# Share CAD Files with Suppliers: STEP Handoff Checklist

Prepare a small delivery package that identifies the model revision, intended use, units and any excluded components.

The difficult part of sending a CAD model is often not the upload. It is making sure the recipient knows which file to use, what it represents and what still needs confirmation. A folder called “latest” is not a revision policy.

Start with the recipient's task. A quote review, a fit check and a manufacturing release do not necessarily require the same package. Agree the file format and supporting documents before sending a collection of alternatives.

## Identify the delivery in one short note

Put the part or assembly name, source revision, units, intended use and contact for questions in the handoff message. State whether the model is complete or a selected subset. If a drawing controls dimensions or requirements, identify its revision too.

An illustrative note might say: “Bracket Rev.B, millimeters, for quotation review. STEP and source CAD are from the same configuration. The fixture is excluded. Please raise questions against Rev.B rather than the earlier sample.”

This is not a legal approval template. It is a practical way to avoid two people discussing different files under the same project name.

## Send the file set, not just the top-level assembly

Native assemblies may rely on external parts and subassemblies. Use an appropriate collecting workflow and keep the folder structure when references depend on it. SOLIDWORKS Pack and Go is one documented example of gathering related design files. [Pack and Go overview](https://help.solidworks.com/2017/english/SolidWorks/Sldworks/c_pack_and_go.htm).

For a neutral export, verify that the assembly scope and placements survived. A single file is convenient but not proof that the package is complete. List excluded or unresolved components instead of leaving the recipient to infer them from a picture.

A useful delivery layout is simple:

```text
bracket-rev-b/
  source/
  exchange/
  drawings/
  delivery-note.txt
  processing-report.csv
```

These folders are suggestions. Do not invent missing drawings or export logs merely to fill the structure.

## Provide a preview and a source for different purposes

A lightweight preview helps someone inspect the shape before downloading an engineering file. It should not silently replace the agreed source or neutral deliverable.

A web visualization format can carry a renderable scene, but it is not a native CAD design environment. Khronos describes glTF as an asset-delivery format for loading scenes and models. [glTF overview](https://www.khronos.org/gltf/). Keep the preview labelled and link it to the exact version represented.

A colleague who only needs to review orientation may use the preview. A CAM or inspection workflow may need the engineering file and additional specifications. Give each recipient the required artifact rather than one format for every job.

## Use fixed versions for externally shared work

A shared review should open the same version tomorrow that it opened today, unless the link was explicitly created to follow updates. Changing the contents behind a link can make an earlier comment appear to refer to geometry the reviewer never saw.

Treat a new upload as a new snapshot. Version systems such as Onshape distinguish saved versions from an active workspace; that separation is a useful model even for a much lighter file handoff. [Versions and history](https://cad.onshape.com/help/Content/versionmanager.htm).

When a replacement is issued, identify the new revision and make the relationship clear. Do not just overwrite a file named `final.step`.

## Check permissions before sending the link

Confirm whether the recipient may view, measure, download the original, download a derivative or forward the link. Use the narrowest access appropriate to the task. An expiring link can limit future access, but it cannot recall a file already downloaded.

Search exclusion is not confidentiality. A page with `noindex` can still be accessible to anyone who knows its address unless there is actual access control. [Google's indexing guidance](https://developers.google.com/search/docs/crawling-indexing/block-indexing).

If the organization does not allow cloud upload, use an approved transfer route. A tool cannot waive a customer's data-handling restrictions.

## Finish with a recipient check

Open the link as a recipient or in a separate session. Confirm that the intended files and revision are visible and that unrelated versions are not. Test the allowed downloads and make sure the message explains any remaining limitations.

Do not treat a logged visit as formal acceptance. Ask for an explicit response through the agreed review or approval process when one is required. A clean delivery package helps that conversation; it does not replace it.

## Share a viewing snapshot in CADProps

For a browser review, [create a CADProps share link](https://www.cadprops.com/share/index.md) from one completed 3D model. Copy the free 7-day link, or make it a Pro link (1 point) for 30 days to 1 year. The recipient can inspect and measure the fixed snapshot without an account. The original CAD file is provided only if you allow downloads on a Pro link; otherwise send the agreed engineering source through your usual delivery route when manufacturing requires it. Sign in to create the link, then manage or stop it under My shares from any device. Deleting the saved source file also revokes its links.

## Distinguish a viewing link from the engineering delivery

A CADProps share provides a fixed browser snapshot for inspection and measurement. It does not provide the original CAD download to the recipient. Send the manufacturing file, controlled drawing and revision note through the agreed delivery route when those are required.

