Introduction
In an ideal world, every engineer in an organization would use the same CAD (Computer-Aided Design) software. However, in the modern industrial landscape, this is rarely the case. Through company acquisitions, global supply chains, and specialized departmental needs, most organizations operate in a Multi-CAD environment.
A Multi-CAD strategy involves managing data from various design tools—such as SolidWorks, CATIA, Siemens NX, and Autodesk Inventor—within a single, unified Product Lifecycle Management (PLM) system. Managing this complexity is not just a technical necessity; it is a strategic requirement for any company aiming for true digital transformation and global collaboration.
Why Multi-CAD Environments Exist
The presence of multiple CAD tools is usually driven by three strategic factors:
- Specialization: Different tools excel in different domains. One CAD might be superior for complex surfacing in automotive body design, while another is better for industrial machinery or electronics housing.
- Mergers and Acquisitions (M&A): When companies merge, they often inherit different legacy CAD systems. Migrating everything to a single tool is often too costly and risks losing historical design intelligence.
- Supply Chain Collaboration: To work closely with Tier-1 suppliers or OEMs, companies must often use the CAD format preferred by their partners to ensure seamless data exchange.
The Challenges of Multi-CAD Without PLM
Without a centralized PLM system, managing multiple CAD formats leads to significant risks:
- Data Silos: Design data becomes trapped in disconnected databases.
- Version Chaos: Difficulty in ensuring that the “Assembly” in Tool A is using the latest “Part” designed in Tool B.
- Loss of Metadata: Critical engineering information (material, weight, cost) often gets lost when converting files between formats.
- Manual Rework: Engineers spend hours manually translating files or re-modeling parts to fit into a master assembly.
Why Multi-CAD Integration Matters in PLM
| Benefit | Impact on Engineering |
| Unified Bill of Materials (BoM) | The PLM creates a “CAD-agnostic” BoM, where parts from different tools coexist as a single product structure. |
| Global Collaboration | Engineers in different countries can use their preferred tools while contributing to the same global project. |
| Reduced Translation Errors | PLM uses neutral formats (like JT, STEP, or PDF) for visualization, allowing non-CAD users to review designs without the native software. |
| Design-in-Context | The ability to see how a part designed in NX fits into an assembly designed in SolidWorks, ensuring perfect alignment. |
How Visure Solutions Anchors the Multi-CAD Strategy
While CAD tools manage the geometry, Visure Requirements ALM Platform manages the intent and compliance across all those formats:
- Requirements-to-CAD Traceability: Visure allows you to link a single functional requirement to multiple CAD models, regardless of the software used. Whether the part is in CATIA or Creo, Visure ensures it fulfills its specific requirement.
- Unified Change Management: When a requirement changes in Visure, it triggers a “Suspect Link” notification across the entire Multi-CAD structure, alerting all designers simultaneously.
- Cross-CAD Compliance Evidence: Visure aggregates validation data from different CAD and Simulation tools, providing a single compliance report that proves the entire multi-tool assembly meets industry standards.
- Parameter Synchronization: Manage critical technical parameters (e.g., maximum dimensions or weight limits) in Visure and ensure they are respected across all CAD platforms through a centralized Digital Thread.
Conclusion
Multi-CAD in PLM is about turning a potential bottleneck into a competitive advantage. By embracing the diversity of design tools rather than fighting it, organizations can leverage the best features of each software while maintaining a single, “Source of Truth.”
By using Visure as the overarching requirements and ALM layer, the technical differences between CAD formats disappear. What remains is a synchronized engineering ecosystem where the focus is not on the tool being used, but on the quality and compliance of the product being built.
Check out the 14-day free trial at Visure and experience how AI-driven change control can help you manage changes faster, safer, and with full audit readiness.
