HOOPS Exchange 2026.4.0

Technology Updates

Format Updates

Format Updated Version
Inventor 2027

See File Formats for the list of all supported formats.

Third-Party Library Updates

The following third-party libraries have been updated:

Library New Version
APDFL 18.0.5PlusP2c

For more information about package content, see Acknowledgments and Distributing Your Application.

New Features

Advanced Publishing: new function to export as PDF/A-4e

The experimental function A3DPDFDocumentSaveToPDFA4e() saves the PDF document as being compliant to PDF/A-4e standard.

To enable testing of PDF/A-4e file creation using the Advanced Publishing module of HOOPS Exchange, we are introducing a new Experimental API A3DPDFDocumentSaveToPDFA4e(). This API is currently in an experimental state due to the limited adoption of PDF 2.0 and our ongoing evaluation of its supported and unsupported features. Because of the restrictions imposed by PDF 2.0 and the PDF/A-4e standard, some data loss may occur compared to PDF files generated with HOOPS Advanced Publishing A3DPDFDocumentSaveEx(). Importantly, generating a PDF 2.0 (PDF/A-4e) document is provided as an additional option and does not replace the default PDF 1.7 output that HOOPS Exchange continues to support. PDF 2.0 (PDF/A-4e) has been specifically designed for the long-term archiving of engineering documents, making this a valuable opportunity for Exchange users who publish PDF files to explore the new format. We encourage you to test the API and share feedback on any critical gaps or missing features that should be addressed.

Tech Soft 3D remains committed to supporting all features compliant with the PDF 2.0 / PDF/A-4e standard. For further details on the PDF/A-4e standard, please refer to https://www.loc.gov/preservation/digital/formats/fdd/fdd000318.shtml.

Documentation Changes

New ImportExport Sample

The ImportExport sample has been rewritten for improved readability and easier learning. This is the first sample to be updated as part of an ongoing initiative to modernize our example codebase, making samples more composable and extensible.

A new dedicated documentation page is available at ImportExport Example. The File-to-File Translation tutorial and Simple Load and Export guide have also been updated.

New Build Samples Page

A new documentation page has been added to document the best ways to build our example codes.

Deprecations

These symbols are deprecated and enter the opt-in stage as of 2026.4.0 release, and then be removed completely in the 2026.6.0 release:

Fixed Bugs

Issue Description
SDHE-23465 Upgrade PDFL dependency to zlib 1.3.2
SDHE-23463 Upgrade PDFL dependency to libpng 1.6.56
SDHE-23462 Upgrade PDFL dependency to libexpat 2.7.5
SDHE-23331 Associativity between SolidWorks Feature and Sketch based on Hoops Exchange Feature Tree Traversal
SDHE-23276 Fix bugs related to material when importing SolidWorks files
SDHE-23230 Fix empty LinkedItems/DisplayFilters in 3DXML capture views
SDHE-23203 Correctly set target PO of linked item in 3DXML model
SDHE-23095 Improve Parasolid export to ensure blend surfaces are correctly preserved, maintaining full model integrity and topology
SDHE-22845 Improve stability on NURBS handling
SDHE-21673 Geometry fix for points of interest in IFC file after conversion
SDHE-21496 Fix annotation view orientation in 3DXML
SDHP-3070 Upgrade PDFL dependency to libpng 1.6.56