Solid Edge Faces Not Highlighting in 3D PDF

Users are experiencing an issue where faces in a 3D PDF are not highlighted when a dimension is selected. According to the Solid Edge 2024 What's New documentation, selecting a dimension in a 3D PDF should highlight the associated parent faces.

This problem occurs despite following the correct steps to create and publish the 3D PDF.

Steps to Reproduce:

1. Create a simple block in Solid Edge .
2. Select any dimension in Solid Edge to highlight the faces to which the dimension is attached.
3. Create model views with those dimensions.
4. Use the "PMI" > "Publish 3D PDF" command to create a new 3D PDF document.
5. Open the 3D PDF document in Adobe Reader and select any dimension. The faces do not highlight.

The issue was identified to be related to Adobe Reader's rendering settings. To resolve the problem, follow these steps:

1. Check Adobe Reader Version:

• Ensure that you are using the latest version of Adobe Reader.

2. Enable Multimedia and 3D Content:

• Open Adobe Reader.

• Go to "Menu" > "Preferences... "> "Multimedia & 3D".
• Ensure that the "Enable playing of Multimedia and 3D content" option is turned on.

3. Adjust Rendering Preferences:

• Open Adobe Reader.

• Go to "Menu" > "Preferences..." > "Multimedia & 3D".

• Change the "Preferred Renderer" setting from "Software" to "DirectX 9".

4. Install DirectX 9:

• If DirectX 9 is not installed on your system, download and install DirectX 9 from the official Microsoft website.

• Restart Adobe Reader after installation and verify the "Preferred Renderer" setting.

By following these steps, the 3D PDF should now correctly highlight the faces when a dimension is selected.

Reference: 

Acrobat Reader help documentation regarding requiring DirectX 9 to view 3D content embedded in PDF files.