The key to its speed and collaboration capabilities is the proprietary compression it first applies to models.

The speedy 3D CAD viewer and collaboration tool CadFaster has released a free iPad app, extending the usefulness of its collaboration solution. Targeted primarily at AEC and plant, CadFaster for iPad can read any files processed by the desktop application.

Supported file formats are Autodesk Revit, Bentley MicroStation, Dassault Systèmes SolidWorks, and (to be released any day now) Graphisoft ArchiCAD. Models loaded to the iPad app come from either the desktop version of CadFaster Collaborate or directly from the modeling programs via the CadFaster Collaborate export plug-in.

CadFaster says that its approach to CAD viewing on iPad differs from competitors because of the pre-processing done by CadFaster on the desktop, resulting in a small file that not only can be viewed and manipulated faster, but can be co-viewed with up to 10 other participants in real-time. The 3D models are highly compressed before they are exported, and stored in a cloud database for iPad access. Models may also be viewed when not connected to the Internet.