ODA Summit 2023
Summary
TLDRODA Summit 2023上,Neil Peterson宣布ODA成立25周年,并介绍了其战略计划inWEB,旨在将ODA平台的全部功能带到网络。他强调了ODA在CAD和BIM领域的完全互操作性使命,以及对多种3D CAD格式的支持。此外,他还提到了ODA在WebAssembly技术的帮助下,将核心C++组件适配到web上,以及即将推出的MCAD SDK。他还提到了ODA在中国设立子公司的计划,以及对现有产品的一系列改进,包括Visualize SDK的渲染能力提升和Drawings SDK的2D CAD功能增强。
Takeaways
- 🎉 ODA峰会2023庆祝开放设计联盟成立25周年,强调未来的发展重点。
- 🌐 ODA推出新战略倡议'inWEB',旨在将ODA平台的全部能力带到网络。
- 📈 2022年ODA增长强劲,新增36家公司作为持久会员,多数部署ODA基于网络的解决方案。
- 🔧 发布MCAD SDK,支持所有主要的3D CAD格式,采用透明固定成本许可模式。
- 🌏 ODA将在中国开设子公司,以更好地支持中文会员。
- 🔥 ODA Visualize SDK支持高效渲染CAD和BIM图形数据,包括2D模型、3D模型和点云。
- 🛠️ ODA Drawings SDK提供对DWG和DGN两种主要CAD格式的支持,并不断改进。
- 📊 ODA Publish SDK支持创建完全定制化的PDF文档,包含3D模型视图、2D绘图及其部分。
- 🔄 ODA致力于跨平台技术的开发,支持所有主要平台,并提供多种编程语言的API。
- 🔧 ODA在2023年增强了Solid ModelerGeometry,提供了创建复杂实体的关键功能。
- 🔍 ODA提供了一系列用于CAD和BIM数据互操作性的工具,包括对STEP、JT和SolidWorks等格式的支持。
Q & A
ODF联盟的使命是什么?
-ODF联盟的使命是实现CAD和BIM的完全互操作性。
ODF联盟成立多少年了?
-ODF联盟成立25年了。
ODF联盟在2022年有多少家新公司加入?
-在2022年,有36家新公司加入ODF联盟成为持续会员。
ODA inWeb是什么?
-ODA inWeb是ODF联盟的一个战略计划,旨在将ODA平台的全部功能带到网络环境中。
Visualize inWeb是什么?
-Visualize inWeb是ODA联盟提供的专业图形引擎,用于在Web应用程序中渲染CAD和BIM图形数据。
ODA联盟支持哪些编程语言?
-ODA联盟支持C++、C#、VB.NET、Java和Python等编程语言。
ODA Visualize SDK提供了哪些功能?
-ODA Visualize SDK提供了高效的CAD和BIM图形数据渲染功能,包括2D模型、3D模型和点云,并且是一个跨平台的解决方案。
ODA联盟如何处理DWG和DGN文件的兼容性?
-ODA联盟的DWG和DGN文件与这些格式的所有者提供的文件完全兼容,可以轻松集成到任何现有的或新的CAD工作流程中。
ODA联盟如何支持2D CAD?
-ODA联盟的2D CAD是整体CAD领域的重要部分,ODA Drawings SDK不仅支持格式,还提供了一系列辅助工具和功能来简化各种任务的实现。
ODA联盟的MCAD SDK将支持哪些3D CAD格式?
-ODA联盟的MCAD SDK将支持所有主要的3D CAD格式,包括Solidworks、JT文件等,并提供透明的固定成本许可模式。
ODA联盟在中国的业务发展情况如何?
-过去5年中,中国是ODA联盟新成员的最大来源国。为了更好地支持中国成员,ODA联盟将在中国开设子公司。
Outlines
🎉 ODA峰会2023开幕与未来展望
Neil Peterson作为开放设计联盟(ODA)的主席,欢迎与会者参加2023年的ODA峰会。他强调了ODA成立25周年的里程碑,并概述了过去25年的成就。他提到,ODA的使命是为CAD和BIM实现完全互操作性,这一使命得到了业界的广泛认可。2022年,有36家新公司作为持续会员加入ODA,大多数新成员都在Web平台上部署ODA技术。ODA推出了“ODA inWeb”战略计划,旨在将ODA平台的全部能力带到Web上。他还提到了ODA在支持Solidworks、Catia等3D格式方面的新战略发展,以及即将推出的MCAD SDK。最后,他提到ODA将在中国开设子公司,以更好地支持中国会员。
🛠️ ODA平台的功能与技术发展
ODA平台是一套集成的技术,用于快速开发工程应用程序。平台提供跨操作系统的相同代码库、不同编程语言的相同API、CAD和BIM数据的通用工具,以及适用于桌面和Web开发的可定制解决方案。ODA开发跨平台技术已有25年,支持所有主要平台,并拥有满足未来平台需求的经验。ODA的核心软件用C++编写,通过SWIG工具生成其他编程语言的包装器,为C#和VB.NET、Java和Python提供API。今年,ODA完成了.NET5和.NET6配置的开发,使得C#包装器可用于Windows、Linux和macOS操作系统。
🎨 ODA Visualize SDK的进步与创新
ODA Visualize SDK专为高效渲染CAD和BIM图形数据而设计,包括2D模型、3D模型和点云。Visualize提供了一个高效便捷的API,显著加快了应用程序的开发速度。它是一个跨平台的解决方案,适用于Windows、Mac、Linux以及Android和iOS移动平台。Visualize inWEB使用相同的代码库,简化了Web应用程序的开发。为了提高ODA 3D可视化的质量,ODA开始支持光线追踪技术,以创建复杂的图形效果。今年,ODA继续改进和扩展Visualize SDK的功能,增强了3D裁剪功能,增加了对光度学灯光和Web灯光Autodesk文件格式的支持,并扩展了选择功能以支持世界坐标系统。
📐 ODA Drawings SDK的2D CAD发展与功能增强
ODA Drawings SDK不仅支持DWG和DGN两种主要的CAD格式,还提供了一系列辅助工具和功能,以便于实施各种任务。ODA的DWG和DGN文件与这些格式的所有者完全兼容,使得基于ODA的解决方案可以轻松集成到任何现有的或新的CAD工作流程中。今年,ODA Drawings SDK增加了对MText实体和RTF字符串双向转换的支持,简化了使用BOUNDARY命令创建填充图案的功能,并引入了对约束的支持,这是基于2022年底发布的beta版本的反馈进行改进的结果。
🌐 ODA的地理数据支持与3D到2D的转换
