SOLIDWORKS Composer

Easily repurpose existing 3D models to rapidly create and update high-quality graphical assets that are fully associated with your 3D design.

Clearly explain and present your product or process using 2D and 3D graphical content that you can quickly create with SOLIDWORKS® Composer™ software. The easy-to-use tools and intuitive product approach let you work directly from 3D CAD data to make high quality illustrations, photorealistic images, and even interactive animations without waiting for a physical prototype.

Even nontechnical users can leverage existing product designs with SOLIDWORKS Composer and create associative 2D and 3D deliverables that automatically stay up-to-date with the latest design changes. You can start producing a range of technical communication graphical assets [such as 3D interactive animations, 2D line art images (SVG, EPS, CGM), and high-resolution raster images (BMP, JPG, PNG, and TIF files)] earlier in the design process, helping to lower costs and speed time-to-market.

Video: SOLIDWORKS Composer Overview

By leveraging the power of 3D, manufacturers can use SOLIDWORKS Composer to produce technical communication that helps customers and partners understand and retain product information more effectively.

Beyond graphical content, SOLIDWORKS Composer can also retain critical design information already built into the CAD model, such as part numbers, dimensions, quantity, standard specifications, torque, surface finish, and so on. Traditionally, manufacturers have had to re-enter it into their documentation—a manual, time-consuming job that adds cost, is prone to error, difficult to update, and inconsistent. Why re-enter data that is already available?

Now with SOLIDWORKS Composer, you can easily import design data to create bills of materials (BOMs), add dimensions, place surface finish labels, and so on.

Benefits

Reduces time-to-market delays. SOLIDWORKS Composer helps you reduce documentation errors and ensure that deliverables get to market faster by:

Starting documentation earlier in the design process and updating it faster when design changes occur.
Creating interactive 3D content that can be viewed by anyone with the free SOLIDWORKS Composer Player.
Adding interactive graphics to training materials.
Creating high-resolution, shaded renderings with a 3D appearance for presentations and brochures.
Quickly publishing complex product details online with web templates.

SOLIDWORKS Composer solutions include:

+ - Technical Product Communication Click to collapse

SOLIDWORKS^® Composer^™Technical Communication softwareencourages clarity by enabling designers, shop floor, sales, and marketing departments to easily create and deliver 2D and 3D graphical content from existing 3D CAD data. Even non-technical users can clearly present and explain products and processes by quickly repurposing CAD content for technical product communication —while updating it automatically as design changes occur.

With the intuitive SOLIDWORKS Composer software, you can start creating technical communications from the earliest phases of the design process. Manufacturing, technical, sales, and marketing departments can quickly produce leading-edge technical communications that creates competitive advantage while saving time and cutting costs.

Faster Content Development

SOLIDWORKS Composer software enables you to:

Work directly from 3D CAD data and create 2D and 3D graphical content in multiple formats, such as raster images (JPG, BMP, TIF, PNG); vector images (SVG, EPS, SVGZ, CGM); videos (AVI); and 3D interactive animations (3D PDF, HTML, SMG), executable package, ActiveX control)
Use the intuitive authoring tools to leverage the CAD model as a source for technical graphic creation
Remove the need for digital photographs, CAD screenshots, and manual drawings
Free up engineering resources from the need to generate and maintain images
Update technical communication files automatically, keeping graphics accurate and current with the latest product design

Broad Range of Technical Communications Applications

SOLIDWORKS Composer graphical content supports a wide range of technical communication applications for manufacturing, sales, marketing, service, and training—all of which are associated with your CAD data:

Publish clear, detailed 2D and 3D instructions to accurately show complex operations for your Assembly Floor
Visualize, demonstrate, and sell your product technology in the bidding process
Promote your product with marketing materials
Publish user instructions with 3D visuals
Create maintenance and repair guides for machine operators and service engineers
Provide 3D parts catalogs in print or online for customer orders
Have Engineers create “3D visual know-how” learning materials for internal or external training
Develop visual testing procedures manuals with QA Engineers

+ - Interactive 3D Communication Click to collapse

SOLIDWORKS^® Composer^™ Technical Communication software enables technical, sales, and marketing departments to easily incorporate 3D graphics and interactive animation into technical product communication to show your products and processes more clearly and effectively. Even non-technical users can repurpose CAD content, quickly and cost effectively creating interactive 3D communications.

3D communication and interactive animations created with SOLIDWORKS Composer foster instant understanding of your product’s unique advantages and technical specifications. Help your employees, partners, and customers understand your product and process information better and retain it longer, enhancing your marketing and shortening your sales cycle.

Intuitive Technical Communication

Use visual 3D communication instead of text to engage with non-technical audiences or those who speak another language
Create clear and intuitive 3D visuals that are easy to understand
Use interactive animations and 3D-configurable communication to create a richer product experience
Show product assembly, repair, or operation using graphical 3D communication even before the product is manufactured

Optimized Workflows

Create realistic product images without needing photography or a physical prototype
Create product images and illustrations from multiple angles as needed without a physical prototype
Create detailed product breakouts without disassembling a product
Keep technical communication materials up-to-date without needing a new physical prototype
Link and automatically update technical communications using the CAD model as designs change
Start documentation earlier in the design process working directly from the 3D CAD data
Complete documentation faster and at lower cost to get products to market faster
Minimize translation and localization costs using visual communications instead of text

+ - Technical Illustration Click to collapse

SOLIDWORKS^® Composer^™ Technical Communication software helps deliver clear compelling graphics to end users by simplifying the creation of 2D graphical content for technical illustrations in product communication. Even non-technical users can repurpose CAD content to produce high quality images and eliminate the need for engineering to generate screen shots, exploded views, and other technical illustrations.

