CAD collaboration software for clients and suppliers without CAD

CAD collaboration software covers three different jobs: editing a design together, managing CAD files and revisions, and reviewing a design with people outside the CAD team. MeshMarkup does the third. You upload a STEP, IGES or Rhino 3DM file, send a link, and clients and suppliers with no CAD open the model in their browser, measure it and pin notes on the parts. It doesn't edit CAD and isn't a PDM or PLM system, so it works alongside the tools you already use.

#Three things "CAD collaboration" can mean

When people search for CAD collaboration software, they usually need one of these:

The first two are tools for people who already work in CAD. The third is for everyone else, and that's where most of the friction is: the client who can't open a .sldasm, the machine shop that only wants to ask about one hole, the manager who needs to say yes before tooling is ordered.

MeshMarkup is for online CAD model collaboration in the review sense. Nobody edits geometry in it, it doesn't hold your native files, and it doesn't replace your vault. You keep modelling in SolidWorks, Inventor, Fusion, Onshape, Rhino or whatever you use, and send the people outside the CAD team a link.

#Why people outside CAD need a different tool

Engineers can collaborate through native files because everyone has the software. Clients and suppliers usually don't, and the usual workarounds each lose something:

• A STEP file by email needs a CAD program or a viewer at the other end, and any comment comes back in words.
• PDF drawings and screenshots show only the views you picked. The supplier asking about a hidden fillet has nothing to point at.
• A share link from your CAD program works for a quick look, but depends on that program, and is usually built for viewing rather than for a back-and-forth with statuses and approval. The CAD share link comparison covers this in detail.

A review link fixes the "can't open it" problem and the "which hole?" problem at once. The client turns the actual model, clicks the hole, and the note arrives pinned to it with their view.

#How CAD model review works in MeshMarkup

1. 1

   Export from your CAD program

   STEP works from almost every CAD program and keeps part names, sub-assemblies and colours. IGES and Rhino .3dm files open too. See how to export a STEP.

2. 2

   Upload the model with its drawings

   Zip the STEP with its PDF drawing and an Excel or CSV parts list and drop the zip on Models. The documents are linked to the model, and open beside the 3D on your page and on the review link. See drawings and documents.

3. 3

   Decide what the reviewer sees first

   Hide parts that don't matter to them, cut the model open, or explode the assembly. These views are saved on the model, so the client or supplier opens it the way you left it.

4. 4

   Pin your questions

   Put a note on each spot you need an answer about, such as "Can you machine this pocket at 2 mm radius?" They're listed first for the reviewer, who answers each with Looks good or Needs a change.

5. 5

   Send a review link

   Leave feedback for a working round, Look only to show progress. Pick an expiry, and a feedback-by date if you need answers by a deadline.

6. 6

   Work through the notes and revise

   Reply, set statuses, and upload the next version onto the same model when the changes are in.

For the full walkthrough from the client's side, see send a STEP file to a client without CAD.

#Working with suppliers

Suppliers are a common reason to look for CAD collaboration software. A few things make the review side easier:

• They see the design, not your CAD data. There's no download button on a review link, and the model is a display version without your feature tree, sketches or history. When the supplier needs a file to quote or manufacture from, send the STEP as well. See share a CAD model without sending the file.
• Drawings stay with the model. Spreadsheets start hidden from clients, since a parts list often carries prices; drawings and pictures start visible. Each document has its own Visible to clients switch.
• Revisions are clear. Upload a drawing again under the same name and it becomes Rev B, with earlier revisions kept. Upload a new STEP onto the same model and it becomes v2, with open notes copied across.
• Each supplier gets their own link. You can see who has opened it and switch one link off without affecting the others. Everyone with a link to the same version sees the same notes, so put competing suppliers on separate models.

#What MeshMarkup doesn't do

If you're choosing CAD collaboration software, it's better to know the limits up front:

• No editing. Nobody changes geometry, dimensions or features in MeshMarkup. Changes happen in your CAD program and come back as a new version.
• No PDM or PLM. There's no check-in and check-out, no part numbering, no change orders and no release workflow. Versions in MeshMarkup are review rounds, not your system of record for CAD data.
• No native CAD files. SolidWorks, Inventor, Fusion and CATIA files need exporting to STEP first. Rhino .3dm uploads as it is.
• Measurements are on the mesh. CAD files are converted to triangles for viewing, so a measurement can differ from the CAD dimension by a small amount. It's for review, not manufacturing. See measuring a 3D model.
• Sign-off isn't an e-signature. On Solo and up, a client can approve a version, recorded with the name they typed and the date. It doesn't verify identity. See client sign-off.

#Where it fits in an engineering workflow

A sensible split is: your CAD program and PDM handle the design and its data, and MeshMarkup handles the conversation with people outside the team. For a design review of an assembly with section cuts, exploded views and parts, see engineering design review. For a general look at review tools, see 3D model review software, and for the wider idea of working on the model rather than on screenshots, 3D design collaboration software.

You can check how your STEP looks before sending anything: the free STEP viewer opens it in your browser with no account, and nothing is uploaded.

#FAQ

#Can my client edit the CAD model?

No. Clients and suppliers can view, measure, hide parts, section, explode and leave notes. They can't change the model or download it from a review link.

#Which CAD formats can I upload?

STEP, IGES and Rhino 3DM, plus mesh formats such as GLB, FBX, OBJ, STL and 3MF. Export native files from SolidWorks, Inventor, Fusion or CATIA as STEP.

#Do part names come through?

Yes, from STEP files that carry them. Name parts in your CAD program before you export, and the reviewer sees "Bearing housing" rather than "Part 7".