Engineering work starts with files. CAD assemblies, parts, drawings and other related design files are the foundation of product development. For many teams, this work still happens in folders, shared drives, Dropbox-like tools, email attachments, and local machines. It works for a while, but as soon as more than one person needs to work on the same design, the risks become obvious.
Who has the latest version?
Who changed the file?
Can I safely modify this assembly?
Did somebody else already make changes?
What happens if two engineers save the same file at the same time?
This is the everyday reality of PDM — product data management for engineering files. Before companies can organize more advanced engineering processes, they need a reliable foundation for managing CAD files, related documents, versions, and collaboration.
PDM is not a new thing in engineering software. What OpenBOM has been changing is to provide a simple yet powerful cloud-based version of CAD file management capabilities allowing to keep files in the cloud and, at the same time, to allow to engineers to use their favorite CAD tools (eg. SOLIDWORKS) without changing their processes.
Why Is PDM Still An Issue?
Despite a big industry progress made with cloud CAD software, the vast majority of engineers are using desktop CAD systems and saving files. Therefore, it is easy to underestimate file management. Many teams start with a simple assumption: “We just need a shared folder.” But CAD data is not the same as ordinary office documents. CAD files are connected. Assemblies reference parts. Drawings reference models. Derived files need to stay aligned with native CAD files. A small change in one place can affect the entire design structure.
Traditional file folders do not understand these relationships. Cloud drives are good at storing files, but they usually do not understand CAD references, assembly structure, engineering ownership, or version history. Without proper controls, engineers can accidentally overwrite each other’s work, create conflicting copies, or lose track of design changes.
OpenBOM Design File Manager was created to solve this practical PDM problem. It helps teams work with CAD files in a controlled, collaborative environment while preserving the simplicity of working from local folders. Users can work inside supported CAD integrations where available, or outside CAD using the standalone Design File Manager.
Watch the Demo Video
In the demo video, Pedro Branco shows how Design File Manager works in practice as an embedded PDM function inside OpenBOM. The video demonstrates how engineering teams can synchronize design files, work with local folders, manage file status, prevent accidental overwrites using real-time locks, and automatically create new file versions when changes are saved and synchronized.
The demo also shows how OpenBOM Design File Manager can be used inside SOLIDWORKS, where users can see the status of assemblies, references, locked files, and changed files directly in the CAD workflow.
This is a practical walkthrough of the core PDM foundation behind OpenBOM’s upcoming CAD File Agent. Pedro focuses on the capabilities available today: collaborative workspace, Smart Sync, real-time locking, and automatic version control. More advanced topics such as design structure, revisions, automatic up-rev, and conversational interaction will be covered in future articles.
Design File Manager
Design File Manager is a PDM function embedded in OpenBOM. It helps engineering teams manage design files, synchronize local work with the cloud, prevent accidental overwrites, and automatically capture file versions. It works with any CAD files and can be used both inside CAD systems and outside of CAD. For some CAD systems, OpenBOM provides deeper, fully integrated workflows directly inside the CAD environment.
In today’s video, we demonstrate several core OpenBOM PDM capabilities: collaborative workspace, Smart Sync, real-time file locking, and automatic version control. These capabilities are also becoming the foundation for what comes next — the OpenBOM CAD File Agent.
Collaborative Workspace for Engineering Teams
The first important concept is the collaborative workspace.
OpenBOM allows multiple users to work with the same design project while keeping files synchronized between the cloud and local machines. After installing the Design File Manager, users can see configured design projects and synchronize them with local folders. This gives engineers the comfort of working with familiar local files while keeping the project connected to OpenBOM.
This is important because engineering teams do not work in isolation. One person may be changing a part. Another may be updating a drawing. A third person may need to review the assembly or prepare design data for release.
The collaborative workspace gives the team a shared context. It helps everyone understand the status of files and prevents the typical confusion caused by disconnected folders and manual communication.
Instead of asking, “Do you have the latest file?” or “Can I edit this part?” the system provides visibility into file status and ownership.
Smart Sync: Connecting Local Work and Cloud PDM
The second capability demonstrated in the video is Smart Sync.
Smart Sync allows users to synchronize local folders with OpenBOM design projects. It can be used to upload existing design data, map local root folders to OpenBOM projects, and keep files updated between the local machine and OpenBOM.
This is especially useful for teams that already have existing CAD projects. They do not need to completely reorganize their work before starting. They can map existing folders, upload data, and begin working in a more controlled PDM environment.
Smart Sync also helps users understand what changed. When a file is modified locally, OpenBOM can identify that the local file is newer and needs to be uploaded. This removes manual guessing from the process.
In the video, after a change is made to a part and the assembly is saved, OpenBOM detects that the file is newer on the local machine. Smart Sync then uploads the changed files and updates the design project.
This is a simple workflow, but it solves a very important PDM problem: connecting everyday CAD work with structured version control.
Real-Time Locking: Preventing Accidental Overwrites
One of the most important capabilities in collaborative CAD work is file locking. You can think about it as a modern version of “Check-out” and “Check-in” functionality.
When multiple people work on the same design, we prevent everyone from modifying the same file at the same time. Without locking, one user can accidentally overwrite another user’s work. This is a common problem when teams rely only on file servers, shared drives, or generic cloud storage systems.
OpenBOM provides real-time file locking to prevent this.
