Microsoft's Simplygon adds support for common CAD file formats

Microsoft has updated Simplygon, an optimization tool for 3D models that the company acquired in 2017, with added support for two of the most common Computer Aided Design (CAD) file types. CAD professionals will now find support for JT and STEP file formats in the latest version of Simplygon, opening up the possibility for them to bring existing assets into mixed reality, Microsoft says.

With JT and STEP support, users will be able to import assets saved as each file type and optimize them for different devices. From Microsoft:

For 3D content, this announcement is another early step along that same transformative path. CAD users are now able to create on their PC in JT or STEP formats, transcode and optimize via Simplygon, and distribute their work to their preferred device endpoint. We will continue taking steps along the journey to 3D portability and making the proliferation of 3D content as simple as possible.

This follows the launch of Simplygon on the Azure Marketplace in December. New users can get started with optimizing assets by deploying a Simplygon Cloud virtual machine from the Azure Marketplace home.