ODA支持地理数据,这使得模型可以考虑到其所处的环境。地理数据包括不同的地理坐标系统、投影类型、额外的转换、地理标记等。ODA支持50多种不同的地理坐标系统,并允许将地理数据与每个DGN模型关联。此外,ODA还实现了从DWG地理数据到DGN地理数据的转换。今年,ODA还增强了其ModelerGeometry功能,提供了对挤出和旋转操作的全面支持,并引入了切片操作,这使得可以从曲线或区域创建实体。
🔄 ODA的3D CAD数据互操作性与格式支持
ODA致力于支持所有广泛使用的开放和专有3D CAD格式。今年,ODA计划发布对SolidWorks和Inventor数据的访问和可视化支持,长期路线图包括所有主要的3D格式。ODA还增强了对Parasolid和ACIS的支持,以适应SolidWorks和JT格式的不同版本。此外,ODA STEP SDK保持与行业标准的最新变化同步,并增加了对AP242和Domain Model edition 3 EXPRESS模式的支持。ODA JT Toolkit支持阅读和可视化JT数据,目前正在开发SDK功能。
🏗️ ODA在BIM互操作性方面的进展
ODA IFC支持基于先进的EXPRESS引擎,包括SDAI和C++接口用于数据访问。IFC SDK在过去一年中看到了许多重大改进,包括新的SDAI功能、性能优化、EXPRESS解释器更新、几何可视化增强以及对辅助标准的生产支持。ODA IFC SDK提供了对主要模型视图定义的全面支持,包括Coordination View和Design Transfer View,以及IFC4.3扩展。此外,ODA还宣布了对COBie API的支持,这是IFC SDK的一个新标准化特性,用于收集有关建筑和参与者的适当BIM数据。
🔄 ODA BimRv和Navisworks格式的支持
ODA BimRv SDK可以导出.rvt数据到.ifc文件,但由于模型结构的不同,生成的IFC将只包含原始Revit数据的子集。BimRv提供了对Revit模型中100%数据的读取访问,并包括丰富的可视化支持。今年对BimRv的改进包括视图控制和导航、文档和详图、数据管理和协作,以及改进的创建能力。对于Navisworks格式,ODA优化了内存消耗和文件处理时间,并引入了部分加载、多线程加载和直接文件读取等技术。
🌐 ODA inWEB平台的介绍与功能
ODA inWEB平台包括三种产品:Services、Visualize和CDE(通用数据环境)。Services inWEB是平台的关键产品,包括服务器核心和JobRunner组件。Visualize inWEB为Web应用程序提供了ODA专业图形引擎的全部功能。CDE inWEB提供了将CAD和BIM支持集成到任何通用数据环境应用程序的能力。这些产品使会员能够创建利用ODA的Web服务器、数据转换功能、可视化库或客户端API的定制解决方案。
🏢 通用数据环境(CDE)解决方案的重要性
CDE解决方案对于成功实施BIM流程至关重要,它为所有项目利益相关者提供了一个集中的协作、共享和管理数字信息的中心枢纽。CDE的关键需求包括集中的数据管理、版本控制和修订管理、安全访问和权限、协作和沟通、数据集成和互操作性、文件和数据交换、性能和可伸缩性、报告和分析。ODA与BIM供应商和专家紧密合作多年,提供了一个经过验证的技术,用于这样一个复杂解决方案——ODA通用数据环境SDK。
🤝 ODA咨询服务与战略互操作性小组(SIG)
ODA现在提供咨询服务,帮助实施基于ODA的解决方案,实现最佳设计和高效集成ODA技术到任何应用程序中。ODA的成功和增长很大一部分来自于战略互操作性小组(SIG)项目,这是一个ODA成员共同提供资金用于新产品开发的项目。ODA运营这些SIG项目是作为对其成员的一项服务,是解决今天最复杂互操作性问题的一种成本效益高的解决方案。目前有7个SIG项目正在进行中,ODA对更多的互操作性挑战持开放态度。
Mindmap
Keywords
💡ODA
💡互操作性
💡Visualize inWeb
💡MCAD SDK
💡CDE SDK
💡WebAssembly
💡Ray-tracing
💡CAD
💡BIM
💡STEP
💡JT格式
Highlights
ODA峰会2023庆祝其成立25周年,强调了其在CAD和BIM领域的完全互操作性使命。
2022年,有36家新公司作为持续成员加入ODA,大多数新成员在Web上部署ODA解决方案。
ODA推出了名为inWEB的战略计划,旨在将ODA平台的全部功能带到Web上。
ODA在Web上提供的技术大多是使用Emscripten工具链从核心C++组件改编而来。
ODA在2023年4月推出了支持所有主要3D CAD格式的MCAD SDK。
ODA将在2023年开设中国子公司,以更好地支持中国成员。
ODA平台为工程应用的快速开发提供了一套集成的技术。
ODA Visualize SDK专为高效渲染CAD和BIM图形数据而设计,支持跨平台解决方案。
ODA开始支持光线追踪技术,以创建复杂的图形效果。
ODA Drawings SDK提供对DWG和DGN两种主要CAD格式的支持,并提供一系列补充工具和功能。
ODA的2D CAD是整体CAD领域的重要组成部分,提供了对2D绘图的高效使用。
ODA在2023年增强了ModelerGeometry,提供了对挤出和革命功能的综合支持。
ODA Precise Hidden Lines Remover、ODA Brep Modeler和ODA Solid Modeler作为独立组件非常有用,也支持广泛的新功能。
ODA JT Toolkit支持ISO标准的3D CAD数据交换格式JT的读取、解包和可视化。
ODA IFC SDK提供对IFC和相关开放格式的支持,包括Revit和Navisworks文件。
ODA inWEB提供了一系列尖端产品和组件,旨在改变开发者在基于浏览器的环境中处理CAD和BIM项目的方式。
ODA Common Data Environment SDK为工程师提供了一个经过验证的技术,用于实现复杂的解决方案。
Transcripts
Welcome to ODA Summit 2023. My name is Neil Peterson and I’m the
president of Open Design Alliance. 2023 marks a milestone for ODA:
It’s our 25-year anniversary. We’ve accomplished a lot during the past 25 years,
but today our focus is on the future. Our mission of Complete Interoperability
for CAD and BIM continues to be well-received by industry. We had another strong year of growth,
