How to run an engineering design review of a 3D assembly

An engineering design review checks an assembly against its requirements before it's released: fit, clearances, assembly order, access for tools, wall thicknesses, and anything a supplier or customer needs to agree to. In MeshMarkup you run it on the 3D assembly itself in the browser: upload the STEP with its drawings, cut it open or explode it, and reviewers pin notes on the parts they're about, with every round kept as a version and closed with a sign-off. Reviewers need no CAD and no account.

#Running an engineering design review, step by step

1. 1

   Prepare the model in CAD

   Name the parts and sub-assemblies, so reviewers see "Shaft collar" rather than "Part 14". Suppress construction geometry and anything not under review. Export the assembly as STEP, which keeps names, nesting and colours. See export a STEP from SolidWorks, Fusion or Onshape.

2. 2

   Upload the assembly with its drawings

   Put the STEP, the general-arrangement drawing as a PDF and the parts list as Excel or CSV in one zip, and drop it on Models. The documents are linked to the model and open with Drawings & documents on the left toolbar. See drawings and documents.

3. 3

   Set up the views reviewers need

   Use Section cut to show the inside, Exploded view to pull the assembly apart along the direction it assembles, and the Parts list to hide covers or fasteners. On a model page these are saved, so reviewers open the assembly the way you left it.

4. 4

   Pin the review questions

   Put each open question on the part it's about: "Is 0.5 mm enough clearance between the impeller and housing?" A review with specific questions gets specific answers.

5. 5

   Send review links with a deadline

   Click Share for review, set Ask for feedback by, add each reviewer's email if you want reminders, and click Leave feedback. Give each reviewer their own link. See feedback-by dates and reminders.

6. 6

   Collect notes on the parts

   Reviewers click a spot and type a note. On a named part they can choose This spot or All of that part, so "change the material of this bracket" lands on the whole bracket.

7. 7

   Disposition every note

   Reply, @mention the engineer responsible in an internal note, and set IN PROGRESS, RESOLVED or WON'T FIX with a reason.

8. 8

   Upload the revised assembly and compare

   Upload the new STEP onto the same model with Upload v2. Open notes carry across with their replies, and Compare shows the old version as a ghost so reviewers see what moved.

9. 9

   Close the review with a record

   Save the round report as a PDF, and on Solo and up send a Sign it off link for the final version.

#Tools for reviewing an assembly

A mechanical design review tool has to let a reviewer see more than the outside of the product. These are the viewer tools in MeshMarkup that matter most on assemblies; they work on your model page and on review links.

Details are in section cut and exploded view and the parts list. Notes can be pinned on a cut face, which suits comments like "this rib is too thin", and notes stay on their part as the assembly explodes.

#What to check in a mechanical design review

A checklist keeps reviewers from commenting on everything at once. Pin a question on the model for each item that applies:

• Fit and clearance. Section through every mating interface. Are running clearances and fits as intended?
• Interference. Explode and reassemble. Does anything look as though it passes through another part?
• Assembly order. Explode along the assembly direction. Can each part go in after the one before it?
• Tool access. Can a screwdriver, spanner or crimp tool reach every fastener in the assembled state?
• Wall thickness and ribs. Section through moulded and cast parts. Are walls even, and thick enough for the process?
• Standard parts. Isolate fasteners and bought-in parts in the parts list. Are they the right sizes and from the approved list?
• Drawing agreement. Does the drawing's revision match the model being reviewed?
• Serviceability. Can the parts that wear be reached and replaced?

For a shorter, client-facing version of this process, see design review with a client.

#Managing review feedback across rounds

Engineering design feedback is only useful if every item gets a decision. MeshMarkup gives each note one of four statuses, and the Tasks board lists every note across every model, so a lead can work through the open items in one place. waiting on you marks notes where a reviewer spoke last.

Each round is a version of the same model. When you upload v2, notes that were still open or in progress are copied to it with their replies and a since v1 tag, and v1 keeps its own notes as the record of that round. Drawings follow the same idea: upload a PDF again under the same name and it becomes Rev B. See versions and comparing.

Before you upload a new version, save the round report: every note rendered from its saved camera, with its thread and status, as a PDF for the project file. Internal notes are left out, so it can go to the customer. See round report.

#Sign-off at the end of the review

On the Solo, Studio and Pipeline plans, a Sign it off link adds an Approve button for the version, such as Approve v3. It's blocked while any note is OPEN or IN PROGRESS, so an approval means every item raised has been dealt with. The approval is recorded with the name the reviewer typed and the date.

It's a clear record of agreement on a version, not a formal release. There's no identity check and no e-signature, and it doesn't replace a release in your PDM or PLM system. Many teams use it as the evidence that the customer or supplier agreed, and file the round report with the release. See client sign-off.

#Try it on a sample assembly

Every account includes Sample: pillow block assembly, with its general-arrangement drawing, a shaft drawing and a parts list, so you can try the section cut, exploded view and parts list before uploading your own. You can also see it from the reviewer's side on the sample engineering review.

For the broader picture of reviewing CAD with people outside the CAD team, see CAD collaboration software and 3D model review software.

#FAQ

#Can reviewers without CAD take part?

Yes. Review links open in any browser, on a computer or a phone, with no account, licence or install.

#Does the exploded view work on every model?

It needs a model with more than one part, such as a STEP assembly or a GLB with several objects. A single-mesh STL has nothing to pull apart.

#Can we review the drawing as well as the model?

Yes. Documents in Drawings & documents open beside the 3D for reference. To collect notes on a drawing itself, add the PDF with Add images: reviewers then pin notes on it, with arrows, boxes and highlights, and those notes get the same statuses as notes on the model. See notes on renders and PDFs.