Open the share in a recipient session and confirm the intended model and notes. After replacing an engineering delivery, issue a clearly identified new snapshot rather than expecting the old link to follow updates. Revocation stops future access through the service; it cannot remove previously retained screenshots or separate files. Keep the commercial or engineering acceptance response in the process that owns that decision.

Before sending a STEP file to a supplier, open it once in the [online STEP viewer](https://www.cadprops.com/tools/step-viewer/index.md) to see what the recipient will see.

## Sources

- [SOLIDWORKS Help — Pack and Go overview](https://help.solidworks.com/2017/english/SolidWorks/Sldworks/c_pack_and_go.htm)
- [Khronos — glTF asset delivery format](https://www.khronos.org/gltf/)
- [Onshape Help — Versions and history](https://cad.onshape.com/help/Content/versionmanager.htm)
- [Google Search Central — Blocking search indexing is not access control](https://developers.google.com/search/docs/crawling-indexing/block-indexing)

## Related reading

- [Annotate a CAD Model Online and Share Review Notes](https://www.cadprops.com/guides/annotate-cad-model-online/index.md)
- [Export STEP Properties to Excel: Batch CAD Measurements](https://www.cadprops.com/guides/batch-cad-properties-to-excel/index.md)
- [CAD File Conversion Checklist: Units, Solids & Accuracy](https://www.cadprops.com/guides/cad-conversion-checklist/index.md)
- [CAD Versions vs Revisions: Track Models and Exports](https://www.cadprops.com/guides/cad-versions-vs-revisions/index.md)
- [Check a CAD Assembly Before RFQ: Completeness & Scope Checklist](https://www.cadprops.com/guides/check-cad-assembly-before-rfq/index.md)
- [Check a Supplier STEP File Against a Drawing Before Quotation](https://www.cadprops.com/guides/check-step-file-against-drawing-before-quote/index.md)
- [Does a STEP File Contain a BOM? Structure, Names and Quantities](https://www.cadprops.com/guides/does-step-file-contain-bom/index.md)
- [DWG vs DXF: Which Drawing Format Should You Send?](https://www.cadprops.com/guides/dwg-vs-dxf/index.md)
- [GLB and glTF for CAD Handoff: A Viewing Mesh, Not the Source](https://www.cadprops.com/guides/glb-gltf-for-cad-handoff/index.md)
- [glTF Missing Textures? Fix .bin and Image File Paths](https://www.cadprops.com/guides/gltf-missing-textures/index.md)
- [JT vs STEP: Lightweight Collaboration or Neutral CAD Exchange?](https://www.cadprops.com/guides/jt-vs-step/index.md)
- [Native CAD vs STEP for Supplier Handoff: Which File Should You Send?](https://www.cadprops.com/guides/native-cad-vs-step-supplier-handoff/index.md)
- [JT File (.jt): What It Is and How to Open It Online](https://www.cadprops.com/guides/open-jt-file-online/index.md)
- [How to Open SAT Files Online Without an ACIS CAD System](https://www.cadprops.com/guides/open-sat-file-online/index.md)
- [Prepare CAD Data for First Article Inspection: Model & Drawing Checklist](https://www.cadprops.com/guides/prepare-cad-for-first-article-inspection/index.md)
- [Prepare a STEP File for a CNC Quote: A Shop-Ready RFQ Checklist](https://www.cadprops.com/guides/prepare-step-file-for-cnc-quote/index.md)
- [Reverse Vending Machine Planning: From CAD Layout to a Better Return Point](https://www.cadprops.com/guides/reverse-vending-machine-site-planning/index.md)
- [Share a CAD Model with a View-Only Link in CADProps](https://www.cadprops.com/guides/share-cad-model-link/index.md)
- [Share a Fixed CAD Revision: File and Version Checklist](https://www.cadprops.com/guides/share-fixed-cad-version/index.md)
- [SLDASM Missing Parts? Fix SolidWorks Assembly References](https://www.cadprops.com/guides/sldasm-missing-parts/index.md)
- [STEP AP242 Edition 4 in 2026: What It Means for CAD Handoffs](https://www.cadprops.com/guides/step-ap242-edition-4-2026/index.md)
- [STEP Assembly Flattened After Import? Check Structure and Names](https://www.cadprops.com/guides/step-assembly-flattened-after-import/index.md)
- [Threads Missing from a STEP File? Geometry, PMI and Shop Handoffs](https://www.cadprops.com/guides/threads-missing-from-step-file/index.md)

Original article: https://www.cadprops.com/guides/share-cad-files-with-suppliers/

HTML page: https://www.cadprops.com/guides/share-cad-files-with-suppliers/