with 36 new companies joining us as Sustaining members in 2022. Members are deploying our
technology on a wide range of platforms, but the majority of companies that joined us in recent
years are deploying ODA-based solutions on the web. Web is a priority for ODA, and today you’re
going to see a new term used to talk about our web offerings, and that term is: inWEB.
“ODA inWeb” is a strategic initiative to bring the full power of the ODA Platform to the web.
The foundational pieces of inWeb are already in place, including Visualize inWeb, our professional
graphics engine, and CDE SDK, formerly Open Cloud, our toolkit for integrating CAD and
BIM support into any Common Data Environment. Our plans for inWeb extend far beyond Common
Data Environments. For example, in the coming years you’ll see Drawings inWeb and Constraints
inWeb to support sophisticated DWG editing. Most inWeb technologies are adaptations of our core C++
components, created using the advanced Emscripten toolchain to generate WebAssembly. So we can
deliver inWeb technologies efficiently, without changing the focus of our core development.
Members have been asking us for years to support Solidworks, Catia and other 3D
formats. In April of this year, we launched a new strategic development initiative for MCAD.
MCAD SDK will include open support for all major 3D CAD formats, under a transparent,
fixed-cost licensing model, the same that we offer for all of our products. Our MCAD team has hit
the ground running, and today you’ll see an early demo of our support for Solidworks and JT files.
Industry response to our new MCAD SDK has been extremely positive. If you’re interested in
supporting this important work, please contact me. ODA has member companies in more than 50
countries, but China has been our largest source of new members during the past 5 years.
To better support our Chinese members, ODA will be opening a subsidiary in China this year.
We have a great program for you today, with significant advancements across the board with
all of our products. Enjoy the rest of the Summit. The
ODA Platform is an integrated set of technologies for the rapid development
of Engineering applications. We provide:
The same codebase for different operating systems The same APIs for different programming languages
Universal tools for CAD and BIM data access, visualization and publishing
And a set of ready-to-use customizable solutions for both desktop and inWEB development.
ODA has been developing cross-platform technologies for 25 years. We support all major
platforms, and we have the experience to meet your platform needs for the foreseeable future.
Our core software is written in C++ and to enable the use of ODA libraries with other
programming languages we generate wrappers with a tool called SWIG.
ODA provides APIs for managed languages including С# and VB.NET, Java, and Python.
