Note: this feature is not available on all CoLab plans. If you’re not seeing this feature in the app, you can reach out to your Customer Success Manager to discuss access.
You can compare PDF or 3D models directly in CoLab, offering the ability to quickly and intuitively understand changes made between revisions. the comparison tool is available in the 'View' section of both the 2D and 3D viewer toolbars. It will be disabled if there is only one revision of a file uploaded.
Generating a comparison
To generate a comparison between file revisions, open a PDF or 3D file with multiple revisions in your Workspace.
Select the 'Comparison' icon in the bottom toolbar.
Click the '+New' button.
Next, choose a revision to compare to and click the 'Compare' button.
You will receive a message letting you know the comparison is being prepared. It may take a few minutes to generate the comparison, depending on the complexity of the files.
💡BREP data
To be eligible for use in the comparison feature, 3D files must contain boundary representation (B-rep/BREP) data. Assembly files must have all associated parts within CoLab to compare effectively.
SolidWorks assembly files commonly do not offer boundary representation when exporting from SolidWorks directly. For these files we recommend exporting through 3DX where possible.
Viewing a comparison
When a comparison is ready to view, you will get a notification. Clicking on the 'Go to comparison view' will open the comparison in the viewer.
Alternatively, you can navigate to the file itself, click on the comparison icon in the bottom toolbar and select the revision you wish to compare to.
Once selected, CoLab will overlay the two files, highlighting differences using colour.
🔴Red: unique to the older version.
🟢Green: unique to the newer version.
⚫Black: common to both revisions.
In addition to the colour highlights, you will know you are in comparison mode by the indicator above the viewer toolbar, as well as the file's breadcrumb trail at the top of the viewer.
Feedback on revisions
You can create feedback directly on an overlaid view. Feedback left this way is saved to the most recent revision and clearly marked as being created in comparison mode.
