Blog
14/4/2022

Images for spare parts catalogs: which format is the best?

Choosing the image to use for your parts catalog is everything. The image plays a key role in the creation of a user-friendly and eye-catching catalog.
 
How? By capturing the attention, explaining the product and making the technical characteristics understandable. This through immediacy and clarity, which help customers to consult the catalog and choose the spare parts.

 

What are the most common formats for a spare parts catalog?

The most common formats for digital parts catalogs today are:
- exploded drawings in raster format
- exploded drawings in vector format
- 3D models
 
The raster format (also known as bitmap format) consists of millions of small squares called pixels. Rasters are useful for representing images that are very accurate in terms of detail. The best known is jpeg.
 
Vector images are based on mathematical formulas that define points, lines, curves and polygons. Thanks to this characteristic they are referred to as a very high precision graphics tool.
 
The 3D models are mathematical representations of a three-dimensional object, inserted in a virtual space.
 

Exploded drawing and 3D model: which one to choose?

Needless to say, the representation of the spare part should be chosen according to your needs.
 
Exploded drawings make it easier to understand the details of the product because they are illustrated in every component. Moreover, the exploded view is a technical drawing and as such, defined according to national and international standards such as ISO and UNI. It speaks a direct and understandable language.
 
The 3D model also has advantages:
  • Allows you to navigate the product, rotate it and view it from different angles, as if it were in the hands of the customer
  • It is more realistic, showing the part as it would appear in reality
  • Improves the user experience because the consultation of the catalog is faster and more immediate and the visual effect is more appealing than a raster
  • It presents no language barriers in its immediacy of realistic image
As you can imagine, there are many needs to be met for a visually and content-optimized catalog. That's why Components Engine develops solutions that can handle all types of formats from vector to raster, 3D or 2D modeling: to provide you with a flexible and highly customized solution.
 
 
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