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19 Workflow

CAD Best Practices

File naming, version control, team collaboration - the habits that separate hobbyists from professionals.

Professional CAD Habits

A teammate should understand your project without asking.

Organization & Naming
  • Files: TeamName_PartName_v01 in Parts/, Assemblies/, Drawings/ folders.
  • Components: "LeftDrivePlate" not "Body1".
  • Feature Tree: Rename features descriptively, group related ones, order major forms before details.
1 Experience
2 Reflect
3 Theorize
4 Apply
Version Control & Collaboration
  • Milestones: Mark key versions (e.g., "v5 - Design Freeze") so you can roll back.
  • Ownership: One person per part prevents edit conflicts.
  • Published Components: Insert teammates' published parts instead of guessing dimensions.
Stage 2 Pause and Reflect
✓ Your reflections are saved automatically
Stage 4 Apply What You Learned

Set up a file structure for a new competition robot project with 3 team members working simultaneously.

  • Create a folder hierarchy (assemblies, parts, drawings, reference)
  • Define a file naming convention your whole team will follow
  • Plan how to handle version control (branching, check-in/check-out)
  • Establish rules for who owns which subassemblies
  • Create a checklist for design reviews before merging changes
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