Support for .NET5 and .NET6 configurations for C# wrappers make them available for Windows,
Linux and macOS operating systems. This year we completed development of
an automatic generating tool and provided a new version of the .NET wrappers. Classes, functions,
variable names, and namespaces are generating according to unified rules across all SDKs,
making the API consistent and user-friendly. The ODA Visualize SDK is designed for efficient
rendering of CAD and BIM graphical data including 2D models, 3D models, and point clouds. Visualize
provides an efficient and convenient API that significantly speeds up application development.
It is a cross-platform solution available for Windows, Mac,
and Linux, as well as Android and iOS mobile platforms. Visualize inWEB uses the same code
base that simplifies web-application development. To improve the quality of ODA 3D visualization,
we started working on support for Ray-tracing. This allows us to create sophisticated graphic
effects with minimal complexity: multiple reflections, color transmitting through
semi-transparent surfaces, refraction on glass materials and so on. At the moment we implemented
graphic material effects, like reflections, transparency, texturing, bump-mapping and lighting
as a CPU based solution. The next stage is porting of implemented features to the GPU pipeline
to provide a real-time ray-tracing solution for all ODA toolkits and ODA based products.
This year we continue to improve and extend the abilities of Visualize SDK.
We enhanced the view's 3D clipping functionality (“CPU cutting planes”)
and it is now available both for the low-level GS/GI API and high-level API.
We enhanced the "reflection plane" feature that provides realistic reflections onto
planar surfaces and added the ability to use them simultaneously with ground shadows.
We added support for Photometric lights and the Web-lights Autodesk file format that describes a
light distribution from a light source. Based on file data we prepare special textures,
which represent scanning of light intensities in all directions and use them in the renderer.
We extended the selection functionality to support pick data in the World Coordinate System.
We added new functionality to support the bitmap GLES2
device and used this device for WPF applications.
ODA Publish SDK supports creation of fully customized PDF documents containing 3D
model views, 2D drawings and their parts, UI controls, JavaScript scenarios and animation.
The API provides convenient methods to publish CAD and BIM data to 2D and 3D PDF,
including a comprehensive API for PRC data access, creation and visualization.
This year we enhanced PRC creation with full support for PRC geometry compression that allows
reducing output file size by up to 6 times. Publish functionality was extended with:
Support for GeoSpatial data when exporting DGN files to PDF.
And, support for the Selection Set option that exports particular DWG or DGN entities to PDF.
The history of ODA CAD is as long as the history of the ODA itself.
ODA Drawings SDK provides support for two major CAD formats: DWG and DGN.
Drawings SDK is not limited to format support only, but provides a number of complementary
tools and features to facilitate the implementation of various tasks.
With interoperability being our key mission, ODA’s DWG and DGN files are 100% compatible with the DWG
and DGN files from the owners of those formats. As a result, your ODA-based solution may be easily
integrated into any existing or new CAD workflow. 2D CAD
is an essential part of the overall CAD area. 2D drawings for area planning,
fire protection systems, routes for robots in warehouses and many other areas require
and efficiently use 2D CAD. ODA Drawings SDK is not something frozen, it is an actively
developed product with continuous improvements. For example, starting with this year we support
two-way conversion between MText entities and RTF strings. In addition to the setContentsRTF method,
we implemented a contentsRTF method that returns an MText object as an RTF-encoded string.
Working with text is an important part of Drawings SDK, as text is probably the first thing that
comes to mind when we think of 2D drawings. If you have a 2D drawing, it’s very likely
to contain some hatches. Facilitating work with hatches is a key focal point,
and we’ve made advancements in this area as well. For instance, we simplified hatch creation using
BOUNDARY command functionality as a base. Just to remind – the BOUNDARY command allows you to create
an entity with a closed loop from multiple entities in a specified area of a drawing.
In addition to pure BOUNDARY capabilities hatch creation has the possibility of closing
a contour with gaps. Gap size may be managed by means of the HPGAPTOL system variable.
Contour creation is not the only way that entities may interact with each other.
Another complex area of entity relationships is covered by the
constraints topic. Constraints support was first released at the end of 2022 as a beta version.
This year brought us valuable and positive feedback from our membership community.
Based on this feedback we introduced improvements that may be divided into 3 groups:
enhancements to constraints capabilities improvements to constraints quality
improvements in constraints behavior to work more similar to Autocad
As a result of these efforts, end users have the API to
Create all types of constraints with the given entities
List and delete constraints Convert dimensions to dimensional constraints
If you develop a UI-based application you can speed up your development using
Pre-created Commands for constraints creation Parameter Manager for dimensional constraints
To get a quick overview of the constraints capabilities please see our example application
ODA Drawings Explorer, that now has a special Constraints Toolbar.
The whole list of the constraints now includes the following items:
For geometrical constraints:
Coincident Collinear
Concentric Fixation
Parallel Perpendicular
Horizontal/Vertical Tangent
Smooth Symmetric
Equal length or equal radius And dimensional constraints:
Aligned dimensional constraint between point subentities
Horizontal or vertical dimensional constraint Two line angular dimensional constraint
Three point angular dimensional constraint Radial or diameter dimensional constraint
Constraints may be applied not only to 2D objects, but also to 3D objects. In
some cases it is just not reasonable or not possible to split the objects to 2D and 3D.
