i-drop Technology

i-drop Technology

From kitchen sinks and custom furniture to hydraulic components and mechanical fasteners, designers require pre-drawn content. With i-drop® technology-an XML-based technology invented by Autodesk for programmers and developers-you can provide easy access to design content over the Web. When you i-drop enable content, designers can drag it from the Web and drop it into their drawing window in one convenient step.

For example, your customer is a lighting designer who requires a specific lighting fixture. The customer can browse your online library of products and then drag the appropriate fixture as a block into an AutoCAD® drawing. Do your customers use Autodesk® Architectural Desktop styles as well? No problem. i-drop technology supports many types of content including Autodesk Architectural Desktop styles, AutoCAD blocks, Autodesk Inventor parts and assemblies, 3D Studio, and much more, so you can include as many types of content as you want.

Let's take it a step further. In addition to the geometry of a predefined object, you can i-drop enable associated data files, such as pricing information and order forms, and bundle them with the actual design content in the same handy i-drop package. Plus you can automatically tag your i-drop content with the source URL or any other web location of your choice.

To test to see if you have i-drop installed move your cursor over the 3D image below.If the cursor changes to the i-drop shown here, you have i-drop installed. If not, pick on the Autodesk i-drop  logo above  to go to the Autodesk i-drop center.

The above image is an example of i-drop enabled content.
It is a AutoCAD 3D model of a chess piece made of blue crystal. The file is 359kb. To download, pick on the image and drag to your open AutoCAD drawing and release. The time it takes to appear depends on your internet connection. Once it appears you can pick an insertion location. You can display an isometric view and render it using the photo real setting.