January 5, 2022
I’m excited to bring the first full preview of OpenBOM Drive. The service is currently available in Beta and we already wrote about it earlier. If you missed our article, please check it out here – Introducing OpenBOM Drive.
Virtual Drive for Work-in-Progress Collaboration
OpenBOM Drive is a virtual drive that allows you to manage files and provide real-time access to a group of users at the same time. It creates a single source of truth for all files your team is working on. All engineering files – CAD files, specs, drawings can be located on that drive, automatically create versions, perform locking (automatic or manual check-in/out functionality) and make it available to your development team.
Drive supports versioning and you can create a history of versions by check-out and check-in files. The data is in full sync all the time and available for everyone. There is no way to work on outdated files and lost information.
OpenBOM Drive will provide you with three main ways to work with the data – (1) Windows File Explorer; (2) OpenBOM Document Dashboard and (3) CAD Add-ins (eg. Solidworks). Let’s talk about each of them.
File Explorer
OpenBOM Drive is integrated within Windows file explorer. You can see the files natively and get access to the files exactly in the same way everyone is typically using file explorer. The familiar user interface and user experience make it easy and CAD users can simply use File Explorer to launch the CAD system (eg. Solidworks) or open these files in other applications. Everything is seamless and integrated. Importing your files to OpenBOM Drive is also easy – copy/paste the files using File Explorer.
Document Dashboard
You can seamlessly access the files via the new OpenBOM Document Dashboard, which basically returns the same information as File Explorer does, but via the web user interface. Available in all browsers OpenBOM supports, this dashboard provides 4 main functions:
- Browsing, Navigating, Searching
- View (3D Viewer is available as part of OpenBOM Drive)
- List of Versions
- Download
The web user interface will also provide a link between Files located in OpenBOM Drive and OpenBOM Items in Catalogs. By doing so, OpenBOM creates a digital thread connecting Work-in-progress files with Engineering BOM and Item master and revisions information.
OpenBOM SOLIDWORKS Add-in
For users working with the CAD systems, OpenBOM Drive will provide a user interface and experience fully integrated with the CAD system. In the example below, you can see the enhancement of Drive-in OpenBOM Add-in for SOLIDWORKS. It provides the same functions available via File Explorer and Browser – Versions, Check-in, Check-out, and some others.
Video Preview
The following video provides a first demo of OpenBOM Drive, functions, and user experience I discussed before. Please check this out.
Request Access to OpenBOM Drive Today
OpenBOM Drive is available in Beta and we are inviting customers to click “Request Drive Access” to receive more information and be placed in the early visibility program.
Conclusion
OpenBOM Drive is a cloud-based virtual drive storage service that allows you to manage files online and access them from any computer via the OpenBOM Dashboard or the Windows File Explorer. It will allow you to store CAD files and other documents used by engineers while managing versions, history, and access in a simple and automatic way for all your team members. Drive documents will be automatically associated with OpenBOM Items when the Bill of Materials is created.
Learn more about OpenBOM – REGISTER FOR FREE and start a 14-days trial.
Best, Oleg
