If you weren’t aware of Design Web Format (DWF) before Autodesk University 2005 by the time it finished you knew it didn’t just mean Disney World Fun.
From the “Connect the Dots” banners in the promenade linking the Dolphin/Swan to the giant “Dots” floating in the lagoon it was apparent that DWF was big at AU 2005. If that wasn’t enough there was always the risk of being mugged by a DWF, invariably when Shaan Hurley had his camera pointed at you… (he got me, but I got him)
This wasn’t just another marketing push for DWF’s traditional role as electronic paper – view, print & mark-up revisions. From the Main-stage Presentation it was plain that DWF is being positioned as an “application neutral data sharing format”. All the Autodesk applications can publish to DWF, others with DWF Writer “Printer”, and anyone who can install the free DWF Viewer can view them.
DWF’s contain true 2D or 3D geometry and object data which allows the model/properties seen in the native CAD application to be shared. The precision level, and what extended data is included, is controlled by the publisher when they output the DWF file.
Expect to see increased use of DWF, maybe even applications based on DWF allowing Quantity Survey/Estimation, Facilities Management and Illustration in the future.
