Connecting cloud storage to Bill of Materials in openBoM
The preview of our new functionality, connecting cloud storage and keeping files connected to a BOM resonated among our users. Thank you for your feedback and sharing your ideas. Cloud file storage is mainstream and a secure way to store different types of files. In product development and manufacturing, these files types could be CAD, specifications PDFs, production instructions pictures, graphic resources and so on.
The coming version of openBoM will allow users to connect to Google Drive within their BOMs. And immediately following that release, the next one will include support for Dropbox and most likely Microsoft OneDrive, which has been asked for by significant number of our users.
We also are considering to support a connection to specialized CAD file cloud collaboration storages. If you use or have preference for a particular one, please let me now. Examples include GrabCAD and Autodesk A360. Maybe you’re using Onshape to store CAD files in the cloud. Let us know if that’s important to you as well.
Here are few typical use cases to use connected cloud storage with openBOM:
1 — Connect to CAD files in native and sharable format (PDF, JT, etc.)
2 — Connect to Part specification in contractor or supplier catalogs
3 — Connect to documents or pictures to help with installation
We are actively thinking of future applications of how to support our connection to cloud storage for CAD integrations. One idea is to generate a PDF or other neutral CAD data content at the time an initial BOM (part list or multi-level BOM) is created. What do you think?
Conclusion. We are looking forward expanding and supporting a variety of scenarios with cloud storage. This seems to be demanded and widely used by many of you. Please share with me your use case stories. I’d love to hear more and think how can we support them.
Best, Oleg
PS. Let’s get to know each other better. If you live in the Greater Boston area, I invite you for a coffee together (coffee is on me). If not nearby, let’s have a virtual coffee session — I will figure out how to send you a real coffee.
