Visual Design Stream

Use

You can import and view Visual Design Stream (.vds) files. You can also save files to this format.

The .vds file is a format recognized by SAP 3D Visual Enterprise Author, SAP 3D Visual Enterprise Generator, and SAP 3D Visual Enterprise Viewer. These files are used for SAP 3D Visual Enterprise Navigator.

Features

This format contains both import and export options. You can use them to customize the way in which your file is opened and saved.

Import Interface

Field

Functional Description

Common

Defines the general settings

  • Dynamic Loading: Indicates whether the file is loaded with real-time streaming of data, or in common mode, like all other file formats (including .rh).

  • Suppress Top Level Nodes: Loads only top-level nodes from a .vds file. “Resume” nodes by right-clicking on the node name in the Scene Tree.

  • Stream Geometry: Indicates the way in which geometry streams

    • Separate Thread: Displays geometry first as bounding boxes, and then gradually becoming real meshes. Use this setting in most cases as it is the default.

    • Main Thread for 1st Frame: Displays the first frame in full detail, and all others gradually resolve into full meshes

    • Disabled: Displays no meshes, only bounding boxes

  • Stream Metadata: Indicates whether metadata streams

    • Yes: Metadata is loaded on demand when required, and then released

    • No: Metadata is fully loaded during initial file load

Rendering

Defines settings for rendering

  • Video RAM strategy: Indicates the way in which geometry is stored

    • Non-GPU: Conventional RAM is used for storing geometry

    • GPU: GPU (Video Card) RAM is used

    • Overclocked GPU: Overclocked is used. On some graphics cards, overclocked is faster than GPU, but the option is not always available.

  • Video RAM Size: Indicates the amount of VRAM allocated for mesh storage. This amount should be equal to the amount of memory on the graphics card.

  • RAM Size: Indicates the amount of conventional RAM allocated for mesh storage. The higher this figure, the better the result.

  • 2-Sided Lighting for Back-Facing Triangles: Back-facing triangles receive two-sided lighting. Set this option to YES if some objects are rendered incorrectly.

  • Use LODs: Indicates whether to use multiple levels of detail or full mesh representation

VDS Shattered

Defines settings for shattered VDS files.

  • Search Components by: Indicates the way in which to search for shattered files

    • File Name: Search by file name. This option loads the file referenced in Entity table and then searches for Component ID. When a filename cannot be found; for example, has changed, the part does not load.

    • Component ID: Search by component ID. This option checks for Component IDs in all files. When you use this option for shattered files, the file name is ignored and Compnent ID is searched for.

Export Interface

Field

Functional Description

Compression

Enables dynamic compression of exported file reducing its size.

Encryption

Sets password-controlled encryption for the file

File Protection

Defines the type of protection that the exported file has. File protection is helpful if you want to distribute a proprietary mode file that people can read, but not edit or copy. For example, if a company Web site features an online parts catalog that displays their parts, and the company does not want their competitors obtaining usable copies of these parts. The file name, path, and protection status are displayed in the application title bar.

  • : Disables file protection

  • Conversion Protected: Prevents the file being saved to any format other than the .vds format

  • Read Only: Saves to a state where the file can be viewed, but not saved

Disable Measurements

Protects the measurements in the exported file. Once you enable this option, the file cannot be measured by using the SAP 3D Visual Enterprise Author measurement tools.

Vertices Quality

Defines the percentage of data about the vertices to keep. Lossy compression is used here. Once you have compressed the vertices data, this information is lost. That is, you cannot reverse this compression. For example, once the data is compressed to 50%, it may as well remain at 50% to keep the file size small. Saving the file again at 100% makes the file larger but adds no more resolution.

  • [percentage]: Selects the percentage of data to keep

Normals Quality

Defines the percentage of data about the normals to keep. Lossy compression is used here. Once you have compressed the normals data, this information is lost. That is, you cannot reverse this compression.

  • [percentage]: Selects the percentage of data to keep

UV Vertices Quality

Defines the percentage of data about the UV points to keep. Lossy compression is used here. Once you have compressed the UV point data, this information is lost. That is, you cannot reverse this compression.

  • [percentage]: Selects the percentage of data to keep