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How to Turn CAD Files Into Interactive Web 3D Without Risking Your IP
Interactive web 3D without risking IP starts with deciding what reaches the browser. Here's what each format sends and 8 questions to ask any vendor.
Mainstay Digital · · 5 min read
Short answer
Interactive web 3D without risking IP starts with knowing what reaches the viewer's browser, and deciding it before you send a CAD file. Stills and video deliver rendered pixels, interactive 3D and AR put a lightweight 3D model on the device, and the manufacturer decides which internals appear.
Interactive web 3D without risking IP comes down to 3 decisions: what you hand over, what the viewer's browser receives, and which vendor handles the files. Engineering teams tend to ask about all 3 once marketing wants their CAD files, because the proprietary IP sits in those assemblies. This post covers general guidance and the questions to ask. It doesn't describe any vendor's security controls, Mainstay Digital's included, so get those answers in writing.
Interactive web 3D without risking IP starts with what reaches the browser
Real-time WebGL draws the model on the viewer's own device. For that to work, the browser has to receive a 3D model. Assume a viewer's browser can keep a copy of whatever it renders, and treat a web 3D model as published geometry.
Stills and video work differently. They deliver rendered pixels, with no 3D file in the viewer's hands.
What each output sends to the buyer
| Output | What the buyer receives | 3D model on the device | Turnaround |
|---|---|---|---|
| Product stills | Rendered images | No | 1 to 2 weeks |
| Product video | A rendered video, 60 to 90 seconds | No | 4 to 6 weeks |
| Web AR | The machine at true scale in a phone browser | Yes | 3 to 4 weeks |
| Hotspot walkthrough | Real-time WebGL with labeled hotspots | Yes | 3 to 4 weeks |
| Interactive 3D | Real-time WebGL, under 4MB | Yes | Up to 8 weeks |
A lightweight 3D model is a display model built to load fast on any device. It's a different file from your CAD, and it shows whatever geometry went into it. If a project needs no model on the viewer's device, stills and video cover it.
Decide what the model shows before you export the STEP file
A STEP file is a neutral CAD exchange format that carries whatever assembly you export. You can export a simplified assembly, and that choice belongs to the manufacturer.
- Suppress or delete the internal components you'd rather keep private.
- Drop fasteners, wiring, and detail the buyer has no reason to see.
- Leave proprietary assemblies out of the file entirely.
- Have engineering sign off on the export.
Showing internals has a cost. A hotspot walkthrough of a sealed mechanism needs that mechanism in the model, so decide per product whether the story is worth the exposure.
What Mainstay works from and what it delivers
Mainstay works from the customer's CAD: STEP, IGES, SolidWorks, NX, or Inventor. From it the team builds stills, product video, Web AR, hotspot walkthroughs, and interactive 3D. It's a US-based team with an in-house pipeline and zero overseas hand-offs.
Those are facts about the work. Whether a given setup meets your IP standard is a question for the checklist below, and the answer belongs in writing. For how the formats fit together, see our guide to industrial 3D visualization for manufacturing teams.
8 questions to ask any 3D vendor before you send CAD
- Will you sign our NDA before we send anything? Check that it covers the models and renders built from the files.
- Where are our CAD files stored, and who can open them? Ask for the specific roles and teams with access.
- Does any of the work go to subcontractors, freelancers, or other countries? Get the answer for every step.
- What exactly do you deliver? Images, video, a hosted link, or a 3D file we can keep.
- What can a viewer download from a hosted 3D link? Expect a specific answer, since the browser has to receive the model to show it.
- How long do you keep our files and working models after delivery? Ask how we confirm deletion.
- Who owns the finished 3D model, and can we take it elsewhere?
- Which components can we leave out, and who signs off on the final model?
A vendor who answers in specifics is easier to trust than one who answers in adjectives. Ask Mainstay the same 8, and put the answers in the NDA or the contract. When they're in hand, bring us your STEP file.
Frequently asked questions
How can we share CAD in web 3D without exposing IP?
Share less geometry. Use stills and video where no 3D model needs to reach the viewer, simplify the assembly before export where one does, and get the vendor's handling of files in writing. No web 3D format is a guarantee, because a browser that renders a model has received it.
Which outputs don't put a 3D model on the viewer's device?
Product stills and product video. Both deliver rendered pixels. Web AR, hotspot walkthroughs, and interactive 3D all need a model in the browser.
Should we send the full assembly or a simplified one?
A simplified one, unless the story needs the internals. Remove what the buyer has no reason to see and keep proprietary assemblies out. Engineering decides, and the decision is easier to make before the export than after the model is published.
What should an NDA for a 3D project cover?
Your counsel sets the terms. Worth covering: the CAD files, the models and renders built from them, who may access them, how long they're kept, and deletion on request. Ask any vendor, Mainstay included, to confirm each point.
Does Mainstay need a native CAD file, or will a STEP file do?
Mainstay works from STEP, IGES, SolidWorks, NX, and Inventor files, so a STEP file works. It's also a natural point to apply your simplification decisions before the file leaves engineering.
