We implemented an automated batch PDF rendering solution for ECO packages in Agile 9.3.5 that significantly reduced our approval cycle times. Previously, engineering had to manually generate PDF views of all affected CAD files before routing ECOs for approval, which created a bottleneck taking 2-4 hours per ECO package.
Our solution leverages the visualization module’s batch processing capabilities with workflow event triggers. When an ECO reaches ‘Ready for Review’ status, a Process Extension automatically queues all attached CAD files for PDF rendering. The visualization server processes them overnight, and the PDFs are attached to the ECO by morning. This eliminated the manual PDF generation step and improved our approval cycle time by 35%. The system maintains full document traceability - each PDF is version-stamped and linked to the source CAD file’s specific revision.
Did you consider the storage implications? PDFs of complex assemblies can be large. How are you managing the file storage growth, and do you have any archival strategy for old ECO PDFs?
We configured the visualization server with a queue limit of 20 concurrent jobs and implemented priority-based processing. ECOs marked ‘Urgent’ get higher priority in the rendering queue. The PX script checks server load before submitting jobs - if the queue is full, it schedules the rendering for the next available slot. We also set up monitoring alerts if queue wait times exceed 4 hours.
This is exactly what we need! How did you handle the visualization server capacity? We have concerns about queuing 50+ CAD files simultaneously and overwhelming the rendering engine. Did you implement any throttling or priority queuing?
I’m interested in the document traceability aspect. How do you link the generated PDFs back to the specific CAD revision? Are you using Agile’s attachment relationships, or did you implement custom metadata tracking? We need to ensure audit compliance for our ISO certification.
What CAD formats are you processing? We have a mix of CATIA, SolidWorks, and AutoCAD files. Does the batch rendering handle all formats reliably, or did you encounter issues with specific file types?