.. role:: blue
   :class: blue

.. kernel version: 118061

C3D Converter Plugins
=====================
.. _C3D_Converter_plugins_:

Plugins make it possible to read models from formats that are not directly supported by the C3D kernel, primarily proprietary formats. Technically, a plugin is a library that implements a given API and is explicitly loaded by the kernel on request from an application.

The plugin is a part of C3D Toolkit and is tightly integrated with the geometric kernel. In particular, this is manifested in the fact that the kernel automatically loads the plugin and activates it with a single license key if:

1. The license key includes the required format ([nx], [sw], [inv], [cat], [se], [cre], [ifc]),

2. The plugin binary files are located in the same directory as *c3d.dll*.

Some specifics of working with plugins:

- Plugins can be updated independently of the C3D geometric kernel.
- As a simplified workflow, the native plugins can be used through the :blue:`ImportFromFile`\() method (provided that there is a license and the plugin binary files are located in the same directory as *c3d.dll*).
- If it is necessary to pass any settings to the conversion manager instance returned :blue:`GetConverter3D`\(), then the plugin usage scheme is two-stage: :blue:`GetConverter3D`\() + :blue:`ImportFromFile`\() (if specific callback objects are required for configuration selection and similar tasks).
- If it is necessary to pass additional settings, such as working with model configurations or metadata, it is required to use the :blue:`GetConverter3D`\() function to set specific callback objects, and then call :blue:`ImportFromFile`\().
- Geometric models cannot be read through plugins by using the :blue:`ImportFromBuffer`\() method.
- To use third-party plugins, or to use C3D plugins located in a directory different from the one containing *c3d.dll*, the following call sequence is used:
  :blue:`GetConverter3D`\() - :blue:`LoadForeignReader`\() - :blue:`ImportForeign`\().

List of supported C3D plugin versions:

.. raw:: html

   <style>
   .c3d-plugin-table {
       width: 100%;
       border-collapse: collapse;
       table-layout: fixed;
       margin: 12px 0 18px 0;
   }

   .c3d-plugin-table th,
   .c3d-plugin-table td {
       border: 1px solid #222222;
       padding: 10px 12px;
       vertical-align: top;
       text-align: left;
       line-height: 1.35;
   }

   .c3d-plugin-table th {
       background: #e9e9e9;
       font-weight: bold;
       text-align: center;
   }

   .c3d-plugin-table col:nth-child(1) {
       width: 22%;
   }

   .c3d-plugin-table col:nth-child(2) {
       width: 26%;
   }

   .c3d-plugin-table col:nth-child(3) {
       width: 52%;
   }
   </style>

   <table class="c3d-plugin-table">
       <colgroup>
           <col />
           <col />
           <col />
       </colgroup>
       <thead>
           <tr>
               <th>Format</th>
               <th>File extension</th>
               <th>Version</th>
           </tr>
       </thead>
       <tbody>
           <tr>
               <td>NX</td>
               <td><em>*.prt</em></td>
               <td>2004 – 2024</td>
           </tr>
           <tr>
               <td>ProE/Creo</td>
               <td><em>*.prt</em>, <em>*.asm</em></td>
               <td>2002 – 2023<br>
               (Pro/Engineer Wildfire 1.0 – Wildfire 5.0;<br>
               Creo R1.0 – Creo R10.0;<br>
               partial support for reading Creo R11.0)</td>
           </tr>
           <tr>
               <td>SolidWorks</td>
               <td><em>*.sldprt</em>, <em>*.sldasm</em></td>
               <td>2007 – 2024 (PMI and annotations are supported for SW 2016 – 2024)</td>
           </tr>
           <tr>
               <td>Inventor</td>
               <td><em>*.ipt</em>, <em>*.iam</em></td>
               <td>2010 – 2024</td>
           </tr>
           <tr>
               <td>Catia V5</td>
               <td><em>*.CATPart</em>, <em>*.CATProduct</em></td>
               <td>2004 (V5 R14) – 2023 (V5-6 R33)</td>
           </tr>
           <tr>
               <td>3D XML</td>
               <td><em>*.3dxml</em></td>
               <td>4.2 – 4.3 (no files of versions 4.0 and 4.1)</td>
           </tr>
           <tr>
               <td>Solid Edge</td>
               <td><em>*.par</em>, <em>*.asm</em>, <em>*.psm</em></td>
               <td>2009 (ST2) – 2024</td>
           </tr>
           <tr>
               <td>IFC</td>
               <td><em>*.ifc</em></td>
               <td>IFC 2X3, IFC 4, IFC 4X3</td>
           </tr>
       </tbody>
   </table>

For the nwd, rvt, rvm, and sp formats there are partner plugins compatible with *c3d_plugin*; working with them is similar to working with the IFC format (see :ref:`Auxiliary Converter Methods <Auxiliary_Converter_Methods_>`).