Working with 3D objects in Adobe FrameMaker

Learn how to import 3D objects, manage documents with 3D objects, set views and lighting schemes, and set a poster image for a 3D object in Adobe FrameMaker.

In this topic

Import a 3D object

  1. Place the insertion point in your document where you want the 3D object to appear.

  2. Choose File > Import > File or Insert > Image.

  3. Navigate to and select the U3D file you want to import.

  4. Select the Copy Into Document or Import By Reference option.

  5. Click Import.

  6. If prompted, select the desired DPI and click Set.

When you click Set, the bitmap of the 3D object appears in the document. If you imported the 3D object by copying it, the U3D file is embedded in the document as a device-independent bitmap (DIB) in the document. If you imported the 3D object by reference, a bitmap image linked to the source U3D file is inserted in the document. Regardless of the method of importing the 3D file, the file is rendered in the DIB facet in the document.

When you import the 3D object into a document and save it in PDF or XML format, all information about the 3D object is preserved.

Save a document containing 3D objects as PDF and XML

You can save a document containing 3D objects in PDF and XML formats.

  1. Choose File > Open, and then open the FrameMaker book or file containing 3D objects.

  2. Choose File > Save As PDF.

  3. You can change the save location and the filename if you want, and then click Save.

  4. Click Set in the PDF Setup dialog box to generate PDF with the default settings. Or, set additional options, and then click Set. The U3D file imported into the book or file is saved along with all its views. When you open the PDF, the view you last selected for the 3D object in the document displays in the PDF.

Note: By default, FrameMaker is configured to embed 3D objects in PDFs. However, you can disable this option.

In the PDF, click the 3D object to view the 3D toolbar and to activate the interactive features of the 3D object. The Adobe Acrobat 3D toolbar, which is displayed above every 3D object in a PDF, lets you zoom, pan, rotate, and analyze 3D designs.

Save documents containing 3D objects as XML

You can save a FrameMaker file containing a 3D object as XML. When you open the XML file in FrameMaker, the 3D object is preserved through XML roundtrip. The 3D object is extracted and saved as an independent U3D file, along with the XML file. When the file is opened again in FrameMaker, the 3D object appears at the location where it was inserted.

To preserve changes made to a 3D object during a roundtrip in an XML file, add a new attribute called insetdata with the following properties in the Graphic section of the DTD file, along with other attributes such as Offset and DPI:

    insetdata CDATA #IMPLIED

Similarly, you must add the following lines in the XSD file:

    <xsd:attribute name="insetdata" type="xsd:string" use="optional"/>
Note: The @insetdata attribute does not support read/write rules.

If you don’t modify the DTD and XSD files, U3D files can still be exported to XML. However, changes made to the U3D file in FrameMaker are not preserved during a roundtrip.

  1. Choose File > Open, and open the FrameMaker file containing 3D objects.

  2. Choose File > Save As XML or press Esc+f+w+x.

  3. You can change the save location and the filename, and then click Save.

Note: When you open the XML file in a 3D compatible XML Editor, the relevant graphic element contains a reference to the U3D file, with the filename and location of the U3D file. If you open the XML file in FrameMaker, the 3D object appears as a bitmap image.

Print a FrameMaker file with 3D objects

You can print a document with 3D objects. The 3D objects are printed as bitmap images.

  1. Open the document containing 3D objects.

  2. Choose File > Print.

  3. Set the remaining print options as necessary, and then click Print.

Set the background color for a 3D object

You can change the color that appears behind a 3D object. The default background color is white.

  1. Select a 3D object.

  2. Choose Graphics > 3D Menu option > Background Color.

  3. Select the desired color and click OK.

Set lighting schemes for a 3D object

You can select from a wide range of 3D lighting schemes to cast a 3D object using different light sources. The default lighting scheme for all 3D objects is Lights From File.

  1. Select a 3D object.

  2. Choose Graphics > 3D Menu option > Lighting, and choose one of the following light sources: Lights From File, No Lights, White Lights, Day Lights, Bright Lights, Primary Color Lights, Night Lights, Blue Lights, Red Lights, Cube Lights, CAD Optimized Lights, or Headlamp.

Set views for 3D objects in FrameMaker

The 3D object you import into a document can contain predefined views. You can change the view set for the object; the selected view is rendered when the document is saved. When you convert this FrameMaker document to a PDF, all predefined views of the 3D object are available in the PDF. The last view that you selected in the document before saving becomes the default view in the PDF.

  1. Select a 3D object.

  2. Choose Graphics > 3D Menu option > Show Existing Views, choose a view from the list that appears in the dialog box, and click OK.

Note: If you save the document as a PDF, all views of the U3D objects are available in the converted document.

Set rendering mode for a 3D object in FrameMaker

The rendering modes for 3D objects vary from the Wireframe, Solid, to Transparent Bounding box. The default rendering mode is Solid.

  1. Select a 3D object.

  2. Choose Graphics > 3D Menu option > Rendering Mode, and then choose one of the following rendering modes: Bounding Box, Transparent Bounding Box, Transparent Bounding Box Outline, Vertices, Shaded Vertices, Wireframe, Shaded Wireframe, Solid, Transparent, Solid Wireframe, Transparent Wireframe, Illustration, Solid Outline, Shaded Illustration, or Hidden Wireframe.