What happens between your engineering file and a marketing asset?
A STEP file is a complete description of the product, but it is not the source of a marketing image. The six steps in between are invisible — which is exactly why they are the most underestimated line item in these projects.
Producing marketing imagery from a CAD file involves simplifying engineering data, repairing surface errors, regrouping parts around the narrative, assigning PBR materials and optimising for the target channel. Skip those steps and the output is technically correct but commercially unusable.
Scope
- CAD import and format conversion (STEP, IGES, Parasolid, SLDPRT, IPT, CATPart, 3DM)
- Assembly tree simplification and regrouping around the narrative
- Surface repair and tessellation (NURBS → mesh) quality control
- Separation of unnecessary internal geometry
- PBR material assignment and UV work
- Optimisation for web and AR (Draco/Meshopt, KTX2, LOD)
- Marketing assets from BIM/IFC and Revit data
- Dimensional verification and revision matching
Required inputs
- CAD file with the current revision marked
- Material and finish list
- A list of sensitive geometry that must not be shown
- Target output: still imagery, animation, web/AR
- Technical drawing or key dimensions for verification
Output
- A 3D master model prepared for marketing
- PBR material library
- Web-optimised model (GLB/GLTF + LOD)
- AR package (USDZ/GLB)
- Verification report: dimensions and revision match
- Source scene files
Process
File audit
Format, revision, assembly structure and surface quality are reviewed.
Simplification
Invisible parts are separated and the tree is regrouped.
Repair
Open surfaces, overlapping faces and tessellation errors are fixed.
Materials
PBR materials are assigned and UVs adjusted where needed.
Verification
Dimensions are compared to the drawing and the revision is matched.
Optimisation
Polygon and texture budgets are applied per target channel.
Typically one to four weeks. A clean STEP file lands at the lower bound; a complex tree built for manufacturing, or only a scanned drawing, moves toward the upper one.
Which files do we work from?
| Format | Note |
|---|---|
| STEP (.stp, .step) | The most reliable exchange format; preserves assembly structure. |
| IGES (.igs) | Carries surface data; needs more repair than STEP. |
| Parasolid (.x_t) | Solid modelling kernel; delivers clean geometry. |
| SolidWorks (.sldprt, .sldasm) | Native format; arrives with the feature tree. |
| Inventor (.ipt, .iam) | Native format; carries assembly constraints. |
| CATIA (.CATPart, .CATProduct) | Common in automotive and aerospace; high surface quality. |
| Rhino (.3dm) | NURBS-based; design-oriented geometry. |
| Revit / IFC | Building systems; marketing assets derived from BIM data. |
| Mesh (.obj, .stl, .fbx, .glb) | Ready mesh data; topology quality varies. |
Who it fits, who it does not
Manufacturers who hold engineering data but cannot use it in marketing, and who get different quality back every time they send the same CAD file to a different supplier.
Companies with neither a CAD file nor a physical product, or whose product design is not yet settled.
How the investment is determined
The main drivers are file format and condition, part count, density of surface errors, whether internal geometry is shown, the target output type (still, animation, real-time) and the depth of verification.
Investment range. System build-outs generally work with six-figure budgets in Turkish lira terms. Single-product render or animation packages can be handled at a smaller scope. The exact investment depends on the number of products and markets, technical complexity, languages, integrations and delivery scope. Scope and a commercial proposal follow the fit call.
Questions answered on this page
How is a product image produced from a CAD file?
The file is audited first: format, revision and surface quality. The assembly tree is then simplified around the narrative, surface errors are repaired, PBR materials are assigned and the model is optimised for the target channel. Those six steps are a production stage; rendering is their result, not a substitute for them.
Why is an engineering model unsuitable for rendering?
Because it was built for a different purpose. A manufacturing model contains every screw and internal channel — unnecessary weight and noise. And if the NURBS-to-mesh tessellation is not controlled, faceting shows along the edges. A marketing model is the same product, reorganised for explanation.
Is a STEP file enough?
Usually yes; STEP preserves assembly structure, which makes it the most reliable exchange format. But it carries geometry only: material, colour and finish have to be supplied separately. Without a finish list, material decisions become guesswork and approval rounds lengthen.
I only have technical drawings, no model. What then?
Modelling from drawings is possible; it takes longer but the result is the same quality. Dimensioned views and sections are enough. With scanned old drawings whose dimensions cannot be read, dimensional verification comes first — skip it and the imagery drifts from the real product.
How is a 3D model optimised for the web?
Polygon count is reduced, internal geometry cleaned, textures compressed with KTX2/Basis, geometry compressed with Draco or Meshopt and LOD set up. The target for a web scene is under three megabytes compressed and under 250k triangles. An unoptimised CAD model will not open on mobile.
Do you work with BIM and IFC files?
Yes. For building systems and HVAC products, Revit and IFC data can drive both marketing imagery and system cutaways. The most common issue with BIM data is excessive detail: the simplification marketing needs is far more aggressive than the one engineering needs.
What happens when the product revision changes?
The affected part is updated on the master model; not every image is reproduced. That is why recording the revision number at delivery matters. In projects without revision tracking, a discontinued variant lingering in the catalogue is a common failure.
Do I keep the prepared model?
Yes. The marketing-ready master model, the material library and the optimised web version are part of delivery. That means later animation, configurator or AR work does not start from zero.
Let's settle your scope together →
Opportunity AnalysisRelated pages
What happens between your engineering file and a marketing asset?
A STEP file is a complete description of the product, but it is not the source of a marketing image. The six steps in between are invisible — which is exactly why they are the most underestimated line item in these projects.
Outcomes vary with the market, competition, existing brand authority, technical infrastructure and continuity of execution. MORFAXIS does not guarantee search rankings, AI recommendation or commercial results; it builds a measurable improvement system.
