Every product-focused company needs a centralized database of its 3d models. GrabCAD is the entry-level product data management system to rev control your models and drawings. You can check out and check the files to create different versions, so your whole team can have one source of truth.
Pros
GrabCAD is the source of truth for the files being used
GrabCAD is free
Easy to use and get started
Cons
Doesn't plug in to windows explorer
Finding rev history is not intuitive
Hard to navigate spaces, each folder needs to be separately shared
Likelihood to Recommend
If you are looking for a free PDM to get your team started, GrabCAD is a good place to start. Once you start having many employees and complex assemblies, you will want to find another solution that seamlessly integrates with your other systems (like PLM or ERP). To my knowledge, GrabCAD doesn't do that.
GrabCad Workbench is the best platform when it comes to managing and sharing CAD files within our organizations and wants to make mass changes to our designs in collaboration with other members, which can be our team members, senior designers, and clients, etc. Using GrabCad Workbench I can do real-time changes to my design by integrating it with CAD systems like SolidWorks and all my members can see the changes live. I can also set up a common part library, where I can use a single component in multiple designs without redesigning it in every file, hence saving my and my clients' time.
Pros
The ease of searching for already designed parts and components in our system helps save designing time.
I can integrate CAD systems like SolidWorks, where I can make changes to my designs, and all the changes are updated automatically in my uploaded model.
We can do conversations about the model update within the file, hence reducing time in email conversations and using that time in collaborating with the teams.
Easy setup of custom common parts library, where we can use single parts in different projects without redesigning them again and again.
Need not to worry about lost files, we can restore our projects at any point of time.
Cons
One major drawback is, that it cannot display sketches and drawing files, only solids and surfaces can be seen on this platform.
The platform sometimes becomes unstable, it lags when I try to upload complex assemblies. Hence, GrabCad teams need to work to improve the stability of the platform.
Likelihood to Recommend
GrabCad Workbench is well suited for group projects, where all my team members can view the designs at the same time, and by integrating it with CAD software like SolidWorks, all my team members can see the live changes in the projects based on the recommendations received. I can also do conversations with my team, which are project-specific, thus reducing time in email and video conferences. For assemblies, I can generate a Bill of materials with a single click. However, there are some drawbacks like every member needs to have an account in order to sync files with everyone, and the platform requires good internet connectivity otherwise file uploading will be time-consuming.
GrabCAD Workbench is great, and it’s being used by our engineering design department. Our team can share, view, and manage their CAD files with this.
Pros
The GrabCAD Workbench is great when you are working in teams.
You can share your CAD file with your team, and they can chat in there and view and modify the file.
Cons
The software is not intuitive.
You must have an account to share files.
Likelihood to Recommend
GrabCAD Workbench is great because you can have access to your file from everywhere. You can share it with your team and they can do everything in this platform, such as view, leave comments about the file, modifying etc. although they need to have an account to be in it.
I use GrabCad as an ad-hoc data management system. I store SolidWorks files in the projects. It allows me to share files with others if they have an account and can sync with the project. We currently don’t have a data management solution and it is better than nothing.
Pros
GrabCad is great at uploading files to the cloud.
Cons
The software is unstable. It will crash daily.
The version control is not intuitive at all. I know that there is the possibility of rolling back to a previous version of a file but I can’t figure it out.
In order to sync files with someone, they need to have an account.
Likelihood to Recommend
GrabCad is great if you have no other options. If you need free data management it is available. Otherwise, it is worth it to spend money and actually buy something that works.
