What support does the Library have for 3D graphics?

Adobe Reader and Acrobat include plug-ins that both allow users to include and display 3D image graphics within PDF documents for engineering and computer-aided manufacturing processes, by converting native CAD/CAM formats into file formats that Adobe Reader and Acrobat can read. Both of these products support the Universal 3D format (U3D).

The PDF Library is capable of placing 3D images within PDF documents as XObjects the same way as it would place a movie, audio recording, or other non-printable file format. PDF documents created by the Library that contain 3D image files can be viewed by Acrobat or Reader in the same manner as PDF files created with Acrobat. The PDF Library does not have a means to convert CAD/CAM file formats directly into 3D images. To do this a CAD or CAM developer will require third party image filters, or integrate with Adobe Acrobat. If the 3D files are already in a format acceptable to Acrobat (U3D), you can use the Adobe PDF Library to place them within PDF files for viewing with Acrobat or Reader.