3D, CAD & BIM

Archivo includes a viewer for 3D and technical drawing formats. It renders 3D models and supports industry formats used in design and construction, including STEP and IGES exchange files from full-grade CAD packages (SolidWorks, Inventor, CATIA, Fusion 360 exports), IFC/BIM models, Rhino geometry and DXF drawings. Native CAD part files such as .sldprt or .ipt can’t be read directly; the viewer shows per-app steps for exporting a STEP file, which carries the assembly structure and part names across.

Measuring & part properties

Select any part to open the Properties panel: computed volume (with a watertight check — open meshes are flagged as approximate), surface area, bounding dimensions, triangle and instance counts, plus source metadata such as IFC property sets or Rhino attributes. A unit selector controls how unitless files are interpreted.

Bill of materials

Extract BOM turns the loaded model into a TableSheets workbook: parts grouped with quantities, per-unit volume, area and dimensions, and an editable Materials sheet where density drives live mass formulas — retune a density and the whole BOM reprices.

Scene documents (.a3d)

Save the current viewer state as an Archivo scene document. An .a3d keeps the model (embedded or as a reference to the stored file), your camera, section cut, measurements, hidden parts and unit choice — and any spreadsheet link, which re-attaches automatically when the source workbook is open.

Linked to TableSheets, both ways

Spreadsheets and 3D models interlink live in both directions. Values from 3D: the TableSheets formulas =MODEL3D.VOLUME, AREA, COUNT, DIM, BBOX, MASS and NODES compute from a pinned model’s geometry and recalculate as it changes. 3D from values: bindings drive an imported model’s parts from cells — rotation, position, scale, visibility, color, opacity, or placed copy counts — updating live as you edit the sheet.