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How to Export a Rotatable 3D PDF With PMI

Export an eligible STEP AP242 part to an interactive 3D PDF with visible source PMI, then open and rotate it in desktop Adobe Acrobat Reader.

CADProps · Engineering guide · Updated 2026-11-10 · Editorial policy
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How to Export a Rotatable 3D PDF With PMI — conceptual illustration
CADProps engineering guide · Conceptual illustration

An interactive 3D PDF can help a recipient find a callout on a part without installing the source CAD application. For an eligible STEP AP242 file, CADProps embeds the model as a mesh and includes the graphical PMI in the same 3D scene. The callouts move with the part during rotation.

Export from the CADProps workspace

  1. Upload a single part saved as STEP AP242. Open Source PMI and verify the callouts you plan to share.
  2. Sign in and choose Convert → 3D PDF. The conversion panel shows whether the export can include source PMI or whether the file contains geometry only.
  3. Download the -3d.pdf result. If CADProps cannot preserve the source graphics or the model surfaces are incomplete, it blocks the export.
CADProps conversion panel with 3D PDF selected for a STEP AP242 part
The 3D PDF option for a NIST STEP AP242 sample. CADProps checks whether the file is eligible before conversion.

Open and rotate the result

Browser PDF previews and macOS Preview show the static cover. Save the PDF locally and open it in desktop Adobe Acrobat Reader. If Reader shows a 3D content prompt, use the trust option for the file you just generated, then click the model. Use the 3D toolbar to rotate, zoom and switch between saved views. The export starts from the first saved annotation view when available. Its lighting and framing can differ from the current workspace view. Adobe instructions for enabling 3D content

Rendered CADProps PDF cover with the public NIST part and visible dimensional and geometric tolerance callouts
The static cover of an actual CADProps export, rendered with 3D content off. Model and annotation geometry are also embedded for interactive review.

What the PDF carries

  • Model geometry. A triangle mesh for visual review.
  • PMI. Visible source callouts encoded as part of the 3D scene, together with the readable saved view directions and annotation groups. The export carries no machine-readable PMI or editable CAD surfaces.
  • When the input has no PMI. An eligible AP242 part can export a geometry-only 3D PDF. CADProps labels this before conversion.
  • Native CAD. For this PDF workflow, first export STEP AP242 with graphical PMI from the source CAD application.

The example uses nist_ctc_01_asme1_ap242-e1.stp from the NIST PMI STEP archive. After downloading the PDF, compare the 60° callout and the datum markers with the STEP viewer and the NIST reference sheet. Keep the original CAD or released drawing for manufacturing.

The PDF contains a PRC stream. CADProps can read supported standalone PRC files; an uploaded PDF opens as a flat page preview.

Related reading

Original article: CADProps · https://www.cadprops.com/guides/export-3d-pdf-with-pmi/