- Models are placeholders for a set of revisions.
- Revisions contain the 3D data.
3D models and project types
The way you work with 3D models depends on the type of CDF project you are working on. A project is categorized as either data modeling or asset-centric. In data modeling projects, 3D models are stored in Cognite’s core data model and are connected to core data model assets. You can only contextualize core data model assets to 3D models in these projects. The asset-centric projects support hybrid contextualization, which means you can contextualize both asset-centric and core data model assets to your 3D models.Hardware and system requirements
Hardware and system requirements depend on your use case: viewing models in a web browser requires different specifications than processing large CAD or point cloud files.Minimum requirements
These requirements apply to users viewing and interacting with 3D models through the Reveal 3D viewer in a web browser.
- Web browser: A browser with WebGL2 support, for example, Google Chrome or Mozilla Firefox
- Operating system: Windows, MacOS, Linux
iOS and Android devices are also supported for viewing 3D models.
- Graphics card (GPU): Dedicated NVIDIA GeForce GTX 900 series (or newer) or AMD Radeon HD 7000 series (or newer) with at least 2 GB VRAM
- Processor (CPU): Intel i5 or i7 Core series, AMD Ryzen 7000 series, or similar
- Memory (RAM): 16 GB minimum, 32 GB recommended
- Graphics drivers updates: Keep GPU drivers up to date for optimal performance
Requirements by project size
Your hardware needs scale with the complexity and data size of the 3D models in your project:| Project size | Number of nodes (for CAD models) | Number of points (for point clouds) | Example 3D projects | Recommended specifications |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Small | <= 500,000 | <= 100 million | Single equipment pieces, small buildings, individual production units | Minimum requirements |
| Medium | <= 3 million | <= 2 billion | Medium-sized facilities, multi-building sites, partial plant models | 32 GB RAM, GPU with 2 GB+ VRAM, high-core processor recommended for better performance |
| Large | > 3 million | <= 10 billion | Entire production facilities, large industrial plants, full offshore platforms, complete infrastructure sites | 32 GB+ RAM, higher-end GPU (4 GB+ VRAM), modern multi-core CPU |
Limitations
- CAD models
- Point clouds
File and processing limits:
- Maximum 3D CAD file size: 100 GiB
- Maximum number of nodes: 16.7 million
- Maximum size of each node’s metadata: 512 KiB (as represented in the list 3D nodes ‘properties’ JSON object)
- Only one Albedo / Diffuse texture per node is supported
- Textures can be PNG and JPG files
- Textures may be scaled down for better performance
- UV coordinates outside the [0, 1] range aren’t supported and can result in artifacts
Supported 3D file formats
| Extension(s) | Type | Version | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| DWG (Beta) | CAD | Up to 2024 | AutoCAD models. |
| RVM | CAD | Binary: 1 - 3 | Aveva E3D and PDMS models. Attributes are supported by providing ATT or TXT files in a zipped folder with the RVM files. See RVM standard colors for CDF for color-specific information. RVM ASCII is not supported. |
| NWD | CAD | 2012 - 2026 | Navisworks models. |
| SLDASM, SLDPRT | CAD | 97 - 2025 | SOLIDWORKS parts and assemblies. Assemblies (.sldasm) and parts (.sldprt) can be combined in a ZIP archive. To upload part files (.sldprt), you must add an assembly file (.sldasm). You can upload assembly files without any part files. |
| X_T, X_B | CAD | Up to 37.1 | Parasolid. Parasolid files can be exported from a range of 3D design tools. |
| STP, STEP | CAD | AP 203 E1/E2, AP 214, AP 242 E1/E2/E3 | STEP. STEP files can be exported from a range of 3D design tools. |
| IFC | BIM/CAD | IFC2x2, IFC2x3 and IFC4 up to 4.3 | Industry Foundation Classes (IFC) is an exchange format frequently used in BIM. IFC files can be exported from a range of 3D design tools |
| FBX | CAD/General 3D | ASCII: 7100-7500, Binary: All | Autodesk Filmbox is a generic 3D format. Several 3D tools supports this format, in particular Autodesk products. |
| OBJ | CAD/General 3D | Any | Wavefront OBJ is a simple text-based 3D format suitable for small models. It can be combined with materials in a MTL file in a ZIP archive. |
| PTX | Point cloud | Text based point cloud scan. Note that binary formats are recommended. | |
| PTS | Point cloud | Text based point cloud scan. Note that binary formats are recommended. | |
| E57 | Point cloud | ASTM E57 is an exchange format for 3D image data. See E57 files with 360 degree images for more information. | |
| LAS | Point cloud | ASPRS LAS is a commonly used format for storing laser scans and point cloud models. | |
| LAZ | Point cloud | LASzip is a lossless compression of LAS files. Because of the compression capabilities, LAZ is a recommended format. | |
| ZIP | Zip files with CAD/Point cloud files | Combine multiple model files into a single ZIP archive to combine the models during processing. The supported ZIP archive format is PKZIP. Note that point cloud models cannot be combined with CAD models during processing, but that this is supported in certain Cognite applications and by the Reveal SDK. |
Measurement units in CAD
In CAD models, measurement units define the design’s size, scale, and accuracy. Measurement units are the standard units (for example, millimeters, inches, and feet) that specify the objects’ dimensions within the design. Units ensure the design is correctly scaled and interpreted when shared with others or converted into real-world objects through manufacturing processes. If the source CAD file in CDF has measurement units, it’s converted to meters. After conversion, all internal geometry data will be in meters. The Reveal 3D viewer can then load the data correctly since it needs data in metric units like millimeters (mm), centimeters (cm), and meters (m).For CAD metadata, any numeric values aren’t converted. They’re passed on in a string format.