Fundamentals

The HOOPS Exchange libraries allow software developers to read, query, modify, and write 3D CAD files without requiring any additional software. HOOPS Exchange loads the model into a standardized data structure which can be queried and imported into the developer’s own application. This architecture means that once a developer completes an integration, they can immediately read the 20+ file formats supported by HOOPS Exchange into their application.

PRC is the native model format for HOOPS Exchange. PRC is an ISO standard and is the underlying format behind 3D PDF. Implementing HOOPS Exchange simply involves mapping PRC over to your application’s format. Most developers use HOOPS Exchange to import data, however, it is also able to export to a number of different File Formats. These exports can be used to speed the integration of HOOPS Exchange into your application. For example, a Parasolid licensee might use HOOPS Exchange to convert a CATIA V5 file to Parasolid and then simply bring that Parasolid file into their application.

HOOPS Exchange reads a variety of information from the source format, including:

Trees of 3D parts and assemblies, including coordinate systems, wireframes, surfaces, and solids
B-rep topological structures for surface and solid models
Exact geometry representation for curves and surfaces
Tessellation - either taken directly from the file or generated automatically from the B-rep definition
Markup data, including Product Manufacturing Information (PMI)
Views and capture views
Metadata such as names, colors, layers, and other non-geometric information

HOOPS Exchange provides a variety of APIs to allow a developer to adapt or modify the CAD model. These APIs do not provide advanced modeling functionality but will meet all the needs of developers who want to import, translate or interrogate the CAD data.

HOOPS Exchange is integrated with HOOPS Visualize for developers who have Visualization needs. A simple demonstration application is provided with the package to show an example of how HOOPS Exchange could be employed.

This manual attempts to explain how to perform common tasks using HOOPS Exchange. It does not go into details regarding the PRC file format. If you want to learn more deeply about PRC itself, please refer to the PRC Format Specification. document.