Following the simple instructions in intuitive SOLIDWORKS Composer workshops, you can produce exploded views, vector and raster graphics, shaded illustrations or silhouette, wireframe, and flat renderings directly using the CAD model. The high quality 2D outputs can then be embedded easily using any graphic layout software to create product illustrations.

SOLIDWORKS Composer supports a wide range of 3D CAD formats, including SOLIDWORKS, CATIA®, ProEngineer®, and Autodesk® Inventor®, as well as neutral file formats such as STEP and IGES. You can simply open the 3D model to create rich graphical content.

High Quality Graphic Creation

Select the 2D output from a wide range of options—SVG, EPS, CGM, BMP, JPG, PNG, and TIF
Produce high quality vector graphics (SVG, EPS, SVGZ, CGM), line drawings, and stunning raster graphics (JPG, BMP, TIF, PNG) directly from existing CAD files

Optimized Workflows

Visualize and present how your products looks and functions, instead of just talking in front of your prospects
Customize and configure your product visualization instantly according to your prospect’s requirements
shortens their decision making process and quickly convince prospects of your product’s value
Work directly from existing CAD data
Create visual assets in multiple departments through your organization, such as Technical Publications and Marketing
Free up engineering from having to continually generate screen shots, exploded views, and graphics
Update graphical content automatically, keeping graphics accurate and current as design changes

+ - 2D and 3D Publishing Click to collapse

SOLIDWORKS^® Composer^™ Technical Communication software enables a highly interactive end-user experience, allowing technical and marketing departments to easily create high quality 2D and 3D technical communication with the greatest level of product detail and clarity. With the intuitive, powerful 2D publishing, 3D publishing, and viewer tools of SOLIDWORKS Composer, even non-technical users can generate clear, effective communications quickly.

High Quality 2D and 3D Publishing

Deliver best-in-class printed documentation using high-resolution shaded renderings with a three-dimensional appearance
Create interactive 3D animation so consumers can understand your product from the first look, rotate it, or move around it for a lifelike view
Show anyone how your product works, what it can do, or how to do it using universal interactive animations to remove the barriers of technical drawings
Help your customers and partners understand and retain information more effectively with high quality, interactive 3D communication
Quickly publish HTML pages, PDFs, Videos (including fly-through and walk-through), interactive storyboards, and interactive web pages

Interactive Content Distribution with SOLIDWORKS Composer Player

Distribute content widely with free SOLIDWORKS Composer Player 3D viewer
Enable anyone to view your interactive content
Create a complete 3D product experience with interactive product communication
Provide multiple formats for 2D output (such as Bitmap, PNG, EPS) and animation (such as AVI)

Advanced Viewing with SOLIDWORKS Composer Player Pro

Query, manipulate, interact, and display SOLIDWORKS Composer content with in real-time integration of data originating from external sources using SOLIDWORKS Composer Player Pro
Develop custom interactive 3D applications for lifelike application experiences (such as Interactive Web Training and Part Catalogues) using the powerful, advanced Applications Programming Interface (API) with SOLIDWORKS Composer Player ActiveX

+ - Concurrent Product Communication Development Click to collapse

SOLIDWORKS^® Composer^™ Technical Communication software frees technical and marketing organizations from inefficient work flows by enabling them to: start creating product communications sooner, update them as the design evolves, and have them finished simultaneously with the product ship date. All too often, product documentation starts at the end of the development process, because technical publishers need to wait for a final CAD screen shot for the actual product for digital photography.

With SOLIDWORKS Composer software, you can use your 3D CAD data to start creating 2D and 3D graphical content for product technical communication from the earliest phases of product design.

Concurrent Document Creation

Create 2D and 3D graphical content during design using 3D CAD data
Update graphical content automatically as the design changes so documentation is accurate and ready on time
Maximize your 3D CAD investment by accessing your 3D model to create product communication from multiple departments in your company

Faster Time-to-Market

Deliver technical communications with your products as soon as they are manufactured
Promote new products before it is manufactured using sophisticated 3D communication for Sales and Marketing
Improve time-to-market and increase productivity

Content Management

Manage updates for all SOLIDWORKS Composer content with SOLIDWORKS Composer Sync and SOLIDWORKS Composer Enterprise Sync
Process only changed data to update graphics in minimum time
Ensure accurate, consistent product communication with SOLIDWORKS Composer Sync, including metadata, geometry, BOMs, and manufacturing information
Schedule batch updates with SOLIDWORKS Composer Sync for large content changes
Integrate with other software, such as product lifecycle management (PLM) systems, with SOLIDWORKS Composer Enterprise Sync command-line interface