For example, this year we extended ODA Solid Modeler with an algorithm to generate Network
surfaces. Network surfaces in some cases may be absolutely flat or consist of several flat
sub-elements, but there is no reason to introduce 2D and 3D Network surfaces. We just have Network
surface native support for the OdDbSurface class. With the OdDbSurface::createNetworkSurface method
it is possible to construct a surface by two sets of curves: u-curves and v-curves.
Conversion and optimization, as well as intersection algorithms are also equally required
for 2D and 3D areas. As an example of a conversion and optimization algorithm, we provide conversion
of OdDbSubDMesh to smoothed and optimized OdDb3dSolid or OdDbSurface. This was introduced
last year. This conversion mode to a smoothed body merges some neighboring surfaces to one surface.
This year, OdDbSubDMesh and ray intersection was implemented. Common intersection points
for mesh and ray are illustrated on this slide. When talking about DGN, it is also not reasonable
to try to strictly separate 2D and 3D areas. And geo data is a good example here.
Dgn geodata includes different geographical coordinate systems, projection types,
additional transformations, geo markers, geographical auxiliary coordinate system
and tools to work with geo data. Geo data allows us to consider
the environment our model is placed in. The ability to consider the communication routes,
logistics, impact and options for further development is based on the geo data.
Last year we finished implementation of dgn geo data support. Geographical data can be associated
with every dgn model using the OdDgGeoDataInfo element. This element contains information about
the geographical coordinate system, datum information, reference ellipsoid data and
additional transformation data. The geographic coordinate system defines the rules for projecting
3d world coordinates (x,y,z) to geo coordinates (longitude, latitude, altitude) and vice versa.
We support over 50 different geo coordinate systems used in different parts of the world.
Every model can be associated with only one geographical coordinate system and have only one
OdDgGeoDataInfo element in model control elements. Geo markers OdDgKMLPlacemark2d/3d allow you to
link a specific world point in a drawing to a specific point in a geographic coordinate system.
They are used for the most accurate positioning of the drawing on the map and have a higher priority
than geodata transformations of the model. Also, we implement sample geo data support
modules that allow us to convert world coordinates to geographical coordinates and back, to correct
entity geometry during reprojection when one coordinate system was changed to another one.
All geodata calculation and conversion modules are based on the cs_map library. We use this library
for dwg geo data support, and we tried to design dgn geo data interfaces, algorithms and protocol
extensions to be similar to the ones for dwg. And, of course, we implemented conversion of
dgn geodata to dwg geodata and back in our dgn import and dgn export libraries.
While in some cases it is not reasonable to separate 2D from 3D, in other cases we observe
a 2D to 3D or 3D to 2D transformation. For example, a simple 2D entity may be
used for creation of solid and sheet bodies from curves or regions. The
results may be used to construct complex bodies. Extrusion and revolution functionalities allow
us to create bodies from curves and regions. Enhancing those functionalities was the main
focus of ODA ModelerGeometry in 2023. We have been working on providing
comprehensive support for these operations through the following key functions:
extrude or revolve create Extruded or Revolved Solid or Surface
These functions serve as fundamental building blocks for modeling.
One significant improvement we have made is the addition of support for taper angle
in the extrusion functionality. Currently, only line segments are supported in the profile,
but we have plans to expand this support to include all types of curves this year.
Two more interesting improvements. The first one – now solid bodies may
be created by means of revolution from open curves. In such cases,
the end points of the curve are extended towards the rotation axis and then closed. In addition,
we have incorporated support for revolution axes that lie outside of the profile plane.
To continue the topic of working with OdDb3dSolids and OdDbSurfaces we should mention the Slice
operation, implemented this year. Slice cuts a 3d entity into two parts by plane or surface.
Using extrude, revolve and slice you can model a wide range of real-life elements including pipes,
tanks, fittings, connectors, basements, and more. Intermediate: CAD workflows require not only
creation of 3D from 2D, but also 2D from 3D. The next 2 features are a good illustration of a 3D
to 2D transformation. Flattened views and Model Documentation are an illustration of a growing ODA
trend – building sophisticated new features on the foundation of other ODA features and capabilities
with no dependency on third-party components. ODA Precise Hidden Lines Remover, ODA Brep Modeler,
and ODA Solid Modeler are useful not only as stand-alone components, but they also enable
opportunities for a wide range of new features. Flattened views combine tools to construct
projections and sections. The core of the functionality is the OdDbSectionHLRHelper
class. It works with 3D solids, 3D surfaces, regions, sub-d meshes and bodies and allows us to:
select a section or a projection plane set elements to construct a section or projection
create elements of a section or a projection get visible edges,
invisible edges and section areas The extended version of the tool
is implemented as the OdDbFlattenViewsHelper class and additionally allows us to set color,
line type, line weight, transparency and layer settings for visible edges, and invisible edges
and hatch settings for section areas. The extended tool has a method to copy the result of projection
or section creation to the selected block. Model documentation allows creation of smart
drawing views. These views are designed to automatically update whenever changes are
made to the underlying 3D model. Ongoing work increases the number of supported view types,
including base view, projected view, section view, detail view, and view edit commands.
Our primary focus this year was on two key aspects. First, we dedicated significant
efforts to refining and improving our existing functionality. Secondly, we placed considerable
time on AutoCAD compatibility, aligning with our company mission of seamless interoperability.
