SOLIDWORKS MBD defines PMI directly in 3D and avoiding the expensive, time-consuming, and risky 2D drawing detour, which can save up to one-third of the total engineering dollars. 3D PMI also helps speed up communication, cut quoting time, and reduce errors thanks to its 3D data interrogation, interactivity, and rich Meta properties.

Beyond 3D PMI Definition, SOLIDWORKS MBD helps organize the rich data into clean and structured 3D presentations with different views and display settings. It can even intelligently show and hide 3D annotations while you rotate the model to give you extra clarity while respecting all the critical-to-function annotations. Messy display? Tedious navigation? Missing annotations? Problems solved!

Serve multiple deliverables and departments by customizing the 3D Output Templates. You can build the layout, insert company or group logo, position the 3D View port and thumbnails, edit the text descriptions, embed Meta property links, and add tables. SOLIDWORKS MBD covers them all. Once they are set up, these templates will serve as internal and external process guidelines for all departments, such as Manufacturing, Operations, QA, and Procurement on multiple deliverables, such as engineering drawings, Request for Quote (RFQ), inspection report, and work instructions. In addition, SOLIDWORKS MBD delivers a comprehensive set of predefined templates to use out of the box.

SOLIDWORKS MBD publishes widely accepted file formats such as eDrawings® and 3D PDF according to the predefined or customized templates. eDrawings files can be opened in a free eDrawings Viewer and 3D PDF can be viewed in a free Adobe Reader which is installed on 93% of Internet connected machines. In addition to 2D information such as engineering notes, BOM, and rich Meta properties (Part Numbers, Materials, and Approvals), you can also interrogate the model in 3D with Pan, Zoom, Rotate, Measure, Section, and other 3D tools. The easy and popular 3D output provides additional clarity to help reduce errors, speed up communication, and cut cycle time.

SOLIDWORKS MBD helps comply with the predominant industry standards, such as ASME Y14.41, Military-Standard-31000A, ISO 16792, and so on. This compliance gives you the competitive advantages to win more contracts and deliver projects to strict requirements, on time and on budget. Customers looking to meet United States Government standards will be encouraged by the assessment of Rich Eckenrode, Co-Chairman of the Military-Standard-31000 manufacturing sub-committee. “SOLIDWORKS MBD’s compliance to Military-Standard-31000 Appendix B is close to 100% …”.

SOLIDWORKS MBD helps you share and archive intuitive 3D data, including the models, PMI, views, and Meta properties, so that you and your suppliers don’t have to waste time in re-modeling based on traditional 2D Drawings. With the 3D data, you can upgrade your legacy product configurations to new models much faster and design tooling and fixtures much more easily.

SOLIDWORKS offers intuitive print support for both native files and 3D output. SOLIDWORKS MBD also delivers print-friendly templates for the best results. Furthermore, SOLIDWORKS MBD seamlessly integrates with SOLIDWORKS 2D Drawings. The PMI and Views created in 3D are readily available for reuse in 2D, which can save you time and fit well into existing processes.