When a file is locked by one user, another user can see that status. If they try to modify and save the locked file, OpenBOM alerts them that the file is locked by another user. This prevents unintended changes and protects the ownership of the work.
This behavior is similar in principle to check-in/check-out workflows known from traditional PDM systems, but OpenBOM provides it in a lighter, cloud-based, collaborative environment.
The lock controls write access. Only the user who owns the lock can upload changes to that file. Other users can see the file and understand its status, but they cannot overwrite the work of the person who locked it.
This is not just a technical feature. It changes the way teams collaborate. It reduces conflicts, avoids duplicated work, and creates confidence that design changes are controlled.
Automatic Version Control
The fourth core capability demonstrated in the video is automatic version control.
When a user changes a file and synchronizes it back to OpenBOM, the system creates a new version. This allows teams to track the history of the file over time.
In the video example, a change is made to a CAD model, saved locally, and then synchronized using Smart Sync. OpenBOM detects the change and automatically creates a new version of the file. The user can then open the file history and see multiple versions — one before the change and one after the change.
This is a critical foundation for PDM.
Without version control, changes become invisible. Teams rely on file names such as final, final_v2, latest, or latest_really_final. Everyone has seen this pattern. It is fragile, confusing, and risky.
Automatic version control replaces this with a structured history. Each change becomes part of the file record. The team can see what changed, when it changed, and how the file evolved.
For engineering teams, this history is extremely valuable. It supports design traceability, review, troubleshooting, and future decision-making.
Working Inside and Outside CAD
Another important aspect of OpenBOM Design File Manager is flexibility.
Design File Manager works with CAD files generally and can be used outside CAD as a standalone file management tool. This is important because not all design work happens inside a CAD session. Engineers often need to manage folders, upload existing projects, review file status, synchronize changes, and access versions outside the CAD environment.
At the same time, in supported CAD systems, OpenBOM provides integrated workflows directly inside the CAD tool. The video demonstrates this type of experience using SOLIDWORKS. Inside CAD, OpenBOM can show the status of the opened assembly and its referenced files. Users can see whether files are new, already uploaded, changed locally, or locked by another team member.
This is important because engineers do not want to constantly switch contexts. They want to work inside their CAD tool and receive the information they need at the moment they need it.
By supporting both standalone and CAD-integrated workflows, OpenBOM Design File Manager gives teams a practical path to PDM without forcing a single rigid working model.
Design File Manager Is Embedded PDM in OpenBOM
The key point is that OpenBOM Design File Manager is not just file storage.
It is an embedded PDM function in OpenBOM. It understands the engineering workflow around files. It helps teams manage ownership, synchronization, change history, and collaboration. It gives engineers a controlled workspace without forcing them into a heavy, complicated PDM rollout from day one.
This is especially important for small and medium-sized engineering teams that need practical PDM capabilities but do not want to spend months implementing a traditional system.
OpenBOM helps them start with the basics: organize design files, synchronize work, prevent overwrites, and track versions.
From there, the same foundation can grow into more advanced design data management workflows, including revisions, release processes, and intelligent file understanding.
The Foundation for CAD File Agent
The capabilities shown in this video are also the foundation for the next step in OpenBOM’s product strategy — CAD File Agent.
The CAD File Agent builds on the same core PDM ideas: design files, structure, collaboration, version control, and product context. But it will take them further.
Today, OpenBOM Design File Manager helps users synchronize files, manage locks, and track versions. The next step is to make the system more intelligent and more helpful in understanding design structures, revisions, and engineering actions.
We will talk more about this in upcoming articles, but here are a few areas to watch.
First, design structure. CAD files are not isolated documents. Assemblies, parts, drawings, and derivatives form a connected structure. Understanding this structure is essential for organizing engineering work.
Second, revisions. Versions help track file history, but engineering teams also need controlled revision processes that represent meaningful design maturity and release states.
Third, automatic up-rev. As files and structures change, teams need smarter ways to manage revision updates and understand the impact of those changes.
Fourth, conversational interaction. Engineers should be able to ask questions, review status, and interact with design information in a more natural way. This does not replace engineering judgment, but it can make the system easier to use and more helpful in daily work.
These topics deserve their own discussion, and we will cover them separately. For now, the important point is that CAD File Agent is not coming from nowhere. It is built on top of practical embedded PDM capabilities that OpenBOM already provides today.
Conclusion
Managing CAD files is one of the most fundamental problems in PDM. Before a company can build more advanced engineering workflows or use AI to support design work, it needs a reliable way to manage files, prevent conflicts, and preserve history.
OpenBOM Design File Manager provides this foundation as an embedded PDM function in OpenBOM. It supports collaborative workspace capabilities, Smart Sync, real-time file locking, and automatic version control.
The video demonstrates how these capabilities work in practice: synchronizing local design folders, working inside CAD where integrated workflows are available, detecting changed files, preventing overwrites with locking, and automatically creating file versions.
This is the practical starting point for better design data management. It helps teams move away from disconnected folders and uncontrolled file sharing toward a more organized, collaborative, and traceable engineering workspace.
And this is also where the next chapter begins. OpenBOM CAD File Agent will build on this foundation, adding more intelligence around design structure, revisions, automatic up-rev, and conversational access to engineering data.
More on that coming soon.
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Best, Oleg
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