Zea has announced the Beta release of its cloud-based 3D equipment documentation platform, created to enable manufacturers to work efficiently with distributed after-sales teams who need secure access to 3D models to create their deliverables.
The company behind Zea Engine said that thanks to the platform, new manufacturers can streamline and differentiate their technical content, while established ones can extend industry 4.0 investments to benefit teams outside of engineering, like after-sales.
The primary features of the beta version includes unlimited users, organisations, workspaces, and projects, the ability to collaborate with remote teams, and compatibility with over 20 3D CAD file formats, including SolidWorks, Inventor, Creo, NX, and SolidEdge, an illustration version history feature and the ability to create single-source 3D models across all technical illustrations.
“We developed this new platform with the vision to democratise 3D for equipment documentation,” said Zea CEO Michael Smith.
“The process to create, publish, and maintain technical content hasn’t changed much in the 20 years since I first entered the technical field and is one of the most inefficient I’ve encountered in my career. We’re on a mission to change that.”
Zea platform was designed for teams like technical publications, spare part catalogues, and technical training, which benefit from accessing the 3D models but are separate from engineering teams.
Illustrations Hub, the first of several hubs in development, which looks to enable content creators to author interactive 3D technical illustrations on the web.
Zea said that the Illustration Hub allows users to publish and update interactive 3D technical illustrations for equipment documentation and after-sale experience, which is a clear differentiator for equipment manufacturers and a key driver to continuous growth.
“We are excited to open the beta version of the platform to the public. The response thus far has been overwhelming, to say the least,” said Smith. “We can’t wait to make the platform generally available this spring.”
