Stop Wasting Time Emailing CAD Files
Hear what Cody has to say!
If you’re using a traditional file-based CAD system, and you want to share your design with someone else, the process is painful. For most, it involves copying CAD files, attaching them to emails, and sending them. And while that sounds simple enough, there are dozens of ways this can go wrong.
Here are a few questions to ask yourself the next time you’re about to click “send.”
Are you over your email attachment limits?
The first problem you may run into is a limit on the size of your email attachments. If your CAD file is too big, you can't email it. Many users will then be forced to waste time uploading the CAD files to a cloud storage service or FTP site.
Do they have the right CAD software installed?
After you’ve emailed the file (or link to the file if it is too big), the person you’ve sent the file to needs to make sure they have the same version of software installed that you do. If they don't have that same version, they need to download and install a very big application on their computer. Explaining this to the person you are sharing with is not fun.
Do you trust the person you are sending this to?
Once a CAD file is emailed, you’ve lost complete control of it. It can be copied and distributed without your permission. Even if you have complete trust in the person you are sending your intellectual property to, can you trust their entire network? What happens to your file after that person leaves? Does it sit on a hard drive, to be later discovered by someone that you don't trust? Leaking intellectual property is a big problem for companies that rely on copying and emailing CAD files to partners, vendors and suppliers.Are you waiting for them to finish their work?
One of the most overlooked problems with traditional file-based CAD is the complete lack of visibility. Only one person can edit a CAD file at a time. This means no one else can see the progress until the file is saved and checked back in. Engineers using file-based CAD waste large amounts of time simply waiting for someone to check-in their changes. And if you work with a large team, this inefficiency grows exponentially.With Onshape, there are no files. Your CAD system and CAD data live in one place in the cloud and are never copied anywhere.
You share your design with just a few clicks. Everyone is always on the same version and changes update for everyone in real time. No more wasting time waiting for someone to save or check-in their changes. And as easy as it is to share your design in Onshape, it’s just as easy to remove that permission. This means you remain in control of your CAD data at all times.
Plus, with Onshape’s integrated Comments feature and Follow Mode, you can add comments right within your Document or share your screen with a colleague and instantly show them what you’re doing. You’ll never have to email screenshots and lengthy explanations again.
Spend more time designing and less time banging your head against your inbox!