The key achievement in this regard is the implementation of section view support. Now
section views, created by ODA-backed software may be opened and processed in AutoCAD without
any issues. This task required us to develop and incorporate Inventor support within Drawings SDK.
Speaking of compatibility with AutoCAD we can’t ignore Color books – a way
to distribute specific sets of colors and their shades across multiple manufacturers,
thus following the same color frame.
Color books are provided as separate xml text (.acb) files,
so they are easy to distribute with .dwg files. The open xml format makes it easy to create custom
color books. The ODA API allows you to read custom color books and color books supplied by AutoCAD®.
A strategic interoperability initiative for 3D CAD data includes support for
all widely used open and proprietary formats. We remain committed to open standards support
and this year we continue active development of STEP support as a main open exchange format for
3D CAD data. Also we launched a new JT format project to support product data exchange.
Open standards are not displacing proprietary formats at this point,
rather they are complementing each other, and we see growing interest from our members in ODA
support for proprietary 3D CAD formats. This year we plan to release data access and visualization
support for SolidWorks and Inventor data, and our long-term roadmap includes all major 3D formats.
Parasolid & ACIS are de facto standards for boundary
representation data in 3D CAD applications. For a long time ODA supported only the few
versions of Parasolid required for DGN support. But this year we began work on the Solidworks
and JT formats, which can use different versions of Parasolid. To fully support Solidworks and JT,
we enhanced our Parasolid support to work with any version of Parasolid data.
The STEP family of formats has been actively developing during recent years,
and we keep ODA STEP SDK up to date with the latest changes in industry standards.
This year we added support for AP242 and Domain Model edition 3 EXPRESS
schemas and significantly improved performance. Performance enhancements were focused on SDAI and
we greatly improved the speed of file operations, inverse attribute calculations and entity extents
filtering. In addition to these base feature optimizations, we significantly accelerated the
EXPRESS interpreter and ISO-specified find instance features used in STEP format validation.
The Validation Engine was extended to support STEP models of different
application protocols. We currently support most of the EXPRESS language constructions required
for complicated AP242 model processing. To enhance ODA exchange capabilities we
implemented conversion of 3D data between STEP and DWG and DGN formats. Also, we added support for
ODA Common Data Access API for properties and model tree for STEP-related formats.
In April of this year we released Open STEP Viewer, a free application for viewing and
investigating STEP files. Besides the standard visualization and model access features, the
Open STEP Viewer provides a set of plugins with extended functionality such as draughting views,
validation, and export to STL for 3D printing. JT is an ISO-standard 3D CAD data exchange format.
It can contain any combination of approximate (faceted) data, boundary representation surfaces
(NURBS), Product and Manufacturing Information (PMI), and Metadata (textual attributes) either
exported from a native CAD system or inserted by a product data management system or PDM.
ODA JT Toolkit enables reading, or unpacking, and visualization of JT data. Right now reading
Scene graph, level of detail Shape elements and B-Reps reading is implemented, and we are actively
working to extend the SDK functionality. This year we started work on SolidWorks
interoperability. Solidworks is a proprietary 3D CAD format commonly used for mechanical
and industrial components. The format stores 3D model data, PMI and 2D drawings.
Our support for Solidworks includes reading and visualization support
for Part, Assembly and Drawing files. At the moment we support reading of all versions
of PART files and visualization of 3D data. We’ve been developing internal support for the
IDW Inventor format containing 2D data for Model Documentation DWG functionality. And this year
we extended our 3D CAD data interoperability with support for reading Inventor IPT files.
The IPT format contains 3D parts represented with solid, mesh and surface geometry.
We currently support reading IPT files and visualization of 3D solid geometry.
BIM Interoperability is the key part of ODA’s long-term mission.
Under BIM, we support IFC and a set of related open formats,
Revit and Navisworks files, DWG-based Architecture and Civil 3D files,
and various point cloud formats as part of our Scan to BIM product.
ODA IFC support is based on our advanced EXPRESS engine which includes
SDAI and C++ interfaces for data access. IFC SDK is widely used by major vendors
and has seen a number of major improvements during the past year: new SDAI features,
performance optimizations, EXPRESS interpreter updates, geometry visualization enhancements
and production support for auxiliary standards, such as IDS, MVD, BCF and COBie.
The IFC4.3 format that formalizes Rail & Road definitions is one of the most valuable releases
within the BIM industry for the last year. The latest version is fully supported by ODA IFC SDK,
and we promptly make the required changes as the scheme is still in the process of certification.
The next extension for Tunnel definition is being actively developed by buildingSmart,
but the early version of this schema is already
supported in IFC SDK for member review. ODA IFC SDK provides comprehensive support
for geometric representations of principal Model View Definitions including Coordination View and
Design Transfer View, including the IFC4.3 extension with alignments and special sweeps.
Along with multiple enhancements this year we added support for hatches,
annotation fill area and curve bounded plane. IFC SDK includes a Validation Engine that can
check models on different aspects. The Validation Engine has been improved with
several standardized SDAI-level validations implemented as a validation of AGGREGATE item
uniqueness, reference type correctness and ARRAY non-optional item assignment.
