3D CAD model visualization on a website using the X3D standard

•3D product model web visualization with product structure and part properties.•Extension of the X3D standard to represent product structure and part properties.•We developed the CTX (CAD-to-X3D) translator and the Eng-X3D viewer.•The performance test shows that the proposed approach is better than the VRML.

3D CAD data have not only part geometry but also product structure information and manufacturing-related properties. Visualizing part geometry with these data on internet is useful in downstream product development. Web visualization standards provide a way to develop visualization tools independent from a CAD system. This paper proposes a method for using the X3D visualization standard to include part geometry, product structures, and manufacturing-related properties simultaneously. 3D CAD data are extracted from a CAD system and translated into the X3D standard. A translator system and a web viewer system are implemented to verify the proposed approach. A test using three different 3D CAD files is conducted to evaluate the performance of the proposed approach. According to the results, the proposed X3D data set is better visualized than data in the VRML standard.