New VR Mode in eDrawings Desktop Professional 2019

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Ever wish you could just “jump” into your CAD model and walk around and explore every little detail of it in 3D, all in real time? Well, wish no more!

Enter eDrawings Desktop Professional 2019 with a new BETA feature for Direct Virtual Reality (VR). As you already know, eDrawings is the viewer for all SOLIDWORKS content. Viewing your native SOLIDWORKS files in a new virtual reality mode within eDrawings Desktop Pro couldn’t be easier.

Available in eDrawings Desktop Professional 2019 SP1 and beyond is a new “Open in VR” command from the File menu for instant viewing of your SOLIDWORKS files in Virtual Reality! You can choose your floor and sky from preset selections to customize your immersive VR experience and match your model’s natural environment. Teleport around your model, pick and place objects, grab parts and take a closer look—you can even explode your entire SOLIDWORKS assembly with the touch of a button! Please note Microsoft Windows® 10 and later support the Direct Virtual Reality (VR) mode.

Since this direct VR mode is a Beta feature still under serious development, we’ve “hidden” the VR features behind an Environment Variable. For further help exposing this “hidden” VR Beta feature, please check out these step-by-step blog posts written by our Resellers:

Computer Aided Technology
PLM Group

This exciting new feature is currently marked as BETA functionality. Why? We want to collect your feedback, ideas for features and workflows so we can improve this direct VR experience for future releases. To submit your ideas, please follow the typical Enhancement Request process outlined in this other blog post. Make sure to choose “eDrawings” from the “Area” field as depicted below:

Now onto the virtual reality hardware. Support for HTC Vive and HTC Vive Pro will be first, with other VR headsets planned throughout future releases. HTC’s VIVE Pro is an easy-to-deploy, scalable VR system that delivers the highest visual fidelity, clearest audio and greatest immersion for professional users.

This is just the tip of the iceberg for our new Direct VR support for eDrawings Pro. Features like measuring, dynamic section views, improved graphics and more will be added in future releases. Please make sure to submit Enhancement Requests via the SOLIDWORKS Customer Portal to help us improve your VR experiences with eDrawings.

As our valued customers, you are our future and we want to make sure your voice is heard. We look forward to hearing your feedback and feature requests!

Don’t have eDrawings yet? No worries! You can download eDrawings Viewer for free right here. You can also try eDrawings Professional, which includes the new direct Virtual Reality mode, for 30 days during the first installation of eDrawings Viewer. So get out there and start exploring the possibilities!

Brian Hillner

Brian Hillner

Brian Hillner is a Senior Product Portfolio Manager for SOLIDWORKS, responsible for Education and Early Engagement, and specializes in the intersection of business, technology & user experience. He focuses on creating customer-driven software products tailored for schools, educators and students to develop designers, engineers and dreamers of the future. Prior to joining the Education team, he was the Product Manager for SOLIDWORKS Visualize, eDrawings and the Extended Reality (XR) workflows.
Brian Hillner

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