only allows viewing and converting, but not editing, which also applies to PMI.
- How do I export only the needed parts instead of the whole model?
You can export only the elements you want by simply deselecting those you don't in the Scene graph (accessible through the "Structure" button at the top). Doing so will exclude them from the exported model.
- Can I generate quad (4-sided) polygon meshes with your software?
Unfortunately, at this point none of our products generate quad meshes, but only triangular ones.
- When will the next CAD Exchanger Lab version be released?
We release a new version 8 times a year - 2 for each quarter, and announce each release via e-mail. All the changes and added new functionalities are listed here in our changelog.
Customer Corner provides our users with one-stop access to their license data and several related features to help perform the required actions without the need of assistance from our team.
Currently, it offers several functionalities, such as:
- Where can I access my license?
Note: please refer to the Troubleshooting section if you encounter any difficulties with the above.
- How do I transfer my CAD Exchanger Lab license?
The above should let you activate CAD Exchanger Lab on the new PC with the same serial number.
Note: Only node-locked (individual) CAD Exchanger Lab licenses can be transferred in Customer Corner.
- Where do I find the download links?
- How do I make my license accessible to other Customer Corner users?
Note: Only the project owner can invite (and remove) other users, and edit project settings. You will receive owner rights automatically, if the e-mail address specified during purchasing of your license is also used for registration of your Customer Corner account. The invited users will only be able to leave the project.
- How do I get my Floating license key?
- I didn't receive the 4-digit confirmation code to complete my registration.
Please check your SPAM folder first. If it's not there, check if the e-mail address you specified in the Registration form is correct: fill the form again and click "Next". If it lets you continue, that will mean that the e-mail address was misspelled previously, and you'll have to register again to receive the code. But if there's the "e-mail is already taken" error, it will mean that you have registered with the correct one, but our confirmation code got blocked by your e-mail server. In the latter case please contact our Support team at support@cadexchanger.com for them to confirm your account manually.
- I'm having trouble logging in, it says "No account found with this email address".
This error may mean that you didn't complete registration, or misspelled the email address during it. Please try registering a new account and make sure the information you specify is correct.
Note: in order to access your license and the download links, it'll be necessary to use the email address specified in your license information upon purchasing.
- I've registered a Customer Corner account, but don't see my licenses. Why?
Your license may have been purchased with an email different from the one you have logged in under. Please try registering a Customer Corner account using the email address specified in your licence information.
- I'm trying to transfer my CAD Exchanger Lab license, but the "Transfer" button is inactive.
The "Transfer" button will be inactive, if the license was already transferred before. We provide up to one free reassignment to another computer within a year for subscription licenses, and the same convention - one free license transfer within a year - applies to active maintenance. Customers with perpetual licenses but without active maintenance can do a transfer just once.
If you believe this is an error and you didn't transfer your license previously, please reach out to us at support@cadexchanger.com. To renew your license or extend your maintenance term, please contact our Sales team at sales@cadexchanger.com.
- The name or the email address used during the purchase of my license is incorrect. How do I fix that?
Please specify the necessary corrections in a message to support@cadexchanger.com for our support team to make them for you.