Stabilizer from PDMS to AutoCAD

This screen cap is from AutoCAD, not Review.

I reverse engineered the binary Review RVM file format.

My validation program reads the RVM and generates an AutoCAD SCRipt, which rebuilds the model in AutoCAD.

:cool:

Yes, it was hard. It took most of a man-year to crack the Review RVM file format. The code that generates the SCRipt was relatively easy.

Obviously both NavisWorks and VR-Context see value in reading RVMs.

Can anyone suggest other viewers or products that would benefit from having support for importing from or exporting to RVM files?

Hey that looks cool. It makes a nice avatar too. Cool idea using a script. Was it hard to do?

Topdog,

That is pretty cool.  I've been trying to fine a way or some program that would export 3D solid geometry from PDMS into other packages like as you mentioned, Autocad.  I didn't think about using the .rvm file as a source.  With it being a binary output, what program did you use to read the file?  There are many binary code converters on the market and most web based are free.  But to view the binary code wouldn't you have to use programming language software? i.e. C++ or C#.  As far as your last question, "Can anyone suggest other viewers or products that would benefit from having support for importing from or exporting to RVM files?" I could think of a few that would be useful. We have walkinside and I have used Navis works for years but, I would like to see PDMS export to a universal file format that many users can import cross-platform. The 3D solid geometry out of PDMS is very important, if I want to use that in a package like 3DstudioMax.  If the rvm file is the way to export and get this info out then I would think it's very beneficial.

Converting the PDMS rvm Review model file certainly required programming, lot's of it. Sorry if that wasn't already clear.

I wrote the program that I use to read rvm files - it's called RVM4U. You can't get these converters elsewhere, that I'm aware of, except for the rvm file readers that VRContext and NavisWorks sell for use with their specific products.

Regarding the potential uses for this technology, onetool said, he "could think of a few that would be useful", but only mentioned the possibility of "a universal file format" and "3DStudioMax".

There are numerous 3D file formats that want to be universal, but none of the popular ones are truly supported by all 3D software. And 3DStudioMax can already read a variety of 3D formats.

So I guess the questions remain:
[LIST]
Which format would be the best output format?
Which software packages would be desrable targets?
What business needs are there for converting to or from the rvm format?
[/LIST]

Hello topdog,

One format exchange that I could see would be PDMS to SAT.  These SAT files could then be read by AutoCAD, Microstation and SolidWorks, to mention a few.  SAT may not be the smallest file format possible, but it would be more universal.  This file format generator should be a two-way converter though, so that PDMS could bring in SAT files from the different programs listed.

Have a Blessed Day!!

What about IGES files?  I've had companies request IGES files of our 3D models for professional production, (television commercials, etc.)...

Thanks guys.

Regarding SAT file - I just want to be clear that I can convert to/from PDMS Review files, but not to/from PDMS Design. So would SAT still be useful?

And IGES, huh? Somebody wanted to put your models on tv? Neat. Do you know what was their target software?

I want the rvm to acad program, how can I get it?

We haven't made the script-based converter available as a product. It served as a validation progiram for the RVM file reverse engineering effort. But we have used it to provide model conversion services. Is that of interest?