20140195963 | METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR REPRESENTING 3D THUMBNAILS - A method and related system are disclosed for generating a rotatable thumbnail representation of a 3D model of an object stored in a CAD file. Method steps include translating content of the CAD file into a neutral graphics format, converting the translated file content into a succession of views of the object, each successive view presenting a different perspective of the object as it rotates about a common axis, converting the successive views to a sequence of thumbnail-sized images, associating the sequence with a single thumbnail representation of the CAD file, and configuring the thumbnail representation to enable a user to preview the CAD file on a graphical user interface by displaying the thumbnail-sized images according to the sequence to simulate rotation of the object about the common axis. The resulting 3D thumbnail is universally viewable, for example, in a browser, without opening application software used to create the 3D model. | 07-10-2014 |