Templates are optional PDF files used to define the starting point before 3D conversion. Various prepared templates are available in the Samples/templates folder. These are easily created, and this collection can be extended. When a template is specified during the conversion process, the PDF template is used as the starting point, containing any normal PDF document information when the new PDF output file is created. In fact, it can be a simple 1-page PDF, or a 100 page complex document.
There are several types of template: generic standard PDF files without any 3D, or "3D templates", where the page is prepared ahead of time with a dummy throw-away 3D model, such as a simple cube, or a placeholder layout PDF. If you use a 3D Template PDF file, then this file fully specifies the page layout and presets where the 3D view will be placed on the page.
If you use a generic 2D normal PDF as a template, then placement of the 3D view must be done externally, at 3D conversion time. The margin controls are used where measurements of the 3D view port margins from the edge of the page must be specified.
If a Placeholder layout template PDF is available a list of possible layout locations are specified by the input template document keyword properties, encoded in an XML string. The placeholders can be created using MS-Word, PowerPoint or EXCEL layout design plugins, or by images with specific Alt-Text values without any plugins.
Within almost any Word document (.doc, .docx) you can place and position a placeholder for a 3D view, and optionally a legend bar if the conversion will be generating a legend.
The following steps show how to create 3D Template PDFs:
If you don't have Adobe Acrobat, then for steps above, then don't panic, you can use PDF3DReportGen itself to prepare your template, just takes a few more steps.
If the MS-Office plugin utilities are installed, then using the ribbon toolbar buttons a placeholder image can be added into the existing document at any location on any page. Multiple placeholders can be included in the document in a complex layout for report, brochure or technical document. Then using the export to PDF template button included in the plugins, a special PDF is created containing the layout information. By specifying this PDF as a template input, and using the "MERGE 5: At Placeholder" mode, the new 3D view layout is generated using the template location.