Spending hours trying to find off-the-shelf parts is a terribly inefficient use of a designer's time. Yet, this is the reality for many companies around the world. 

Not only can it take several tries to find the desired component, but once found, it doesn’t guarantee the CAD format offered will be compatible with your downstream Onshape tasks.

Being able to quickly find and insert 3D CAD models creates huge potential for companies. That way, engineers and designers can focus on their main tasks rather than spending their valuable time searching multiple resources for models that manufacturers make readily available.

That's why CADENAS sought and delivered a new and innovative way to find these models. The answer is as simple as it is brilliant: Creating a smart search engine!

The Swiss Army Knife of 3D Model Search

the search options in 3dfindit

This smart search engine, 3DFindit.com, uses the same tools and methods that engineers best understand: shape, sketch, catalogs, and more. It helps them overcome a common issue that designers face while looking for components: Forgetting names or part numbers. 

These new ways of enhancing search scope is one of the key advantages of 3Dfindit.com. Users can choose from a variety of different search approaches. It is possible to look through over 4,900 manufacturer catalogs as well as filtering through certain product specifics like weight or material. 

You can even use the 2D Sketch Search to draw what you are looking for and 3Dfindit will match this drawing with billions of possible search results.

CADENAS Integrates Manufacturers Catalogs into Onshape

a laptop with CADENAS open

CADENAS, the software company behind this search engine, and Onshape share a long and successful history together.

Since 2016, Onshape and CADENAS have worked together to give Onshape users access to the aforementioned manufacturer catalogs. This paves the way to transfer billions of part models into our app.

With the update to 3Dfindit.com, users will now access the right components even faster – creating the best possible workspace for you.

3DFindIt.com on the Onshape App Store

Find out more about 3Dfindit.com, the next-dimension visual search engine.

(Niklas Ritter, SEO Expert & Content Creator at CADENAS)