A few weeks ago we told the world about GrabCAD Workbench, a better way to share CAD models securely with both engineers and non-engineers. Workbench makes it easy for partners and collaborators to see a 3D model in their browser, then make comments, add pins and sketch right on the model.
Workbench Launches Strong and Gets Better
The response was tremendous – more than a thousand people have signed up for our closed beta. With great feedback from that group (thanks folks!) we’ve continued to add features and make Workbench even better. In the last few weeks we’ve added:
Measuring tools
Support for .pdf, .mov, .m4v and other file types
Drag and drop file movement
But there’s more to come – in the next few weeks we’re adding threaded comments, view only permissions, ability to view file version history, improved sketching, and launching an Android app!
Workbench Beta Now Open To The Public
We’re ready to open GrabCAD Workbench up to the world. As of today, we’ve made sign up automatic – when you enter your information and click “Submit”, presto! – you’re in. All the easy, secure CAD collaboration you could ever want, and plenty for your partners and collaborators as well.
Pricing Preview
As part of our transition to “open” beta we also want to let you know how we’ll be pricing Workbench. We’re offering three tiers of subscription:
Professional – FREE. With a Professional plan you’ll have unlimited collaborators and unlimited data storage on up to 5 projects.
Team – $25 / user / month. If you need more than 5 projects you’ll be able to upgrade to a Team plan and get unlimited projects (along with unlimited collaborators and storage, of course).
Enterprise – Some customers have told us that they need additional capabilities like a centralized administration system. For those users we’ll offer all the benefits of the Team plan but with an admin console. We’ll roll out our Enterprise plan at the end of June.
Our Team plan will be available for purchase right on the website, and if you’re interested in an Enterprise plan we’d encourage you to reach out to our sales team to learn more. This pricing will go into effect at the end of June, so plan ahead!
Go Get Started!
We’re excited that Workbench has proved so popular and we’re thrilled that so many people have taken the time to send us comments and thoughts. Please keep it up! And head on over to the Workbench signup page to start sharing CAD privately and securely today.
If you participate in a “digital” design and manufacturing process you are probably sharing or receiving product data in digital form – usually a CAD file. Physical products seldom consist of a single part and are rarely designed and made by a single individual. Engineering is a team sport.
However, sharing CAD files often means translating the file or converting CAD and its contents from one format to another. Why? Read the rest of this entry »
Crowdsourcing. It’s a hot topic right now thanks to developments in technology. Before, there were barriers to asking a large group for input and ideas. Now, these barriers are quickly falling away. The Internet is always on, which makes it faster and easier to connect the world’s talent. Books like Makers and Decisive are bringing the practice of open and cooperative design and decision processes to the mainstream. Below are some different examples of companies using crowdsourcing in new and interesting ways.
Bring your hardware product and we’ll bring the experts! Bolt is a Boston-based hardware startup incubator that wants to help you get your idea from prototype to manufactured product. We’ve seen their place and these guys have some serious tools and know-how!
If you answered that question immediately, this blog post isn’t for you. If like most CAD users you’ve heard the term “kernel” but aren’t sure what it is or why it’s important, keep reading.
In fact, if you’re like most CAD users, at some point you have struggled to import a CAD model created in a different CAD system. If so, you’ve run into a kernel problem. In that case, this blog post is definitely for you. Let’s start with the basics… Read the rest of this entry »
Design a creative toy that is ready to 3D print for the chance to win an Ultimaker 3D printer, one of the best selling and most well-known printers out there! Participants will have to impress an all-star jury of experts including Ultimaker, PCmag, TCT Magazine, 3D printing Industry blog, Ground3D, Protospace and GrabCAD, so show them something fun with great construction. We know that GrabCADrs are the best resource for something inventive!
What would you make for the kids you know? What classic toys do you still love? We recommend a lot of play time to get inspired for this one. The top 5 winners take home an Ultimaker 3D printer! We have already seen a lot of interest, so tap your imagination and join the fun.
What if the secret to success is actually failure? Failing is all about testing what you believe in the real world and then learning from the results. I’ve been able to learn so much about the failures experienced day to day by our community of engineers with our customer development process for GrabCAD Workbench of “Learn. Build. Repeat.” I want to share some of our most commonly heard CAD collaboration fails so you can learn from their mistakes:
