A complex model project often contains dozens to hundreds of parts, some of which are metal parts. Also, it has a lot of assembly steps. Users might need to find the assembly guide and follow it step by step.
Packing all of this information into a single 3mf file could make things convenient.
The example model in this article is from Thingiverse, provided by Daniel Noree.
¶ Basic Info
Basic information contains "author name" and "model name". They mark the ownership of the model and will also be displayed on the device screen.
¶ Pictures
The author can add several model pictures into his project to show different color schemes or printed models in the real world.
It is also supported to set a picture as the cover of this project. The cover will be displayed as the thumbnail in the file browsers of both PC and printer devices.
¶ Bill of Material
The bill of materials contains all the parts that make up a model, especially the unprintable parts (such as screws, motors, and springs).
It supports PDF and Excel formats. Double-click a BOM file to open it with the associated software in the operation system (like Microsoft Office to open a Excel BOM file).
¶ Assembly Guide
The assembly guide tells users how to assemble a large number of parts into a whole model. The PDF format is required. Like the Bill of Material, an assembly guide file can be opened by simply double-clicking it.
¶ Others
The author can also add text files, which can be used to explain the story of the work and some precautions.