An automatically generated IDS API together with IDS validation have also been harmonized
according to the latest stable version released by buildingSmart earlier this year. It implements
the highest level of validation of model semantic correctness according user-defined requirements.
The updated Model Operations API allows IfcProducts deletion, cloning or extraction
into other models. It has allowed us not only to create so-called federated models which are two or
more merged IFC files, but also to implement a set of complicated editing operations.
The latest BIM Collaboration Format version 3.0 was released recently by buildingSmart, and now
it is a part of our IFC SDK. The new version is not backward compatible with BCF 2.1, so we
implemented upward conversion in our BCF library. Both versions are available for client use.
COBie is the format for delivery data collected from the BIM model, and it is widely used for
various analysis or working purposes. We are happy to announce a COBie API which is a new
standardized feature of IFC SDK. The API collects appropriate BIM data about buildings and actors.
For end users, COBie-related data can be accessed using OpenIFCViewer’s COBie manager Plugin. We
will add support for exporting into Excel or HTML files containing COBie tables later this year.
As we switch topics from IFC to Revit, we should mention that ODA BimRv SDK can export .rvt data
to an .ifc file. But due to the different model structures, the resulting IFC will contain only
a subset of the original Revit data. Many tasks require direct access to the Revit model data,
and that’s why ODA BimRv SDK is so heavily used in the industry today.
BimRv provides read access to 100% of the data in a Revit model. In addition,
it includes rich visualization that supports geometry, materials, visual styles, textures
and so on, greatly expanding the potential use cases where BimRv can be successfully utilized.
Support for temporary and auxiliary element creation such as plane and section views,
annotation elements, cable tray geometry and others expands the set of use cases even more.
Improvements to BimRv have been made in several directions: View Control and Navigation;
Documentation and Detailing, Data Management and Collaboration, and additionally we should
mention the improved creation capabilities. View Control and Navigation improvements include:
First - the ability to enable/disable a section box and control its size. It is possible,
for instance, to select one or multiple elements and use their extents to create a section box.
Next - the ability to draw, turn on and turn off level grids in 3D.
And next - the ability to create Perspective views with the same settings as in Autodesk Revit.
Documentation and detailing improvements include: A new multi-crop view feature, that allows a crop
region to be split into several crop regions, for example to allow you to
cut off some part of a view. A multi-segment view feature,
that allows a view to be split into segments, so that every segment has its own clipping plane.
A ceiling plan feature that supports creation of special views with the layout of a ceiling.
For Data management and collaboration we need to mention:
Schedule creation. Currently, BimRv supports the creation of a new schedule, including
setup fields, filtering and sorting conditions and other properties of schedule definition.
We also have the ability to walk through schedule cells and export them as csv or html.
And finally, we continue work at Creation functionality.
As RVT format uses a family-based architecture, the first important feature available in
BimRv toolkit is the ability to import a Family into a model or family database.
The second one is advanced Family creation support with the ability to create:
Several family templates All Forms elements and their Void form.
Boolean operation on form elements. Opening in host elements in a family file.
Dimensions and ReferencePlane elements. BimNv
One more important area of work is the support of the Autodesk Navisworks format.
As it is an aggregated format, an important issue is the support of the Large Files.
A lot of work was done to optimize memory consumption and file processing time on different
stages of the file processing. For loading we introduced:
Partial loading, Multithreaded loading, and
Direct file reading without buffering for single-threaded mode.
For the visualization of Navisworks files we implemented:
Partial viewing with memory limit options, that allows the user to set a memory consumption limit.
And support for redline data in models was also implemented in BimNv.
Navisworks files are often used for time and cost estimations. To enable this
functionality in BimNv, we recently introduced Timeliner support. The TimeLiner tool enables
you to link a model to an external construction schedule for visual time and cost-based planning.
In addition, timeliner data may be exported in csv in exactly the same way as Navisworks itself.
As you know our Visualize toolkit can combine models of different formats to a single scene.
Now we can export such combined Visualize Scenes to .nwd files. So now you have a
tool to create your own federated models and to save the result to .nwd for further processing,
or just to convert any format to .nwd through Visualize.
Scan to BIM is a research initiative focused on the conversion of point cloud data from
architectural, civil, and other domains to fully classified IFC and Revit models.
Our efforts for Scan to BIM are focused in three primary directions.
The first direction is Point Cloud to Mesh conversion. Here, as experience has shown,
in addition to the direct transformation itself, it is necessary to perform additional actions
before and after the transformations. As a result of our study and experiments we
have chosen the workflow which consists of a preprocessing stage, where we remove “outliers”
and compute normals, a main transformation stage, which uses the Poisson algorithm,
and a post-processing stage where surface trimming is performed to eliminate the typical problem of
the Poisson algorithm – “pedestals” in the zones where there were no points.
The second direction of our activity is Point cloud to B-Rep conversion.
Such conversion allows us to eliminate intermediate mesh creation and gives the
ability to extract B-Reps from the point cloud directly. This approach is based on
plane recognition which is performed after segmentation of the initial point cloud.
Next, after recognition of the surface boundaries, we recognize floors and walls. We are able to
recognize their position, direction and thickness as well as the floors and walls together.
This part involves some assumptions and may require user feedback. Finally,
the recognized objects are converted to IFC which was chosen as the final
goal for the current stage of the project. The third direction is the Mesh to B-Rep
conversion. Here we have implemented a quite complex workflow which allows
us to recognize canonical surfaces - planes, spheres and cylinders. This workflow includes
many tasks like detection of sharp edges, calculation of curvatures, segmentation of
the initial point cloud, special extraction of planar and cylindrical segments and, finally,
recognition of the canonical surfaces. The work we have already done gives us the opportunity to
start the next important task – creating B-Reps based on the intersection of canonical surfaces.
ODA inWEB provides a set of cutting-edge products and components designed to transform the way
developers work with CAD and BIM projects in a browser-based environment. It empowers
developers to seamlessly store, visualize and collaborate on CAD and BIM files inWEB.
The inWEB platform currently consists of three products:
Services Visualize
and CDE (Common Data Environment) Services inWEB is the key product that provides
the basic functionality of the platform. It includes the Server core, which stores, manages,
and processes CAD and BIM files, and the JobRunner component, which handles data conversion.
Visualize inWEB delivers all the capabilities of ODA's professional graphics engine for
web applications. It includes two parts: VisualizeJS - a powerful WebAssembly library
that allows developers to visualize CAD and BIM geometry data directly in the web browsers,
and the WebViewer component - a web application that demonstrates fundamental scenarios that can
be implemented using ODA inWEB technology. CDE inWEB provides the ability to integrate
CAD and BIM support into any Common Data Environment application. It includes user
management functionality, support for document workflows, and BIM collaboration formats.
Members can use these products to create custom solutions that take advantage of
ODA’s web server, data conversion capabilities, visualization libraries, or client-side APIs.
The latest features bring even more power and versatility to your CAD and BIM workflows:
Enhanced performance and optimized memory consumption.
Updated permissions for better control and collaboration when working with viewpoints.
Powerful clash detection functionality. Search for specific objects.
STEP file support. IFC and STEP file validation.
An enhanced REST API with advanced filtering and sorting capabilities.
Customizable highlighting. An updated WebViewer UI/UX.
With these latest enhancements, we continue pushing the boundaries of CAD
and BIM collaboration, providing developers with a robust platform to implement their own solutions.
The Common Data Environment solution plays a decisive role in the successful implementation
of BIM processes. It serves as a centralized hub for all project stakeholders to collaborate,
share, and manage digital information throughout the entire lifecycle of a construction project.
Key requirements for any CDE solution include: Centralized Data Management
Version Control and Revision Management Secure Access and Permissions
Collaboration and Communication Data Integration and Interoperability
File and Data Exchange Performance and Scalability
Reporting and Analytics Developing a CDE for engineers
involves various challenges that need to be addressed to ensure a successful implementation.
ODA has been working for many years in tight cooperation with BIM vendors and experts to
deliver a proven technology for such a complex solution - ODA Common Data Environment SDK.
Let’s look at our solution in terms of standardization - ISO 19650 and
the typical stages of information management.
Starting with the Work in Progress Stage ODA has a significant number
of supported formats, and we’re looking forward to strengthening our offering with MCAD files.
All of these files are supported by CDE SDK, along with the following high-level features:
Collaboration together with colleagues File versioning gives the ability to
review the change history for a file Ensuring that all users have access
to the most recent project data Convenient backup capabilities
The Shared Stage usually refers to reviewing combined models, so here we
can highlight the following functionalities: Our advanced 3D viewer can be embedded
in any web application, and it supports merging of BIM models, cropping, hiding,
filtering elements, and viewing properties Differentiation of access rights by groups
Creation of summary or federated models Viewing and creating marks or
annotations on model elements Working with IFC and BCF to ensure
interoperability between all project participant; Checking BIM models for clashes
During the Publish Step, you can share full information about the
project and transfer data in any convenient format.
This includes viewing and working with documentation
formats such as DWG, PDF, DXF, DGN, etc. For Archival - it’s possible to create
separate secure cloud storage on your own servers for archival purposes - we provide
all necessary APIs for this. That concludes our technical
presentations today. I have a couple of short notes before we close our Summit.
First, if you need help to implement an ODA-based solution, ODA now offers
Consulting Services. Our experts can help you to achieve optimal design
and efficient integration of ODA technologies into any application: desktop, mobile or web.
More information about ODA Consulting Services can be found on opendesign.com.
Finally, a big part of our growth and success during the past 12 years has come from Strategic
Interoperability Group, or SIG projects. A SIG is a group of ODA members who come together to
provide funding for the development of a new product. Our new MCAD SDK is being developed
under this program, as well as our toolkits for Revit, Navisworks, Scan to BIM, and others.
ODA operates these SIG projects at cost as a service to our members. It’s a highly
cost-effective solution for some of today’s most complex interoperability problems. We
have 7 SIG projects running currently, and we’re open for more. Let us know if you
have an interoperability challenge that might be a good fit for our SIG program.
Thank you for your attention! If you have any questions about anything from today’s program,
don’t hesitate to contact us, we will be very happy to help you!
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